Who we are
A team of experts in a wide range of disciplines and pedagogical methods, the CfTE team is available to help, support, and advise individual academic staff or teams on transforming their teaching and learning practices.
What we do
We offer a range of services including:
Pedagogical research is finding out how learning takes place, so teachers can direct their energies into approaches which are likely to promote student learning (Reid, 2010).
We can help you to support and promote high‑quality research into teaching methods.
Reasons why you may wish to engage in pedagogical research include:
- To support student success by ensuring we know what techniques and approaches are effective in teaching and learning
- To identify best practice and evaluate your role as a teacher
- To contribute to the body of knowledge about what works in teaching and learning
- Career advancement and to contribute as an academic to the Research Excellence Framework.
Earning a Higher Education Academy (HEA) Fellowship is a way to show that you’re committed to professional, effective teaching in Higher Education, and that your institution values and supports great teaching too.
Teaching Fellowship
National Teaching Fellows (NTF) are recognised for the outstanding impact they've made on student learning and the teaching profession. On gaining the award and the grant, each NTF supports the enhancement of learning and teaching in both the institution and the sector. This is widely regarded as a difficult and highly sought after achievement to obtain.
Are you doing something special in your teaching? Contact us at tel@sunderland.ac.uk to discuss your initiative and for any support in preparing and submitting your claim.
Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE)
The CATE award team winners are celebrated for their collaborative work and excellent practice in teaching, learning, and capturing creative and innovative practice which impacts on student experience. Each winning team is awarded a grant to support their project to be spent over a three-year period. The University was one of only six winners in 2016, the award’s inaugural year, with an entry from the Northern Centre of Photography.
Contact us at tel@sunderland.ac.uk to discuss your proposal and for support in preparing and submitting your application.
Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Fellows
A University grant awarded to enable the development and implementation of novel learning and teaching practices. What makes this scheme distinctive from other recognition schemes is that Fellowships are awarded on the basis of a planned project which will be delivered in the Fellowship year.
Fellows will be provided with mentorship and support for the implementation of their teaching and learning innovation from CfTE for the duration of their Fellowship and on an ongoing basis.
Campaigns
Campaigns focus on aspects of the student journey identified by the University as a focus for cross-institution development. These themes may be identified from the outcome of surveys, from the evaluation of student achievements, or in response to strategic initiatives.
One of our current top priorities is to guide the University’s response to the rapidly changing technological developments in the field of generative artificial intelligence, and how it's impacting on the student learning experience.
CPD and short courses
CfTE provides ongoing CPD courses throughout the academic year. These consist of short sessions on a range of topics suitable for new staff or as refreshers for experienced staff, and respond to the institution’s needs and changing culture and landscape in the sector.
We're also able to develop and deliver bespoke sessions to meet the specific development needs of teams or to explore approaches across a team in greater depth and within the subject context.
Online
The Digital US and Canvas staff development modules contain a series of topics based on sessions from the CfTE CPD course.
These are available to all academic staff and provide a resource for individuals or teams to use for staff development with follow-up support available from the CfTE team if requested.
Massive Online Open Course (MOOC)
A fully online version of 'Preparing for Academic Practice in Higher Education' is available as a MOOC.
This MOOC extends the content of the traditional in-person 'Preparing To Teach' course to all academics teaching on University courses across the globe.
However you want or need to teach, from traditional classroom based to modern HyFlex approaches, CfTE have the expertise in supporting you to utilise a wide range of technology.
Some of the ways we can help you enhance learning through technology are:
- Apps, tools, and services
- EAssessment
- reVIEW
- Mahara (ePortfolio)
- Canvas Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
Get in touch to identify our team's specialist interests and skills.
The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is a qualification offered to all academic staff at the University, as well as external students.
We offer a range of part-time courses designed for those involved in teaching within clinical or health education settings. These include both Postgraduate Certificates (PgCert HE/PGCE) and full master’s degrees (MEd/PGCE).
What is the course structure?
All routes are part-time and designed to fit around a busy teaching schedule.
The PGCE/PgCert HE in Medical Education and Year 1 of the master's include:
- A core module (30 credits)
- A specialist route module (30 credits) tailored to the course focus.
- Year 2 of the master's completes the rest of the credit requirements.
Each specialist route module focuses on teaching methods (pedagogy) relevant to the course title.
Who can apply?
These courses are designed for those already involved in teaching:
- You must have at least 100 hours of direct teaching per year
- Typically suited to academic staff with teaching or research contracts
- Also open to research assistants or associates involved in clinical education
Internal staff must:
- Get line manager approval before applying
- Complete and submit the Staff Qualifications Form (available via internal SharePoint) to HR
What courses are available?
Who can work with us
CfTE is available to all staff at the University. Staff from London and Hong Kong can either join via a webinar or we can provide bespoke training onsite. We're happy to tailor any course to meet the needs of specific teams.
How to get in touch with us
For more information, please contact us at tel@sunderland.ac.uk.