The Advanced Practice route enables participants working in educational settings to reflect on their own practice, taking a professional academic approach. The programme's presentation is fully online, or a combination of online and face-to-face for those who can attend. A separate MA Advanced Educational Practice school-based cohort group (minimum of 20 participants) may be available.

About this degree

The route has been developed to respond to the needs of educational practitioners in both UK and international settings. Its field of study is pedagogical practice examined through the different lenses of learning, the curriculum and action research. Learning is presented through using the community of practice as a tool to share and enhance understanding.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

Fieldwork

Students are expected to be working in educational settings, or have access to educational settings as a volunteer. Some modules have an expectation that participants will carry out an inquiry or project in their educational setting. This can be as a volunteer but the team do not make placements or arrange field opportunities.

Teaching and learning

Modules within this route are normally taught fully online through our virtual learning environment (VLE) Moodle. Attendance is measured through access to the material and activities, responses in forums and completion of tasks shared online. All participants are assessed through coursework (which may be two or more short essays, a long essay, portfolio or presentation) at the end of each module, and receive both formative written feedback on a draft and summative feedback on a final submission.

Each module studied will have taught elements online which will include engagement with tutors through forums. This will take up to 25% of their time. A further 10% of time may include individual tutorial through digital software (e.g. Skype, FaceTime etc.). The remainder of a student's time is in independent study.

Careers

The majority of students on this programme are already in employment, normally in educational settings. It is expected that study on the programme will open up opportunities either for promotion within the student's current place of employment, or enable them to apply for new roles within an educational setting.