EDUC 6550NA - Educational Policy Studies

Ngee Ann Academy - Quadmester 1 - 2016

The history of education and educational philosophy will be analysed in terms of the impact on educational policy in schooling, training and/or higher education in contemporary times and in the future. Policy will be critiqued through a number of frameworks with a view to understanding the complex relationship between policy and practice and the implications for educators at the level of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. The process of informing, shaping, implementing and evaluating educational policy will also be explored in the context of change and educational reform. The course will examine educational policy from ethical, sociological, cultural, international, comparative and historical perspectives.

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Course Details

Course Code	EDUC 6550NA
Course	Educational Policy Studies
Coordinating Unit	School of Education
Term	Quadmester 1
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	Ngee Ann Academy
Units	3
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Incompatible	EDUC7053 Educational Issues in a Global Community
Restrictions	M Ed students only - Singapore
Assessment	Poster or presentation 30%, essay 60%, Participation 10%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Joyleen de Leo

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1	Identify education policies and analyse the impact of these on education and practice and the role of effective leaders in informing, shaping and implementing educational policy
2	Examine underlying themes of change and implementation challenges in domestic and international environments and examine the impact of various reform strategies on teaching capacity, accountability, resources and learning
3	identify diverse, local and global factors influencing education policy and analyse policy documents from a sociological, comparative and historical perspective

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1, 2, 3
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1, 2, 3
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	2, 3

Learning & Teaching Modes

Three-hour lecture-tutorials including group work with numerous opportunities to discuss international standard setting documents, policy development and educational policies from various countries. Sessions will include guided and open discussions, practical activities relating to educational policy at national and local institutional levels.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Total 156 hours comprising:
36 hours contact time
48 hours reading
8 hours online review of My Uni materials/notices
24 hours research & preparation for active weekly discussion & one slide presentation
40 hours research and preparation of major written assignment

Learning Activities Summary

Schedule
Intensive workshop one:
Introduction to Course Policy – definitions, types, levels and structure
Policy process – Educational Policy Development Research-based & practice-driven policy development
Historical perspectives and change International perspectives and forces for change
Comparative International Education Policy contexts and documents National and local perspectives on educational policy and their impact on education
Intensive workshop two:
Quality teaching and learning & impact on policy School-based policy
Developing implementing and evaluating policy at the school level Impacts of local current/recent policy reforms Current contentious Issues in education policy Student presentations and facilitated discussion on selected policy topics

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Participation: students engage in interaction in class activities and sharing of materials and information	Formative	Ongoing during workshops	10%	1, 2, 3
A solo presentation using power point (10 mins) and facilitation of group discussion (5 minutes)	Formative and Summative	During second intensive	30%	1, 2, 3
Written assignment 3000 words	Summative	TBA	60%	1, 2, 3

Assessment Detail

Participation – students are required to attend at least 80% of lecture tutorials and to participate actively in class discussion.

Power point presentation of a present a significant educational policy issue in a specific context during class for 10 mins followed by questions and facilitation of class discussion (5 mins)

Major Written Assignment (3000 words) on one of the topics below:
1. Analyse one or more education policies relating to a chosen area with reference to relevant international and/or national standard-setting policy documents, and identify where the policy standards and values are/are not reflected.
OR
2. Compare and contrast the education policies relating to a chosen area with those in another State or country and analyse the possible reasons for the differences and potential consequences of such differences in each context.
OR
3. Negotiate a topic with your lecturer.

Submission

Submission is online through MyUni.

Assessment pieces submitted late will receive a 5% deduction per day past the due date except where prior approval is sought and granted in writing beforehand.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator