Postgraduate Module Descriptor

EFPM910: Education Policy

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

The principal aim of this module is to facilitate critical examination of education policy in global, national and local contexts. It will seek to develop the following:

Knowledge and understanding of education policy and its relationship to wider changes at local, national and international levels
Knowledge and understanding of key ideas underpinning education policy changes and developments
A more developed knowledge and understanding of educational practices and institutional arrangements as they have developed in the context of policy change
Critical thinking in relation to theoretical perspectives on education policy as a field of contest
The capacity to effectively contribute to debates about education policy development and change
The capacity to examine the implications of policy frameworks and discourses for educational institutions and teaching and learning practices

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of education policy in different settings 2. Critically evaluate different theoretical perspectives on education policy 3. Demonstrate a critical understanding of key global, national and local issues in education policy
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. Critically reflect upon and evaluate your own understanding of education policy and its application to contexts with which you are familiar 5. Critically examine theoretical perspectives on education policy as a field of contest
Personal and Key Skills	6. Synthesise and organise ideas to present a convincing argument 7. Engage in critical, reflective debate 8. Undertake both directed and independent study to recognise, justify and analyse key ideas in education policy literature and relate these to research, theory, policy and practice

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Policy case study	1000 words	1,2,3,5,7,8	Written tutor and peer feedback
Critically reflective response to an education policy development	1000 words	4	Written tutor and peer feedback

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Written assignment	100	5000 words	1,2,3,5,6,8	Written tutor feedback

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Written assignment	Written assignment (5000 words)	1,2,3,5,6,8	6 weeks