From policing to teaching: a PGCHE graduate's journey

After 19 years in law enforcement, Dean Andrews is now a qualified policing lecturer teaching on Police Constable Degree Holder Entry Programmes and Degree Apprenticeships across the UK. 

With a background in Counter Terrorism Policing that helped Dean to discover a flair for coaching and mentoring, he sought to professionalise his approach through various means – one being to enrol on Falmouth’s online Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE).

We chatted to Dean to find out how his time on the course helped him to build on his experiences and qualifications to become a seasoned lecturer, and how it also helped him to become a member of the Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

How did the course support you to transform your teaching practice?

This course added such depth to some foundational knowledge and skills I had already learned from lower-level courses but also provided the opportunity to explore and engage with teaching methods I was previously unfamiliar with. The nature of the course delivery meant that I was able to apply what I was learning at university immediately in the classroom, so my students were benefitting enormously from my learning journey.

Even though I teach on policing programmes, I have been able to borrow insights and approaches from people teaching MBA programmes, fashion, and branding

How does what you learned on the course support you in your current work or role?

Learning from the course transformed my perspective and allows me to have fun with delivering learning objectives, as there are so many ways I can now bring a session to life for my learners. I found that one of the great strengths of Falmouth’s programme was the diversity of the other learners and professionals within my cohort, so I was getting insights from other industries and cultures throughout the modules. Even though I teach on policing programmes, I have been able to borrow insights and approaches from people teaching MBA programmes, fashion, and branding for example, which means that excellence from other sectors and industries can be adapted and applied in my context.

Why would you recommend the course to others?

I was hired to teach on my university programmes largely because of the operational credibility that I brought from my practitioner experience, but because of studying with Falmouth University I now have the extra credibility that comes with having a level 7 teaching qualification. Even though I was a qualified trainer before I started the PGCHE, this programme opened my eyes to a whole new world of pedagogical approaches and possibilities. Applied learning from my course also helped me enormously with evidencing my successful application for Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).