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University of Bedfordshire
Park Square
Luton
Bedfordshire
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The Postgraduate Certificate in Education is a one-year course of 60 credits for educational professionals who want to develop skills and knowledge in a specific area of education at Postgraduate level. There are a range of courses to choose from - each course consists of two units in the specialist named route chosen.
The course attracts professionals from a range of educational organisations including schools, the lifelong learning sector and universities. The course can be used as credit towards an Master's degree in Education.
You will be advised on assignment themes in order to organise your studies to suit your own career development and inform improvement within your organisation. This course has named routes to meet the needs of particular groups working within education. The generic route (Postgraduate Certificate in Education Studies) offers a wider choice of units and the opportunity to conduct research in a diverse range of contexts.
We welcome the opportunity to work with groups in the workplace. We also offer the possibility of accrediting professional qualifications against your Postgraduate Certificte award to a maximum of 50 per cent of the course (30 credits).
Distinctive Features of the course
The distinctive features of the course are:
- the opportunity of tailoring your learning at Masters level to your interests and ambitions from a suite of specialised units:
- wide-ranging experiences of related aspects of education and associated literature. This will provide you with deep and systematic knowledge and understanding of education and related disciplines on which to reflect, leading to critical analysis and evaluation appropriate for Masters level;
- structured teaching and support to enable you to synthesise knowledge and reflections into deep understanding of the complexities of pedagogies and their practical applications;
- the establishment of a community of practice focused on establishing shared understanding of current theoretic and methodological approaches in education, and how these affect the way the knowledge base is interpreted;
- exploration of primary and secondary data collection methods appropriate for researching educational issues;
- development of rationales to justify the choice of traditional and/or e-research methods to answer precisely worded questions designed to interrogate issues in education;
- investigation of the implications involved in initiating changes to learning and teaching approaches in your institution as the result of your research.
To achieve a Postgraduate Certificate in Education Studies you will study two units chosen from a suite of units focused on increasing student engagement and attainment through effective teaching and learning. On successful completion of your Postgraduate Certificate in Education Studies, you could leave with your award. Alternatively, you could continue to achieve a Masters in Education Studies by successfully completing a further unit from the suite, followed by the compulsory Research Methods and Dissertation units.
The assessment strategy is as follows:
1. The underpinning philosophy of all the assessments is developmental. Assessments have been to designed to assess your growing knowledge subject knowledge base and understanding of related methodologies. You will be able to demonstrate your developing expertise and confidence in identifying possibilities and potentials to effect positive change in your institution.
2. The overall aim of the assessment strategy is that you will receive constructive feedback from your course tutors, and student peers within your group. The team will support you in using this feedback as part of your continuing professional and self development. To ensure you are able to do this you will be provided with group and individual tutorial support from the team, and access to PebblePad. This links to the personal and professional development unit offered throughout the University. Your tutor will give you the active guidance to plan the next stages of your learning. This opportunity for supported reflection will enable you to take charge of your learning through developing critical evaluation and planning skills.
3. Apart from the formal assessments there will be self, peer and group formative assessments. However all formal assessments will be marked, graded and moderated by professional tutors only.
Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:-
1. demonstrate deep and systematic knowledge and understanding of aspects of education studies;
2. effectively identify, evaluate and synthesise the findings from key peer-reviewed national and international publications on aspects of education studies;
3. critically evaluate and analyse global issues in aspects of education studies to ascertain pedagogical effectiveness;
4. critically assess new and emergent learning and teaching strategies suitability for your institution;
5. critically assess the stimuli behind your choice of focus for investigating the effective pedagogic strategies that transform learning and/or teaching and/or assessment;
6. effectively communicate an analytic rationale to justify your focus for research by reviewing key research, scholarly and professional literature national, international and global sources of information;
7. justify through reasoned argument your choice of methodological approach and research methods arising from your research focus and/or questions;
8. articulate and address the ethical implications of your research design;
9. to produce appropriately weighted conclusions from your critically analysed literature review and, if applicable, synthesised with findings from triangulated and analysed empirical data;
10. effectively communicate the implications of your research to a context wider than that of your own immediate concern.
