Foundation Degree in Education

 

 

Intermediate Awards	N/A
Mode of Study	Full-time
Location of Study	London Road Campus
Course Length	2 years 120 guided learning hours at L4 120 guided learning hours at L5 240 guided learning hours in total Total Qualification Time (TQT)  – 2 years
Course Code	FLR5FDE001
UCAS Code	X304
QAA Subject Benchmarks	QQA Subject Benchmark Statement –  Education Studies
HECoS Code	100459
Accreditation Type	Staffordshire University
Accreditation Details	The qualification is provided through Staffordshire University.
Criteria for Admission to the Programme	GCSE English A-C (or equivalent) IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) Employment in the education sector evidenced by written managerial support and permission to engage in the course A level 3 qualification or evidence of suitable workplace experience.
Minimum/Maximum Numbers	Minimum 10                  Maximum 20
Course Fee	£7,425
Additional Costs	None
Date of Production	September 2022
Proposed Revision Date	July 2023

 

This Programme Specification contains an overview of the Foundation Degree in Education and how it will be taught and assessed at Shrewsbury Colleges Group. At the end of the document, you will find some more general information on support and guidance available to you whilst studying with us.

This document should be read in conjunction with the Staffordshire University Specification for this award.

We hope you choose to come and study with us at Shrewsbury College and take advantage of the opportunity to access Higher Education locally in Shropshire. 

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Welcome from Curriculum Leader:

Michelle Dawes

Welcome to Shrewsbury Colleges Group. We are looking forward to sharing your learning experience and supporting you on your educational journey. You will not have made the decision to study at a higher level lightly and at this point may be feeling a mixture of nerves, excitement and trepidation about the months ahead, but do not worry, the staff in the Education team are here to support, guide and encourage you through the programme you have chosen to pursue.

We are building a strong reputation for Higher Education in the county and are keen to move forward with this area of the curriculum. As a result, you will be asked regularly for your thoughts, ideas and feedback on how the course you are studying can be developed further. This may be through consultative meetings or through your student representation so please contribute when you can. We aim to be very student centred and value your contribution throughout the duration of your studies.

Finally, good luck and enjoy your educational journey with Shrewsbury Colleges Group.

Michelle Dawes

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Staff Profiles

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Overview of the Award – what does the course involve?

This course which is awarded by Staffordshire University will give you a deeper understanding of: up-to-date developments in the education sector; how to apply key theories and principles of education to your professional practice to meet the specific needs of your employer and your own personal development; wider professional and academic skills development to help secure your current employment and broaden your future career options. The course, therefore, has the following overall aims, which focus on developing your career aspirations and opportunities to: become a ‘discipline expert’ in education; develop your professionalism; develop your wider professional practice; develop your independent thinking skills.

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Programme Aims

Aims of the programme:

The objectives of this programme are to:

• To become a ‘discipline expert’ in Education. (The work-based award enables you to understand and develop your roles and responsibilities in the workplace.)
• To develop your professionalism. (The work-based award develops skills towards supporting education, such as teaching assistants/learning support assistants. It also promotes progression towards alternative careers in education, such as teaching. Successful completion of the award enables direct progression onto a top-up BA (Hons.) Education Award.
  Professional attributes developed include improving communication and teamworking abilities, as well as information literacy and academic skills.)
• To develop your Wider Professional Practice. (You will evaluate how the organisation you work for compares with alternative institutions and contexts in order to consider developments to your practice and that of your institution.)
• To develop your independent thinking skills (You will critically reflect and evaluate your own practice, as well as that of your institution in order to inform practitioner-led research and change.)

Programme Learning Outcomes

As you progress through their academic and personal development journey you will develop:

Knowledge and Understanding - Your knowledge and understanding of key principles and theories of education and learner development will grow. Each module includes content to be delivered by the providers. As well as this you will be given the opportunity to research specific information, policies and practice relating to your own sector. This enables you to be an expert in your workplace, with a deep understanding of your sector – a key advantage for enhancing your career prospects.

Learning - The study skills element of the course, explicitly covered in modules one and five and implicitly delivered throughout the rest of the course, aim to develop the concept of ‘learning to learn’. General academic study skills are delivered in module one, with each module delivering further guidance as well as learner feedback. Specific study skills are also delivered in order to enable you to develop the skills required to meet the requirements of the module. For example, modules 1 and 5 will consider developing critically informed reflective practice with a view to producing informed reflective accounts. They also introduce and develop the concept and ability to form realistic personal action plans. Module 8 will investigate how to organise a small-scale research project. Other modules will cover relevant aspects of writing such as literature reviews, comparative studies and so on.

Enquiry - Each module requires you to investigate and reflect on your practice, as evidenced in the reflective accounts of modules 1 and 5 and the work-based assessments throughout the rest of the modules. Explicit use of enquiry is found in module 3, where you have to compare behaviour management policies in relevant institutions and module 4 where you will observe a professional practitioner. Further to this, module 8 is a small-scale-action research project.

