EDU8606 - Practitioner Research and Development
- Offered for Year: 2026/27
- Module Leaders: Dr JB Stanfield and Dr LSA Ramshaw
- 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 3 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS: | 10.0 |
Aims
By the end of this module, students will:
Develop critical research skills to investigate a real-world leadership or innovation challenge within an educational setting.
Design, implement, and evaluate a small-scale practitioner research or development project focused on improving practice.
Apply theoretical knowledge from the MA programme to real-life leadership, management, and AI-related challenges in education.
Enhance reflective and analytical skills by engaging with the research process from planning through to reporting.
Contribute to organisational improvement through evidence-informed leadership and innovation initiatives.
Outline Of Syllabus
The purpose of this module is to introduce and develop student understanding of practitioner research and development tools and methodologies. We will investigate and critically review a range of theoretical perspectives and research methods that are common across educational leadership and consider how these can be used within their own educational contexts, both in everyday practice and with respect to robust research projects.
Students will be required to design and propose an investigative project that they intend to conduct in their own context, which will ultimately lead into module 7. Within this proposal, they will consider the following:
Research ethics
Research Methods for Practitioners
How to effectively implement the project
How to effectively analyse any data collected and evaluate impact
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Distance Learning Advance Preparation | 1 | 5 | 5 | Preparatory work before online study |
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 9 | 3 | 27 | Delivered online. Weekly programmes comprising video presentations, online discussion and reading. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities |
8 |
3 | 24 | 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 | 8 | 2:30 | 20 | Student directed literature and resource searching. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 8 | 6 | 48 | Self-study to complete session tasks, reading and preparation for learning |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 8 | 1 | 8 | Paired or grouped tasks to discuss session learning and learn interdependently |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 4 | 3 | 12 | 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 | 4 | 1 | 4 | Office hours provided for student advice and guidance. |
| Total | 200 | ||||
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Component | Semester | When Set | % | 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. |
| Research proposal 1 | 2 | M | 80 | 2,000 words, 2 minutes vlog (1000 words equivalent), followed by a peer group viva. |
Assessment 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.
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/