Postgraduate Diploma in Vocational Education
Critically examine vocational teaching in colleges and other post-school settings.
About the course
Critically examine vocational teaching in colleges and other post-school settings. You will connect occupational knowledge, learner experience and the economic purposes of vocational education while improving your own practice.
What you'll learn
Critique competing purposes of vocational education.
Analyse barriers affecting post-school participation.
Design learning integrating theory and practical performance.
Evaluate assessment and recognition-of-prior-learning approaches.
Report an evidence-based improvement in vocational teaching.
Requirements
A relevant degree and phase-appropriate subject knowledge are useful preparation. BMIT must confirm whether this is initial teacher preparation or further professional study and specify any prior teaching qualification required.
Course content
The complete subject sequence below moves from foundations to specialist application. Stages show learning progression. Practical work and the final project draw together the subjects studied.
2 learning stages 10 subjects
1Stage 1: Foundations7 subjects
2Stage 2: Core subjects3 subjects
Subjects in this programme
The complete subject sequence below moves from foundations to specialist application. Stages show learning progression. Practical work and the final project draw together the subjects studied.
10 subjects are listed below with a short description of each. The Subject descriptions tab contains the learning outcomes, topics, practical tasks and assessments.
Stage 1: Foundations
- Adult and Vocational Learning. Connect adult experience with occupational competence. You will examine adult learning, prior experience, competence. Design a vocational sequence for a specified adult learner group.
- Competency-Based Curriculum and Assessment. Translate occupational requirements into teachable learning. You will examine occupational analysis, competence standards, learning sequences. Develop a competency map and assessment evidence guide.
- Workshop and Laboratory Teaching. Plan supervised practical learning with clear demonstrations. You will examine demonstration, practice sequence, tools and resources. Deliver a supervised demonstration and assess a learner task.
- Industry-Based Learning and Partnerships. Connect vocational programmes with workplace practice. You will examine industry needs, placement planning, workplace mentors. Prepare a placement agreement and mentor assessment guide.
- Educational Assessment. Design fair assessments and use results to guide teaching. You will examine assessment purpose, task design, marking criteria. Produce an assessment task, rubric and feedback plan.
- Online Learning Design. Design accessible online learning with purposeful interaction. You will examine learner analysis, content sequence, interaction. Build and review a complete short online unit in Moodle.
- Quality Assurance in Education. Use evidence to improve programme quality and learner experience. You will examine quality criteria, self-evaluation, learner feedback. Complete a programme review and prioritised action plan.
Stage 2: Core subjects
- Research Methods and Evidence Analysis. Plan an enquiry suited to a specific social or organisational question. You will compare qualitative and quantitative approaches, prepare ethical data collection and assess evidence quality. The module connects research questions to sampling, analysis and clear reporting of uncertainty and limitations.
- Classroom Action Research. Investigate a teaching problem through an ethical enquiry cycle. You will examine problem identification, evidence review, action planning. Conduct an approved classroom enquiry using anonymised evidence.
- Teaching Practice III: Professional Integration. Integrate planning, teaching and assessment in an approved placement. You will examine independent planning, supervised delivery, learner support. Complete supervised teaching and defend a professional portfolio.
Assessment and practical learning
- Critical analyses of vocational education issues.
- A teaching and assessment design portfolio.
- A practice-based improvement report and presentation.
Practical application
Complete a proposed reflective enquiry into teaching in your occupational field. Connect college learning with workplace expectations and document how learner evidence informs the revised approach.
Subject descriptions
Select a subject to read its learning outcomes, main topics, practical task and assessment.
Stage 1: Foundations
Adult and Vocational Learning
Connect adult experience with occupational competence. You will examine adult learning, prior experience, competence. Design a vocational sequence for a specified adult learner group.
Learning outcomes
- Explain adult learning in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between prior experience and competence.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing workplace context, motivation and learning support.
Main topics
- Adult learning
- Prior experience
- Competence
- Workplace context
- Motivation
- Learning support
Practical task
Design a vocational sequence for a specified adult learner group.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Competency-Based Curriculum and Assessment
Translate occupational requirements into teachable learning. You will examine occupational analysis, competence standards, learning sequences. Develop a competency map and assessment evidence guide.
Learning outcomes
- Explain occupational analysis in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between competence standards and learning sequences.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing evidence requirements, assessment decisions and moderation.
