BA Education Handbook V1 June 2016

Course HandbookBA in Education Year 2016-17

BA Education Handbook V1 June 2016

Contents

Section Page

Sources of Additional Information 1

1. Welcome 2

2. Your course team 4

3. An introduction to your course – aims and intended learning outcomes

5

4. The structure of your course 6

5. The Staffordshire Graduate and Employability 11

6. Learning, teaching and assessment on your course 13

6.1 Learning and Teaching 13

6.2 Placements and work-based learning 13

6.3 Assessment 13

6.4 How to submit assessments 14

6.5 Feedback on your work 16

6.6 External examiners appointed to your course 16

7. Communication 17

8. Support and Guidance (Including Personal Tutoring) 17

9. The Student Voice 20

10. Rules and Regulations 20

Appendices 21

BA Education Handbook V1 June 2016

Sources of Additional InformationThis handbook provides useful information about your course, how it will be delivered and how you will be assessed. It does not try to give you all the information you will need during your time at the university. More information can be found in the following places:

On-Line Student GuideThe on-line student guide (http://www.staffs.ac.uk/student/guide) provides important information about the university and the services available to students, including:

Welcome Week Referencing and study skills (including guidance on completing assessments)

What to do if you can’t hand in work due to circumstances beyond your control

Examinations Getting feedback on your work The student voice Employability and careers IT services and support Disability and dyslexia Counselling The Nursery The Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Graduation Certificates, Transcripts and

Verification Letters Student Cards

e:VisionStaffs Portal Our Student Charter The Staffordshire Graduate Term Dates Timetabling Student accommodation Campus and travel information Finance, fees and support Disclosure and Barring Service

applications Visas Course and module enrolment Changing your award or modules Withdrawing or intermitting from

your course University rules and regulations Disciplinary matters including

academic misconduct Appeals and complaints

Module HandbooksYour course is made up from a number of individual modules. Detailed information on each module is provided in separate module handbooks. Your module tutor will tell you how to access the handbook for their module.

The Blackboard On-Line Learning EnvironmentInformation and learning materials for your modules will be provided on the Blackboard on-line Learning Environment. Blackboard will form an important part of your learning experience. Please let your module tutor know if you encounter any problems accessing this material.

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1. Welcome

Welcome to the School of Education!

As Staffordshire University students we want to focus on you. We will help you to learn to be independent thinkers, to debate, question, practice and discuss key issues in Education. You will be encouraged to succeed at the highest levels possible in everything you do.

We have close connections with our partner schools, the wider community and professional bodies that help us make our courses relevant, interesting and up to date.

The people you meet in the School are themselves high quality and creative practitioners who are friendly and approachable. They are all keen to help you succeed. Our aim is to nurture and inspire you, to help you grow, to build your potential through working in a vibrant, thriving, and sustainable academic environment. You will enjoy working with academic staff who love their subjects and who are passionate about helping you to build your knowledge and expertise. They all come from different backgrounds and they will enjoy sharing their research, the work they do in the sector and in the local community and beyond with you.

Above all, our strongest partnership is with you, our students. You are at the heart of everything we do and we are committed to giving you the best possible experience we can. We understand the importance of the commitment you have made to us and we value the time you spend with us and remember, we are always keen to hear what you have to say.

I hope you have a successful, exciting and fulfilling time with us.

Jim Pugh

Head of the School of Education

Welcome to your course

Welcome to the School of Education undergraduate sector. This handbook contains information about the BA (Hons) Education Award. We aim to provide you with a programme which enhances your employability by instilling a lifelong commitment to reflective practice and professionalism. We hope that you will find this course interesting and useful to your career. The award that you have chosen is run and managed by the School of Education. This handbook contains information about the course and the University.

At Staffordshire University we pride ourselves in being at the forefront of a student centred approach to learning and teaching. Central to this belief is that the more you contribute to it, the more you will get out of it. You will find that the staff take an informal, although disciplined, approach to your teaching and learning. Discussion and full participation are encouraged with a variety of teaching methods used. The programme is a demanding one that requires a high level of commitment, but it will be immensely rewarding. What we expect you to get out of your studies is laid out over the next few sections of the handbook, but only you can determine what you want to achieve.

Starting at University can be very confusing and this handbook has been designed to provide you with all the information that you will need both about studying education within the faculty of Business, Education and Law, and also the support structures available to help you to survive the next three years. It also contains specific details about the structure of the award that you have

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chosen. If there is anything in it that you do not understand please ask your personal tutor or award leader for clarification.

During the first week (Welcome Week) various sessions have been set aside for discussing any problems but please come for help as often as you need. Do not try to ignore a problem, or think that you should be able to manage difficulties on your own and DON’T PANIC. If you are unsure about anything, please do not hesitate to come to see any member of staff.

After you have read through this handbook you will know who your key people are for your award. Talk to us, we are approachable. If you have any problems either academic or non-academic and you need some guidance then please let us know. If we cannot help we probably know someone who can.

Good luck

Fiona Hall

Award Leader

About the School of Education

The School of Education incorporates the Education provision at Staffordshire University and includes undergraduate and postgraduate provision and teacher training. We have recently had a number of quality accolades, such as:

Placed 1st for Teaching Excellence - Prospects Postgraduate Awards Nov 2013 Ranked 4th in The Good Teacher Training Guide 2012 for university providers, beating

Oxford University. Graded ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted four consecutive times since 2000 Our leading position in the National Teacher Training League Table Foundation Degree in Early Childhood Studies endorsed by SEFDEY (Sector Endorsed

Foundation Degrees for Early Years)  MA Education Leadership rated highly by Ofsted Teaching informed by our education policy research centre

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2. Your Course Team

The course team is made up of experts in the field of education and early years and teach across both programmes. All have direct experience in the field of education and are also engaged in relevant research.

