Postgraduate Course: Designing and Delivering Public Services (fusion on-site) (EFIE11116)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | Public services not only comprise an important element of the economy of the developed and developing world, they are also essential for a vibrant economy and society. This course addresses the challenges of understanding, designing and managing public services 'as services' whilst also asking what distinctive challenges their 'public' nature present. |
| Course description |
This course draws upon service management, service design, and public management theory in interrogating the nature of public services and their management. It also draws upon other key disciplines such as social policy and sociology. The course comprises 3 elements:
1) Pre-Intensive Period
This phase will be comprised of the following elements:
(i) Two pre-recorded lectures introducing the course, and introducing students to key concepts/themes: the role of the user in public service design and delivery and the concepts of co-production and co-design; ensuring equitable access to public services; how public services seek to add value to citizens' lives; and the key managerial roles within public service delivery and design.
(ii) Readings from selected academic papers/chapters as an introduction to public service management theory and service design;
(iii) Pre-recorded interviews with public service managers and public service designers;
(iv) An online synchronous seminar to engage in a focused discussion of the learning materials and to raise any initial questions about the course;
(v) A discussion board, facilitated by the course organiser will also be used for all students to contribute ideas and questions throughout the duration of the course.
2) Two-Day Intensive Study Period
This will comprise of a mixture of seminar content, discussion and group activities, including sessions on the nature and challenges of public service design and delivery. The intensive component will have an inter-disciplinary focus, building on the pre-intensive to deepen understanding of the key concepts through application to case studies from practice. Students will have the opportunity to explore service delivery, service management and service design through their application to current public service challenges. These activities will explore the service ecosystem that public services inhabit; how the monitoring and evaluation of services can lead to their re-design; and the balance of digital and in-person service delivery. Intensive course activities will link where possible to real world projects and if possible, the engagement work taking place within EFI via the Public Services Sector Engagement Lead.
3) Post-Intensive Period
The post-intensive phase will include:
(i) guided readings linked to the assignment;
(ii) an online seminar to discuss the post-intensive reading and assignment preparation;
(iii) formative feedback on assignment plan.
The student experience will integrate personal learning objectives within a group environment. It will combine individual study together with tutor and practice inputs, group seminars, and an investigation of the processes of public service design and delivery. It will link the experiences of the student together with a theoretical framework to understand the ecosystem of public service design and delivery.
Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) - On-Site Fusion Course Delivery Information:
The Edinburgh Futures Institute will teach this course in a way that enables online and on-campus students to study together. This approach (our 'fusion' teaching model) offers students flexible and inclusive ways to study, and the ability to choose whether to be on-campus or online at the level of the individual course. It also opens up ways for diverse groups of students to study together regardless of geographical location. To enable this, the course will use technologies to record and live-stream student and staff participation during their teaching and learning activities.
Students should be aware that:
- Classrooms used in this course will have additional technology in place: students might not be able to sit in areas away from microphones or outside the field of view of all cameras.
- Unless the lecturer or tutor indicates otherwise you should assume the session is being recorded.
As part of your course, you will need access to a personal computing device. Unless otherwise stated activities will be web browser based and as a minimum we recommend a device with a physical keyboard and screen that can access the internet.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 20 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2025 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 4,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 6,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 6,
Online Activities 4,
Other Study Hours 12,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
66 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
Other Study: Scheduled Group-work Hours (hybrid online/on-campus) - 12
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Summative Assessment:
The course will be assessed by means of the following assessment components:
1) 2000 Word Assignment (100%)
Students will write a 2000 word assignment which integrates the public service design, delivery and management elements of the course. Information about the assignment will be available after the two-day intensive course. |
| Feedback |
Students will receive feedback at various points during the course:
- Through formative feedback from the course tutor/TA on their assignment plan.
- During group seminars.
- Though responsive email and/or personal contact with the course tutor and/or Teaching Assistant.
- By written feedback on their assessment case study (summative feedback).
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Express a critical understanding of the practice and challenges of public service design and delivery and their location within a public service ecosystem.
- Demonstrate understanding of the key managerial roles, and the roles service users play in public service design and delivery.
- Critically evaluate the processes of public service design and delivery, including analysing equity of access to services.
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Reading List
Indicative Reading List:
Cui, T. & Aulton, K. (2023) Conceptualizing the elements of value in public services: insights from practitioners. Public management review. ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-23.
Dietrich, T., Trischler, J., Schuster, L. & Rundle-Thiele, S. (2017) Co-designing services with vulnerable consumers. Journal of Service Theory and Practice. 27 (3), 663-688.
Osborne, S.P. (2020a) Public Service Logic: Creating Value for Public Service Users, Citizens, and Society Through Public Service Delivery. First edition. Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY, Routledge.
Trischler, J., Dietrich, T. & Rundle-Thiele, S. (2019) Co-design: from expert- to user-driven ideas in public service design. Public management review. 21 (11), 1595-1619. doi:10.1080/14719037.2019.1619810.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/the-scottish-approach-to-service-design/
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-design-principles
https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/systemic-design-framework/
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
This course will equip participants with the following graduate attributes and skills:
- The capability to evaluate information thoroughly; identifying assumptions, detecting false logic or reasoning and defining terms accurately in order to make an informed judgement (critical thinking).
- The ability to create, identify and evaluate options in order to solve complex problems by both by analysing facts and situations and apply creative thinking to develop the appropriate solutions and by asking questions (problem solving). |
| Keywords | Public Services,Public Administration,Social and Healthcare,Value Creation,Service Design,Delivery |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Katharine Aulton
Tel: (0131 6)50 8074
Email: Katharine.Aulton@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr David Murphy
Tel:
Email: dmurphy7@ed.ac.uk |
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