Training in Teaching and Lecturing (PLTO)

After the successful completion of the Transfer of Status, all DPhil candidates in the Faculty of History may apply to attend the Faculty's Preparation for Teaching and Learning at Oxford (PLTO) programme. This scheme is designed to offer all doctoral students equal access to training in teaching history to undergraduates, and is a prerequisite for undertaking paid teaching at the University of Oxford.

Graduates usually find PLTO training to be rewarding: it enables you to think about your doctoral research in wider historical context; it is essential if you hope to pursue an academic career; and the ability to condense, explain and communicate is highly valued in all professional careers. Students hoping to join the Teaching Register will also find the opportunity to observe good teaching practice valuable, particularly if they do not have prior experience of teaching at Oxford.

In order to undertake PLTO training, you must have satisfied the following two conditions:

  • You must have successfully passed the Transfer of Status interview
  • Your must have the explicit approval of their supervisor(s).

If you are interested in pursuing these opportunities, you should discuss with your supervisor whether training in teaching is appropriate at this stage of your doctorate. PLTO training must not impede the progress of your research project, and it may be that undertaking training in your third or fourth year would suit your research plans better.

Please Note: Other Oxford departments (for example, the Department of Politics and International Relations) offer their own PLTO programmes to which you may apply. These programmes are tailored to the specific requirements of these departments, and their completion does not confer eligibility to teach at the Faculty of History. Please note also that postgraduates require the advance permission of their supervisors for any teaching (including training) that they propose to undertake at the University.

The Preparation for Learning and Teaching at Oxford (PLTO) course is an introduction to teaching at Oxford, run by departments, faculties and divisions and tailored to local requirements. It is University policy that DPhil students must attend a PLTO programme or equivalent before they start teaching.

The Faculty of History's PLTO programme consists of two main elements:

  • A half-day workshop, held on Wednesday of 0th Week in Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity terms
  • A 6-8 week teaching placement on one of the Faculty's Optional, Further, or Special Subject undergraduate papers.

It is compulsory to attend both elements of this training if you hope to teach in the Faculty of History, or to take part in further training, including the Training in Lecturing Programme.

Students should apply via the application form below by Friday of 8th Week each term:

  • Trinity Term - for PLTO arrangements for all workshops/placements in the following academic year
  • Michaelmas Term - for workshops/placements in Hilary and Trinity (space and teaching placement allowing)
  • Hilary Term - for the workshop/placement in Trinity (space and teaching placement allowing)

This interactive PLTO workshop introduces you to the structure and experience of studying at Oxford, the challenges of teaching tutorials and classes, basic theories of learning and teaching in higher education, and opportunities to gain teaching experience. Students will also have the opportunity to hear from current undergraduates about their experience of tutorials and classes. Graduates attending this workshop will be expected to apply the theories discussed in their PLTO placement.

The PLTO teaching placement involves observing, and actively reflecting on, the teaching of a weekly primary source-focused class to undergraduate students (usually either a first year Optional Subject, second year Further Subject, or third year Special Subject).

Students will be assigned a tutor - usually but not always the course convenor - with whom they should discuss the norms, challenges, and techniques of teaching practice. The tutor will agree with each graduate a certain degree of participation, depending on the circumstances of the class and each student’s knowledge. Depending on graduates’ commitment and expertise, they are commonly able to contribute to class discussion and ideally lead in teaching part of a class later in term. The basic time commitment is approximately 2 hours per week, but students will benefit most from this opportunity if they are able to also read at least some of the primary and secondary texts.

This is a training opportunity to reflect on the practice of teaching, not a paid teaching position, so students are not expected to complete any marking or teaching of whole classes.
When applying, students should choose up to two papers from each of the lists of Optional, Further and Special Subjects that correspond broadly with your research interests and expertise. The PLTO Co-ordinator will try to match students to their chosen papers where possible, but students should note that not all options will be available each year. 

Once you have attended the PLTO workshop, you may also apply to undertake training in writing and delivering undergraduate lectures. Through three short workshops, usually held in Hilary Term, you will be introduced to the basic principles of lecturing, and given the opportunity to write a short, 20-minute lecture to be delivered to an undergraduate audience in Trinity Term, typically 2nd-year undergraduates, or 3rd-years revising for their Finals examinations.

