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Module

EDU8211 : The Role of the State in Education: Education Policy and Entrepreneurship for Development

  • Offered for Year: 2024/25
  • Module Leader(s): Professor Pauline Dixon
  • Lecturer: Dr Steve Humble
  • Owning School: Education, Communication & Language Sci
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 1 Credit Value: 20
ECTS Credits: 10.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

It is often assumed that it is the state's role to provide free schooling for children in the global south, to attain the Sustainable Development Goal Number 4 (viz., education for all and gender equality in education).

This course aims to encourage students to think about what happens when the state is unable to afford or deliver schooling. In that respect it:

* Introduces students to case studies and research to consider different scenarios that cause governments to be unable to the deliver, regulate or fund schooling, i.e., conflict, natural disasters, corruption, lack of GNP;
* Enable students to critically evaluate different perspectives and research findings concerning the role of different actors in education and schooling and how this translates into policy;
* Critically assess different regulatory frameworks for education and the education policies of international agencies.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module is for anyone that is interested in policy decisions and who makes these decisions in education in developing countries, especially for the poorest. The module highlights the phenomenon of private schools for the poor that are operating in poor areas across Africa and Asia, and explores their potential role in international education policy and the reaching of the Millennium Development Goals in education. Anyone interested in education, policy issues, business, entrepreneurship, markets and developing countries will gain knowledge and awareness from this course.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion186:0086:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture111:0011:00Lectures will consist of input together with interactive tasks and discussion
Structured Guided LearningLecture materials93:0027:00For each lecture there will be non-synchronous content to prepare student in preparation for lecture
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching111:0011:00Structured Taught introduction to development skills around the lectures and seminars
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching111:0011:00Seminars
Structured Guided LearningStructured research and reading activities93:0027:00Reading around research activities related to themes incl. formative & summative learning activities
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study127:0027:00Directed research & reading, student-led group activity, reading on related topics with peers
Total200:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The lectures and seminars provide a theoretical and contextual framework for the whole module.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Essay1M502,000 word essay
Report1M502,000 word report using a given data set in SPSS to consider education in developing countries.
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

There are two parts to this assignment. First the students will be assessed on their ability to discuss and evaluate the issues explored throughout the course. They will need to critically analyse and argue issues concerning global education policy and provision options in the global south.

The assessment will be concerned with education policy and educational provision in the global south utilising the information, evidence and knowledge built up over the course. The students will be able to discuss issues about different types of delivery as well as global education policy issues.

The second part is to write a 2,000 word report around a given data set provided in SPSS. The students will be assessed on presentation, interpretation and the analysis of this secondary data set. This allows for an early introduction to statistical techniques often used in development early on in the Masters. This will provide skills and knowledge that will be used throughout the Masters course including during the dissertation stage.

Reading Lists

Timetable