Guidance on completing your PGCAP application

As you complete each section of the form, make sure you click the "Save" button. This enables you to leave a partially completed application and come back to it later.

At this point in time we are not allowing external participants on the programme.

Personal details and Contact details pages are self-explanatory.

Education details:

  • For “Current or most recent”, list your most recent higher education degree you hold or are currently working towards.
  • For “Qualifications”, please list only your most recent completed degree and then any teaching-related courses and/or qualifications you have done, eg PGCE. We do not require a comprehensive list of every degree or qualification you hold.
  • Ignore the “English language qualifications” section. You do not need to upload any English language certificates. (By virtue of the fact that you are already a staff member or PGR student at St Andrews.)
  • Upload a copy of your most recent CV. Ignore the “Covering letter” section; you do not need to upload one.

Personal statement:

In this section, please upload a statement that includes all the following information. If your personal statement is missing any of this information your application cannot be processed.

  1. Your reasons for wanting to enrol on the PGCAP.
  2. An outline of the nature and quantity of the teaching you will be doing in semesters 1 and 2. Note what modules you will be teaching on, the contact hours involved, and when the contact hours occur, ie what weeks of semester. (This is to ensure that you will have sufficient opportunity to achieve all the module intended learning outcomes.)
  3. Confirmation that you will be able attend all the live classes for each core module (see "Initial core modules: delivery format + class dates").

Referees:

We are not looking for a typical academic job reference. Rather, we just require a statement from your Head of School or Director of Teaching for staff (primary PGR supervisor for PGR applicants) which confirms all the following points:

  1. You have their permission to enrol on the PGCAP.
  2. You will be teaching in the semesters in which you plan to do the core modules. (With the titles and module codes of the modules on which you will be teaching.)

An email with this information is sufficient, and you can upload this as part of your application. (For question “Do you have a reference to upload?”, select “Yes” and then the “Upload” button.)

We recommend that you obtain this statement before applying and upload it as part of your application, to avoid delays in processing your application.

Requesting recognition of prior learning

If you have passed modules elsewhere related to teaching/education, you may be able to claim recognition of prior accredited learning (RPL).  This will depend on several factors, such as how long ago the modules were taken, the credit-weighting of the modules, and how closely the content aligns with our core modules. RPL can contribute to a maximum of 30-credits (50%) of the PGCAP.

Modules must have been passed within the past five years to be eligible for RPL. We will need to see a module handbook or similar documentation to determine whether the content, intended learning outcomes and assessments align with our modules. If you have done a 10-credit module elsewhere, it may still be possible to get recognition of prior learning by submitting some additional evidence. Please email teachingdev@st-andrews.ac.uk to discuss your circumstances.  

Prior to 2021-22, the 10 credit modules ID5101 (Supporting Student Learning) and ID5102 (Curriculum Design and Assessment) were offered as part of the Introduction to University Teaching programme. Anyone who has successfully completed these modules may be eligible for recognition of prior learning (RPL) towards the PGCAP core modules. The modules must have been completed within 5 years of the RPL request. Please email teachingdev@st-andrews.ac.uk to request the teaching observation forms that must be included as part of an RPL submission.

If you are granted RPL, the total number of semesters you will have to complete the programme will be reduced by one semester for each module for which you receive RPL. For example, if granted RPL for one PGCAP module, you would have a maximum of seven semesters to complete the programme rather than eight. If granted RPL for two modules, you would have a maximum of six semesters to complete the remaining two PGCAP modules.