Module EDUM038 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
EDUM038: Secondary Biology with Psychology Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The principal aims of the module are to:
• enable you to gain a comprehensive and up to date understanding of the background theory, issues and practice relating to current teaching of science in the secondary curriculum, with particular reference to the teaching of biology with psychology;
• support you to meet the Standards required for the award of Qualified Teacher Status; and
• nurture your development as a reflective and autonomous professional practitioner who is able to identify strengths and areas for development in your subject knowledge and pedagogy, through evaluating current professional practice in relationship to developments in research and educational theory.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. identify and evaluate educational concepts and issues related to science education; 2. recognise pupils learning needs in secondary science and interpret these learning needs in order to plan, teach, assess and evaluate lessons and schemes of work; 3. demonstrate secure subject content knowledge and pedagogic subject knowledge in secondary science at key stage 3 and biology with psychology at key stage 4-5; 4. demonstrate secure understanding of the requirements of the National Curriculum for secondary science; |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 5. critically evaluate the relevance of educational theory to practice; 6. synthesise relevant educational literature in support of an argument; 7. use appropriate technologies for data handling and writing in education; 8. present data and findings in a form appropriate in educational studies; 9. use research data in support of an argument in education; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 10. manage your own learning development; 11. learn effectively and be aware of your own learning strategies; 12. express ideas and opinions, with confidence and clarity, to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes; 13. work productively in different kinds of teams (formal, informal, project based, committee based etc); and 14. think creatively about the main features of a given problem and develop strategies for its resolution. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written notes on preliminary tasks | 2 weeks prior to beginning course | 1, 2, 5, 13 | Verbal or written |
| Written subject knowledge audit | 3 hours | 3, 4, 10, 11 | Verbal (tutorial) and written action plans |
| Formative assignment using work with academic literature in preparation for summative assignment | 1500 words | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 | Written feedback from tutor & opportunity to discuss this in tutorial |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 100 | 6000 words | 1-14 | Written feedback |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
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 | Resubmission of essay (6,000 words) | 1-14 | See notes below. |
Re-assessment notes
If a submitted assignment is deemed to be a Fail, you will be given feedback outlining what needs to be done to bring the assignment to a pass standard and one opportunity for resubmission will be allowed.
You can choose to resubmit a failed assignment ‘in year’ (i.e. before the final PGCE Assessment, Progression and Awarding Committee (APAC) in July). The resubmission would normally be made 4 weeks after receiving feedback on the first submission. Alternatively, you may opt for your mark to remain as a fail mark at the APAC. You will then be referred to the College level Assessment, Progression and Awarding Committee who will confirm the conditions for resubmission of the work. Normally the resubmission should be by 1st September. You should discuss these options with your tutor.
Note: if you choose the second option, the award of PGCE will be delayed until the APAC following any successful resubmission (normally held in December).
If an assignment is deemed to be a Fail by the APAC, the mark obtained on resubmission will be capped at 50%. If after submitting a revised assignment, you have still failed to gain an overall pass mark for the module, you will have been deemed to have failed the PGCE with no further opportunity for resubmission. If however, you have passed the Professional Learning module, you can leave the programme with QTS only and can therefore gain employment as a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT). If you pass both the biology with psychology Subject Knowledge & Pedagogy and the Educational & Professional Studies modules but fail the Professional Learning module, you can leave the programme with a Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Studies in Education (PGCert) which does not confer QTS status.
