Postgraduate Module Descriptor

ERPM000: The Nature of Educational Enquiry

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

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

The nature of educational enquiry and the context of education research;
Ways of knowing and the use of theory in research and practice;
Ethics and educational research;
Scientific, interpretive, critical and mixed methods approaches to educational research; and
Contemporary debates in educational research.

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
30	270	0

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

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	30	10x3 hour teaching sessions (lectures, workshops and seminars), including on campus teaching and recorded sessions
Guided Independent Study	70	Collaborative group work
Guided Independent Study	100	Reading and assignment preparation
Guided Independent Study	100	Writing summative assignment

Online Resources

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

British Educational Research Association (BERA) http://www.bera.ac.uk
European Educational Research Association (EERA) http://www.eera.ac.uk
American Educational Research Association (AERA) http://www.aera.net

Other Learning Resources

http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3161

http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3162

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
Analysis of article	Equivalent to 1,200 words	1-3, 5-6, 8-9, 12	Written and peer feedback
Group assignment	Equivalent to 1,300 words	1-9, 12	Oral and written 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: Comparative analysis of two published pieces of research	100	5,000 words	1-12	Written

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 Comparative analysis of two published pieces of research	Written Assignment Comparative pieces of two published pieces of research (5,000 words)	1-12	6 weeks from notification of failure or re-entry onto programme