Master of Education
1 Year Full-Time | September Start

You will be encouraged to critically explore a range of approaches to research however emphaisis will be placed on your understanding of the world view, design and meaning system that will drive your own research study. It is assumed that prior to the undertaking of this dissertation module you will have undertaken study that prepares you for engagement with a Masters dissertation process and that you will have constructed a robust research proposal that has gained or is in the process of gaining ethical approval from both the University and (if applicable) your employing organisation. In the module you will revisit and deepen your understandings of a range of key topic areas linked to the empirical research process, this will include discussion of world views and research paradigms, the research question, aim or hypothesis, research design, working with literature and theory, developing ethical codes, constructing the research sample, collecting robust research evidence, ensuring quality assurance within your research work, analysing both qualitative and quantitative evidence and writing and disseminating the research dissertation work. You will be invited to attend a series of research seminars during the module and you will have access to a named Higher Education supervisor for one to one tutorial work. Both the seminars and tutorials will encourage you to apply the key areas of learning within this module to your own professional context and field of expertise. This will enable you to critically examine how the empirical research process will work best for your research goals and design.

The purpose of this module is to develop the participant’s ability in study skills and English language skills for academic purposes.

The module is designed to develop the participants as independent learners. The module is supported by a teaching and learning plan which outlines the formal sessions, together with the tutor-directed study and independent reading. An interactive approach to seminars will draw upon the directed learning undertaken and participants’ own experience of study skills. Directed learning will centre upon a range of activities including pre-reading, preparation for interactive activities and use of the discussion board on the e-learning platform.
Independent learning will focus upon the participants identifying those skills which they need to develop and understand through a range of learning activities that might include extended reading, and reflection. The sessions will attempt to follow the principles set out by the CEM model (Sloan and Porter, 2008)

This module provides the underpinning skills and knowledge necessary to undertake independent research in education and training at Level 7. It will give you the opportunity to develop practical and theoretical skills in the use and understanding of different research paradigms, methodological approaches and their associated research methods. You will also develop an in-depth understanding of related issues, including but not restricted to, ethical concerns, data management and analysis, the use conceptual frameworks and how to engage critically with the literature. The module has a strong focus on practice, and you will be encouraged to take this as your starting point, to question and problematize professional concerns, and to develop those as research problems and questions.

This will provide you with a framework to critique and question research, policy and practice and their impact on Education and Training. Drawing on this, you will be able to develop a research proposal which addresses a professional concern, drawing on contemporary and relevant research literature in order to analyse and justify your methodological approach. You will also be supported to explore subject based literature in order to support your identification and exploration of a research problem.

In this module you will focus on the role of the practitioner as a research user. You will have the opportunity to make effective and systematic use of published research to inform education practice and/or policy. Through the process of the systematic appraisal, you will develop enhanced critical appraisal skills. The systematic appraisal project will address research questions which arise from your specific practice/field of expertise. These questions may address:
• Effectiveness of single/definable interventions in order to state and recommend best practice/provide evidence based guidelines for practice.
• Evaluation of appropriateness/acceptability/process/outcomes of educational provision in order to improve/develop/inform practice.
• The service user experience of education services.
• Relationships between practitioners and service users.
• Theoretical and ideological issues of relevance to education practice and/or policy.
Published work to be included in the appraisal may be either entirely quantitative, entirely qualitative or mixed method. The philosophical perspective of both the research question and the appraisal methodology must be examined.
The focus of this module is a small scale systematic review which students undertake with the support of an experienced academic research supervisor. Peer support is also encouraged through student led seminars.

This module gives you the opportunity to explore issues, understandings and knowledge of Inclusive practice in the school setting to include that of children with special educational needs. You will partake in critical discourse with regard to pertinent issues of the inclusive practice /SEN agenda.

