Core modules

• Strategic Management in Education

  This module will focus on developing a deeper understanding of effective strategic planning in order to achieve organisational aims. Students will need to be able to make clear links between the strategic planning and the strategic vision of their institutions. They will engage with theoretical models that will encourage them to evaluate and review existing provision and to consider planning for improved management within their institutions. They will combine independent reading and wider research with focused work based learning to draw from real context experience and practice. They will develop an implementation plan in the form of a presentation complete with rationale and reflective commentary.

• Leading Educational Change and Improvement

  Within this module students will engage in theory and wider research in relation to performance evaluation, leading change, and improvement planning and change management. Students are required to use metrics and their knowledge and understanding of benchmarking performance in order to identify an area of practice that would benefit from improvement they will produce a critically reflective commentary that will provide the underpinning rationale for the action plan, linked to models of good practice. The commentary will be required to evidence a deep level of understanding of change management and include proposed strategies for mitigating against any perceived barriers to change.

• Developing Effective Management Systems

  This module will enable students to engage in a process of critical evaluation and analysis to focus upon systems for managing information, relationships including staff and stakeholders, communication and reporting. Ensuring knowledge is managed effectively in order to provide comprehensive information that will facilitate efficient leadership and management in relation to staff, stakeholders, finance, facilities and measures for dealing with wider policy issues. This module encourages students to focus on internal and external systems in order to engage in a meaning review of their own organisation whilst drilling down to evaluate procedural systems and the effectiveness of information management. The module will concentrate on programme rather than project management and students will not only review and evaluate their own systems and processes, but also engage in wider research by comparing and contrasting management systems across other organisations; either from education, associated disciplines such as health or social care or from industry.

• Independent Learning Module

  This module offers students the opportunity to broaden or to deepen their understanding of a given relevant topic through undertaking a programme of negotiated learning and independent study. The module is intended to provide a means by which students may have such an opportunity in a manner that is supported by a supervisor through individual tutorial sessions. Those sessions will focus on how to propose, plan and carry out a learning activity relating to an appropriate focus negotiated with the supervisor. Students will be encouraged to consider a diversity of learning strategies and to be imaginative in their proposed assessment. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate, amongst other qualities, the ability to self-evaluate, to self-manage ad to respond constructively to guidance.

• Research Methodology

  The module examines diverse approaches to educational research and explores research ethics, methodologies, methods and design. The module will draw upon a range of research literature and theory so that students are exposed to the idea of challenging existing theoretical stances and philosophical aspects of educational research. The module is designed to support the needs of postgraduate students who are ready to prepare a major project proposal. This module will incorporate peer group and tutor-facilitated discussions and observations plus tutor inputs and small group and whole group study.

• Postgraduate Major Project

  This project enables students to demonstrate the ability to raise significant and meaningful questions in relation to their professional practice which may involve working at the current limits of theoretical and/or research understanding. They will be expected to demonstrate critical understanding of research methodologies and methods with particular reference to Reflective Practice and Action Research and apply fitness for purpose criteria for the purposes of undertaking research and/or investigating professional practice.