Study Guide

Objectives (course unit)

This course introduces participants to the basics of educational leadership and serves as an open introduction to the MBA in Educational Leadership (MEL) degree program.

Students who successfully complete this course will not be required to complete the pre-task when applying to the degree program, but will use their completion of this open course as evidence of their possible suitability. Further, they may also be able to use evidence from this course towards the awarding of elective credits in the degree program.

This Collaborative Open Online Course (COOC) is structured over eight weeks and scheduled to start in early October 2022.

Each week participants address key questions related to educational leadership and will discuss and work on them collaboratively. The themes addressed by these questions include;
• The purposes of education
• Their identity as educational leaders
• Changes taking place in the sphere of education
• Understanding educational systems
• Visions of educational futures
• How to lead individuals and teams in educational setting

Content (course unit)

Week 1: The Purpose of Education
Week 2: You as a Leader
Week 3: Education in the Future
Week 4: Understanding the System
Week 5: Your Vision for Education
Week 6: Leading Change
Weeks 7-8 (14.11.-27.11.): Making Your Learning Visible (Portfolio for Evaluation) - Optional for those who want to get 5 credits for the course.

Prerequisites (course unit)

A minimum prerequisite for the course is a Bachelor's degree level prior education and interest or experiences in the education sector.

Further information (course unit)

Credits and Hours: Five ECTS (135 student hours).

Fees: Free for participation with no credits and fee payable if ECTS credits are to be awarded (price to be determined).

Equipment Required by Students: Laptop or tablet and internet access

Platform: Hosted on an open Moodle platform (DIGMA)

Awards: This is envisaged to have two levels
1. Those who complete all weeks and tasks as determined by learning analytics, including the assessment tasks in week 6, will be given access to a downloadable Certificate of Completion. This does not confer any credits or official qualification. We agree that we will accept the certificate in lieu of a pre-task should the student apply to the degree MEL program and is an eligible candidate.
2. Those who pay the fee and complete the work in the first 6 weeks and then proceed to the final two weeks can be awarded a certificate for the 5 ECTS credits on a pass/fail basis. We agree that these students will pass automatically to the interview stage, should they be eligible and apply for the MEL program.

Theoretical Framework:
The course uses the same theoretical framework as MEL, based on the principles of Authentic eLearning (Herrington, Reeves and Oliver, 2010) supported by participatory collaboration, Connectivism (Goldie, 2016; Siemens, 2018) Networked Learning Theory (Buchanan, 2021; Ostashewski and Reid, no date) and Communities of Practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Kimble, Hildreth and Bourdon, 2008). Student integration in an online learning environment is underpinned by the work of Salmon (Salmon, no date) and her Five Step Model for online learning scaffolding and support.

The themes of each week are framed by a series of questions that the course participants seek to answer collaboratively, working with the course teachers and their peers on the course. Thus, the course has an enquiry driven, participatory framework.

Assessment criteria, pass/fail (course unit)

The participants will receive five (5) credits if they succesfully complete the portfolio assignment by the end of week 8. The portfolio consists of weekly tasks and activities. The porfolio can be accepted if it is completed according to more detailed instructions given at the course, and if the quality of the portfolio demonstrates Master-level (EQF 7) capability for critical reflection and collaborative learning.

Location and time

Online.

Exam schedules

Assessment is via the submission of a portfolio.

Assessment methods and criteria

The participants will receive five (5) ECTS credits if they successfully complete the portfolio assignment by the end of week 8. The portfolio consists of weekly tasks and activities. The portfolio can be accepted as a Pass if it is completed according to more detailed instructions given on the course learning platform (Digicampus), and if the quality of the portfolio demonstrates Master-level (EQF 7) capability for critical reflection and collaborative learning. Full administrative instructions are provided in Digicampus.

Assessment scale

Pass/Fail

Teaching methods

Online course run on Digicampus platform as a Collaborative Open Online Course.
Students will be working individually, in pairs and in small groups as part of a collaborative online learning community.
Teaching strategies will include readings, discussion, facilitation, group and individual work, synchronous and asynchronous activities. Active participation and collaboration will be essential. Students will be expected to demonstrate their learning by presenting work in a submitted portfolio.
The main focus is the encourage critical thinking about the subject area and a deeper understanding of the complexities and issues as education increasingly takes place in a digital and post digital environment.

Learning materials

Provided online in Moodle on Digicampus.

Student workload

5 x27 hours = 135 hours of student work

Content scheduling

There are six weekly themes:-
The Purpose of Education
You as a Leader
Education in the Future
Understanding the System
Your Vision for Education
Leading Change

Completion alternatives

None.

Practical training and working life cooperation

Activities are all related to the students real life working environments.

International connections

Student participants are from around the world as an Open Online course.

Further information

None.

Assessment criteria - fail (0) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Work not submitted or does not meet the requirements of a EQF level 7 course.