Leading from the Middle

MA(Ed) 2013-2014

Leading from the Middle

Semester 1

Tutor: Hazel Beadle

Tutor’s Email:

COURSE OUTLINE

This module takes as its core focus the position, responsibilities, issues and potential arising from middle leadership in an educational setting. It aims to increase management and leadership practice, identifying that there is a difference between the two, through enhancing workplace and role understanding.

The main themes of this module will be:

Leadership versus management;

Supporting, leading and managing colleagues;

Assertiveness;

Policy formulation;

Implementing change;

Boundary setting;

Ethical, social and moral dimensions;

Managing time.

The module takes both a theoretical and practical approach and you will be encouraged wherever possible to reflect on and review your present/recent practice and experience in order to facilitate your analysis of central issues. Hence you will be given opportunities during sessions to share and discuss with colleagues your findings from activities and case studies relating to the module’s core focus.

Formative assessment will be by means of a 10 minute informal input relating learning to contextual experience. The module’s summative assignment is two-fold. Firstly you will be required to prepare a 4000 word critical incident diary drawing on key issues explored in the module and focusing on two module content themes in depth. Secondly you will provide a 2000 word account of how the formative feedback influenced you in completing the critical incident diary. Thus both the module and the assignment value the varying professional circumstances of course members.

MA(Education) 2013-2014

Leading from the Middle – Semester 1

Sessions 5.30-8.00: Tuesdays (BRC)

1 / 17 September / Introduction to module
Themed session: The Education Debate
2 / 1 October / Module session: Leadership v. Management; supporting, leading and managing colleagues plus boundary setting
3 / 15 October / Module session: Ethical, social and moral dimensions (1)
4 / 9 November / MA forum (Bognor Regis Campus) 10.00-4.00pm
Formative assessment
Ethical, social and moral dimensions (2)
5 / 12 November / Themed Session: Education Reform and Social Change (inc. Policy formulation)
6 / 26 November / Evening conference: New Landscapes in Education
7 / 3 December /

Final Module Session: Implementing change, assertiveness and managing time

8 / 7 January 2014 / Optional tutorials

Final assignment due:

Thursday 16 January 2014

NB The above schedule is provisional and may be amended in content or sequence according to the tutor’s judgement or students’ needs, wishes or progress.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Participants will be enabled to:

· Reflect critically on the core elements of the Middle Leadership role;

· Consider how to effectively handle some of the difficulties which arise from middle leadership responsibilities;

· Synthesise alternative perspectives within the learning community in order to enhance, through effective leadership and management, educational value;

· Familiarise themselves with and critically appraise relevant research literature;

· Analyse their own context by relating and comparing these with alternatives, through discussion and collaboration with course colleagues and tutors.

MA(Education) 2013-2014

Leading from the Middle – Semester 1

If you would like information on the University’s Personal Development Planning programme and the processes involved, please consult the tutor and visit the website: www.chi.ac.uk/pdp.

Library Contact: Subject Librarian – 01243 812082

ASSESSMENT

Mode of assessment:

Formative: A 10-minute (2000 word equivalent) informal input relating learning to contextual experience. This will take place at the MA Forum on Saturday 9th November 2013.

As formative assessment the intention is that the work will be used for the purpose of student development and this will be identified through the summative assessment tasks. Students will submit, together with the summative task, a commentary identifying how the formative feedback has been of influence in completing the critical incident diary.

Summative: Preparation of a 4000 word critical incident diary drawing on key issues explored in the module and focusing on two module content themes in depth.

Both summative tasks must be submitted by the final assignment due date of 16 January 2014.

Assessment Criteria

The assignment will need to demonstrate:

· Understanding of the main theoretical processes underpinning effective leadership and management at Middle Leader-level;

· Critical appreciation of published research into aspects of leading and managing, both generally and in relation to an educational context;

· Ability to analyse and evaluate the roles and functions of Middle Leadership within own organisation, with a special focus on own leadership and management-orientated professional development.

In addition the following general assessment criteria of the MA(Ed) must be met:

· knowledge of the major concepts of the area of study without significant omissions, errors or irrelevancies;

· evidence that the relationship of these concepts to workplace practice is understood;

· the ability to write coherently and concisely presenting a position or argument based on the outcomes of reading and/or enquiry;

· the ability to analyse critically and reflect on professional practice using an identified framework and/or general theory;

· the ability to evaluate critically the findings of published research and other literature;

· the ability to synthesise and draw upon a range of appropriate material.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION - NEW ASSIGNMENT HAND IN AND FEEDBACK PROCEDURES

Attendance only

Although the normal expectation is that students complete an assignment, you may if you wish ‘attend only’ with no penalty. This is received by the Board of Examiners as audit only. Of course if you decide to ‘audit only’ you will not receive any credits towards your MA(Ed).

Extension requests

For students intending to submit assignments, we understand that occasionally things go wrong and you may request an extension of up to two weeks. If you request an extension to your assignment, you are indicating your intention to submit this work and we would remind you that failure due to non-submission of the assignment, without mitigating circumstances, will result in a fail. (You will also incur an admin charge of £100 per module). Requests for extensions must be emailed before the due date to , copied to and the relevant tutor. Please state the module you are studying.

