Postgraduate Certificate in Development Management - Learning Outcomes
« Back to Postgraduate Certificate in Development Management descriptionEducational aims
- To provide a grounding in the basic concepts and frameworks of development management.
- To develop capabilities in the basic tools and skills of development management.
- To enable students to reflect on and improve their own development practice.
Learning outcomes
The programme leading to this certificate provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas.
Knowledge and understanding
On completion of this certificate you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the following:
- the history of ideas leading to development management as a new field of study
- current conceptions of and debates on development management
- the strengths and limits of key development management tools
- the nature of policy and policy change
- the nature of strategy and strategic thinking for development.
Cognitive skills
On completion of this certificate you will be able to:
- outline and assess key debates in development management
- critically evaluate different approaches to development management
- assess interventions and policies
- make a case for particular courses of action
- distinguish and apply different approaches to policy development.
Practical and/or professional skills
On completion of this certificate you will be able to:
- critically use tools for project design and implementation, such as logical framework, participation analysis, stakeholder analysis, problem trees, etc
- design project evaluations
- make proposals for strategy development
- critically appraise policy
- choose appropriate investigative approaches for researching issues in development and policy.
Key skills
On completion of this certificate you will be able to:
- use concepts correctly
- structure an argument
- use evidence to support an argument
- structure and write essays
- structure and write reports.
Teaching, learning and assessment methods
Knowledge and understanding will be provided through core teaching texts and study guides, with extensive guided reading and debate on audio CDs. There will be activities to help you evaluate texts and to assess your own progress.
Possibilities for engaging in debates and reinforcing learning will be provided by optional day-schools or online tutorials. Formal assessment of these areas will be through assignments and an examination at the end of each course.
Cognitive (or thinking) skills will be developed through the core teaching texts and study guides, and the use of case studies, including audio-visual case studies. Again, there will be optimal reinforcement through day schools and/or online tuition. Assessment will be carried out through assignments and an examination at the end of each course.
For key skills, the teaching around concepts will take place in the course texts. There will also be activities that enable you to identify and evaluate evidence, and how to use it in an argument. Tutors will provide optional support for structuring essays and reports, either through notes to students, day schools and/or online tuition.
Professional skills will be developed through interactive course tests and by setting practical activities for you both to practise particular skills and to reflect on their use. You will be expected to use your own experience to reflect on your own professional development. These skills may be enhanced through group activities at optional day schools or online tutorials. Aspects of the formal assessment will require you to provide practical demonstration of your professional skills development.