Useful Contacts

Academic Contacts

Award Leader:

Fiona Hall Fiona.hall@staffs.ac.uk Tel 01782 294903

Academic Group Leader:

Ruth Gill r.gill@staffs.ac.uk Tel: 01782 294969

Head of School:

Jim Pugh j.pugh@staffs.ac.uk Tel: 01782 294349

Award Lecturers:

Dominique Powell dominique.powell@staffs.ac.uk Tel: 01785 294201

Duncan Hindmarch d.n.hindmarch@staffs.ac.uk Tel: 01782 294216

Manda Tayler amanda.tayler@staffs/ac/uk Tel: 01782 295884

Steve Hall s.j.hall@staffs.ac.uk Tel: 01782294944

Administrative Contacts

Award/Programme Administrator:

Elaine Knox e.knox@staffs.ac.uk Tel: 01782 294085

Student Guidance Advisor:

The details regarding your student advisors can be found on this link http://www.staffs.ac.uk/support_depts/studentguidance/

This is also clearly signposted on the student intranet or you can ask at Brindley Information Point.

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3. An Introduction to your Course

This handbook is designed to be viewed online as well as in hard copy format. Further information can be accessed from web links by holding the Ctrl key followed by left click on your mouse wherever you see text underlined in blue.

This course offers a holistic approach to education and learning, relating appropriate theory to practice; a key feature of the course is a progressive understanding of you as a learner and as a learning practitioner.

You will encounter a wide range of learning experiences, including lectures, individual tutorials, group tutorials, seminars, workshops, problem-based learning, practical work placement and independent study. However, the main modes of study will be class contact and directed self-study. All modules will require a certain amount of independent research study which will feed into your face to face sessions.

You will be allocated a personal tutor, in Welcome Week, who will support you throughout your study.

The programme requires a high level of commitment to working individually and as part of a team with your peers, but should be immensely rewarding. If you require any further information please contact the University Award Leader. For general enquiries and administrative matters, please contact the Award Administrator.

Your award has a set of written learning outcomes that describe what you should be able to do by the end of the course. These statements are designed to help you understand what you need to do to pass your course and receive your award. The outcomes for your course can be found in appendix A of this handbook.

Each module you study has separate learning outcomes which join together to enable you to demonstrate that you have achieved the overall learning outcomes for your award. The learning outcomes for your modules can be found in your module handbooks. The specific learning outcomes for your award and modules have been matched to eight university wide learning outcome statements (knowledge and understanding; learning; enquiry; analysis; problem solving; communication; application; and reflection). These standard statements describe the abilities and skills all Staffordshire University students should demonstrate in order to pass their course. The statements have been designed to meet national expectations contained within the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications. This ensures that the learning outcomes for your course are equivalent to similar courses at other UK universities and colleges. A table showing how your module learning outcomes have been aligned with the eight university learning outcome statements can be found in appendix B.

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4. The Structure of your Course

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE, MODULES AND CREDITS

Programme Title: BA (Hons) Education Studies

Leve

l 4

Teaching

Block 1

Personal, Professional and Academic Development

EDUC40448

The Community and Informal education

EDUC40460

An Introduction to Young Children’s Development

EDUC40459

History and Philosophy of Childhood

ECST40078

Teaching

Block 2

Behaviour for learning in the inclusive organisation

EDUC40461

(To progress to Level 5 at least 90 credits must be passed with at least 90 L4 award specific credits) Personal, Professional and Academic Development must be successfully achieved before progression to level 5 or award of Certificate in HE. This module is cannot be compensated.

Leve

l 5

TeachingBlock 1

Professionalism and educational strategies

EDUC50486

Understanding Young people, adolescence and the adult learner

EDUC50487

Supporting learning and inclusion

EDUC50488

Safeguarding Children and Young People

EDUC50506TeachingBlock 2

(To progress to Level 6 at least 90 credits must be passed including 90 L5 award specific credits) Professional and Educational Strategies must be successfully achieved before progression to level 6 or award of Diploma in HE. This module cannot be compensated.

Leve

l 6

Teaching

Block 1

Becoming a confident and competent educational professional

EDUC60490

Doing Education Differently

EDU60444

Research Methods

EDUC6060315 credits

Small Independent Research Project

EDUC60604

45 credits

Teaching

Block 2

(Becoming a Confident and Competent Educational Professional must be successfully completed before any final award (ordinary degree/ honours degree) can be conferred. This module cannot be compensated

You are also expected to complete a placement each year and a requirement of this course is that you conform to the professional expectations and policies for respective placement settings – such

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as meeting their DBS (formally CRB) requirements. This is a work-related course requiring reflection on your developing professional practice in the course of your award.

Whole Course and Module Overviews

This full time programme consists of three levels, the whole programme taking three years. Each level is normally completed within one academic year. The modules are broad-based and are designed to ensure that all participants develop a common background related to the quality benchmarks of a BA (Hons) Education as outlined by the Quality Assurance Agency1.

The course consists of 13 modules, the first 5 of which are assessed at level 4; the second 4 are assessed at level 5 with the final 4 modules at level 6. All modules are 15, 30 or 45 credits. All 30 credit modules require the equivalent of 300 hours of student learning and 15 credits require 150 hours. This consists of a mixture of classroom contact time and independent study time per module.

