| Unit name | Quality and Improvement in Education |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EDUCM5207 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Reyes |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Education |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
This unit is designed for those interested in designing, managing, delivering and evaluating quality education in all fields. It will review research and experience relating to effectiveness and improvement in educational settings and consider the implications for policy and practice. It will focus on research into the organisational and other factors that correlate with effective outcomes, comparing across different cultural and country contexts, and strategies for promoting quality and improvement at local, national and organisational level. Research employing a range of qualitative and quantitative methods for quality assurance and evaluation (eg intervention/programme evaluation, case studies, inspection frameworks, league tables, value added approaches) will be considered.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
The MSc in Education, Leadership and Policy touches on different areas of educational research, policy, and practice. Engaging in critical debates and analysis of quality and improvement in educational settings is key to the programme and this units provides the foundations for the students to be able to problematise different approaches and practices to educational quality and improvement as they present in policy, research and practice and seen from various perspectives, including students, teachers, parents, school leaders, decision-makers, and the broader community. Therefore, alongside other units in the programme, EDUCM5207 enables students to exit the programme with solid understanding and analytical skills to intervene and research issues of quality and improvement in education across formal and informal education settings.
An overview of content
In this unit, students will review research and experiences relating to effectiveness and improvement in educational settings and consider the implications for policy and practice. It will focus on research into organisational and other factors that correlate with effective outcomes, comparing these across different cultural and country contexts, along with examining strategies for promoting quality and improvement at a local, national, and organisational level.
Research employing a range of qualitative and quantitative methods for quality assurance and evaluation, e.g. intervention/programme evaluation, case studies, inspection frameworks, league tables, and value-added approaches, will be considered. The broad aim of this unit is to review selected research and theory relating to quality, effectiveness, and improvement in education and to consider the implications for policy and practice in different countries/cultures and educational contexts.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will challenge their assumptions regarding conceptualisations and the impact of theory and practice in the educational quality and improvement fields. They will be better prepared to engage critically with policy, procedures and stakeholders related to quality and improvement in education. Given the international approach to these topics, the students will be more receptive to understanding differences in approaches to quality and improvement as seen from the lens of various actors in an education system.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the unit students will demonstrate the ability to:
This unit will be taught using a mixture of activities including seminars, lectures, reading and discussions.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Students will be given the option to present either individually or in small groups about their education system’s or organisation’s definitions and practices.
A 500-word academic poster presenting a minimum of two concepts explored in the unit, particularly, concepts relevant to the student’s chosen focus/topic for the summative assignment 1. The student will draw on theory and research in education to support the presentation of ideas. Main authors and key debates should be included and a reference list.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
A 2,500 word critical essay discussing issues of quality and improvement in education. 100% (ILOs 1-5)
When assessment does not go to plan
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis. Students will resubmit a revised version of the original work.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EDUCM5207).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
