Module EFPM900 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
EFPM900: The Contemporary Academic in Context
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poster and oral presentation; feedback to peers | 2 hours (including peer feedback) | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | Oral peer and tutor 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extended study, consisting of ONE of the following options: | 100 | 1-7 | Written tutor feedback | |
| Option 1. A long written project report/essay, plus 500-word post-programme development plan | 0 | Option 1. 4,000 words maximum (to include 400-word critical reflection of impact on own academic practice), plus 500-word post-programme development plan | ||
| Option 2. Two shorter written project reports/essays on different topics, plus 500-word post-programme development plan | 0 | Option 2. Two assignments totalling 4,000 words (to include 400 words of critical reflection of impact on own academic practice), plus 500-word post-programme development plan | ||
| Option 3. A shorter written project report/essay PLUS a digital project presentation (e.g. video, podcast or wiki) on the same topic, plus 500-word post-programme development plan | 0 | Option 3: A minimum of 2,000 written words (to include 400 word critical reflection on impact of own academic practice), plus the equivalent of 2,000 words in another medium (e.g. up to 12 minutes of video), plus 500-word post-programme development plan | ||
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extended study, consisting of ONE of the following options: | Extended study, consisting of ONE of the following options: | 1-7 | Resubmission at next assessment deadline (minimum 3 months later) |
| Option 1. 4,000 words maximum (to include 400-word critical reflection of impact on own academic practice), plus 500-word post-programme development plan | Option 1. 4,000 words maximum (to include 400-word critical reflection of impact on own academic practice), plus 500-word post-programme development plan | ||
| Option 2. Two assignments totalling 4,000 words (to include 400 words of critical reflection of impact on own academic practice), plus 500-word post-programme development plan | Option 2. Two assignments totalling 4,000 words (to include 400 words of critical reflection of impact on own academic practice), plus 500-word post-programme development plan | ||
| Option 3: A minimum of 2,000 written words (to include 400 word critical reflection on impact of own academic practice), plus the equivalent of 2,000 words in another medium (e.g. up to 12 minutes of video), plus 500-word post-programme development plan | Option 3: A minimum of 2,000 written words (to include 400 word critical reflection on impact of own academic practice), plus the equivalent of 2,000 words in another medium (e.g. up to 12 minutes of video), plus 500-word post-programme development plan |
Re-assessment notes
As per the TQA manual.