Main topics
- Occupational analysis
- Competence standards
- Learning sequences
- Evidence requirements
- Assessment decisions
- Moderation
Practical task
Develop a competency map and assessment evidence guide.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Workshop and Laboratory Teaching
Plan supervised practical learning with clear demonstrations. You will examine demonstration, practice sequence, tools and resources. Deliver a supervised demonstration and assess a learner task.
Learning outcomes
- Explain demonstration in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between practice sequence and tools and resources.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing risk controls, observation and feedback.
Main topics
- Demonstration
- Practice sequence
- Tools and resources
- Risk controls
- Observation
- Feedback
Practical task
Deliver a supervised demonstration and assess a learner task.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Industry-Based Learning and Partnerships
Connect vocational programmes with workplace practice. You will examine industry needs, placement planning, workplace mentors. Prepare a placement agreement and mentor assessment guide.
Learning outcomes
- Explain industry needs in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between placement planning and workplace mentors.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing learning agreements, evidence portfolios and partnership review.
Main topics
- Industry needs
- Placement planning
- Workplace mentors
- Learning agreements
- Evidence portfolios
- Partnership review
Practical task
Prepare a placement agreement and mentor assessment guide.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Educational Assessment
Design fair assessments and use results to guide teaching. You will examine assessment purpose, task design, marking criteria. Produce an assessment task, rubric and feedback plan.
Learning outcomes
- Explain assessment purpose in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between task design and marking criteria.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing feedback, moderation and use of results.
Main topics
- Assessment purpose
- Task design
- Marking criteria
- Feedback
- Moderation
- Use of results
Practical task
Produce an assessment task, rubric and feedback plan.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Online Learning Design
Design accessible online learning with purposeful interaction. You will examine learner analysis, content sequence, interaction. Build and review a complete short online unit in Moodle.
Learning outcomes
- Explain learner analysis in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between content sequence and interaction.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing multimedia, accessibility and evaluation.
Main topics
- Learner analysis
- Content sequence
- Interaction
- Multimedia
- Accessibility
- Evaluation
Practical task
Build and review a complete short online unit in Moodle.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Quality Assurance in Education
Use evidence to improve programme quality and learner experience. You will examine quality criteria, self-evaluation, learner feedback. Complete a programme review and prioritised action plan.
Learning outcomes
- Explain quality criteria in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between self-evaluation and learner feedback.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing programme review, moderation and improvement planning.
Main topics
- Quality criteria
- Self-evaluation
- Learner feedback
- Programme review
- Moderation
- Improvement planning
Practical task
Complete a programme review and prioritised action plan.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Stage 2: Core subjects
Research Methods and Evidence Analysis
Plan an enquiry suited to a specific social or organisational question. You will compare qualitative and quantitative approaches, prepare ethical data collection and assess evidence quality. The module connects research questions to sampling, analysis and clear reporting of uncertainty and limitations.
Learning outcomes
- Formulate a research question
- Select a defensible research design
- Prepare an ethical data collection plan
Main topics
- Research questions
- Literature review
- Design choices
- Sampling
- Ethics
- Data analysis
Practical task
Submit a research proposal, instruments and a worked analysis of a pilot dataset.
Assessment
Assessment combines applied exercises, a documented case or practical portfolio and an individual written or oral explanation. Judgement considers technical accuracy, reasoning, evidence quality and the feasibility of recommendations.
Classroom Action Research
Investigate a teaching problem through an ethical enquiry cycle. You will examine problem identification, evidence review, action planning. Conduct an approved classroom enquiry using anonymised evidence.
Learning outcomes
- Explain problem identification in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between evidence review and action planning.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing classroom evidence, evaluation and revision.
Main topics
- Problem identification
- Evidence review
- Action planning
- Classroom evidence
- Evaluation
- Revision
Practical task
Conduct an approved classroom enquiry using anonymised evidence.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Teaching Practice III: Professional Integration
Integrate planning, teaching and assessment in an approved placement. You will examine independent planning, supervised delivery, learner support. Complete supervised teaching and defend a professional portfolio.
Learning outcomes
- Explain independent planning in a relevant case.
- Analyse the relationship between supervised delivery and learner support.
- Produce a reasoned response addressing professional collaboration, evidence of learning and development planning.
Main topics
- Independent planning
- Supervised delivery
- Learner support
- Professional collaboration
- Evidence of learning
- Development planning
Practical task
Complete supervised teaching and defend a professional portfolio.
Assessment
Submit the practical output with supporting evidence and an individual written or oral explanation. Assessment considers subject knowledge, accuracy, reasoning and the quality of the completed work.
Instructors
