Unit information: Policy and Research in Education in 2022/23

Unit name	Policy and Research in Education
Unit code	EDUC20004
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Artemio Cortez Ochoa
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	Education and Social Change
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one
School/department	School of Education
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Unit Information

This unit will develop students’ understanding of the complex ways in which education policy, practice and research interact. Students will explore a range of case studies that demonstrate the contrasting aims, values and purposes that drive different kinds of policy interventions. Drawing on different disciplinary perspectives, they will consider how to assess the intended and unintended consequences of policy for practice. They will examine the role of research evidence in bringing about changes in practice and holding policy to account.

The aims of the unit are to enable students to:

• understand the role policy plays in the pursuit of education reform and the key levers it draws on to bring about change;
• recognise the complexity of policy processes and the main tools of analysis used to describe them;
• appreciate how and why education policy has both intended and unintended consequences as it is put into practice;
• assess the role of research in analysing and influencing education policy and practice.

Your learning on this unit

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. describe the complexity of policymaking processes and the range of intended and unintended consequences they may lead to;
2. identify some of the strengths and weaknesses of different policy approaches and the theories of change they espouse;
3. assess the role of research in mapping policy effects, contributing to the development of policy and practice, and evaluating outcomes;
4. critically review a range of source materials that are relevant to the study of the interactions between education policy, practice and research.

How you will learn

This unit will be taught using a blended approach consisting of a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous activities including seminars, lectures, reading and discussions.

How you will be assessed

Formative assessment: ILO 1-4 : 500 word poster summarising key concepts introduced in the unit. Summative assessment: ILO 1, 2 & 4 : 10 minute audio-recorded individual PowerPoint presentation analysng a selected policy, setting it in its contexts of influence, text production and practice. (50%)

ILO 1-4 : 2,000 word reflective and analytical piece of writing in the form of an essay, portfolio or series of blog posts, developing a discussion of the selected policy in assignment one, locating it in its wider thematic context and critically considering its impact, later implications and legacy. (50%).

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EDUC20004).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.