Managing Teaching and Learning MethodsModule Details

Background and Rationale

The course is designed to support and extend the professional development of existing and aspiring employees of the education sector. It draws on current thinking in the field of curriculum management (learning, teaching and assessment). The content of this course is closely related to contemporary leadership and management issues, focusing on key strategies that are likely to bring about effective learning, teaching and assessment in institutions. The course will explore and evaluate theories of learning and individual learning needs. It will also draw on current thinking in the field of assessment and explore the notions of assessment for and of students’ learning. The wider aspects of assessment will also be discussed, such as accountability to stakeholders and external agencies. As an integral part of the lecture programme, examples of good practice will be used to illustrate aspects of effective leadership and management. These will be drawn from both case studies and from the experience of the teaching team and course participants. The majority of participants on this course will be practicing teachers and lecturers. Other aspiring middle managers whose work has an educational focus will also find this course to be of benefit and staff will be pleased to discuss with them any adjustments that need to be made particularly in relation to the assessment task. Assessment tasks are designed to involve participants in taking the research forward into an analysis of their own institution’s working practices.   The intention is that learning outcomes will have a positive effect on their individual professional practice and will also have a wider impact on their own institution’s performance.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will be expected to:

1)    Critique education concepts and theories of education during extensive literature review. 
2)    Evaluate the characteristics of effective learning, teaching and assessment.
3)    Demonstrate thorough knowledge and understanding of current research and literature concerning learning, teaching and assessment theories.
4)    Assess the respective roles and strategies employed by senior management teams and others in securing effective learning, teaching and assessment theories.
5)    Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the main issues involved in managing and reporting diversity.
6)    Apply the functions of monitoring, evaluation and review in the process of whole institution self-evaluation.
7)    Debate the role of senior managers in implementing and managing change in relation to curriculum policy and innovative curriculum planning.
8)    Justify the adoption of a culture of rigorous self-evaluation for achieving institutional improvement.
9)    Develop a curriculum for a class of learners.