• Major Project

  The Major Project is central to the Masters award and enables you to demonstrate your ability to synthesise learning from previous modules. You will use this learning as the basis for planning, conducting and writing up a research or work-based project. This is the opportunity for you to demonstrate the ability to raise significant and meaningful questions in relation to your chosen topic and a critical understanding of research methods and their relationship to knowledge. You will also be in a position to develop solutions to ethical dilemmas likely to arise in your research or professional practice and to expand existing knowledge to contribute to the development of best practice.

• Educational and Social Research Methods

  This module provides you with the opportunity to consider the aims and intentions of educational research, critique published journal articles, and examine the role of evidence from research as a basis for improving education and social care. You will gain grounding in educational research issues, methods and strategies together with knowledge of how to match intended outcomes with specific educational questions and methods of investigation.

• Key Issues and Themes in Education

  This module examines current key issues and themes in education. It explores principles of teaching and learning, the derivation and design of the curriculum and the role of schools and other education settings within the wider community. The module will engage with national strategies, frameworks and international dimensions and students will be encouraged to explore the processes and complexities of teaching and learning. The module will cover the following broad themes and will prepare students for the negotiated study module and the postgraduate major project: Learning and Teaching; Leadership, Mentoring and Coaching; Learning and Knowledge Technology; Social Justice and Equality in Education; Including Vulnerable Learners. Assessment will comprise of a written assignment in which students will develop a critical analysis of literature related to at least two of the themes listed above.

• National and International Policy Perspectives

  Policy has a central place in all phases of education at macro, meso and micro levels. Students taking this module will have the opportunity to explore aspects of policy in depth, considering the ideologies, values and evidence that inform policy and the position of individuals and groups when responding to and implementing policy. MA Education and MA Early Childhood Education students take this module together as some global and national policy initiatives have an impact across all sectors and policy developments in one part of the educational system are likely to affect others. Students are expected to be active learners, engaging in group discussion and group presentations in order to share their ideas about both theory and practice.

• Specialist Studies in Learning and Teaching

  This module is designed to enable students to explore a subject that is relevant to their role as a teacher in compulsory or post compulsory education. Students will be required to focus on one of the specialist areas provided by the course team and to work with other students to successfully achieve the learning outcomes. Students will choose from a range of subject specialisms which will include but not necessarily be limited to: Developing Assessment for Learning in the classroom context; Enhancing learning and teaching using learning technologies; Supporting students with Special Educational Needs; Outdoor Learning; Critical Education and Social Justice. This module may be used as a vehicle to offer an agreed specialist subject for continuing professional development purposes, for example, if a group of teachers in a school wanted to pursue a particular topic to link with a particular issue. In some circumstances this Specialist Studies in Learning and Teaching module could be replaced by the Professional Enquiry module for example, if a group of teachers wished to pursue an action research project in a school context.

• Professional Enquiry in Education

  This module offers students the opportunity to develop specialist knowledge and expertise in an area of personal and professional interest, relating to education. The notion of enquiry used in this module is broad and is intended to reflect the contributions which students bring to advanced study of education from both their academic and professional contexts. Students may pursue individual or small group enquiries or a larger group of students may work, with a specialist tutor, to enquire into an agreed subject area together.

Please note that you will need to complete 5 of the above modules, including the ‘Educational and Social Research Methodologies’ and the ‘Major Project’ modules. The availability of modules will depend on whether you are a full-time or part-time student and on when you start your course. More information and guidance will be available from your course leader. All modules are subject to change.