The programme is fully online with all of the teaching happening within the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Curriculum content and learning activities are explicitly linked to practice throughout, with students drawing on their own learning and teaching experiences to inform their work. Group and collaborative activities are used within each module. 

The programme has been designed in response to the continuing professional development needs of professionals with an educational role. It is accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (nurses and midwives) for teacher status and for Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy by Advance HE. It seeks to develop students’ understanding and skills of facilitation and teaching.  

At the start of each module there is a different online icebreaker activity (e.g. post a picture, describe yourself) plus introductory video clips from staff, in order to begin to establish a friendly and informal environment: “it’s about “bringing them into our space and getting to know people as people”. 

Each module is divided into three sections and students are given one month to complete each of these. Within a section there are 2-3 core activities, plus additional optional learning activities allowing students to engage more deeply with the content that is of interest or relevance. Timescales are given against each activity to indicate how long students should spend on them, and there is a deadline for their completion. Activities are done individually, in groups and in pairs, and students give peer feedback on all of these. Example activities include: producing a conference poster as a group, developing learning outcomes as pairs, reading and summarising articles individually on the online discussion boards. These activities can take place using various aspects of the VLE, and through other technology. So students may use discussion boards, virtual classrooms, email, live chat etc. Through undertaking these activities with their fellow students, a community of learners develops. 

Throughout the programme, summative assessments are explicitly linked to the activities undertaken within each section of the modules, and frequently use the outputs from these activities and bring them together. As a result, many assessments are portfolio in nature. For example, for one module assessment is a case study analysis with evidence built from an e-portfolio. Students describe a learning situation and add in details over the duration of the module, reflecting on how they would develop the situation in light of the learning they have acquired through the module. Students are able to use outputs from activities (e.g. discussion board posts) and integrate these into their portfolio. 

Within each module, the virtual classroom (Collaborate) is used for many group activities. The facility to have break out areas for small group discussion is particularly valuable, as is the ability for students to give slideshow presentations and then to give and receive verbal feedback on these. These synchronous experiences help to cement the relationships between staff and students, and students and students.