Course Catalogue

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Education Policy provides an advanced understanding of education policy, focusing in particular upon policy literacy, the relation between educational reform and political ideologies, policy analysis and evaluation. Selected topics in education policy studies are used as a basis for in depth analyses of policy formation and implementation.

Supported distance e-learning with one compulsory Weekend Study School (Friday evening to Sunday) in Glasgow during the 20 week course. Students are normally expected to be online at least once a week during the course. Ordinarily the course commences in February.

Normally a master's degree in Education or a cognate area.

The summative assessment activity is designed to afford participants a degree of flexibility in order that their work can be tailored to individual professional needs and contexts. This course is summatively assessed by a written assignment equivalent to 5000 words in which participants demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, skills and application of the course through a critical analysis of reform in policy drawn from their respective professional domains.

This course is assessed following the University's assessment Schedule A (see
http://senate.gla.ac.uk/academic/assessment/scheda.html ). Following Schedule A, grades A to D
are Pass grades. In order to ensure flexibility for candidates to progress from M to D (doctoral) level,
and following the University regulations on progression for Masters level students (see the
University Calendar at http://senate.gla.ac.uk/calendar/current/13-graduatestudies.pdf , GR17)
candidates will be permitted to progress to the D (doctoral) level taught courses of the EdD only if they have obtained a Grade C for this (and the previous) Masters level course.

To cultivate independent and critical thinkers, who are prepared to exercise critical judgement in how they engage with course resources and with others in online interaction. Students will be presented with diverse views and competing theories in this field of scholarship, in which they need to position and defend their own arguments.

 to provide participants with an understanding of the major approaches in educational policy studies
* to enable participants to reflect critically on the relations between politics and public policy, including developing an understanding of neo-liberalism
* to enhance awareness of the underlying assumptions of these policy approaches and their impact on professional practice
* to develop an awareness in participants of the major issues in contemporary educational policy studies
* to equip participants with the necessary skills and understandings to undertake policy research in national and international contexts on important educational issues
* to locate policies within the context of contemporary debates on globalisation.

* identify different conceptualisations of policy and the policy process and critically analyse the basis of those differences
* critically analyse the structure of policy systems including political economy, policy cultures, policy institutions, policy actors and concepts of agency
* critically use theories of the state to examine the relationship between reform ideologies in education and training, practices in institutions and policy implementation.

This course is assessed at M (Masters) level following the University's assessment Schedule A (see
http://senate.gla.ac.uk/academic/assessment/scheda.html). Following Schedule A, grades A to D
are Pass grades.
In order to ensure flexibility for candidates to progress from M to D (doctoral) level, and following the
University regulations on progression for Masters level students (see the University Calendar at
http://senate.gla.ac.uk/calendar/current/13-graduatestudies.pdf , GR17 and
http://senate.gla.ac.uk/calendar/current/02-feesandgeneral.pdf), then:
* candidates will be permitted to progress to the D (doctoral) level taught courses of the EdD only if
they have obtained a Grade C for each of the two taught Masters level courses
* candidates will be permitted reassessment in either or both of the taught M level courses for which
they have obtained a grade D or below
* candidates who have failed to attain the threshold grade C shall normally be permitted not more
than one further attempt at the assessment in which a grade lower than the threshold grade has
been awarded
* a second further attempt shall not be available as a matter of right but may be permitted at the
discretion of the Faculty responsible for the programme in accordance with its policies and
procedures which shall be published in the relevant course documentation
* the maximum grade awarded for candidates re-submitting assignments will be grade C
* the timing and nature of the reassessment will be as specified by the Course Team and
Programme Director
* where a second or permitted subsequent attempt at an assessment is not available to candidates
until a subsequent academic session, the candidate shall not be entitled to assume that the content
of the course will be unchanged, and it shall be the responsibility of the candidate, in conjunction
with the Department responsible for the course, to make appropriate preparation for that
assessment.