The assessment criteria for the degree address the QAA and SEEC descriptors of the attributes of a graduate at Masters level. Thus the Post Graduate Certificate in Education Studies will be awarded to students who have demonstrated:
- a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of their academic discipline, field of study, or area of professional practice;
- comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own research or advanced scholarship;
- originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline;
- conceptual understanding that enables the student:
- to evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline; and
- to evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses;
- the ability to:
- deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgments in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences;
- demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level;
- continue to advance their knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high level;
- learn independently.
This course aims to provide you with a coherent and personalised framework for your professional learning and career development by integrating demonstration of your pedagogy with aspirations and/or requirements to study at Masters level. The course is focused on supporting you to operate in complex and unpredictable and/or specialized contexts, requiring selection and application from a wide range of advanced techniques and information sources, to enable all learners to maximise their potential.
The educational aims of this course are for you to:
- establish a deep and systematic understanding and skills of the relationship between subject knowledge, methodologies and practice in education studies;
- provide you with the reflective and analytic skills to critically evaluate the effectiveness of the learning, teaching and assessment approaches employed within your institution, and set out future directions;
- give you understandings and insights into the academic field of education studies so that you can establish a critical perspective to evaluate your own institutions provision:
- enable you to develop a global perspective on current research into developments in education studies;
- critically assess potential areas for small-scale research into evaluating transformations in learning and/or teaching and/or assessment;
- present an analytic rationale to justify your research questions through academic review of research, scholarly and professional sources of information;
- encourage you to evaluate sources that are of global as well as national or international importance;
- clearly articulate through reasoned argument your rationale for the methodological approach and research methods chosen for your research;
- identify and address the ethical implications of your research design;
- synthesise the findings of your empirical data with those of your literature review to produce reasoned, appropriately weighted conclusions;
- gain insight into the potential impact and issues of introducing changes based on your research beyond your immediate working context.
The course aims to meet the specific needs of your phase of education by increasing awareness of a range of factors which directly or indirectly impact on the quality of learning and teaching. Studying on the course will enable you to develop the necessary skills and strategies to become research active in your institution to improve performance and practice. The subject knowledge, methodological knowledge and academic skills gained will enable you to progress onto the MA in Education Studies should you so wish.
During the course you will be supported by a range of university tutors involved in the delivery of the course. This includes unit tutors, unit leaders and the course leader, who will be your personal tutor.
On the course considerable emphasis is placed on our academic advisory and tutorial support systems, which we encourage you to use. Your personal tutor will offer support in addition to your unit tutors. If you have any doubts about your ability to cope academically or personally with your studies we encourage you to discuss this with your personal tutor.
University of Bedfordshire Facilities and Resources:
You will have access to a range of support services during your course. Information regarding these services will be given during an Induction Day at the start of the course, at the Bedford Campus. Induction Days will provide a full induction to the course. The day will cover:
If you are an international student, you will attend an additional international students induction week that specifically caters for your needs.
You will be also supported through:
- Professional counselling staff in the Student Centre
- The Universitys Centre for Personal and Career Development
- The Changing Course guide
- Student Support Services concerning issues associated with counselling, careers, health, finance, childcare and disability
- Students may be required, at the discretion of the Course Leader, to undergo diagnostic testing for academic English language abilities, and may further be required, at the Course Leaders discretion, to participate in academic English support workshops or classes laid on by the University
Assessment Feedback from Unit Leaders:
You will receive a detailed unit handbook, complementing the MA Education course handbook, which will clearly identify assessment tasks and marking criteria. Feedback from each assignment will include advice on areas of strength and development. You will be encouraged to reflect upon personal progress and feedback and, through discussion with your personal tutor identify personal targets to take your learning forward.
Course Tutorials:
The course tutorial system will play a key role in providing appropriate academic support in order to enhance learning, progression and achievement. You will have tutorial time for each unit of study. The amount of time allocated is two hours for each 30 credit unit. You will be encouraged to discuss feedback regarding assessed pieces of work. Guidance on research methods and academic writing are integral to all phases of the course to develop students research skills and competencies addition to personal tutorials.