Level 4 ModulesModule 1: Personal, Professional and Academic Development The module will build upon existing knowledge, skills and understanding to encourage you to adopt a positive approach to your new course by developing skills of communication and presentational methods. You will be introduced to the purpose and development of reflective practice and the use of PDPs and the development of a portfolio. You will examine the ways in which data can be interpreted, challenged and reported. You will be encouraged to develop your personal research and practice through critical thinking skills and development of academic argument. You will explore matters of style in academic writing, citation and referencing using the Harvard System.

You will use electronic communication and ICT to identify and retrieve good quality sources of information.

You will explore the organisation and management of time to maximise learning opportunities.This module requires you to undertake placement in an educational setting (16 x 6 hours) and will provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate evidence of practical work-based skills and learning. You will explore your role within the setting, reflecting upon their practice and considering issues relating to your role as a professional, your strengths and targets, ethics and confidentiality.

Module 2: Introduction to Young Children’s DevelopmentYou will research the historical implications of the scientific study of child development and the role of parenting, relating this to present day practice and practitioners. You will see and understand the potential for growth, change and development in the pre-natal and new-born baby. You will study the changes that children undergo, beginning in the womb, through the post natal period and into childhood.

You will consider the differences between age related phases and domains of development and the interconnected nature of these to holistic, normative development. You will explore the difference between development, growth and maturation and their acquisition in a sequential manner. The module will investigate issues affecting development such as poverty, nutrition, stimulation and opportunity.

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You will consider the importance of an inclusive environment with calculated risk and challenge related to the all-round development of the child. The concept of unlimited access to outside space, free flow play and the ideals of the "Forest Schools" movement will be debated with theories of flexibility and structure. This module identifies key principles and theories of learning and development which will underpin your understanding of education throughout the rest of the course.

Module 3: Community and Informal EducationThis module examines the ideas of community and informal education and their application in adult education and youth work. You will look at current policy issues and in particular issues of social exclusion, participation, empowerment and social action. You will examine the development of a curriculum and the role of the media in informal education this will include political philosophy and social justice.

Module 4: History and Philosophy of Education

Students will examine the theoretical underpinning of childhood studies and early learning and will study some of the earliest pioneers in the field such as Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Froebel to MacMillan, Piaget and Gardner etc. Students will discuss the differences between the philosophies, reformers, implementation and consolidators with the emergence of modern beliefs and development of attitudes to egalitarianism.

Students will also discuss new and emerging theories and tensions between Government policy and practice and current initiatives in the field.

Module 5: Behaviour for Learning in an Inclusive EnvironmentThis module aims to develop your ability to manage and develop positive behaviours in your learning environment. Topics to be covered include:-

Theories and principles of behaviour;

Characteristics of behaviour including social and emotional aspects of learning and their impact on behaviour;

Behaviour Policies;

Behaviour management and enhancement;

Appropriate and effective communication;

Connections between learning, behaviour, environment, culture & ethos of organisation.

Level 5 ModulesModule 6: Professional and Educational Strategies

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This module follows on from the portfolio work in Module 1 enabling continuing reflection on your personal and professional development. The focus of this module is for you to consider your future career aspirations and development needs. You will have opportunity to demonstrate learning and reflection of continuing personal and workplace development in terms of how you co-operate, collaborate and interact with others. Therefore the indicative content in this module will mostly be defined by your evaluation of your development of self-concept as a learning practitioner on this course. This module is about you taking responsibility for your personal development as an education professional.

The context in which it will take place includes a one day per week placement, with one week block placement each semester, in an appropriate workplace for two semesters which has educational links.

Module 7: Understanding Young People, Adolescence and the Adult LearnerThis module provides the opportunity for you to develop your understanding of key issues working with young people, adolescents and adult learners, focussing in particular on how this relates to the particular needs of these learners and key elements of practice .The content will include:

Issues facing young people and adult learners and contemporary debates including issues relating to a drug culture, identities, youth cultures, generation gaps, racism, peer pressure, risky behaviour;

Recognised needs of young people such as relationships, communication, love, achievement, acceptance, voice, belonging;

Beliefs, values and attitudes underpinning work within the education environment; Practices and processes when working with individuals and groups of people, including

developing appropriate relationships, inclusive practice, mentoring, counselling, engagement, advocacy, solution-focussed approaches.

Much of this module will focus upon enabling students to evaluate issues and debates according to their relevance and importance in their own practice in placement.

Module 8: Supporting Learning and InclusionThis module focuses on identifying learner needs and adapting resources in order to provide appropriate support. Learners will consider how approaches to learning may differ in alternative educational contexts.

Developing learner support; Education in alternative contexts; e-learning; Promoting inclusion; Special Education Needs; Differentiation, stretch and challenge; Learning resources.

You will consider differing needs and how these might be best supported. You will identify issues relating to special education needs/differentiation within your own placement setting. From this you will consider e-learning resources which are suitable and appropriate for use by a range of learners within a variety of educational settings. These resources will be considered for their effectiveness to support learning and ethical considerations.

Module 9: Safeguarding and Child Protection

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You will consider the changing emphasis of legislation and guidance to protecting children in recent years as well as considering some of the historical abuse.

You will also examine common causes, across professional boundaries and the reformed structuring and services which create the means by which the interests, needs and welfare of the children and young people can be protected and advanced. You will consider how resources and attitudes reflect and underpin the value that society places on children and childhood.

