A postgraduate course in Education.

This course considers educational enquiry, exploring its contribution to both professional practice and policy-making. It introduces you to a range of assumptions and beliefs about knowledge and learning underpinning educational research, and gives an understanding of how you need to approach not only the reading of research articles but also the design of small-scale investigations that you may attempt in the future. As masters-level study in education encourages you to gain a greater understanding of your professional practice by considering research in the field, you will benefit from taking this course as the first module in your postgraduate studies.

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

What you will study

This course, a module of the Masters in Education, is concerned with educational research, its theoretical assumptions and its contribution to educational practice and policymaking.

The aims of the course are to:

• develop your ability  to reflect on and critically assess information from various sources, particularly academic research articles
•  increase awareness of key methodological issues underpinning educational research
• provide an introduction to a sample of approaches currently found within educational research, and the different applications of these
• facilitate the ability to understand and assess a variety of types of research reports
• enable clear and productive thinking about the appropriate use of research evidence in making educational decisions
• introduce some basic research techniques, particularly in relation to data analysis, and generate methodological awareness about threats to validity grounded in an understanding of the way in which the investigation is framed
• help develop the ability to assess relevant literature.

The Study Guide begins by examining what we mean by ‘educational enquiry’ and distinguishing between ‘academic’ and ‘practitioner-based’ research, discussing the different purposes and possibilities of each. It looks at the centrality of the research question and the purpose of the research centred around this. The second part develops an understanding of the way that any piece of research is shaped by the researcher’s world view and the way that he or she understands knowledge and learning. The importance of understanding methodology before any engagement with research methods is stressed. The course discusses ways of producing data and some research methods are presented as examples: the coverage is not comprehensive on the assumption that you will gradually acquire a repertoire of research techniques relevant to particular areas of study as you progress through your postgraduate studies. The course then considers the way that data can be interpreted and the relative status that can be given to various findings. The final part considers the way in which ‘critical reading’ of research reports assumes understanding of all the issues presented in the previous parts.

Throughout the course you are required to relate the material to your own context and to engage with research reports covering a range of substantive areas. The theoretical elements of the course can be applied to any substantive area within the broad area of education; no particular specialism is assumed. You are neither required nor have the opportunity to undertake any research of your own although one assignment requires you to pilot one research instrument within your own context in order to reflect on your own understanding and learning.

With the exception of one printed reader, the course is entirely online and provides an online study guide and access to a wide range of readings located in the OU library which are essential reading and exemplify some of the concepts introduced in the study guide. There is no day school or other face-to-face contact.

This course will provide an introduction to masters-level work, building on prior experience, reflection, and study. However you should be prepared for working at masters level from the start of the course.

If you are doing E891 as part of the Masters degree in Education (F01) or Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Studies in Education (D52), you should be aware that for other modules in the qualification it is highly desirable or essential that you work with learners or have access to groups of learners although this need not be in a formal setting.

Entry

This course can be studied on its own or as a module of the Masters degree in Education. 

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

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

The course is taught in English, and your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. A minimum score of 7 in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is recommended for students for whom English is not a first language. Please see their website for details.

Qualifications

E891 is a compulsory module in our:

• Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Studies in Education (D52)
• Masters degree in Education (F01)

E891 is an optional module in our:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Studies in Education (C27)
• MA in Online and Distance Education (F10)

If you leave the programme before gaining the 180 credits required for a masters degree, this module will qualify you for a Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Studies in Education, or with another 60 credits of specified modules from the programme for a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Studies in Education.

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

In this course you are expected to use a wide range of resources. The materials will be delivered as web pages, pdf files and web-based tools. Tutorial and student-led discussions and activities will be carried out in text-based discussion forums online. To complement this interaction, some discussions and collaborative activities will take place as live events in our audio-conferencing environment, which combines voice, text and images. Recordings of these events can be accessed after the event by all students.

We have tried to avoid using inaccessible resources, but some material, that is core for the course may not be easily accessible if you use assistive technology. Some students may find the amount of reading from technically different sources challenging. In many cases there will be sufficient alternative activities and materials to enable you to complete assignments successfully. Where this is not the case, you will be given individual support by your tutor in collaboration with other University staff. Support for access to Library resources is available from the Library Helpdesk.

You will need to spend considerable amount of time using a personal computer and the internet. Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

Study materials

What's included

Study material and activities are provided online only by means of a dedicated website which also provides access to a range of electronic tools, including real time conferencing and online forums. In addition to the online-delivered teaching text, there is a printed Reader which is an integral part of the materials. You will be expected to search for other materials relevant to your assignments, and the course will provide you with help and guidance for your literature searching.

You will also be provided with access to Masters degree in Education qualification website, where additional guidance materials will be found.

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 who will mark and comment on your written work. You can also ask your tutor for advice and guidance. You may have contact with your tutor and fellow students through computer forums. There are real time online tutorials, and further support is provided by online forums.

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 required to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system. 

The end-of-module assessment (EMA) requires an analysis of two related research articles which will be available online following the completion of the TMAs; it will also be submitted online.

Future availability

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

How to register

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

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.

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