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About the SP Cert

The Special Purpose Certificate (SpCert) in Teaching, Learning and Assessment for Academic Practice is a flexible, research-informed, practice-based programme for Trinity staff involved in teaching and/or supporting teaching and learning. Cohorts typically include teaching academics, researchers with teaching responsibilities, clinical teaching staff, part time and/or adjunct teaching staff, and other professionals with roles in supporting learning.

The programme focuses on four interrelated facets of academic practice: teaching, learning, research, and leadership.

Participants complete three 5 ECTs modules, from the suite of Professional Development modules on offer, with participants supported to engage in modules which most closely align to their own interests and professional development needs. The SpCert handbook is updated annually to reflect the details of the modules available within a particular academic year. Please view our current handbook for more detailed information.

Programme Features

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Programme Aims

The SpCert aims to:

enhance the teaching & learning experience within Trinity;
enable recognition and recording of professional development of those involved in teaching and supporting learning;
recognise the importance of preparing staff for teaching and continually supporting staff in their academic practice;
facilitate staff to build and evidence achievement in their academic practice;
encourage staff to renew and share their teaching knowledge and skills within a research-led context;
enable staff to apply to individual practice a repertoire of appropriate teaching and learning principles, strategies, models and approaches;
encourage staff to access the research and literature on teaching and learning in higher education in order to inform conclusively the development of their practice;
foster multi-disciplinary critical discussion as a source of learning.

Pre-requisites

All candidates should hold responsibilities for teaching and/or supporting learning while participating in the course.

Course applicants should normally hold a minimum of an honours degree or equivalent in any discipline.

Please note that the SpCert is not open to Graduate Teaching Assistants, for whom a separate programme is available. Click here to find out more about our professional development provision for Graduate Teaching Assistants.

Progression

Participants who are awarded the SpCert may apply to the Postgraduate Diploma/M.Ed in Higher Education within the School of Education; such participants may secure an exemption from one of the four modules within the Diploma. Informal enquiries about the partial exemption from Diploma modules should be made to Dr. John Walsh (M.Ed Co-ordinator) at walshj8@tcd.ie