You will explore the notion of child protection within the context of major legislation and policy change and will reflect, in detail, on the major changes in child welfare in order to understand the debates shaping children's policy.

This module will introduce contemporary debates about child protection and paramountcy, as well as deepening understanding of the policy developments involved and the implications for children's rights and liberties.

Level 6 ModulesModule 10: Becoming a Confident and Competent Professional This module enables continuing reflection on personal and professional development. The focus of this module is for you to consider your future career aspirations and development. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate learning and reflection of personal continuing development, continuing placement development and continuing understanding of placement organisation. Therefore the indicative content in this module will mostly be defined by your evaluation of your development of self-efficacy as a learning practitioner on this course. The module assessment will expect you to reflect extensively upon your work-based learning. This module is about you taking responsibility for and presenting your personal and professional development as an education professional. The context in which this will take place includes a one day per week placement in an appropriate workplace which has educational links, for two semesters

Module 11: Doing Education DifferentlyThe purpose of this module is to provide you with a broaden knowledge and understanding of how education can take place in a variety of organisations and locations. The module will develop understanding of how education can follow a variety of models outside of the traditional classroom to enhance the learning journey. In addition the module will make international comparisons of educational modules to provide further alternative approaches to education. Topics within the module will include: international comparisons, educational technologies and distance learning, forest schools, work based learning and educational visits.

Module 12: Research MethodsThe purpose of this module is to provide you with an understanding of relevant theory and practice in relation to:- Rationale for use of qualitative or quantitative data in researching education. Underlying methodological assumptions underpinning choice of method: positivism, ethnography, post-modernism and critical realism.- Integrity in educational research: making assumptions explicit, acknowledging sources of bias, caution in interpretation of data, triangulation,- Quantitative methods including questionnaire design, descriptive statistics, sample size and

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composition, regression, residuals, statistical significance, confidence intervals and effect sizes. Application of these methods in the study of educational effectiveness, target setting and management practice,- Qualitative methods including interview format, document analysis, participant observation, systematic analysis of qualitative data. Application of these methods in the context of education,- Ethical issues in the context of education: preserving anonymity, obtaining permission, checking authenticity of data etc,

Module 13: Independent Research ProjectThe purpose of this module is to provide an opportunity for you to engage in a small scale independent research project on a topic of your particular interest. The content of the research will be determined by the selection of the topic to be studied and the framing of the hypothesis/research question. This module will allow you to build on and develop your research skills, to implement different research methodology and to undertake small scale research utilising appropriate academic conventions.

5. The Staffordshire Graduate and Employability

The Staffordshire Graduate represents a set of qualities that the University passionately believes is necessary for success in the 21st century. The Staffordshire Graduate is a reflective and critical learner with a global perspective, prepared to contribute in the world of work. There is more information available at Appendix C.

The Staffordshire Graduate will have:

Discipline Expertise:

• Have an understanding of the issues at the forefront of knowledge in their chosen field.

Professionalism:

• Be prepared to be work-ready and employable and understand the importance of being enterprising and entrepreneurial

Global Citizenship:

• Have an understanding of global issues and of their place in a globalised economy

Communication and Teamwork:

• Be an effective communicator and presenter and able to interact appropriately with a range of colleagues.

• Have developed the skills of independence of thought and (when appropriate) social interaction through teamwork.

Reflective and Critical Learner:

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• Have the ability to carry out inquiry-based learning and critical analysis • Be a problem solver and creator of opportunities

Lifelong Learning:

• Be technologically, digitally and information literate• Be able to apply Staffordshire Graduate attributes to a range of life experiences to

facilitate life-long learning and life-long success.

All students will have many opportunities to develop and achieve these attributes. These will include learning opportunities within their chosen awards and co-curricular activities such as work experience, volunteering and the development of employability, enterprise and entrepreneurial skills.

Employability, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Being employable…... involves the development of a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that makes graduates more likely to gain employment, have the capability of being effective in the workplace and be successful in their chosen occupation to the benefit of themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.

Being Enterprising ……involves a set of skills and attitudes that can enable a culture of identifying opportunities, creativity, risk taking and innovation. It can involve many activities – for instance organising an event, planning an overseas trip or involvement in a social enterprise. Equally it can be about finding new solutions to old problems in your workplace, conducting a piece of research in a resourceful way, starting a new society or being involved in a community project. Employers value enterprising people!

Being Entrepreneurial……very often involves using enterprise skills to create new businesses and bring them to market. There is considerable support for those wishing to do so while at University. However, being entrepreneurial is not just about business skills or starting new ventures; it is a way of thinking and behaving relevant to all parts of society and the economy in terms of mindsets, behaviours, skills and capabilities to come up with new ways of doing things well and the flexibility to change career direction.

More information on the Staffordshire Graduate can be found at: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/study/staffordshiregraduate/

Your course is designed with employability in mind and a significant feature of the programme is the work placement that can take place across a variety of workplace settings. Whereas initial placements are more to do with how you see yourself within a professional working environment, later placements will focus on how you work with others individually and in teams and how you see yourself as contributing to the aims, ethos and culture of the workplace.

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The course has been designed to meet the needs of anyone looking to work with people in any professional context that involves learning. This includes anyone considering working in educational settings such as schools, colleges, academies, museums and art galleries, youth services, education departments within film, theatre, radio and television, the armed forces and many others. You may also progress to employment within family and children centres, care support, educational administration and management, play work, learning support and so on.  Alternatively, you may enter teaching through PGCE, Schools Direct, Schools Direct salaried and SCITT routes.

