Unit name | Education Policy |
---|---|
Unit code | EDUCD0068 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | D/8 |
Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
Unit director | Professor. Watermeyer |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Education |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit is aimed at helping students develop an understanding of policy, governance and implementation in the education sector. The course focuses on the nature of policy and governance and their relationships, of the assumptions underpinning theories of policy and governance, theories on the nature of policy actors such as the state and community and market stakeholders, the changing regional and global contexts for states and their impact on states’ policy making capacity, the changing nature of policy in educational states in transition, and the implementation and management of policy in educational institutions. It will address the roles of professionals in governance and policy at all levels of education systems. Critical discourse analysis will be elaborated as a key analytical tool for policy text analysis, while models of implementation that can be used in empirical settings for evaluation-based research will be reviewed. Selected examples and case studies will be used as a basis for closer analysis of policy formation and implementation throughout the unit. Students will be invited to present case studies based on their experience and critically reflect on the usefulness of the theoretical and conceptual ideas discussed.
Aims:
To critically consider recent theory, practice and research in educational governance, policy formation and implementation in education settings at the global, national and local levels.
At the end of the unit participants should be able to:
The course will be delivered through a combination of teaching strategies, which may include whole group lectures, visiting speakers, case studies, critical analysis of key readings, group discussions and student presentations.
Presentation linked to a 4,000 word essay which will assess students’ critical understanding of the literature on policy, governance and implementation and ability to discuss the implications of the theories, concepts and methods of analysis in relation to their own professional practice and current educational policy.