Overview

SAQA ID:  97757

Programme Information

The rules for the PGCE Programme must be read together with the General Academic rules of the university (A-rules), which are available on the Internet.

Nature and general aims

The PGCE programme in the Faculty of Education Sciences of the North-West University prepares student teachers to become competent professional educators in a variety of educational and training careers. The overarching goal of the educational experience in this particular programme is to provide all our students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to live and work in a globally interdependent world and with the support services to help them succeed. This requires a conscious, purposeful, sustained and social-constructivist focus on the actual learning of students that may take place because of their interactions in specific study-related groups. For this reason, this academic programme also seeks to foster inclusivity and to develop a sense of personal and social responsibility and ethical conduct in and among our students by encouraging involvement in environmental affairs, as well as in community and public service. It endeavours to offer and cultivate a teaching-learning environment that is hospitable to diverse socio-conventional and linguistic interests and activities.

The NWU Postgraduate Certificate in Education is focused on the initial training of teachers for teaching in the Senior and Further Education and Training Phases.

The PGCE serves as a professional capping qualification for candidates who have completed a relevant B-degree or a relevant qualification with at least 360-credits and wish to enter the teaching profession.

Students, who obtained this qualification with its focused vision on classroom practice, should be able to fulfil all the contextual roles and competencies of an effective educator.

With this certificate an educator can teach from Grades 7 to 12.

The programme equips and empowers prospective educators in the Senior and FET phases to:

• develop and demonstrate a deep knowledge and understanding of education theory and practice;
• integrate education theory and practice as applied competence;
• demonstrate and implement the subject specific pedagogical competencies of the Senior and FET educator that embrace teaching, learning and assessment in practice;
• develop and demonstrate knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to become responsible, independent and contributing scholars of the professional educational community in a diverse and changing national and international context; and
• develop and demonstrate critical, creative and reflective problem solving skills within educational and societal context.

The qualification consists of a minimum of 140 credits divided into a minimum of 15 modules. These modules include fundamental modules, generic modules and specialisation methodologies, as well as some additional modules.

This specialised qualification will provide the successful student with both horizontal and vertical articulation possibilities. To articulate vertically, a student can seek access to the B Ed Honours (NQF 8) or a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (NQF 8), specializing further in a cognate subject, phase or practice contained in this initial qualification. These NQF Level 8 qualifications ensure access to further postgraduate studies (Master’s & Doctoral Degrees) in cognate study areas. A horizontal articulation is also possible to the Adv Dip (Education) qualification on NQF level 7, for students who want to develop a new role to support teaching and learning, for example school librarianship, education for the deaf, etc.

Study Duration

The minimum duration of study is one year (two examination opportunities) and the maximum duration of study is three years (six examination opportunities)

Specific Objectives

Students, who obtained this qualification with its focused vision on classroom practice, should be able to fulfil all the contextual roles and competencies of an effective educator.

Language

The language of tuition via ODL is English. Study guides for all the modules are available in English.
A student may write examinations and submit assignments in either Afrikaans or English. Contact sessions are conducted in English.

Admission

An undergraduate university degree with two recognised school subjects or a recognised qualification with a minimum of 360 credits at NQF level 6 which includes at least two recognised school subjects.

Students must also be able to take two methodology subjects in order to obtain the qualification.

The curriculum for the qualification is structured as follows:

• a recognised school subject at level 3 +
• a recognised school subject at level 2 (depending on subject specific requirements).

In the event of a choice between methodologies for academic subjects already obtained for a prior qualification, a student must select from these the two subjects that were obtained at the highest level. In the case of languages, the relevant language subject must be at year level 3.

A recognised school subject is one included in the Department of Basic Education’s official list of school subjects. These are recognised school subjects completed in a qualification obtained.

Examples of recognised school subjects completed in initial qualification obtained, are:

Languages (Afrikaans, English or Setswana), Geography, History, Mathematics, Sociology and Psychology, Human Movement Sciences, Life Sciences (Physiology, Botany, Zoology), Physical Sciences (Physics, Chemistry), Business Management, Accounting, Economics, Tourism, Information Technology, Music and Art.