6. Learning, Teaching and Assessment on your Course

6.1 Learning and TeachingThe teaching and learning strategies have been carefully designed to provide practical contexts for the analysis of contemporary issues and problems of a practical and theoretical nature. Learning and teaching strategies will include, whole and small group discussion, case studies, individual research, verbal questioning, experiential practical learning such as facilitated learning observation, one-to-one tutorials, critical reflective practice, tutor modelling of good practice, observation of other professionals, guest speakers.

6.2 Placements and Work-Based Learning

You will attend work placements in appropriate settings throughout the programme, and be expected to maintain and use a professional development portfolio. In the first instance this portfolio will focus upon you as a learner and then upon how you interact and work with others, leading on to how you interact with the workplace and see yourself as a developing professional within your chosen area of work. Your final placement may be a setting defined by your own interests within education and future employment plans.

In the first year your placement will take place in semester two for three weeks. In year two you will undertake two three week placements in semester one and two and in the final year you must undertake at least 16 days, the timing of which is of your choosing. It is expected that the placement is related to education and development in some way but the exact nature is available for discussion. It is also expected that students will find the placements themselves although help and support is available if required.

6.3 AssessmentIt is understandable that some methods of assessment will suit different students in different ways, therefore a range of assessment methods will be used to assess the learning outcomes including written assignments, individual and group presentations, professional dialogue through learning conversations and the use of media such as video, podcasts and blogs. 

Formative assessment will underpin all teaching and learning, and enable the tutors to identify potential problems, offer feedback and maximise the effectiveness of the learning process.

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Reflection, self-evaluation and self-assessment will be an important part of the formative assessment processes. Your engagement with vocational learning is also formatively assessed through presentations of work related learning, developing practical resources and producing reviews of policy and practice.

The generic assessment criteria for each level will be available in your module handbooks.

In the final year you are required to undertake a research project. Some projects will require ethical approval and more guidance is available at Research ethics on the website.

6.4 How to Submit AssessmentsAssignments must be submitted on or before the submission deadline. Failure to do so will result in a failure of the module and possible withdrawal from the course.

Your assignment should conform to the word requirement; an assignment of more than 10% above or below the word limit will be penalised. Please enter the number of words on the front page of your assignment.

You should type or word process your assignments using a clearly legible font and size (Arial 11, for example) spacing the lines by 1½ or double; you should number the pages and have your student number on each page of your work.

You will need to submit the majority of your assignments using the Turnitin system on the Blackboard VLE your tutor will advise you

For instructions how to use this see:

http://www.staffs.ac.uk/about_us/university_departments/information_services/learning_support/refzone/turnitin.jsp#students

For any problems with this, contact IT services:

The Service Desk is available by phone 24/7, including bank holidays. Students can contact their nearest Service Desk on:

01782 294771• 01782 294135 or 01785 353339

E-mail: 3800@staffs.ac.uk

If you have a learning support agreement which recognises dyslexia as a disability make sure that you ask for an electronic version of the yellow sticker (available from the Faculty Office) to attach to your work to signal to the tutor that the assignment needs to be marked on content and understanding and not penalised for grammar, spelling or punctuation errors.

Similarly, if your learning support statement specifies that you can negotiate the submission dates of your assessments then please ensure that you have agreed new submission dates with your tutor in advance of the original deadline. On the Faculty assignment cover-sheet there is a box for

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stating the agreed negotiated deadline and the tutor’s signature. Please be mindful of the fact that you may need to complete the cover-sheet in advance of the submission date to ensure you get the tutor’s signature – rather than assume the tutor will be available on the day / time you intend to submit.

If you hand work in after a negotiated deadline, it will be treated as ‘late’, and will be marked at zero. So, if having once negotiated a deadline you find that, as it approaches, you are going to need a further extension, you will need to go back to your Award Leader / Personal Tutor to authorise this. Your Award Leader / Personal Tutor will use the test of ‘reasonableness’ in agreeing to any further extension.

If you need to adjust the assignment schedule agreed with your Award Leader / Personal Tutor for reasons that are unrelated to your disability, then you will need to use the normal Extenuating Circumstances procedure.

Failure to submit

If you are unable to submit your assignment on time you may be eligible to apply for extenuating circumstances. You must contact your tutor as soon as possible in order to discuss your options.

You must submit all pieces of assessment required for each module on or before the submission date for each piece of assessment. Failure to do so is likely to result in failure of the module overall. There may be occasions when you are unable to submit or undertake a piece of assessment due to circumstances beyond your control. The University has put in place a procedure for dealing with such extenuating circumstances. You can find more information on the university’s extenuating circumstances procedure at: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/extenuating/

Attempting ALL Assessments

It is important that you attempt ALL assessments for all your modules. You should ensure that the appropriate coursework is submitted on time and required timed assessments (including exams, class-tests, presentations, vivas) are attended. The University has changed its regulations to minimise the number of students who do not complete modules. Now, your right to a second (referral) attempt at a failed assessment(s) will be conditional on whether you have or have not made a first attempt (unless a successful claim for extenuating circumstances has been made) at the assessment(s). What does that mean? It means that in most cases, unless a successful claim for extenuation is made, students who have not attempted assessments will not be allowed a referral for the module, will therefore fail the module and if a core module, fail the award! Attempting all assessments is therefore ESSENTIAL.

