Why I chose to study my PGCHE online with Falmouth

This article was written by Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) (Online) graduate Jen Jehan. 

Jen graduated with a BA in French and Spanish, which was the start of a varied career journey. She has worked in imports, hospitality, reservations, event management and start-up before moving into Employability within higher education. She has lived and worked abroad in France, Spain and Australia before moving back to her Cornish homeland in 2022. She currently works within the Employability Team at Falmouth University and as an Online Tutor for the BSc Business and Marketing (Online) course. 

I graduated from my BA around 20 years prior to joining Falmouth’s PGCHE course, and so it was a bit of a shock to the system to get used to university learning again! I had studied a PG Diploma in Education online in Australia during the pandemic, so I had some background in education but the modules and content I had previously studied were completely different to the PGCHE, so I was pretty much starting from the beginning. 

Being completely honest, at first, I just wanted to get the qualification to add to my CV and for my own professional development. However, soon after starting the PGCHE I realised that I loved it! I discovered that I am really interested in pedagogy and ways I can adapt my practice to help students to learn. I have always been keen to help young people, whether that be in a traditional teaching sense or to support them to get to where they want to be professionally speaking. 

There was a real sense of support within the cohort, even though we were learning in an online environment

I would not be in the position that I am in today without the course, I am sure. It gave me the confidence to apply for a part-time role as an Online Tutor, and to reflect on ways that I could bring the learning from the course into this role. Particularly as there was emphasis on teaching online, this was really helpful for me. In general, the course gave me a solid grounding in the practice of teaching at HE level and also has helped me with my day-to-day work in Employability when it comes to designing content for sessions with students. 

Working within Higher Education in the Employability team really helped me to put into practice the techniques I learnt on the course almost immediately. I also found that I could approach conversations with academic colleagues in a way that made me feel more confident in myself, with less imposter syndrome at play.   

Interacting with the other participants and the way that the course is designed to encourage this interaction was one of the best parts about the course. It was so enlightening to hear about others’ experiences, even if they were teaching in a completely different field to myself. There was a real sense of support within the cohort, even though we were learning in an online environment. I felt supported by both my fellow students and the course team. 

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