Academic advice:
The Student Services offers confidential advice to all students registered at the University who are experiencing difficulties with their studies.
PAD:
The Professional and Academic Development Team (PAD) offers a diverse selection of services to all students. Whether you are struggling with certain aspects of your studies, or simply wish to develop and explore certain skills further, the PAD team is there to offer you a helping hand.
Student Voice:
There will be student representatives for each unit and they will be invited to Staff Student Consultative Committee meetings which provide the platform for student voice and open dialogue, thus allowing for a two way communication channel with members of the course team.
Learning Resources:
Learning Resources offers a range of services aimed at supporting you whilst at University. These include the traditional library services, borrowing, reserving and renewing books, DVDs and other library materials; as well as providing access to networked computers with a wide range of software including MS Office, internet, e-mail, and digital information products. There is also a range of online support materials and two designated Academic Liaison Librarians who can support you with information literacy training. These services are restricted to members of the university. Therefore to access any of them you will need to present your current University ID card.
The specific content of the two units require you to work collaboratively to achieve desired outcomes within your own professional context. In taught sessions there is a shared responsibility for the success of the learning, where all students are expected to play a full part in the interactive elements of the learning experience. Throughout the course you will be expected to work collaboratively with peers.
BREO will be used extensively to discuss issues raised within the seminars and workshops. All units will have BREO discussion boards set up where you are given unit tasks to complete, including online seminars. This will support communication with your tutor and other students, to discuss issues and to further extend the field of your research.
Small group discussions with plenary sessions, small group oral presentations and formatively assessed small group investigations develop these skills. You will spend part of most teaching sessions working in a range of varying small groups or pairs, sharing ideas and researching information.
All assignments require you to clarify your strengths and aspirations for career development and demonstrate your potential.
The curriculum is a link between professional and theoretical strands rather than being purely academic and hence, university tutors will stress the application and evaluation as it relates to your school context.
You are able to access the Centre for Personal and Career Development [CPCD] where My Future (CMS online) and other self-assessment tools will be signposted. Tutors will introduce the service at appropriate points in the course. You can view the website at http://BREO.beds.ac.uk/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_482_1.
For further information and a Whos Who in CPCD visit the website at www.beds.ac.uk/career
Career:
Attainment of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education Studies will support the development of students and the schools/educational institutions of which they are a part. It is expected that many students undertaking this Postgraduate Certificate will continue with the Masters programme for professional progression purposes.
Further study:
This course may be used as the basis for further study such as progression onto the MA in Education Studies and ultimately doctoral level (PhD and EdD) courses.
As part of UoB support, you will have access to the Centre for Personal and Careers Development service in Bedford as well as an on-line provision (http://careers.beds.ac.uk/ ) throughout your course of study.
For you to be eligible for entry to this course you need to meet the following generic requirements:
- A good Honours degree or degree equivalent and/or substantial experience in an appropriate educational or related field
- Working within an education organisation (or can access a placement in an educational organisation)
- If English is not your first language, you will be expected to have IELTS Level 6 or equivalent.
A foundation degree will be of particular interest if you have completed a Modern Apprenticeship, vocational A levels, BTEC National or equivalent.
Foundation degrees are also particularly suitable if you want to qualify while working.
Many students studying for foundation degrees come to us through work-based routes so you can apply for a foundation degree even if you don’t have traditional academic qualifications.
We welcome applicants with relevant work experience.
We will consider you as an individual and take into account all elements of your application, not just your qualifications. We are looking for both breadth and depth in your current studies as well as enthusiasm for the subject you wish to study.
The general requirement is one of the following:
Postgraduate applications (MA/MSc) should be made direct to the University using the standard University application form. There are some exceptions, please see individual course descriptions for details.
As a general guide, to apply for a place on an undergraduate course (BA/BSc) at the University you need to have completed your high school education and have the required English qualification.
We have students from all the European Union member countries so we are quick to make decisions on most qualifications.