This re-enforces the fact that it is always better to submit a half-finished assignment than not submit anything or attempt an examination you are not confident about than not attend –

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you may gain sufficient marks to pass the module or at least allow the possibility for compensation between modules (if allowed by your award).

If there are extenuating circumstances that prevent you from submitting / attending assessments then ensure you gather evidence to support an extenuating claim. Again, submitting a draft assignment by the required deadline is better than nothing and if the extenuation claim is successful a further assessment opportunity can always be offered. If you are unable to attend a timed-assessment due to an extenuating circumstance you should also inform the Faculty at the earliest opportunity and then make an extenuation claim.

Penalties for Late SubmissionIt is your responsibility to submit work on time. Failure to do so will normally result in the award of zero for that assessment. In this case you will have lost that opportunity to submit the assessment and you are reminded that you only have one such opportunity per module. If there are circumstances beyond your control which have caused you not to hand in the work on time you should bring them to the attention of your personal tutor and make a claim for extenuating circumstances. Alternatively later submission may be negotiated if this is considered to be a reasonable adjustment due to a disability. This must be agreed prior to the hand in date in accordance with an assessment report from the University. For details, see the disability support pages.

6.5 Feedback on your WorkModule Handbooks will provide you with marking criteria and an explanation of what you need to do to achieve these grades in relation to particular kinds of assignments. All conventional forms of assessment (examinations and essays) are marked anonymously. Provisional grades will be available within 20 working days and are subject to external examining and final confirmation by the assessment/award board. The external examiner is always someone who is an expert in the field, and usually a senior academic at another University. The external examiner will be sent a sample of assignments and is responsible for ensuring that the marking is appropriate and that the standards achieved by trainees on those modules are comparable with those of students on similar awards at other universities, as well as with the level and subject benchmarks established at the national level by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education. Assessment Boards, attended by the relevant external examiner(s), confirm the marks for all modules. Only then are final marks released. Assessment boards also determine the date by which any failed modules must be resubmitted. The Award Board decides on the award of qualifications to trainees, determines the date by which any other failed modules must be recovered and considers any trainees who have failed an award.

6.6 External Examiners Appointed to your CourseExternal examiners help the university to ensure that the standards of your course are comparable to those provided by other universities or colleges in the UK. More information on the role performed by external examiners can be found at: www.staffs.ac.uk/externalexaminers/

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The external examiner for your course is: Dr Deborah Le Play, senior lecturer at De Montfort University

It is not appropriate for you to make direct contact with your external examiner.

7. Communication

The course team will contact you via blackboard announcements and emails. It is important that you check your emails regularly and also check for module announcements. Students can contact the course team by email, telephone or in person.

8. Support and Guidance

You will be allocated a personal tutor in welcome week.

Throughout your course you will meet the Module Tutors at the taught sessions. If you require additional advice and guidance, please do not hesitate to contact the Module Tutors, Award Leader or the Award Administrator. One-to-one support tutorials can be arranged on request, either be face to face, by telephone or by e-mail.

Please contact your tutor if you have any concerns about assessment or any other aspect of your course. Generic support with studying, assignments and assessments can be found on the libraries Learning Support web pages: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/support_depts/infoservices/learning_support/index.jsp

Your first point of contact is with your Personal Tutor. Their role is to support the development of professional skills through tutorials, observation and feedback on your practice. They also provide guidance on assignments and liaise with your placement and any staff providing identified support for your learning.

This role includes:

Meeting you for the first time within 3 weeks of registration. Holding one further meeting in the first term and one meeting in each subsequent

term of the course.

Holding any additional meetings at the instigation of yourself, or where otherwise necessary.

Providing you with general academic guidance on your progress through the award for which you are registered.

Taking appropriate action in respect of absenteeism. Indicating their availability though appropriate means Taking any necessary initiatives to refer matters to student counsellors/awards

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directors/module leaders, etc., completing referral forms and forwarding to

appropriate personnel where appropriate, plus placing a copy on file. (Anything

which is deemed to be of private and confidential nature may be held on your file in a

sealed envelope, marked accordingly. This will only be “used” with your

permission.)

Providing careers advice where appropriate or directing you to people with appropriate expertise.

Providing support, if appropriate, for an extenuating circumstances claim.

8.1 General Support and Guidance

If you have concerns about your ability to complete your course for any reason, you are strongly encouraged to speak to one of the tutors and hopefully a mutually agreeable support strategy can be offered to you.

If you have any general concerns, the Faculty Student Guidance Advisor can help you with a wide range of educational issues as well as offering specialist information and support. A drop-in service is available, but to discuss an issue in depth you can then book an appointment.

If you are part-time, off campus, or a distance learning student you can telephone or email your faculty Advisor. These details are on the Student Guidance website:

http://www.staffs.ac.uk/supportdepts/studentguidance/index.jsp

8.2 Disability

Staffordshire University is committed to enabling all students to achieve their full potential. If you have a disability or specific learning difficulty (SpLD) which might affect your progress, you are strongly advised to disclose this to one of the Award or Module Tutors at the earliest opportunity. Every effort will be made to implement any reasonable adjustments to the learning environment in order to support you through the module. Each Faculty has a Disability Coordinator who coordinates support for disabled students.

The Student Enabling Centre provides specialist study support for disabled students and also a counselling service to support students who may experience issues that affect their mental wellbeing. The service provides a range of information, advice and facilities such as offering study needs assessments, help to apply for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) and providing study support services for students with dyslexia.

