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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Moray House School of Education : Education

Postgraduate Course: Assessing What Matters (2) (EDUA11370)

Course Outline
SchoolMoray House School of Education CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryThis course extends students' understanding of theoretical conceptions of assessment and related summative assessment practices in schools. The course supports students in developing the critical analytical skills necessary to understand and critique assessment policies at school, local authority and national levels. It thereby supports them to engage in national policy debates on assessment.
Course description This course builds onAssessing What Matters(1), providing an opportunity for students to further enhance their ability to make theory-practice connections, acknowledging that learning to teach is an iterative process requiring deep and progressive intellectual and practical engagement. The course continues to develop students' understanding of the ways in which particular assessment practices advantage or disadvantage particular groups of learners. It further develops students' understanding of the metacognitive benefits for pupils of engaging in assessment as part of learning. The course helps students consider the different purposes of assessment in educational contexts ('for', 'of' and 'as' learning) and the difference between attainment and wider achievement. Students develop skills in the evaluation of numerical data through familiarity with national and international attainment surveys. Through directed study tasks, they become familiar with school mechanisms for tracking and recording pupil attainment and achievement and pupils' involvement in those activities.
Using the cluster community as a site of learning, students explore the impact of social capital on pupil attainment and wider achievement. They engage in a group problem based learning task to explore the local community and design a costed 'wider achievement 'benefit to the school community.
100 student effort hours= 4x1hr lecture/ blended learning whole group sessions, 3x2hr group seminars, 20 hours PBL, 10 hours directed study, 60hours self study
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate enhanced critical understanding of principal theories , concepts and principles related to assessment in education
  2. Demonstrate critical reflection on own and others professional responsibilities in summative assessment
  3. Develop skills of critical analysis and evaluation to enable comparison between summative assessment data and from local context to that available from national and international attainment surveys
  4. Analyse their learning on this course in relation to relevant core concepts of social justice, sustainability, global perspectives, digital and statistical literacies and professional inquiry skills.
Reading List
INDICATIVE TEXTS:
Florian, L., Hawkins, K. & Rouse, M. (2017) Achievement and Inclusion in Schools, Routledge
Klap, A. (2015) Does grading affect educational attainment? A longitudinal study, Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice22 (3) pp 302-323
Rantala, J., Mannimen, M., & Van der Berg, M. (2016) Stepping into other people's shoes proves to be a difficult task for high school students: assessing historical empathy through simulation exercise, Journal of Curriculum Studies 48 (3) 323- 345
Reeves, J. The Successful Learner: A Progressive or an Oppressive Concept in Priestley , M. & Biesta, G. (eds) ( 2013) Reinventing the Curriculum , New Trends in Curriculum Policy and Practice
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Research & Enquiry
conduct research and enquiry into relevant issues through research design, the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, synthesising and reporting;
able to interrogate visual and information
be familiar with ICT literacy/data and information management and analysis to support their research
Personal & Intellectual Autonomy
develop their reflective awareness of ethical dimensions, and responsibilities to others, in work and everyday life
collaborate and debate effectively to test, modify and strengthen their own views
Communication
use appropriate communication styles through understanding the needs of others and empathy towards them
effective communicators who are able to read and write, present, listen, influence and network
develop their oral communication of complex ideas and arguments using a range of media
Personal Effectiveness
have an ability to prioritise
have the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues both internally and externally, building and maintaining relationships
seek and value open feedback to help their self-awareness of working with a team

Keywordssummative assessment,attainment,achievement
Contacts
Course organiserDr Lesley Reid
Tel: (0131 6)51 6396
Email: l.reid@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Mairi Ross
Tel: (0131 6)51 4241
Email: Mairi.Ross@ed.ac.uk
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