England.  Change location
Ask a question Ask a question Register nowRegister Request ProspectusProspectus

PGCE 3

You'll need to be registered on our Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Wales) (K36) to study this module.

This is the final module in our Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). It’s the single 60-credit postgraduate module you’ll study in your second year. Whilst studying this module, you’ll move to autonomy of teaching practice. Over 32 weeks, you’ll progress from planning and teaching a sequence of lessons to being responsible for planning, resourcing and solo teaching a range of lessons.

Vocational relevance

This is a compulsory module in our Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Wales) which will prepare you for a career in teaching in Wales.

Qualifications

EEXP806 is a compulsory module in our:

Module

Module code
EEXP806
Credits

Credits

  • Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
  • One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
  • You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
  • For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
60
Study level
Across the UK, there are two parallel frameworks for higher education qualifications, the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Northern Ireland and Wales (FHEQ) and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). These define a hierarchy of levels and describe the achievement expected at each level. The information provided shows how OU postgraduate modules correspond to these frameworks.
OU Postgraduate
SCQF 11
FHEQ 7
Study method

Distance and practice-based learning

Module cost
See Module registration
Entry requirements

Find out more about entry requirements.

Module details Entry requirements Module registration Study materials

What you will study

This module involves academic study, practice learning and submission of an eportfolio of evidence. Your academic learning will be supported by primary or subject-specific secondary online seminars.

The PGCE is progressive: you’ll return to the same strands in each module. You’ll learn theories and concepts appropriate to your level of study. The strands are:

  • Curriculum
  • Understanding learners
  • Planning for learning
  • Pedagogy
  • Assessment
  • Professional practice.

You should, however, think about your commitment to the full two-year qualification rather than to each module. You’ll study the modules consecutively and there’s no expectation to break the two-year journey unless circumstances prevent you (there are only small breaks between each module). This continuity enables you to build your knowledge and experience over an extended period.

Teaching theory will be combined with substantial, supported, practice learning in schools, enabling you to explore the relationship between theory and practice and become a confident research-informed teacher. This module is also studied at Masters level, so you’ll also engage with educational research and conduct a small-scale close to practice study. In this module you will undertake 60 days of practice learning. If you are on the Part-time route, you will be expected to undertake 30 days of these 60 days as continuous practice learning (6 school weeks) in order to demonstrate that you can support learning over a sustained period of time. The other 30 days can be undertaken flexibly.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You'll be supported by a range of staff in school and from the Open University. They will work together to support your individual learning journey within the context of your schools and in relation to your prior experience, knowledge and skills.

You'll be supported through online seminars by subject/phase specialist Open University academics and by experienced teachers in school (mentor, practice tutor, school coordinator).

Assessment

Online study and practice learning activities will support you to complete academic assignments and an eportfolio of evidence. This will feed into your Professional Learning Passport (PLP) in Wales. You’ll be expected to draw together your knowledge of the theory of teaching and how it relates to your developing practice.

The tutor-marked assignment is designed to support you to relate theory to practice and demonstrate academic skills at Masters level.

The end-of-module assessment (EMA) has two parts:

  1. Evidence of study (reflective essay-type responses to certain tasks), and
  2. Your eportfolio of evidence that will include the following:
  • evidence of progress in practice against the professional standards
  • evidence of progress in relation to your development in Welsh, literacy, numeracy and digital competence
  • lesson observations
  • practice learning reports
  • formal assessment of teaching by a practice tutor.

Passing both components of the assessment is a requirement of passing the qualification.

You can study in the medium of Welsh, English or a combination. However, you must choose one language for assessment purposes.

Course work includes

1 Tutor-marked assignment (TMA)
End-of-module assessment

Future availability

PGCE 3 starts once a year – in September.

This page describes the module that will start in September 2025. We expect it to start for the last time in September 2028.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.

Entry requirements

You can only study this module as part of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Wales). It is not available for standalone study.

For more details on the PGCE, full entry requirements and how to register, please refer to the qualification description for the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Wales) (K36).

Outside the UK

This module is only appropriate for students resident in Wales or England. Salaried students need to be resident in Wales or England; part-time students need to be resident in Wales. Wherever you live, you must undertake your practice learning in two Welsh schools.

Register

Start End Fee Register
06 Sep 2025 Jun 2026 Not yet available
This module is expected to start for the last time in September 2028.

Future availability

PGCE 3 starts once a year – in September.

This page describes the module that will start in September 2025. We expect it to start for the last time in September 2028.

Additional costs

Study costs

There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.

Ways to pay for this module

We know there’s a lot to think about when choosing to study, not least how much it’s going to cost and how you can pay.

That’s why we keep our fees as low as possible and offer a range of flexible payment and funding options, including a postgraduate loan, if you study this module as part of an eligible qualification. To find out more, see Fees and funding.

Study materials

What's included

Module website with:

  • Online study materials including live online seminars with an OU tutor
  • Audiovisual examples of teaching best practice
  • Programme guide
  • Assessment guide
  • Practice learning guide and school activities
  • Forums for engaging with your OU curriculum tutor and other students.

We provide all materials and learning experiences in Welsh and in English. You may purchase your own copy of Set Books or you can access some titles as electronic versions from the OU library (please note that some titles are not available as ebooks). You will also have considerable support from school-based mentors, practice tutors and access to an eportfolio.

Computing requirements

You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11). Any macOS is unsuitable with this module.

Any additional software will be provided or is generally freely available.

To join in spoken conversations in tutorials, we recommend a wired headset (headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone).

Our module websites comply with web standards and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It’s not available on Kindle.

It’s also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you’ll also require a desktop or laptop as described above.

If you have a disability

Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of OU printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader (and where applicable: musical notation and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way). Other alternative formats of the module materials may be available in the future.

To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our disability support pages.

Request your prospectus

Our prospectuses help you choose your course, understand what it's like to be an OU student and register for study.

Request prospectus