Colleges lecturers professional standards

Initial Professional Standards for Planning and Preparing the Learning Experience

Context and Rationale

Lecturers may be members of one or more curriculum teams and will be responsible for contributing to the design, development, implementation and evaluation of flexible, relevant programmes that take full account of labour market intelligence and the needs of employers. Together with learners they will plan and prepare an engaging, inclusive learning experience to progress learning. Planning should take account of learners' prior knowledge and expectations, skills and needs, current and developing methods of learning, teaching and assessment, existing practice and available resources. Lecturers take account of national initiatives and priorities and contextualise curriculum links in their design, development and evaluation of teaching, learning and assessment materials. Planning will also consider awarding body requirements, legislation, policy, social and economic contexts, stakeholder needs and technological change.

Standards

The lecturer should be able to:

1. Plan engaging, inclusive and creative learning opportunities that demonstrate a critical understanding of curriculum design and alignment, theories of learning, teaching and assessment, and knowledge of existing practice.
2. Plan with learners contextualised learning and teaching taking account of the needs of learners and their development of essential skills.
3. Design, produce and adapt to learner needs: a range of effective, engaging learning and teaching and assessment activities that builds on existing practice, motivates learners and also takes account of supportive technologies.
4. Evaluate and select appropriate resources from a wide range of sources.
5. Design, justify and implement a strategy to promote professional reflection and evaluation of the learner experience.
6. Plan strategies to promote sustainable development.

Indicative Content

• effective team working
• curriculum models such as Curriculum for Excellence
• awareness of change and developments in the curriculum to ensure vocational currency and an understanding of local and national economic and business needs and enterprising approaches
• relevant subject and vocational knowledge, understanding and skills and how these are interpreted for learning
• knowledge and understanding of metacognition, diverse attitudes to learning and promotion of positive behaviour
• understanding of current and emerging theories of learning, teaching and assessment
• ability to communicate clear aims and objectives of learning
• creative, flexible modes of delivery taking into account interdisciplinary learning and the best learning environment, e.g. outdoor learning
• engaging, active learning that develops independent learners as co-creators of learning
• coherent, contextualised and progressive learning programmes
• lesson and assessment plans that take account of personalised learning
• critical consideration of criteria for selection of learning and teaching activities, e.g. challenge and enjoyment, breadth, progression, depth, personalisation and choice, coherence and relevance
• inclusive practice to meet learners' diverse needs and promote interdisciplinary learning
• health, wellbeing and safety considerations
• appropriate use of technology to support learning and blended learning approaches
• evaluation and selection of activities/resources that support, engage and motivate learners of all ages
• copyright legislation
• in partnership with learners - evaluation planning: focus, qualitative and quantitative data, methods of collection and analysis of data, criteria for success and sharing of good practice
  Strategies to:
  • promote positive attitudes to social and intercultural diversity
  • initiate and sustain close and collaborative relationships with external stakeholders
  • promote core skills, and skills for learning life and work
  • promote literacies, e.g. computer and information literacies and new technology tool literacies
  • promote independent learning: responsibility, ways and styles of learning, attitudes and behaviour e.g. experiential, collaborative problem solving, collaborative knowledge sharing and collaborative knowledge construction
  • ensure that subjects are delivered within a relevant context and with reference to industry requirements