Postgraduate Skills Development
In-House Teaching Training Programme
The School of Modern Languages prides itself on offering its research postgraduate students not only excellent conditions for study, but also ample opportunity to gain relevant teaching experience. This experience helps to enhance their CVs, improve their employability and better prepare them for the life of a professional academic.
The in-house training programme delivered by the School’s Language Development Officer is designed specifically to provide postgraduate students with guidance, support and inspiration in their teaching throughout the academic year. Sessions are scheduled regularly each semester and cover key teaching techniques as well as practical ideas and activities for use in the classroom. Topics range from an introduction to lesson planning, classroom management, marking and assessment, to the discussion of body language in the classroom and of case studies. Postgraduate students are also offered the chance to familiarise themselves with the virtual learning environment, Moodle, used widely across the School, and are introduced to the basics of the University’s Module Management System (MMS) and the School’s Multi-Media Centre.
As well as aiming to equip postgraduate students with the tools and techniques to deliver their teaching competently, the training programme also provides some background knowledge of and insight into the methodology and pedagogy of teaching and serves as a useful forum for the open exchange of ideas, teaching practices and experiences within the School.
GRADSkills
An award-winning generic skills development programme for postgraduate researchers, GRADskills, is now available for research students at St Andrews. It aims to provide opportunities for PhD and MPhil students to enhance their capabilities as researchers and improve their future employability through the acquisition of generic research and personal development skills. Design of this university-wide programme has taken account of the recommendations of the UK Research Councils, as well as current postgraduates and academic supervisors. Topics covered are within the categories of Research Management, Networking and Team Working, Personal Effectiveness and Career Management, and the high quality of the programme is maintained by using a wide range of trainers, consultants and other professionals to deliver workshops and advanced training courses. Development of skills is further enhanced by the use of a Postgraduate Logbook as a personal development planning tool. Participation in the programme also enables postgraduates to take advantage of the events offered in collaboration with UK GRAD and other external organisations. Further details of the GRADskills programme are available on GRADskills pages.