As part of this course, you will be asked to identify an undergraduate outline paper that aligns with your area of research, and will be asked to develop your lecture to fit this paper. You should attend at least some of the relevant lectures to develop a sense of the shape of the lecture course, and should seek advice from your supervisor as to what an undergraduate may find useful, particularly if you have not previously studied at Oxford.

To apply for this opportunity, please complete the Training in Lecturing form below by Friday of 8th week of Michaelmas.

After you have completed PLTO training, and your PLTO mentor has signed off on your progress, you will be given access to the Faculty's Teaching Register. This is the Faculty of History's central register of individuals who are available to teach on History papers, and is used by organising tutors and course convenors when arranging teaching for their students. You will then be able to add yourself to the register and identify courses on which you would like to teach.

More information about the Teaching Register and how it operates will be provided upon completion of PLTO. For any specific queries, please contact the Academic Office Assistant (aoa@history.ox.ac.uk)

For those engaged in sustained teaching experience (i.e. teaching more than just a few sessions) and wishing to develop further their teaching or learning support practice in higher education, the Centre for Teaching and Learning offers an Oxford Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership Recognition Scheme.

Successful completion of the relevant pathway leads to the award of Associate Fellowship, Fellowship or Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. This course is not run by the History Faculty, so please find further information on deadlines and how to apply via the Centre for Teaching and Learning.

FAQs

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Unfortunately, due to the limited space available on the PLTO course, we are only able to accept applications from DPhils formally registered with the Faculty of History and Department of the History of Art. 

Applications to PLTO may be made in each term as follows:

  • Trinity Term - for PLTO arrangements for all workshops/placements in the following academic year
  • Michaelmas Term - for workshops/placements in Hilary and Trinity (space and teaching placement allowing)
  • Hilary Term - for the workshop/placement in Trinity (space and teaching placement allowing)

Applicants to PLTO must have completed Transfer of Status before attending the PLTO workshop. As such, DPhils in their 1st year of study may only apply in Trinity Term (for the next academic year), as you will not have had time to sit your Transfer interview before the end of Trinity.

As PLTO is the first step in a broader programme of training in teaching, and teaching opportunities are relatively limited, the Faculty recommends applying to the programme early, to allow sufficient time for participating in other opportunities (including Training in Lecturing and the Oxford Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership Recognition Scheme).

PLTO is a training opportunity, and is not paid. Once you have successfully completed PLTO, you are eligible to join the Teaching Register and undertake teaching for the Faculty and Colleges.

You will be expected to attend the PLTO training workshop prior to the teaching placement, as the workshop will cover important theories of teaching which you are expected to reflect on when observing teaching in practice on your placement. In the vast majority of cases, students will attend the workshop in Week 0 of the term in which they have their placement. 

In exceptional circumstances, it is possible to attend the PLTO workshop and placement in separate terms. You should contact the PLTO Co-ordinator in the first instance to determine whether this would be possible.

The PLTO workshop is a half-day, interactive discussion session which will involve a number of group discussions and activities. You will therefore get most out of it if you can attend in person, and should make plans to attend the workshop in-person where possible.

In exceptional circumstances, it is possible to arrange for remote attendance via Microsoft Teams. You should contact the PLTO Co-ordinator in the first instance to determine whether this would be possible.

Unfortunately, due to the high demand for places, we can only offer one PLTO placement to each trainee.

Yes. You must have completed both the PLTO workshop and placement before undertaking any teaching, and must not accept any offers of teaching until you have done so.

No; it is University policy that DPhil students may only offer teaching to undergraduate students.

Further Information and Resources Beyond the Faculty

https://ox.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Embed.aspx?id=ff1caa80-12bc-4edf-a7ac-b00500f697eb&download=false&autoplay=false&offerviewer=true&showtitle=true&showbrand=false&captions=false&interactivity=none

Contacts

PLTO Co-ordinator:
Prof. Howard Hotson
(howard.hotson@st-annes.ox.ac.uk)

Academic Office Assistant:
Rowan Ritchie
(aoa@history.ox.ac.uk)