End-Point Assessment (EPA) for the Level 7 Academic Professional Apprenticeship (APA) is the final step in a course designed to develop early career academics from their entry point into employment in higher education to full professional competence.
To understand more about the course and assessment, we spoke to Jonathan Devine, a senior lecturer in operating department practice at Buckinghamshire New University. Jonathan’s EPA was in the specialist role of teaching, in which he achieved a distinction.
Jonathan said, “The guidance from Advance HE is fantastic. From the SEPA guidance to the EPA guidance documents...they really let you get your teeth into what's expected in terms of the EPA and you do get membership to the Advance HE Connect Group, specifically for level 7 APA."
“I found the apprenticeship didn't just give me knowledge of teaching practice, it also aided me in applying it to my subject discipline, trying different techniques and methods. It wasn't long before I was trying out new ideas and concepts within my practice with great feedback from both my students and my colleagues.”
Jonathan got a distinction on the EPA, and said the reason he did was because he "took the advice that I often give to my students and gave myself time to focus on my learning and also myself as well. So I made sure that I understood the learning outcomes as well as the knowledge, skills and behaviours. I really took the time to think about what they meant for me and what they meant for my practice as well. So I undertook deliberate learning taking time to think and really reflect upon the skills that I was learning and how these were applied.”
Jonathan highly recommends the EPA. “I'd say for anyone who's thinking about or is being offered the opportunity to undertake it I would definitely say go for it. My experience at times was it was indeed challenging. However, overall it was fantastic and it has vastly improved my teaching practice and ultimately has enhanced the student experience.”
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End-Point Assessment (EPA) of the Level 7 Academic Professional Apprenticeship
The Level 7 Academic Professional Apprenticeship standard (L7 APA) has been created to develop early career academics from their entry point into employment in higher education to full professional competence, following either a teaching or research specialist route. The apprenticeship standard is aligned to both the UK Professional Standards Framework and the Research Development Framework, and typically lasts between 18 and 24 months. Find out more here.
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