(Please note that applicants on a full student visa are not eligible for part-time study)
We recommend that you apply directly to the University where possible, as this allows us to offer the quickest turnaround time for your application.
Please read the Direct application instructions before completing the course application form.
Application forms for accommodation in the student halls at Bedford campus and Luton campus are available in the Student life section
APL is available for international students applying for undergraduate (Bachelor degree) study. Please do not use this APL form to apply for postgraduate courses.
Use the APL form to tell us about any non-standard qualifications and/or work experience you have that you think should be taken into consideration with your application. `
The APL form should be submitted at the same time as the course application form.
We regret we are unable to process APL forms from students who have not submitted a formal course application form.
Return your completed application to:
University of Bedfordshire
International Admissions
Park Square
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU1 3JU
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0)1582 489326 (non-EU Students)
F: +44 (0)1582 743469
E: international-admissions@beds.ac.uk
The course is varied, both in curriculum content and delivery methods. The teaching strategy for the Postgraduate Certificate in Education Studies follows the guidelines in the Universitys Education Strategy http://www.beds.ac.uk/learning/curriculum/structure/educationstrategymay08.doc .
This course adheres to the principles of CRE8 and emphasises a learning experience for you which is meaningful, active, reflective, collaborative and creative. These principles are practised through working methods and outcomes reflected in the range of assessments and subject matter requiring critical analysis and reflective activities.
Lectures, seminars and tutorials will be used extensively, but, in addition, a great deal of your time will be spent in small groups working face to face or online, involving for example discussion of case studies, simulation exercises, preparation for assessments, and work on presentations.
Although you will meet for eight sessions of two and a half hours duration, it is clear that the private study demands on this type of course are considerable.
1. The teaching and learning approach of the course is through blended learning. This means using a combination of pedagogic approaches, including learning technology, action learning, and independent learning. You will acquire a toolkit of diverse and complex skills and knowledge necessary for your development as a creative organizational change agent. Student-centred self support groups, both face-to-face and/or via virtual contact, will be used throughout the course. There are thus a variety of pedagogic approaches in which the focus of the learning is experiential to enable you to practise, experiment and evaluate in the seminars and other face-to-face opportunities, and to use the online technology and related facilities for knowledge acquisition, research and communication.
2. There is considerable emphasis on collaborative learning both in face-to-face groups and online where there is increased use of collaborative learning tools such as discussion boards, blogs, wikis and virtual classrooms. Some sessions will be facilitated by lecturers or other staff. Others may be initiated and run by students. These tools offer you considerable opportunities to learn from others in the group and extend your learning experience.
3. The teaching approach will be eclectic, enabling you to gain the necessary underpinning theoretical knowledge and research so that you can actively explore, reflect and critically evaluate your own perceptions and knowledge. This approach will also help you to become an autonomous and self-directed learner. This means you will be confident of your capabilities as an independent learner and researcher. You will be able to manage your own learning in line with your busy work schedule, using your learning skills to develop interrelated structures of knowledge. Your reflections on these structures will allow you to assess the need for innovation and organizational change in your institution and to identify the potential for application of this new understanding to practical situations at work.
4. In line with the Education Strategy the course will include research informed teaching where the research from this and other Universities will be brought forward into the curriculum. The Institute of Research in Education is involved in a number of projects that focus on education issues that will be relevant to your study on the course. You will also be encouraged to bring your own research and experience to the course.
5. There will be an initial induction at the start of the course and this will be held at the Polhill Campus, Bedford. A further intensive one week course for international students will be held at the Park Square Campus, Luton. The aim of both inductions is to introduce you to your student colleagues and the course team, and to give you a practical insight into the postgraduate learning experience, and will include academic writing and referencing. The inductions will be facilitated by members of the course team and the International Office. You will also be introduced to the different facilities and resources at your disposal. It is an essential element of the course and will ensure you approach your learning effectively from the start.
