What is the role of the Programme Leader for the Cambridge Professional Development Qualifications?

The role of a Cambridge PDQ Programme Leader is wide-ranging, from designing and developing the programme to liaising with mentors, school leadership and Cambridge. Responsibilities include.

• designing the programme to ensure that it meets all the syllabus requirements
• organising the programme learning environment
• co-ordinating the people involved in the programme, such as trainers and mentors, and the facilities, training materials and equipment
• finding and developing appropriate learning resources to ensure that candidates engage with concepts and principles to meet the assessment criteria
• selecting and using appropriate formative assessment activities bearing in mind the portfolio requirements
• monitoring your candidates’ progress throughout the programme and provide regular feedback to help them develop
• managing the formative feedback and final checks before a portfolio is submitted and signing all required declarations. The accredited Cambridge PDQ Programme Leader has ultimate responsibility for the quality and content of candidates' portfolios and so they should leave enough time to check them thoroughly prior to submission.

Being an effective Programme Leader is first and foremost about shaping and supporting professional learning to have impact on the quality of teaching and leadership in schools.

The role of Programme Leader is not confined to the formal elements of your programme and the Programme Leader is expected to maintain an overview of each component. For example, if running a programme for candidates outside the institution they are required to guide and monitor the support from the school leaders and experienced colleagues that the candidate has contact with within their school context. Similarly, the Programme Leader needs to make sure that the Centre provides candidates with sufficient support and resources which enable them to develop and progress through the qualification.

If your programme team includes trainers, they are expected to:

• design and manage learning activities for particular sessions/aspects of the programme, following the design of the programme plan and the lead from the Programme Leader
• prepare the learning environment and resources for the sessions/activities for which they are responsible
• co-operate with colleagues in the training team
• monitor progress and support the learning of candidates
• guide candidates so they avoid plagiarism and other forms of malpractice
• liaise with the Programme Leader to advise on the ongoing evaluation of the programme.