Postgraduate Module Descriptor


EDUM065: Primary Education and Professional Studies (School Direct)

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

The principle aims of the module are to:

  • enable you to gain an understanding of a range of contemporary education policies and issues, theory and practice;
  • support you in reflecting critically on children’s learning and development, pedagogy and teachers’ roles and responsibilities; and
  • support you to meet the standards for Qualified Teacher Status as required by the National College for Teaching and Learning.

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 Skills1. identify and evaluate educational theories and policies and engage in critical debate about current issues, drawing on evidence from theory, policy, research and practice;
2. understand theories of pedagogy, learning and development, and consider how these can inform professional practice.
Discipline-Specific Skills3. critically evaluate the relevance of educational theories to practice;
4. synthesise relevant educational literature in support of an argument;
5. use appropriate technologies for data handling and writing in education;
6. present data and findings in a form appropriate for educational contexts;
7. use research data in support of an argument in education (including government reports).
Personal and Key Skills8. manage your own learning development and evaluation of your learning;
9. learn effectively both independently and co-operatively, and be aware of your own learning strategies;
10. express ideas and opinions, with confidence and clarity, to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes with rational argument based on relevant and reliable data;
11. work productively in different kinds of teams (formal, informal, project based, etc); and
12. 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 assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Written directed tasks36 weeks1-4, 8-10, 12Verbal and online
Research study plan1,500 words4,5,8,10,12Written

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.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

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

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Report on research study1006,000 words4-12Written

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 assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Report on research studyReport on research study (6,000 words)4-12See reassessment notes below

Re-assessment notes

If an assignment is deemed to be a Fail by the Exam Board, the mark obtained on resubmission will be capped at 50%.  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 Examination Board in July) if there is sufficient time left to do this. The resubmission would normally be made 4 weeks after receiving feedback on the first submission. Alternatively, you may opt to go to the Examination Board with the fail mark. You will then be referred to the Consequences Board 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 University Tutor.

Note: if you choose the second option, the award of PGCE will be delayed until the Examination Board following any successful resubmission (this is normally held in December).