6. Each of the two units you choose will have dedicated integrated materials, which can be accessed via BREO, the Universitys VLE. These will support you in developing the necessary academic skills for this postgraduate course. You will receive information to help you with time management to ensure that you complete each unit of study within a specified timescale. In addition podcasts, wikis, and voice-to-voice seminar tutorials may be used, but please be assured technical training and support will be provided where necessary.
7. Action learning involving the use of `real-life problems and scenarios will be integrated into workshops and other face-to-face sessions. You will be encouraged to relate these experiences to theoretical and scholarly literature. You will gain knowledge and understanding which will allow change to be processed in an informed way, and similarly your understanding will be further informed by the change. This process of learning can be replicated in the workplace to help and enable transference of learning.
The teaching strategy is designed to support you through the process of becoming an autonomous agent for change and innovation. Your learning experience while studying will give you the opportunity to explore, experience and develop your pedagogy and skills. In this way you will be able to construct and interpret new meanings for the way you conduct your professional life.
The course is wholly inclusive and welcomes students with disabilities. During the application process disabled students are invited to the university to discuss their needs with the course leader, individual members of the academic staff, as well as staff from the Disability Advice Team. The course should not present any barriers to students with disabilities that cannot be overcome using the universitys policy on support for students with disabilities. All applications identifying disabilities are followed up by letter or at interview to establish the level and type of support required.
The Disability Advice Team will discuss any issues you may have and can provide such services as: sign language interpreters, note takers, dyslexia screening/tuition, support materials for students with dyslexia and/or dyscalculia, and support with mobility on campus. The team offers confidential advice and information about academic and personal issues, special arrangements/adjustments for some assessments/examinations, applying for the Disabled Students' Allowances (DSA) and buying suitable equipment. If you have any concerns regarding disability please contact the course leader in the first instance.
The university disability policy can be viewed at http://www.beds.ac.uk/studentlife/support/disabilities/policy
Communication
To help with the development of this you will:
- develop a range of communication skills during the course. You will need to have a well developed ability to organise and articulate opinions and arguments in speech and writing in a diverse range of relevant contexts showing confident use of specialist vocabulary. Opportunities for this include written essay work, student presentations and tutorials. In written work, you will be helped to develop an appropriate critically analytic academic style. You will have the opportunity to work in groups face to face and via BREO.
You will be guided on how to present a proposal for small-scale research. In particular you will:
- synthesise information from relevant sources and select effective ways of structuring this information, including use of images to clearly illustrate complex points;
- show assured, accurate and fluent use of language in presenting information, sustaining the interest of others and responding perceptively to their contributions; and evaluate own overall approach to the task and the effectiveness of own application of skills, establishing ways of enhancing those skills in the future.
You will be encouraged and supported to participate constructively in group discussions, demonstrating your ability to critically reflect upon your own experience, with reference to research, theory and national frameworks, and the views and ideas presented by others.
Written
You will receive detailed feedback on all aspects of assessments. Areas of good practice and areas for development will be identified; advice will be given on the improvement of the assessment. All units develop written communication skills and you will require the ability to produce concise assessments in order to develop and maintain argument and focus using demanding material.
Spoken
Level related assessment criteria enable and require you to practise and develop more demanding oral communication and presentation skills at Masters Level. Small group discussions, plenary sessions and class-based workshops will also enable you to practise and develop your oral communication skills and to engage in stimulating discussions, to respond to questions and to persuasively defend viewpoints on controversial issues through debate.
Information Literacy
To help with the development of this you will:-
be expected to use a range of skills in this area. You will need to access a wide variety of literature sources and be able to apply theory to practice within assessment submissions. You will use appropriate relevant ICT software to produce documents, presentations and data analysis. In producing assessments for all units you will practice and develop information literacy skills.
In developing information literacy you will be helped to:
- find relevant sources of reliable empirical findings and theoretical models and conceptual frameworks;
- employ appropriate analytical and evaluative frameworks;
- use effective communication and presentation formats.
The course VLE will be used extensively. You will be able to access a range of support materials via the VLE and contribute regularly to on-line seminars and discussion groups to communicate with students and staff.
You will attend a session during the Induction Day, which covers information literacy strategies.