Analysis - This is a work-based course, and analysis of one’s own practice in relation to theory is engaged in every module. As an example, in Module 3 you will be required to analyse two behaviour management policies with a view to your future personal and organisational development. Analytical skills are also explicitly credited in the generic School of Education level 4 and 5 criteria used in all of the modules.

Problem Solving - As a work-based course, you will evaluate complex education issues throughout. This will help you to make informed judgements to develop your personal and wider professional practice.

Communication - Effective communication is promoted throughout the course. As well as with the learners that you provide support for, you will need to develop effective communication with your colleagues. To enrol and continue on the course, you will require management approval. This is also the case with your action research project, which needs the specific ethical approval of the employer prior to commencement. You also need to engage in communication with peers during group tasks/peer assessment tasks. For example, in module 6, you will make a presentation to peers.

Application - As a work-based course, direct application of learning is implicit throughout. Each module assessment features reflection on the application of educational theories, principles and policies into your personal and professional practice. As an example, in module 4, You will create/develop your own assessment resource for use in their practice.

Reflection - As a work-based professional development course, you will be required to engage in informed critical reflections of your own practice. Modules 1 and 5 require you to reflect on your personal and professional progress in relation to the learning outcomes of the other modules in the course.

This programme is distinctive because:

The qualification is delivered at Shrewsbury Colleges Group to offer learners the opportunity to study Higher Education in a local college environment. Learners can share experiences and develop new skills using technology-based practice linked to theory. The course is tailored to meet the needs of learners and the needs of the industry.

Employability

Employability is at the heart of this work-based programme. You will need an education-based placement and employer support, as your career development is
the central focus of the course. Each module relies on work-based reflection and development. Modules 1 and 5 are explicitly targeted at personal and professional development in order to help you to reflect and act on your career aspirations.

As a Foundation Degree programme, you will have the opportunity to progress onto the BA top-up award. This then enables further progression onto various teacher training routes or academic courses.

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Programme Structure, Modules and Credits

This award is delivered through a two-year, part-time, in-service route in Partnership organisations.

	Module Title	Credit Value	Level
Core Module	Personal and Professional Development	20	4
Core Module	Learning and Holistic Development	40	4
Core Module	Safeguarding and Developing Educational Practice	40	4
Core Module	Supporting learning and Inclusion	20	4
Core Module	Professionalism and Career Development	20	5
Core Module	Behaviour for Learning	40	5
Core Module	Assessment for Learning – Guided Research in Education	40	5
Core Module	Leadership and Teamworking	20	5

 

Teaching and Assessment

How will I be taught?

The course consists of eight modules, the first four of which are assessed at Level 4, with the rest at Level 5. Of these, four are 40 Credit modules with 400 learning hours attached to them, and four are 20 Credit modules with 200 learning hours attached to them. Total learning hours per module are made up of scheduled teaching and learning activities, placement hours, and independent study. Each module relies on work-based reflection and development, targeting personal and professional improvement throughout in order to help you to reflect and act on your career aspirations. The modules covered in the course are: 

Level 4 

• Personal and Professional Development (20 Credits) 
• Learning and Holistic Development (40 Credits) 
• Safeguarding and Developing Educational Practice (40 Credits) 
• Supporting Learning and Inclusion  (20 Credits) 

Level 5 

• Professionalism and Career Development (20 Credits) 
• Behaviour for Learning (40 Credits) 
• Assessment for Learning – guided research in Education (40 Credits) 
• Leadership and Teamworking (20 Credits) 

Work-based reflection and development form a major part of the overall course content and assessment. Throughout the course, you will therefore engage in: work-based tasks; creation of resources to support learning; observation of the practice of professionals; reflection on organisational practice; wider understanding of sector practice; work placement research. Successful graduates will be awarded a Foundation Degree in Arts from Staffordshire University and you will be entitled to add FdA after your name. 

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How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed on every module for which you enrol and must pass all parts of the assessment to pass the module overall. You will be given information on what is expected of you at the start of the module. The assessment strategies employed within the course emphasise the value of workplace knowledge and understanding, informed by application of relevant theories and will be based on the learning outcomes of the module.

Assessment types, volume and length have been considered by the University team to allow you to demonstrate skills and knowledge outlined within module assessment criteria. These combine workplace skills and knowledge with academic practices and learning, for example, assessments include requirements: to create learning resources; outline workplace policies; and reflect upon your progression. These are then underpinned by demonstration of academic understanding of the vocational tasks carried out within written assignments, group feedback and presentations.

Knowledge, Understanding and Learning are assessed through tasks requiring the use of theoretical frameworks to develop specified aspects of professional practice, reviews of this and recommendations for policy and improved practice.

Analysis and Reflection are assessed through professional practice and the analysis of complex situations, for example, concerning human learning and development, (including their own learning within assignments) and within reflection on your own value systems. Analysis and Reflection is also assessed through the accommodation of new ideas discussed within class and through written assignments.

Transferable and generic skills (including problem solving and communication) are assessed through a variety of methods, including written assignments, professional practice, discussions and consideration of case studies. 

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