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At Stoke, the Student Enabling Centre is based in the Cadman Courtyard, and at Stafford in the One Stop Shop in the Beacon Building. More information about the Student Enabling Centre can be obtained from http://www.staffs.ac.uk/study/disabled/ or by email at disability@staffs.ac.uk or counsellingreception@staffs.ac.uk

8.3 The Students UnionYour Students’ Union understands the pressures and challenges of academic study and is always here to help all its student members.

 

Representation

If you have an issue with your course, you can turn to your Student Academic Representatives. Elected by their course mates, the Student Academic Reps are there to listen to your views, represent them at faculty meetings involving your course and feed them back to the Students’ Union to help achieve positive outcomes for you. If you’re not sure if your course has a Student Academic Rep, get in touch with the Students’ Union and we can find yours or help you become one.

 

Advice

For those matters that can’t be fixed so easily, the Union also provides a team of fully-trained advisers to help you find the best possible solutions to your queries. Available on both Stafford and Stoke campuses, the advisers can be seen for free all week, just drop in to find out when they’re free. The team can help you with academic issues, housing, student funding, benefits and much more. If you can’t make it into the Union, you can also chat to them online at www.staffsunion.com/advice.     

8.4 Further Support

The University has other services which offer support to international students, mature students, students with caring responsibilities and students who have been in care. Information on all our services for students can be found at http://www.staffs.ac.uk/study/services/

Information on university support services can be found in the on-line student guide (available at: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/student/guide/)The Student Advice Centre run by the Students’ Union provides independent, impartial and confidential advice to students free of charge. More information on the Students’ Union can be found at: https://www.staffsunion.com/)

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During the course you will have the opportunity to share your views and opinions on your modules, course and the university. Your feedback is key to ensuring that we get an accurate picture of what it is like to be a student at Staffordshire University and enables us to enhance the learning experience for current and future students. Each year group is expected to nominate a student representative who will be able to represent the class at course committee meetings. In addition there are annual internal surveys as well as the National Student Survey (NSS) at the end of the final year. You are also able to feedback at the end of each module.

10. Rules and Regulations

If your course operates in accordance with the university’s standard regulations include the statement: Your course is delivered and assessed according to the University’s Academic Award Regulations. These can be accessed at: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/regulations

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Appendix A – Award Learning Outcomes

Through a multidisciplinary, vocational approach the programme focuses on the following aims:

Reflect a set of beliefs, values, morals and ethical principles for those seeking a qualification and eventually employment in the education sector that promotes equality, respect for diversity and challenges prejudices and stereotypes.

Produce reflective practitioners able to take responsibility for their own learning, equipped with a theorised understanding of policy and practice with an ability to use research and reflection to inform practice and articulate a professional rationale.

Reflect the view that children and young people are at the heart of the work of an educational practitioner.

Provide structured and assessed opportunities for work-based learning in a variety of settings.

To enable students to develop their key and transferable skills and to apply these in an academic context when working with others in a variety of settings.

To provide an enabling structure that allows students to benefit from their learning and experiences so that they may respond flexibly to the changing expectations and demands of both policy and practice in the work-place.

To provide a programme of development that inspires and interests trainees to develop a passion for working with others and to continue to seek opportunities for mutually extending and enhancing their learning experiences.

To develop a critical understanding of appropriate pedagogical approaches to work with children, adolescents and adults.

To enable all students to understand the development and learning needs of all children, young people and adults in a diverse society without prejudice or discrimination.

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Appendix B – Curriculum Maps

You will progress through three academic levels on the programme and the Learning Outcomes for the BA (Hons) Education at each level will enable you to demonstrate:-

Common learning outcome headings

LEVEL 4 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 6

Knowledge and

Understanding

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key concepts, philosophies, political, economic and social of education.

Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the main theories and research appropriate to the holistic development of children, young people and adults, including meeting individual needs.

Demonstrate a systematic understanding of key aspects, including acquisition of coherent and detailed knowledge, at least some of which is at or informed by, the forefront of defined aspects of a discipline.

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Learning

Develop lines of argument and make sound judgements to challenge and evaluate appropriate education studies literature through research, showing a willingness to accommodate new ideas.

Understand the limits of your knowledge, (theory to practice) in relation to education and care organisation and management, and how this influences analysis and interpretations based on that knowledge.

Demonstrate an

understanding of the

uncertainty, ambiguity and

limits of knowledge.

Enquiry

Present, evaluate and interpret complex data (qualitative and quantitative) appropriate to the diverse range of education studies.

Demonstrate knowledge of the main methods of enquiry within education studies and demonstrate application of the key principles of Information Literacy.

Deploy accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry and initiate and carry out projects.

Analysis

Evaluate and interpret the diversity, complexity and changing nature of education and educational policy.

Use a range of established techniques to critically analyse the management processes and procedures for educational settings.

Describe and comment upon current research, or equivalent advanced scholarship and critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgements.

Problem Solving

Evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches

Evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to

Develop appropriate questions to achieve a solution - or identify a range of solutions – to a problem and use decision-making in

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to solving problems. solving problems and propose solutions to problems arising from analysis.

complex and unpredictable contexts

Communication

Communicate relevant ideas and findings reliably through written and oral means both individually and within groups, using structured and coherent arguments.

Communicate effectively independent points of view, information and arguments precisely and convincingly in a variety of forms, to specialist and non-specialist audiences, and deploy key techniques of the discipline effectively.

