EDU8604 - Solving Today's Challenges in Education
- Offered for Year: 2026/27
- Module Leaders: Dr LSA Ramshaw and Dr JB Stanfield
- Owning School: School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences
- Teaching Location: Online
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS: | 10.0 |
Aims
This module identifies the current challenges that the educational landscape is facing, locally and globally. Such challenges include teacher recruitment and retention, funding and resources, inclusion and inequality, technology, AI and curriculum, mental health and wellbeing.
It is designed to deepen students’ knowledge of educational leadership issues within their own work context and consider how to prevent or overcome such challenges. The learning from the previous modules in this programme will provide the theories, approaches and concepts to help tackle these challenges, whilst also considering how these may adapt or develop into other challenges in the future.
Drawing directly from the programme aims, this module specifically aligns to:
1. Interpret, analyse and exercise critical judgement in the evaluation of educational leadership theories, concepts, and global perspectives.
2. Navigate and shape AI-driven educational landscapes, whilst fostering understanding of AI technologies, their applications, and ethical implications in education.
3. Innovate teaching, learning and curriculum processes by exploring emerging technologies, including AI, to enhance institutional effectiveness.
4. Promote approaches to leadership that support equity, diversity, and ethical decision-making in education.
5. Drive transformation and positive change in diverse educational settings.
6. Strategically inform policy, governance and practice in education
Outline Of Syllabus
This module will focus on identifying the current challenges that the educational landscape is facing, both locally and globally. As we collectively consider these challenges and how they influence each other at local and global levels, the cohort will study current solutions and initiatives to such challenges, by critically analysing their applicability within a range of contexts and settings. Through a series of problem-solving exercises, students will then propose their own solutions to chosen challenges that are pertinent to their personal contexts. Such proposals will then be peer reviewed, and feedback provided, leading to their assessment component and specific contextual response. This will also be verified by a leader in the context that the student works (or has worked).
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Online Discussion | 1 | 6 | 6 | Preparatory work before online study |
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 7 | 3:30 | 24:30 | Delivered online. Weekly programmes comprising video presentations, online discussion and reading. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 7 | 3 | 21 | Delivered online. Essential and recommended reading and research. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured non-synchronous discussion | 6 | 2 | 12 | Delivered online. Compulsory discussion forum engagement. |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 7 | 3 | 21 | Student directed literature and resource searching. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 7 | 6 | 42 | Self-study to complete session tasks, reading and preparation for learning |
| Guided Independent Study | Reflective learning activity | 7 | 1:30 | 10:30 | Reflection tasks after each session |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 6 | 3 | 18 | Paired or grouped tasks to discuss session learning and learn interdependently |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 2 | 20 | 40 | Preparation and writing of assignments. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 5 | 1 | 5 | Office hours provided for student advice and guidance. |
| Total | 200 | ||||
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The teaching methods are all at distance learning, online. In line with the new Education Strategy, active learning will be utilised on this module and so the learning tasks will require the students to deeply engage with the materials. Asynchronous tasks are therefore structured to promote engagement with online material in a variety of ways – from students reading shared material and research, to sourcing their own literature, aligned to their own contexts. Each learning session will be designed to sequentially take students through a series of compounding activities, which will subsequently lead to their assessment writing and foci. Students will be prompted to think for themselves before receiving expert explanations and have spaced opportunities to practice and improve key skills. This will also include working with peers in group tasks, that they can arrange synchronously themselves. Explanatory text will be divided into short sections with graphics and video/animation to highlight key concepts, and frequent prompts to pause for reflection, practice and questions. The use of real-world case studies will also help students to better understand concepts and how to apply them to varied contexts, as well as modelling how to analyse and solve problems in this field. The use of discussion forums will allow students more time to reflect before articulating their ideas or responding to others. Personalised feedback will also be used to motivate students to complete formative activities and assignments. Access to model answers and additional tips and explanations will also be used to incentivise activity completion. The benefits of active learning will be continuously reinforced throughout the module and the purpose of individual activities will be made clear.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise 1 | 1 | M | 20 | Students will engage with Discussion forums throughout the module, and also be expected to comment on their peers posts also. |
| Prob solv exercises 1 | 3 | M | 80 | Students will choose a challenge that exists in their current or previous context and will propose a series of solutions to the challenge (4000 words). |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Problem solving exercise (4000 words, 100%)
Students will choose a challenge that exists in their current or previous context and will propose a series of solutions to the challenge (4000 words). This will be informed by current practice and research and will also include a reflection upon peer feedback received with respect to the proposed solutions.
This assessment has been created so as to incorporate authentic personal reflections and focus on complex, contextual problem-solving task. To increase authenticity of this assessment, a referenced authentication measure, whereby, a leader in the context that the student works (or has worked) will verify their problem-solving exercise.
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/