| School of Public Policy and Professional Practice | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EDU-30074 | Higher Education: policy and the student experience | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Co-ordinator: | Dr Sally Findlow Room: CBA0.016, Tel:33913 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Team: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture Time: | See Timetable... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Level: | 3 | Credits: | 15 | Study Hours: | 150 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School Office: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Programme/Approved Electives for |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Educational Studies
Dual Honours (Level 3) Educational Studies Major (Level 3) Educational Studies Minor (Level 3) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Available as a Free Standing Elective |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yes |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Barred Combinations |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| None |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| None |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Description What is the $ùpurpose&© of university? Who is it for? How should it be run? What do students think? The past decade has seen sharp re-directions in higher education. Today&©s universities are radically different than a generation ago. Most things taken for granted then are now contested. Critics argue that $ùfor-profit&© orientations de-value higher education, that the $ùcritical&© nature and role of higher education is being neglected in favour of short-term employability-oriented courses, and that there is increasingly little specifically $ùeducational&© or $ùhigher&© about higher education as it becomes simply another commodity. There are laments over the $ùdeath of an idea&© and $ùkilling thinking&©. Students are important stakeholders in the business of higher educational change today. This module seeks to promote among students the exercise of an informed voice in recognition of their stake in the business, with a focus on the Keele experience in these broader historical and policy contexts. We use traditional lectures, seminars, group work and a structured class debate to tackle such topical questions as: 1. What do students think about the $ùpublic good&© idea of a university&©s purpose, as it applies to themselves and society? That is, in what proportions is higher education understood as being for: - skills (to participate socio-economically) - culture - learning for its own sake $ö 2. How does this perception affect students&© decisions about: - What to study? - Where to study? 3. How are such choices impacted by risk-averse decision-making that is said to have accompanied the simultaneous widening of the Higher Education entry gate and the introduction of high fees? 4. How do such perceptions govern students&© views on how they should be taught? The module is assessed through a presentation (about yor experience as a student), and essay. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aims |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To enable students to make academic sense of wider reforms in Higher Education that impact on the 'student experience' |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Intended Learning Outcomes |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| recognise the significance of key moments of HE reform on their immediate learning environment and on their experience as students will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3 explain the national significance and international dimensions of UK HE policy, practice and change. will be achieved by assessments: 2,3 describe and exemplify links between HE policy and their own experience as students will be achieved by assessments: 2,3 evaluate the impact of HE policy change on students' expectations of HE will be achieved by assessments: 2,3 constructively critique their own experience of, and approach to, learning against the policy frameworks presented will be achieved by assessments: 2,3 explain the historical significance of key HE policy reviews over the past fifty years will be achieved by assessments: 1 plan, carry out and monitor a collaborative evaluation of the relationships between one aspect of HE policy, practice and their own approach to studying. will be achieved by assessments: 2 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Study hours |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 class contact hours (11 x two hour sessions + 3 hours group presentations) 10 hours independent work on formative assignments 15 hours collaborative work for group project 50 hours reading and preparation for seminars and group presentation 2 hours individual supervision 48 hours essay |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Description of Module Assessment |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 01: Review | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Review of policy document - formative Each student is given one of five major policy documents to read and analyse according to a set of prompting questions provided. Students are require to upload their analysis onto WebCT. We subseqnetly use these uploaded analyses as a basis for discussion about which was the most significant policy document, and why. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 02: Group Presentation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group presentation of collaborative reflective work In small groups of two or three, students present the main findings of their investigation into one of the themes of the module. In this presentation, they must describe the policy context, identify the theoretically problematic issues, and then draw on theirs and their peers' experiences to provide 'the student experience' dimension to these issues. Extensive feedback and discussion of these presentations further contributes to the material available for use in the final summative assessment task. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 03: Essay weighted 100% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4,500 words summative 4,500 word essay, choosing from one of six broad questions provided. To answer each of these, students must show their understanding of the broad historical context, explain the particular issues as discussed in the relevant literature, and draw analytically on their own and peers' experiences (including their experience of this module and the formative tasks completed) to illustrate the student perspective. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Version: (1.04D) Created: 21/May/2013
This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||