Prime Highlights :
- University of Portsmouth’s RAF Military Education Team wins national teaching award for excellence in military education.
- PMET recognised for improving learning through collaboration, digital resources and innovative teaching methods.
Key Facts :
- PMET supports around 3,500 military learners each year across officer and non-commissioned officer programmes.
- The team delivers education at RAF College Cranwell and RAF Halton through its collaborative teaching model.
Background :
The University of Portsmouth’s RAF Military Education Team has won a national award for its contribution to improving professional military education through innovative teaching and collaborative learning.
The Portsmouth Military Education Team (PMET) received the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) from Advance HE, recognising its impact on student learning, digital education and teaching practices.
The team is among 15 recipients of the award and supports around 500 officer cadets and 3,000 non-commissioned officers every year across RAF College Cranwell and RAF Halton.
PMET created its “two sites, one team” approach to bring staff together across both locations, helping maintain consistent teaching standards while adapting learning to the challenges of military training. The team redesigned course materials by introducing shorter and more accessible resources, including videos, podcasts and written content.
These changes included an approach that included more discussions, simulations and practice exercises, allowing learners to use the knowledge gained in real life professional situations. Learners found that the updated lessons were more practical and interesting.
Assessment of the PMET became more sophisticated due to the peer assessment, allowing learners to prove their level of comprehension, ability to make decisions and professionalism.
The team has also been active in contributing to other military educational projects. Thus, in 2023, the PMET organized the first ever Phase 1 Professional Military Education Symposium gathering teachers from different UK defence education institutions.
The award is for recognition of the ongoing partnership between the University of Portsmouth and the Royal Air Force in the training of skilled military professionals who can cope with any situation.