Research and Evaluation
To help with the development of this you will:-
You will be trained in best use of library facilities and search systems. You will be given a range of extracts from texts to discuss in sessions and online. You will be issued with a reading list to support the course and each unit and advice on how to reference your reading. Discussion in seminars and workshops will help you identify appropriate reading topics and texts and ways to evaluate your activities. Your assessments will require you to include reference to appropriate reading.
You will critically examine educational research methods in the second unit of the course. The focus will be on practitioner enquiry through case study to allow you to research the impact of your own practice. You will undertake school-based research and critically evaluate your findings in light of current research and literature, producing assessments that require you to display independence in all aspects of the research process.
To help with the development of research skills this you will be guided in the use of effective educational research methodology through:
- instruction on paradigms, approaches and methodologies;
- introduction to various analytical and evaluative frameworks;
- advice on effective communication and presentation formats.
Creativity and Critical Thinking
To help with the development of this you will be given a range of research texts to analyse, thereby developing your critical skills. Theoretical concepts will be explored and evaluated. The school-based research undertaken will give you the opportunity to develop these skills further.
All assessments require critical and creative thinking as do many of the learning strategies. To develop these skills you will:-
- examine the nature and limitations of a range of theories and evaluate their appropriateness in responding to a range of issues and topical questions concerning learning and teaching;
- practise applying those theories to practice;
- examine the progressiveness of policy responses to the education sector;
- be required to move beyond criticism of national frameworks, policy and practice to develop your own position on controversial issues related to education.
You will be expected, through an on-going e-portfolio and a needs analysis, to identify potential for positive change in your institution. As part of this process you will:
- identify issues with potential for positive change, out of which concise and focused research questions might arise;
- come to conclusions from the synthesis of a critical review of the literature and the evaluated findings from empirical research;
- reasoned recommendations for action or further study.
You will be supported throughout the process by your unit tutor. S/he will provide academic support to you and advise you on all issues relating to your progress on the course. You will be encouraged to relate the theoretical base to your own context and also to develop your analytical and evaluative skills. Feedback will be developmental in nature and you will be encouraged to develop practice based on this feedback. You will receive detailed written feedback on your assessments. Unit leaders will clarify advice, guidance and comment if you require. Your unit tutor will periodically review your progress in the light of feedback and agree plans for improving your performance. Using the VLE and some class contact time your tutors will identify areas for improvement for the group as a whole following the marking of assessments.
You will be encouraged to take control of your own learning and read widely around the subject, with reference to the unit recommended readings. The structure of the course helps to facilitate this with university tutors taking the lead during unit sessions and then you taking control of your own learning during the remainder of the block of time allocated to the topic.
The foundations for this responsibility for your own learning are laid during the course Induction Day. Introductory workshops on personal and academic development encourage you to reflect upon your learning experiences, abilities and aptitudes and to be systematic in doing so. Having begun to identify areas for personal improvement you are made aware of courses and contacts for further developing your skills and abilities.
BREO provides you with information on essay writing and guidance on academic writing e.g. referencing, plagiarism, structuring an essay. This guidance is reinforced by all members of the course team as they teach their units. It should underpin your reflection upon your learning experiences.
At Masters level study you will be expected to take responsibility for your own learning. The process of systematic reflection upon your performance and related developmental needs is crucial to this. Your tutors will encourage you to take responsibility for your own learning.
Progress will be recorded through formative and summative feedback and you will be encouraged to incorporate the feedback within your e-portfolio.
During the course you will be encouraged to reflect, using e-portfolio, on how you manage learning, teaching and assessment through the mediation of information and communication technology to achieve the professional outcomes of pedagogical and subject leadership. This will involve you articulating your values and critically evaluating their manifestation in practice. You will also reflect upon and come to conclusions on the interrelationship of personal and professional ethics in education, and on the development of the `moral self of teachers.
This will be achieved through the course assessment work.
The course provides opportunities to demonstrate evidence towards meeting the Professional Standards for Teachers. This is dependent on the units and assessment foci chosen.
