The Introduction to Teaching for Lancaster (ITL) workshop can either be taken as a stand-alone workshop or as the first mandatory workshop for the Associate Teacher Programme (ATP). This induction course is designed to help postgraduates, researchers and others involved in modest amounts of demonstrating or seminar teaching to address some of the basic skills and understanding they will need for their work. It assumes that participants have little or no previous teaching experience and that you will be engaged in some teaching in the academic year 2025/26.

Please read our information on access statement and cancellation chargesfor these workshops.

The Professional Development Course for External Examiners is for teaching staff and External Examiners on Lancaster University programmes who are interested in developing their practice as an external examiner.

The course has been developed as part of the national Degree Standards project, which is led by Advance HE and managed by the Office for Students on behalf of England and the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland and Wales.

You will take part in a short course, involving individual online preparatory work (typically about 3 hours) and participation in two half day workshops. The online preparatory work is made available in advance and needs to be completed during the two weeks prior to the workshop(s). The design of the course reflects an active learning approach, with an emphasis on valuing participants' experiences and prior knowledge. As such, it is equally relevant for aspiring, new or experienced examiners. Course participants will:

• gain an understanding of the role of the external examiner as articulated in the UK Quality Code for Higher Education
• consolidate their understanding of the nature of academic standards and professional judgement, and explore the implications for external examining
• develop their ability in using evidence-informed approaches to contribute to impartial, transparent judgements on academic standards and enhancing student learning.

Full completion of the course leads to a formal Certificate of Completion (awarded by Advance HE), and provides evidence of an ongoing commitment to professional development against the Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education (PSF 2023).

Learning outcomes

1. Explain and discuss the nature and purpose of the external examiner role, its function for quality assessment in higher education, including the importance within it of their contribution to safeguarding academic standards
2. Explain the nature of standards in the higher education context
3. Draw on practical and scholarly knowledge of assessment as appropriate to the role, including: professional judgement; assessment reliability; assessment validity; purposes of assessment; principles of assessment; programme coherence in assessment.
4. Recognise the varied provenance and uniqueness of individuals’ standards and the challenge this brings to examiners representing the standards of their subject, discipline and/or professional community.
5. Explain the importance and use of key reference points for academic standards in the relevant subject, discipline and/or professional area.
6. Explain the purpose and value of ongoing calibration activities in supporting the use of common ‘discipline community’ standards.
7. Recognise the importance of their continuing professional development in assessment and external examining.

The Professional Standards Framework

The Professional Standards Framework (PSF) is a comprehensive set of professional standards and guidelines for everyone involved in teaching and supporting learning in higher education. Participants for this course are likely to be involved in external examining or maybe leading external examining policies across a faculty, programme or team. If you are considering preparing an application for the Advance HE fellowship, you should look at how your external examining experience relates to the dimensions of the PSF. There are follow-up activities in the Participant Handbook for the course, as well as guidance on aligning your external examining experience to the PSF 2023.

If you would like to receive details of the next course please email CEDA Administration Team.

Please read our information on access statement and cancellation chargesfor these workshops.

The associated Moodle site with resources, is aimed principally at academic staff who have not had previous experience of teaching in UK Higher Education before coming to Lancaster University. So, for example, this could apply to new international staff or those coming from a non-HE background such as industry or another profession. The objective is to help you understand the expectations regarding teaching and learning in the UK (especially useful for international colleagues) and in particular here at Lancaster.

The workshop will cover such topics as:

• Expectations of teachers/teaching, students/learning, and of institutions;
• Different cultures of teaching and learning;
• Lancaster’s approach to teaching and learning;
• A quiz about how much you know about Lancaster University;
• Lancaster’s strategic international partners;
• The academic year;
• Programme and module credit system;
• Assessment, the grading system, and assessment moderation;
• Other sources of support, and the Moodle site associated with this session.

Please note Principal Fellowship (PF) is for experienced colleagues who are considering seeking professional recognition for their strategic educational leadership against Descriptor 4 of the PSF2023.

For further information about the requirements and expectations for Principal Fellowship, please email us at ceda@lancaster.ac.uk