A postgraduate course in Education.

This course will serve teachers and other professionals in mainstream and special schools, colleges and other educational settings. It aims to raise the standard of all students’ literacy levels and increase awareness of the barriers to learning some students face. You’ll explore and reflect on appropriate curriculum responses to the needs of children, and wider issues relevant to adults who experience difficulty in literacy development. 

Register for the course

This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.

What you will study

The course is organised in four parts:

Part 1 What is literacy? What are literary difficulties

Part 2 Addressing equity issues in relation to literacy difficulties

Part 3 Dyslexia: explanations and responses

Part 4 Assessing and teaching for students who experience difficulties in literacy development.

This course will be useful for teachers, adult educators and other educational professionals addressing literacy problems. Examples in the study materials are drawn from pre-school, primary and secondary schooling and adult education. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach and explores theories of literacy difficulties and practical strategies that can be used with adults as well as children.

The course can also lead to accreditation by the British Dyslexia Association (BDA). There is an additional fee of £975 for students who wish to be assessed for this accreditation. For further information, please see our website.

Entry

This course can be studied on its own or as a module of the Masters degree in Education (F01) where it can count towards the equality and diversity specialism.

You must hold a bachelors degree from a UK university or other recognised degree-awarding body, or a qualification at equivalent level.

The course is taught in English, and your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you seek assessment under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see their website for details.

This course is for experienced teachers and other professionals working in educational settings, and you must be working in an educational institution, or have very close access to one. If you intend to apply for accreditation of your work by the BDA you must be a qualified teacher (with at least two years of teaching and support experience) in order to obtain Associate Membership of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA). If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

Qualifications

E801 is an optional module in our:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Studies in Education (C27)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Studies in Education (D52)
• Masters degree in Education (F01)
• MA in Online and Distance Education (F10)

E801 is one of the modules you can select if you want to name your degree MA in Education (Equality and Diversity) or Master of Education (Equality and Diversity).

Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this module can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.

If you have a disability

Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material.  

Study materials

What's included

Study Guide, audio CDs, DVD, supplementary materials (presented online), online forums, dedicated website.

You will need

Audio CD and DVD players.

You will need access to learners (of any age) who experience difficulties in literacy development in order to carry out the assignments. You will also need access to published up-to-date screening, standardised and diagnostic tests of reading and spelling and, if you intend to apply for accreditation from the British Dyslexia Association, to published screening and diagnostic dyslexia tests.

Computing requirements

You will need a computer with internet access to study this course as it includes online activities, which you can access using a web browser.

• If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2007 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
• If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
• If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.6 or later.

You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. You can contact your tutor by email and participate in online group discussions and activities. There are face-to-face group tutorials that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where tutorials are held depends on the distribution of students taking E801. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details can be found in the facts box above.

You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.

Your end-of-module assessment (EMA) must be submitted electronically.

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2013. We expect it to be available once a year.

Students also studied

Students who studied this course also studied at some time:

• Child development (ED209)

How to register

To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.

Student Reviews

Distance learning

The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.

For more information about distance learning at the OU read Study explained.

Course satisfaction survey

See the satisfaction survey results for this course.

Your questions

Try our frequently asked questions.

Come and meet us at an event near you.

Or contact an adviser by Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90 +44(0) 845 366 60 35

Employers' questions

Contact Corporate Enquiries
Visit our website for employers or Email us

Get a prospectus

The University wishes to emphasise that, while every effort is made to regularly update this site, the material on it is subject to alteration or amendment in the light of changes in regulations or in policy or of financial or other necessity.