Curricula and continuum of provision:
- Legislation and its impact;
- Notions of Education (Pedagogy) )or children with special educational needs;
-The potential of new technologies to support communication, teaching and learning for children with SEN and disability
- Notions of SEN/models of disability
-Professional Frameworks
- Key principles of inclusion, families, inter-professional working, collaboration, self-advocacy;
Appraisal of Recent Research
-Implications for Classroom/School Practice
- Key features of teaching and learning;
- A variety of approaches to delivery
–Developing an emerging philosophy

This module considers what constitutes effective management and leadership within the national and cultural context of the UK educational system with reference to the cultural contexts of other educational systems. Students will explore theories and models of educational management and leadership and will apply these to critiques of examples of educational practice re management and leadership drawn from their own experiences and from current research.

This module will provide you with an opportunity to analyse in depth what is meant by the concept of leading learning. This includes reflection on your role as a leader who creates a vision and climate in the school/ college/other educational establishment or setting, in which there is a strong focus on learning. It will involve you exploring new ideas about teaching, the curriculum and continuing staff development, together with a commitment to monitoring, evaluation and review of practice.

The module will provide you with a framework to examine your role as an educational leader and the influence and impact you have on institutional culture and climate. There will also be an opportunity to examine in detail how effectively you and other educational leaders engage the learning community in a rigorous process of monitoring, evaluation and review, linked to internal and external evaluation procedures. The module will also enable you to examine ways in which the role of parents and other stakeholders contributes to effective outcomes for learners, as well as enabling you to develop their personal knowledge, understanding and skills in these key areas of leadership.

This module is intended to give students who are either professionals working within education or those who are intending to work in education an opportunity to develop their knowledge of both pedagogy and andragogy. The module will take the learner on a journey through the ideology that shapes the way in which education is both defined and organised and the theoretical dissonance between theories of learning and formal education. The focus is broad as you are encouraged to consider all aspects of teaching and learning in the statutory, further/higher and lifelong learning sectors.

In this module you will have the opportunity to analyse, in–depth, what is meant by the concept of curriculum development. This includes reflection on the curriculum leader’s role in creating a vision and climate in the school or other educational establishment, on which there is a strong focus on learning, where new ideas about teaching, the curriculum and continuing staff development are taken seriously, together with a commitment to monitoring, evaluation and review of practice.

The module will also provide you with a framework for examining the influence and impact on institutional culture and climate on curriculum development. You will have the opportunity for detailed consideration and examination of how an effective curriculum engages the learning community in a rigorous process of monitoring, evaluation and review, linked to internal and external procedures. You will also explore and examine ways in which the role of parents and other stakeholders contribute to effective curriculum development.

The aim of the module is to develop an understanding of the Education system in England; where it has come from and how it works in practice today. This will enable you to put all other education related modules into context. It will give you an understanding of the education system in England and allow you to critically appraise its many facets. You will be able to:

• Apply an appropriate perspective to a facet of education in terms of the system as a whole.
• Understand systematically the rationale for key features in the modern day education system
• Critically analyse and reflect upon key issues within the education system in England

This module is designed to develop a comprehensive understanding of a range of ideas, concepts and theories that will help you to become engaged in a well informed and meaningful work-based enquiry and project management. Through a combination of seminar and inter-session activities the module will help you to develop a critical awareness of a range of appropriate approaches to project planning, implementation and evaluation appropriate to your own organisational and professional context.

This module is designed to promote your personal development and a range of inter-personal, intellectual and practical (functional) skills based on and demonstrated through an individually negotiated real-time work-based dissertation that will be of benefit to your employing organisation. It seeks to raise your awareness of the workplace as a learning environment, extend your capability and enhance your individual effectiveness, employability and business competitiveness. It will focus on organisational-based issues and seek to develop your skills in the diagnosis of problems, research and analysis. You will develop strategies to address problems and techniques of presentation. You will demonstrate that appropriate ethical, commercial, confidentiality and data protection issues are taken into consideration. You will be expected to reflect on the learning derived from carrying out the dissertation.