Mitigating Circumstances

If you have a major problem which prevents you from submitting your assignment, you must claim mitigating circumstances. You are strongly advised to submit your claim form with evidence to AQSU as soon as you know there is a problem and before the Board of Examiners. For information and a claim form go to: Portia; select tab for UniServices; select Academic Quality and Standards Unit.

Submitting your assignment

NEW ANTI-PLAGIARISM SOFTWARE AND PROCEDURES

Turnitinisa web-basedplagiarism-prevention service, which checks assignments for unoriginal content. The results can be used to help students learn how to avoid plagiarism as it provides better and faster feedback to improve their writing or to identify similarities to existing sources.Turnitinencourages best practicein using and referencing other people's written material.

Changes for students:

· You are no longer required to hand in a digital version of your written assignments on CD. Submission of written assignments must be uploaded to Turnitin and submitted as a hard copy.

· You must upload your written assignments into the link set up by your lecturer on the module's Moodle page. This must be done before the assignment deadline. If for any reason Moodle or Turnitin are unavailable on the day an assignment is due in, you must upload it into Turnitin as soon as possible thereafter. Details of system downtimes can be found on Portia (the Traffic Light) and on the Help Pages (help.chi.ac.uk).

· Once uploaded into Turnitin, anOriginality Reportwill be generated, highlighting unoriginal content. This is useful for you to check that you have referenced everything correctly.

· Please note that you are notaiming for a 0% score as Turnitin will recognise all unoriginal text, including quotes, templates and text which you have referenced correctly.

· Generation of the Originality Report usually takes between 5 and 10 minutes but can take longer at busy times.

· If you choose to edit and resubmit an assignment (before the due date), the Originality Report will be available the following day. Your lecturer will only see the most recent submission.

· Very importantly, you must still hand in a printed version of your assignment as normal. Failure to do so may result in failing the module.

· When you submit to Turnitin, please write the Paper ID(available from your Turnitin receipt) number onto the assignment submission sheet attached to your hard copy assignment.

Every assignment should be:

o securely fixed in a floppy backed folder;

o accompanied by:

Ø a completed assignment/module submission sheet, available from your module tutor(s), the MA(Ed) Office or from the Student Downloads page of the website: http://www.chi.ac.uk/department-education/i-want-undertake-professional-development/maeducation/ma-ed-student-downloads ; and

Ø ID number from your TurnItIn receipt written on the submission sheet

o put into MA(Ed) pigeon hole in the Staff Club in St Michael’s House at BRC; or

o brought in to the MA(Ed) office in room G.06, Mordington House at BRC; or

o posted to MA(Ed) Office (Assignments), Room G.06, Mordington House, University of Chichester, Bognor Regis Campus, Upper Bognor Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO21 1HR, provided it:

§ is postmarked on or before the deadline date. Posting an assignment after the last collection time on the day of submission will make it late;

§ is securely packaged; and

§ has the correct amount of postage.

If the assignment is late without an extension then it will sustain a FAIL grade

Assignments cannot be accepted by email. Please do not e-mail, give or post your assignment directly to your module tutor; they are not in a position to record formally that it has been received. Always put the word count (excluding the bibliography) at the end of the assignment. Always keep a copy of your assignments.

Assignment Submission sheet

Available on the MA(Ed) website, student downloads. Please complete all sections of the form. When the assignments have been received by the MA(Ed) office, the forms will be folded to facilitate anonymous marking.

Signing in – the instruction to sign the hand-in sheet held in the office can obviously only apply to those of you bringing in your assignment. As stated above, it is still perfectly acceptable for you to post your assignment but it must include the new submission sheet.

Feedback method/Results

Feedback is done with a system known as MAF on line - Module Assessment Feedback on line. The University sees key benefits for students including marks and feedback can be released on line before the Board of Examiners, although they will still be subject to Board of Examiners’ approval. Once the tutor has released the feedback, you will receive an email in your Chi email account informing you of this. You must have an active Chi email account – if you do not wish to use this email address then you can arrange to have it forwarded to an email address of your choice. Please contact for advice on this. You will be able to see your feedback on line through your Portia SONAR account. It is absolutely essential therefore that you keep your Portia account active

Assignment hand back

Assignments will be handed back by the module tutor if you are undertaking a module; if not, they will be posted recorded delivery to your home address. The assignment will not, however, be accompanied by a comment sheet – this will only be available on line.

Resubmission information

Please note that if you are unsuccessful in a module:

1. Tutors are unable to contact you about a fail until after the INTERNAL Board of Examiners when normally you will be emailed and requested to contact the tutor.

2. A formal resubmission date for your assignment will be set by the EXTERNAL Board of Examiners for the Postgraduate Awards Scheme. You will be notified of this resubmission date by letter shortly after the Board of Examiners has taken place. Please note you may submit your assignment earlier if you wish.

3. You may continue with your current module and submit an assignment for it if you wish.

4. Please note that a failure in a module re-assessment is deemed to be an irrevocable fail, and you will be required to leave the programme.

5. Please note also that if you decide not to resubmit without appropriate mitigating circumstances, this will count as an irrevocable fail and you will be required to leave the programme.

MA(Education) 2013-2014