PMEDUCAT - MA Education

The course fits into wider university initiatives with regard to student support and MA Education students are entitled to utilise all personal and learning support services.

Course content also fits well with the Strategic Plan that seeks to develop engaged citizens with emphasis on social justice with many modules addressing professionalism and issues of social justice head-on.

The course is attractive to students from a range of professional and academic backgrounds, and is designed to allow teachers, other education professionals, as well as those with academic interest full education engagement with module content. The course is also designed to enable a school specific offer with a mix of core and optional modules that would enable focus on school development as appropriate and negotiated

The core course is taught via a conventional timetable, however, the approach to learning and teaching is blended with use made of the University VLE and some modules being taught in remote networked formats. It is envisaged that there is room for development of the programme to incorporate more flexible arrangements that will allow the course to respond more adroitly to student needs and availability.

The course aims:

• to offer students a multi-disciplinary and critical exploration of educational practices, policies, theory, key themes and institutions in London and beyond;
• to deepen students’ understanding of curricula, schooling and pedagogic institutions through Education as a multi-disciplinary domain and inter-disciplinary synthesis;
• to give students access to a range of theoretical discourses and languages through which to understand and interpret their practice and appreciate the contribution made by scholarship, research and researchers to them;
• to explore critically those discourses of improvement, progress and transformation that have informed innovation and shaped policy changes for a generation;
• to recognise and incorporate the unique affordances of London and the educational implications of its place as a post-colonial global city;
• to offer international students knowledge and understanding of the education system in England and Wales;
• to extend students’ subject knowledge in targeted areas and offer opportunities for guided self-directed study and scholarship;
• to offer students opportunities to engage with the academic expertise, interests and specialisms of the staff team and build from their contributions to research and scholarship;
• to allow students access to research methods and practices and require them to design, undertake and report on a research project that has the potential to contribute to the wider scholarly and academic community.

The following learning outcomes incorporate and depend on a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of the academic discipline, field of study or area of professional practice.

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Apply methods and techniques appropriate to their own research or advanced scholarship in Education

2. Apply knowledge with originality, based on a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in Education

3. Evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in Education

4. Evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses

5. Deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences

6. Exercise self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level

7. Advance their knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high level

8. Exercise initiative and personal responsibility, including decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations

9. Learn independently for the purposes of continuing professional development.

Module Code

ED7122
ED7123
ED7121
ED7130
ED7125
ED7145
ED7144
SS7147
SS7148

Learning Outcomes LO1 - LO9

There are no existing benchmarks for PG Education.

Course design follows closely QAA and university guidelines for Masters degrees, offering structured learning opportunities with core and optional modules, a research methods module and dissertation.

An introduction to the course is provided for students’ that explains assessment policies and procedures as well as expectations for engagement, including dialogue with staff and peers. Each module further discusses assessment with students, with information published in the Module Handbook. Each module has clearly identified Learning Outcomes that articulate with those of the course. Induction to the course also includes an introduction to library services with workshops on library use offered.

The course is assessed by coursework and there are no written examinations. Each module has been designed with an assessment strategy that seeks to synchronise process aspects of learning with content and to incorporate opportunities for formative feedback as well as summative assessment, where appropriate. The strategy is designed to enable students to gain familiarity and fluency in the use of established academic modes of critical discourse and the representation of arguments.

As students come from a range of professional and academic backgrounds, modules, including their assessment, are designed to allow access for all. For example, in-service teachers have opportunity to reflect on practice is a number of modules. International Students are able to reflect on policy and practice in contexts outside the UK and have opportunity to take an optional module tailored to the academic use of English. Similarly non-practitioners are able to demonstrate understanding through theoretical analysis of course content.

Status
1. This schedule forms part of the Regulations for all PGCE / ITE courses and should be read alongside the University’s Regulations, which govern courses and the responsibilities of students. This regulatory schedule lays out a number of programme specific regulations: (i) some of these refer to specific issues where additional regulations apply to PGCE / ITE students and (ii) others refer to areas where PGCE / ITE students are exempted from the normal university regulations. Programme specific regulations reflect the requirements of ITE courses established by the National College for Teaching and Leadership, Department for Education and Ofsted. For areas that are not addressed in this document, students should refer to the regular student regulations.

Preamble
2. All University students are bound from the commencement of their course or from the point of enrolment, by all relevant Regulations, Procedures and policies.

3. Students enrolled on all teacher education programmes leading to QTS/EYTS are governed by:

• The University’s Academic Regulations which govern the standards of the University’s awards, the responsibilities of students and the formal roles played by staff in relation to admission to courses and programmes of study, assessment of student’s work and conferment of award;

• Regulations which govern the conduct of students, in particular, the Regulations applicable to all Students in cases of Misconduct – Incorporating a Code of Discipline; and,

• Responsibilities placed upon them regarding not only their conduct but also their professional suitability, as outlined in the Standards and successor guidance from relevant government departments. The Code of Practice is a list of statements that describes the standards of professional conduct required of teachers as they go about their daily work. Failure to meet these responsibilities can lead to the termination of training. All breaches of the professional Code of Practice will be progressed in accordance with within the University’s Student Misconduct Regulations. A student may at any time be suspended by the University if in breach, or alleged to be in breach, of professional conduct.

4. In addition, teacher education students on the qualifying programmes have specific regulations governing professional practice placements that are also outlined below.

5. It is the responsibility of all students to read the Teachers’ Standards (and all relevant codes / guidance issued by successor bodies) and the relevant University Regulations to familiarise themselves with all responsibilities and requirements.

6. In the event of receiving an allegation of Student Misconduct, students are advised to seek advice, guidance and support from the Students’ Services.

For full text please read Course Handbook

MA Education: 4 core taught modules (80 credits) plus two options (40 credits), plus dissertation (60 credits)

PGDip Education: 4 core taught modules plus two options

PGCert Education: 3 taught modules, normally to include two core modules

Students attending this course are normally in full-time work or taking sabbatical leave and the scheduling of the timetable reflects this. Personal matters affecting student access to their entitlement are dealt with on a case-by-case basis by the Course Leader through a system of office hours. Academic matters are dealt with by module tutors as part of the scheduled teaching and learning hours and specific matters are addressed as they arise.

This course enables you to advance your understanding of your experience as a professional educator and offers opportunities for career development into educational leadership, research as well as the professional education of colleagues and early-career professionals.

The course benefits you whatever your interest in education, be it as a parent, teacher, researcher, community worker or education administrator.

Our recent graduates have gone on to find careers in the education sector as deputy head teachers, special needs teachers and behaviour management coordinators.

You will be required to have:

• a good undergraduate degree in education or social sciences
• GCSE English at grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or higher (or equivalent)

All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.