Postgraduate Module Descriptor

EFPM900: The Contemporary Academic in Context

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

Module Aims

This module aims to provide an understanding of the principles of academic practice and its political and social contexts following the professional values of the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) for teaching and supporting learning, and the Academic Professional Apprenticeship standard. Its purpose is to support you in building on your existing skills and knowledge in order to become effective academics and professionals operating in your departments, in the university and in the national and international context. It is intended to enhance your confidence and effectiveness through reflection on your own practice, informed by research, scholarship and professional development, and to enable you to thrive within a research-intensive university such as the University of Exeter.

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. Analyse the wider context (policy, economic, societal, technological, legal, cultural and environmental) in which higher education operates, and recognise the implications for professional practice. 2. Employ and adapt design and delivery methods to support a range of needs for a variety of audiences and stakeholders, including students, colleagues, and funding bodies.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Analyse, synthesise and use critical thinking in the conduct of research and/or scholarship in academic practice. 4. Explore innovative approaches to undertaking your work to create interest, understanding and enthusiasm among your students, funders and/or stakeholders.
Personal and Key Skills	5. Implement the principles and methods of critically reflective practice and evidence-informed approaches to enhance your own professional development and academic practice. 6. Network confidently and effectively, and share ideas and evidence with students, peers, policy makers and private and public organisations (through a variety of channels including conferences, publications and teaching). 7. Commit to, and manage your own, continuing professional development (CPD) in your subject discipline and pedagogy, incorporating research, scholarship and professional practices.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

This module is designed to support the development of supportive communities of practice amongst academic professionals in Higher Education. It also gives participants the opportunity to examine their academic practice in the round (administration, teaching, and scholarship/research), underpinned by evidence-informed approaches and the outcomes from research, scholarship and continuing professional development.

Most of the teaching on the module is concentrated into three delivery days. Structured learning activities will be varied, to include interactive lectures, discussion groups, expert panels, and collaborative small group tasks. The curriculum content is aligned to the UKPSF for teaching and supporting learning and the Academic Professional Apprenticeship standard. Participants will be allocated an assessment tutor from the teaching team, who will provide support as needed, in face-to-face meetings, by email, skype, and/or telephone.

Sessions can vary according to your and other participants’ interests and questions, but they are designed to fit into three broad themes:

1. Contemporary issues in UK Higher Education, for example:

The nature of contemporary academic practice in all its dimensions: research, teaching, citizenship/leadership, and business and community relations
Contexts for creativity in higher education: issues, changes and values
Widening Participation, schools liaison, and HE admissions
Developing student skills for academic success, employment and sustainability.

2. Academic practice in a research-intensive university, for example:

The social, cultural and policy context of the contemporary university, in particular research-intensive universities such as the University of Exeter
The relationship between research and teaching and how to negotiate them
Research-inspired, inquiry-led learning
Developing teaching and research practice through dialogue with peers: academic tribes and territories; communities of practice.

3. Individual Career Trajectories, for example:

The Exeter Academic and continuing professional development
Project management, problem-solving, and career development
Where applicable, planning your own professional development with regards to research.

Additional elements will be designed in collaboration with you, as participants, in order to reflect your own priorities and the needs of your department, as determined in prior and on-going discussions between you, your Academic Leads and other stakeholders.

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	173	105

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities	21	Three delivery days (each of approximately 7 hours), involving whole group sessions, comprised of a combination of activities, such as interactive lectures, presentations, discussion groups, collaborative small group tasks, poster presentations, and panel discussions.
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities	1	Individual tutorials with assessment tutor and/or academic mentor.
Guided Independent Study	21	Preparation for poster, oral presentation, and for giving feedback to peers.
Guided Independent Study	50	Reading course materials and resources for extended study.
Guided Independent Study	50	Undertaking data collection and analysis (or equivalent) relating to your extended study.
Guided Independent Study	52	Writing (and composing if Option 3 selected) extended study.
Placement	105	Directed activities in professional contexts CPD and roles related to academic practice.

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

ELE:https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=8067.
Advance HE, UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) for teaching and supporting learners in higher education: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/uk-professional-standards-framework-ukpsf.
Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, Academic Professional Apprenticeship standard: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/academic-professional/.
Vitae – realising the potential of researchers: https://www.vitae.ac.uk/.

Other Learning Resources

Barber, M., Donnelly, K., Rizvi, S. (2013). An avalanche is coming. Higher education and the revolution ahead. Available at: http://www.ippr.org/files/images/media/files/publication/2013/04/avalanche-is-coming_Mar2013_10432.pdf?noredirect=1.
Bolden, R. et al, (2012) Academic Leadership: changing conceptions, identities and experiences in UK higher education. Summary report available at: https://www.lfhe.ac.uk/en/components/publication.cfm/S3-04.1.
Moore, J., Higham, L., Sanders, J., Jones, S., Candarli, D., and Mountford-Zimdars, A. (2017). Analysis of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF2) provider submissions, https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/evidencing-teaching-excellence.
Reshef, S. (2014). An ultra-low-cost college degree [video] from TED2014, available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/shai_reshef_a_tuition_free_college_degree?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare.
Wonkhe (pronounced wonky) for HE policy, people and politics: https://wonkhe.com/.

Participants will also need to construct an individual list of references of books, journal articles and policy literature according to their extended project plan.