Preparing for Educational Inquiry Portfolio
| Module title | Preparing for Educational Inquiry Portfolio |
|---|---|
| Module code | EFPM331 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 60 |
| Module staff | Dr Sharon Morgan (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 20 |
|---|
Module description
Drawing from the discipline of teaching inquiry, this module will provide you with ideas, resources, and tools to support your own inquiry, promoting the discussion of contemporary issues in education, alongside creating an educational artefact aimed at enhancing the teaching and learning of others. You will engage in iterative cycles of exploration, investigation, and reflection, deepening your understanding of key educational concepts and related them to developing questions regarding specific issues in contemporary education. Through inquiry-based learning, you will pose questions, reflect on your practice and the practices of others, gather information from existing academic research, and make informed decisions regarding how to enhance the learning of others.
We use the term ‘artefact’ to refer to something which is designed and created by you and is relevant to an area in education practice. Examples of practice-based artefacts or resources could be:
- the creation of a series of lesson plans and accompanying teaching resources
- the design of a teaching intervention aimed at supporting a specific group of students eg mature students in HE, school-aged students with a specific learning difficulty, or L2 language learners
- the creation of continuing professional development (CPD) materials to support teachers' development of knowledge and skills in a specific area
- the creation of assessment materials and related assessment criteria
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of this module is to develop your knowledge and skills required to:
- Develop understanding of teacher inquiry and how it can be applied to practice
- Develop and review project aims
- Review and synthesise relevant academic literature to support your understanding of the problem
- Apply theory, research, and policy to an aspect of practice by designing and creating a practice-based artefact / product
- Present an aspect of your portfolio to peers
- Critically evaluate the final artefact and the project management and learning processes
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Critically evaluate current research and academic literature in a chosen area of study
- 2. Demonstrate originality in the application of theory, research, and policy to create an artefact or product
- 3. Critically reflect on and evaluate the project and learning process
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Demonstrate a critical awareness of a current problem in education or professional practice;
- 5. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the relevant knowledge and skills applicable to the creation of an artefact or project.
- 6. critically reflect upon and evaluate your own understanding of current issues and debates in education and those of others
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. undertake both directed and independent study to recognise, justify, and analyse key ideas in the literature and relate these to research, theory, policy and practice
- 8. Develop project management skills: problem solving; critical thinking; digital literacy, and respond creatively to potential challenges
- 9. Synthesise and communicate ideas verbally and in writing
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover the following topics:
- The purpose of education
- The role of the educator
- Inquiry based teaching practices
- Critically reflective practice
- Curriculum and assessment design
- How to plan and create an artefact / product linked to the literature review and research ‘problem’
This module encompasses 3 interrelated phases:
Term 1: An initial phase where you identify a practice-based ‘problem’ or issue and engage in teacher inquiry by posing questions, gathering initial evidence from research and reflecting on your own teaching practice in relation to the problem.
Term 2: This phase involves developing your knowledge of the ‘problem’ further by reading relevant literature associated with your chosen topic. You will then write a literature review on the issue and prepare a presentation on an aspect related to your portfolio focus.
Term 3: This phase focuses on creating the final portfolio components and writing a critical reflection and evaluation of the project management, the artefact, and the learning process. Throughout this phase, you will continue to apply the findings from your teacher inquiry to inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of your artefact. The summer term sessions take the form of group tutorials. There is no one-to-one supervision.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 560 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 20 | 10 x 120 minute face to face lecture/seminars |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 7 | 7 x 60 minute seminars/workshops |
| Group Tutorials | 13 | 13 x 60 minute tutorials |
| Guided Independent Study | 100 | Directed tasks through module online materials |
| Guided Independent Study | 460 | Carrying out of research enquiry and creation of product or artefact and write critical evaluation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written assignment | 2000 | 1, 2, 4, 8 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 75 | 0 | 25 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio: Part One | 25 | 3000 words | 1,2,4,5,9 | Written feedback and grade |
| Presentation | 15 | 18 minutes (equivalent to 2000 words) | 1-2, 4-9 | Written feedback and grade |
| Portolio: Part Two | 50 | Equivalent to 4,500 words | 1-9 | Written feedback and grade |
| Participation | 10 | Equivalent to 750 words | 1-9 | Grade |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio: Part One (3000 words) | Portfolio: Part One (3000 words) | 1-2,4,5,9 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Presentation (18 minutes / 2000 word equivalent) | Presentation (18 minutes / 2000 word equivalent) | 1-2, 4-9 | Referral/Deferral Period |
| Portfolio: Part Two (4,500 words equivalent) | Portfolio: Part Two (4,500 words equivalent) | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Participation | Replacement activity (750 words equivalent) | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral Period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to redo the assessment(s) as defined above. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 50%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Bartlett, S., & Burton, D. (Diana M. ). (2020). Introduction to education studies. (Fifth edition / Steve Bartlett and Diana Burton.). SAGE.
- Brookfield, S. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher /. Jossey-Bass,.
- Clarke, A., & Erickson, G. L. (Gaalen L. (2003). Teacher inquiry?: living the research in everyday practice (1st ed.). RoutledgeFalmer. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203417669
- Cooksey, R., & McDonald, G. (2019). Surviving and thriving in postgraduate research. Springer Singapore.
- Cottrell, S. (2003). The Study Skills Handbook (2nd ed.). Palgrave
- Gatley, J. (2023). Why concepts matter, what conceptual analysis is for, and the case of knowledge in education. British Journal of Educational Studies., 71(5), 549–565. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2023.2234453
| Credit value | 60 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 30 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 28/04/2023 |
| Last revision date | 21/07/2023 |