Faculty Specific Requirements

Exceptions:

A student who wants to take the Methodology of Mathematics must have completed Mathematics on level 2 or otherwise Mathematics on level 1 with one of the following on level 2: Statistics, Mathematical Statistics or Applied Mathematics.

A student who wants to take the Methodology of Life Orientation must have Psychology and one of the following subjects on degree level: Sociology, Philosophy, Political Sciences, Human Movement Science, and Labour -and Industrial studies.  Psychology must be one of the disciplines. The student must already have a second school subject on degree level for the second methodology. Due to the high volume of Life Orientation applications, a cut-off point of 65% average for the highest subject contributing to the Life Orientation methodology is set.

A student who wants to take the Methodology of Languages must have completed it on level 3.

A student who wants to take Life Sciences as methodology, needs to present one of the following subjects Physiology, Zoology or Botany on level 3 and the other two on level 1 for admission to the PGCE.

A student who wants to take Physical Sciences as methodology, needs to present one of Chemistry or Physics on level 2 and the other one at least on level 1.

It is compulsory for students in the Methodology of Visual Arts to have some background knowledge in music.

It is compulsory for students in the Methodology of Music to have some background knowledge in art.

A student who wants to take the Methodology of Business studies, needs to have some background knowledge of Accounting and Economics to be able to qualify for Economic Management Sciences.

A student who wants to take the Methodology of Accounting, needs to have some background knowledge in Business Management and Economics to be able to qualify for Economic Management Sciences.

A student who wants to take the Methodology of Economics, needs to have some background knowledge of Accounting and Business Management to be able to qualify for Economic Management Sciences.

A student who wants to take the Methodology of Tourism, needs to have some background knowledge of Business Management, Accounting and Economics to be able to qualify for Economic Management Sciences.

A student who wants to take the Methodology of Geography, needs to have some background knowledge of GIS and History to be able to qualify for Social Sciences.

A student who wants to take the Methodology of History, needs to have some background knowledge of Geography to be able to qualify for Social Sciences.

Method of Delivery

The North-West University provides each student with the opportunity to attend contact sessions at specific NWU venues countrywide. Lecturers may be contacted for extra support regarding module content.

Additional student support is provided by means of:

• eFundi Portal (the Learner Management System of the NWU)
• UODL Downloads

What is a Learner Management System?

A Learner Management system supports communication between lecturers and students and creates a collaboration environment for students and researchers. Academic information such as subject content, discussion forums, important dates, additional resources and supplementary instructions are communicated via eFundi.

Registration

• PGCE is not an open programme—annual registrations only (i.e. one intake in the beginning of the year).

  The duration of the PGCE over distance is minimum one (1) year and maximum three (3) years.

  Work Integrated Learning (WIL)

  Faculty of Education students need to meet the MRTEQ (Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications) guidelines in order to obtain an education qualification. The MRTEQ requires a set of consecutive practicum days to be completed at a Faculty of Education approved school as part of the teacher training programme. WIL (teaching practice) is, therefore, a key feature of all education qualifications and a prerequisite in order to be awarded a qualification. The stipulated programme requirement, as registered with the HEQC, for the PGCE qualification is a total of 40 school-based teaching practice days. All students must do 40 days of school-based teaching practice in their period of study at a Faculty of Education approved school. Non-negotiable dates for WIL are set for each semester – 20 days in semester 1 and 20 days in semester 2. This will require of the student to avail themselves for 40 days of WIL in a year of study. Note – teaching assistance positions, employment outside of the school-based education sector or teaching/assisting outside the Senior and FET Phase cannot count towards teaching practice days. If the PGCE is completed over two years, it is required that didactic modules are completed in the first year of study and WIL completed in the second year of study. It is compulsory for PGCE students to do their WIL in both the Senior (Gr. 7-9) and the FET (Gr. 10-12) phase during their period of study, preferably FET phase in the first semester and Senior phase in the second semester. WIL involves additional financial costs that must be borne by the students. These costs are not included in the tuition fees.