Overview
This unit is the first in a series of units that make up the PGCert Health Sciences Education. The unit can be taken on a standalone basis or as part of the overarching award. Healthcare educators play a vital role in our universities, workplaces and public services. Develop your competence and learn how to teach more confidently and effectively. You’ll study the latest research and evidence-based teaching, learning and assessment strategies, applied across a range of different settings, taught by highly-skilled educators from both academic and practice settings.
This unit aims to equip you with appropriate professional attributes, knowledge, understanding and skills required to become or further develop as an effective, reflective educator in a professional educator role across a range of areas such as workforce/service education and higher education.
In so doing, this should support the development and delivery of high quality, educational interventions. The unit aims to facilitate development of your education practice and understanding of theoretical perspectives on teaching, learning and assessment. You are encouraged to make critical and innovative connections between policy, educational theory and your own practice.
You will be supported in analysing your own practice as an educator, evaluating a range of educational strategies in your own professional context and applying these ideas to the development of your developing education practice.
Course Details
This unit emphasizes self-directed learning, encouraging you to understand educational requirements within your workplace through discussions with educational colleagues, supervisors, mentors, and students. Reflective practice is key; you’ll assess your educational strengths and areas for improvement, sharing insights with peers to deepen understanding.
The learning strategy focuses on building a strong foundation in your teaching practice by identifying areas for growth and applying current educational evidence. You’ll explore various teaching methods, grounded in educational theories, and gain practical experience through a flexible, blended learning approach.
This unit takes a practice-based, interprofessional stance on health and social care education. Through lectures, presentations, and seminars, you’ll gain theoretical background relevant to real-world healthcare education. Group discussions and action learning groups offer opportunities to apply knowledge, share experiences, and explore educational principles with peers, enhancing your understanding of best practices across different professional settings.
What You’ll Learn
In this unit, you’ll explore key themes and issues in health and social care education for both staff and service users. You’ll examine standards for education and practice, learning and teaching strategies, and how to effectively evaluate educational processes, bridging theory to practice.
Learning will be contextualised for both academic and practical settings within health and social care, focusing on creating quality learning environments that foster inclusivity, equality, and diversity. Key areas include applying educational theories and philosophies to practice, identifying and supporting learner needs, and using strategies for supervision, mentorship, assessment, and feedback across diverse settings.
You’ll delve into research that underpins teaching, feedback, and mentorship practices, aiming to build pedagogical skills that empower learners to plan, deliver, and evaluate education effectively.
The unit also covers aligning learning and assessment, reflecting on personal and shared educational practices, and using feedback to drive professional development as a health and social care educator.
Standalone unit 20 credits Level 7.
Why Study This Unit at HSU?
As a unique Health Sciences University, HSU has developed a wide range of educational opportunities for healthcare professionals. This course has been developed in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders with a specific focus on practice educators within the healthcare sector. You will be learning alongside fellow educators across the sector on an interprofessional basis.
Unit Breakdown
How this course is taught 
This unit emphasises self-directed learning, encouraging you to understand educational requirements within your workplace through discussions with educational colleagues, supervisors, mentors, and students. Reflective practice is key; you’ll assess your educational strengths and areas for improvement, sharing insights with peers to deepen understanding.
The learning strategy focuses on building a strong foundation in your teaching practice by identifying areas for growth and applying current educational evidence. You’ll explore various teaching methods, grounded in educational theories, and gain practical experience through a flexible, blended learning approach.
This unit takes a practice-based, interprofessional stance on health and social care education. Through lectures, presentations, and seminars, you’ll gain theoretical background relevant to real-world healthcare education. Group discussions and action learning groups offer opportunities to apply knowledge, share experiences, and explore educational principles with peers, enhancing your understanding of best practices across different professional settings.
Entry Requirements
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Why choose Health Sciences University
There are many benefits to studying at Health Sciences University, from our expertise and history in teaching health sciences, to our state-of-the-art facilities, on-site clinical training, and of course our location on the beautiful Bournemouth coast.
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