Communicate and analyse information, ideas, problems, and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Application

Undertake further training and develop new skills that will enable them to assume significant responsibility within relevant vocational organisations.

Apply underlying concepts and principles of personal responsibility and decision making that will enable the student to assume significant responsibility both within the educational, vocational sector and outside the context in which they were first studied.

Apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding and devise and sustain arguments, using ideas and techniques, some of which are at the forefront of a discipline.

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Reflection

Demonstrate qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment, management or further training including the use of ICT resources for producing written material and research.

Demonstrate new and existing qualities and transferable skills such as organising own learning, time management, collaboration and increasing levels of autonomy in familiar and unfamiliar situations with open mindedness, necessary for employment or further training.

Manage their own learning, exercise initiative, personal responsibility and demonstrate the learning ability, qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment or further training of a professional or equivalent nature.

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An illustration of the course in relation to QAA subject benchmark(s) for Education.

QAA Subject Benchmark

Knowledge and understanding

the underlying values, theories and concepts relevant to education

the diversity of learners and the complexities of the education process

the complexity of the interaction between learning and local and global contexts, and the extent to which participants (including learners and teachers) can influence the learning processthe societal and organisational structures and purposes of educational systems, and the possible implications for learners and the learning process.

Application

analyse educational concepts, theories and issues of policy in a systematic wayidentify and reflect on potential connections and discontinuities between each of the aspects of subject knowledge and their application in educational policies and contextsaccommodate new principles and understandingsselect a range of relevant primary and secondary sources, including theoretical and research-based evidence, to extend their knowledge and understanding use a range of evidence to formulate appropriate and justified ways forward and potential changes in practice

Reflection

the ability to reflect on their own and others' value systems

the ability to use their knowledge and understanding critically to locate and justify a personal position in relation to the subject

an understanding of the significance and limitations of theory and research

Transferable skills: Communication and presentation

organise and articulate opinions and arguments in speech and writing using relevant specialist vocabulary

Transferable skills: Technologystudents should be able to use technology effectively to enhance critical and reflective study

Application of numerical skills

collect and apply numerical data, as appropriate

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present data in a variety of formats including graphical and tabular

analyse and interpret both qualitative and quantitative data.

Working with others

the ability to collaborate and plan as part of a team, to carry out roles allocated by the team and take the lead where appropriate, and to fulfil agreed responsibilities.

Improving own learning and performanceable to articulate their own approaches to learning and organise an effective work pattern including working to deadlines.

Analytical and problem-solving skills

To process and synthesise empirical and theoretical data, to create new syntheses and to present and justify a chosen position having drawn on relevant theoretical perspectives.

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Level 4 Level 5 Level 6

Module 1

(PPAD)

Module 2

(CD)

Module 3

(comm)

Module 4

(H & P)

Module 5

(B4L)

Module 6

(PES)

Module 7

(UYP)

Module 8

(safe)

Module 9

(Inc)

Module 10

(BCCEP)

Module 11

(DED)

Module 12

(RM)

Module 13

(IRP)

1. Knowledge and Understanding

2. application

3. reflection

4. communication & presentation

5. technology

6. application of number

7. working with others

8. Learning

9. Analytical & problem solving

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Appendix C – The Staffordshire Graduate

AWARD TITLE: BA (Hons) Education

Characteristic Method of Assessment

1. Work-ready and employable Modules 1, 6, 10 Portfolio of personal and professional development will provide a full range of employability skills and attributes.

2. Understanding of enterprise and entrepreneurship

Modules 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10,11 There are elements in most modules which require students to be enterprising in the way in which they apply their skills, knowledge and understanding. These attributes will be captured in the portfolio of professional development

3. Understanding of global issues and their place in the global economy

Modules 3, 4, 11 Comparative studies of education systems are considered within several modules

4. Communication skills All modules The whole course is dependent upon students engaging in learning conversations. Some of these will be observed during taught sessions and others will be evident through online discussions and an online forum.

5. Presentation skills Modules 1, 6,9, 10 Students have to present their work to their peers as well as to tutors. There is also a presentation

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requirement as part of the assessment.

6. The ability to interact confidently with colleagues

All modules Acting as learning practitioners who mentor and coach one another is an ongoing expectation of the course which itself fosters inter-dependence as well as independent learning.

7. Independence of thought All modules Each written element is based around informed critical reflection, evaluation and development of own practice. Self-assessment is a requirement of the assessment processes associated with drafting assignments and completing the online portfolio.

8. Skills of team working All modules Peer-assessment throughout taught programme. Candidates have to work with peers, with colleagues on placement and University staff, to gain informed critical feedback on their practice.

9. Ability to carry out inquiry-based learning and critical analysis

All modules. In particular Small Scale Independent Research module

Small scale practitioner led research at level 6. All other modules focus on critically informed reflection and evaluation of own practice.

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10. Skills of problem solving and creation of opportunities

All modules. Practitioner led research

Curriculum design

Application of evaluation of learner feedback to improve own practice

11. Technologically, digitally and information literate

All modules. The expectation and requirement is that all students will complete all assessments on-line. In addition students will be required to reflect on their own emerging and developing practice through the use of blogs and wikis.

12. Able to apply Staffordshire Graduate attributes to a range of life experiences to facilitate life-long learning

All modules plus self-evaluations through needs analysis and personal

learning plans in Modules 1, 6, 10

Candidates practice in diverse contexts to facilitate the differentiated needs of their learners. They also work with and alongside other

professionals and practitioners from a wide and varied range of services.

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