MEd Programme
Aim
The aim of MEd programme is to produce leaders in education who have a strong commitment to educational change, ability to critically analyse situations, well-developed communication skills and flexibility in dealing with other people. Above all, they will have a commitment to reflective practice, lifelong learning and school improvement.
MEd graduates will have a broad understanding of significant issues in education and in-depth knowledge in their specialised areas. They will be able to exercise leadership using a variety of approaches to initiate and support improvement in school education, classroom teaching and student learning.
The programme will include 'Core' as well as 'Optional' courses. The optional courses include 'specialisation' and 'elective' studies. The intended learning outcomes of the programme are expressed in terms of what graduates will know and how will they be able to:
- continue their own lifelong learning;
- reflect on their own practice and act to improve it;
- support teachers in a caring and purposeful manner;
- encourage and facilitate all course participants (CPs) and teachers to learn;
- plan, conduct and evaluate professional development programmes;
- understand and make use of research findings in reports and articles;
- communicate effectively in written and spoken English;
- use information technology (IT) skills to enhance their work productivity and student learning; and
- work effectively on school improvement projects.
Depending on their 'specialisation' studies, graduates will have in-depth content knowledge and pedagogical skills in specific areas. For example, in Educational Leadership and Management, it is expected that they will be able to employ leadership and management skills to initiate school improvement programmes; in Teacher Education, it is expected that they will be able to develop, critique and enhance curriculum and classroom practices in specific areas.
Essential Characteristics
The essential characteristics of the MEd programme are summarised below:
- The focus is on whole school improvement. On return to the field the graduates are to work as 'change agents' in the sponsoring schools and/or school systems;
- It is a two-year, field-focused programme. CPs will have opportunities to work with students and teachers in and out of classrooms in a variety of schools;
- It aims to prepare reflective practitioners and so has an explicit focus on action research, maintaining reflective journals and encouraging a critically questioning stance towards their own practice and to all knowledge; and
- It has a strong emphasis on collaborative processes for teaching and learning.
Content and Structure
The programme is offered in four semesters (see Attachment-III). The MEd programme comprises 16 courses, including coursework and dissertation or project equivalent to four courses. The coursework includes six core and six optional courses, the latter comprising four courses in the selected area of specialization and two electives.
The six core courses are compulsory. For the award of a degree in a particular area of specialisation, a CP must study at least an equivalent of eight courses in his/her selected area of specialisation, including the dissertation/project. CPs will select their area of specialisation after the first semester of the programme. Additionally, they can select two courses as electives from a variety of courses offered in Semester I of Year 1 and Year 2. The electives aim to broaden the MEd curriculum and provide choice to CPs by allowing them to pursue an area of individual interest or need.
Within each specialisation (Teacher Education/Educational Leadership and Management) there will be at least two levels. Some themes in specialisation studies will have been introduced in core courses, as foundational knowledge and specialization courses will build on that with more complex and advanced understanding in the appropriate areas of study.
For subsequent cohorts, two or more specialisations will be offered in the curriculum areas (English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies). Further specialisations will be added in accordance with the needs of the stakeholders and the developing capacity of AKU-IED and others.
The dissertation or project will be equivalent to four courses in the selected area of specialisation. The dissertation, ranging from 15,000 to 18,000 words, will be based on a research investigation in schools (see Dissertation Guide). The project, to be reported in a project report, will focus on developing CPs' skills of application and integration of knowledge through engaging in school-based development activity, eg, teacher professional development, designing and developing materials for innovative pedagogy in the classroom or curriculum development (see Project Development Guide).
While the dissertation option will enable CPs to undertake a research study, the project option will enable them to become proactive in planning for and leading change efforts at the classroom and/or school and system levels on return to their own context.
The structure and content of MEd programme can be seen diagrammatically
below:
Year 1 - Semester
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