Postgraduate Course: Leading Digital Transformation Dissertation (Challenge Project) (HEIN11096)
Course Outline
| School | Deanery of Molecular, Genetic and Population Health Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 60 |
ECTS Credits | 30 |
| Summary | This course forms the final element of the MSc Leading Digital Transformation programme. Learners will work independently, under supervision, to develop an innovative response to a current challenge in their organisation or service, in alignment with its digital maturity goals. Building on skills and knowledge acquired from the foundational 120 credits of academic study, they will demonstrate their ability to integrate and apply leadership skills, theories, concepts and principles relating to digital transformation in health and/or social care in a real-world setting
The project will be jointly agreed between all participating stakeholders: student, UoE academic supervisor, Executive Sponsor and other members of a local expert advisory group. |
| Course description |
Academic description
The challenge project is an extended, self-directed piece of work based on a current work-based challenge relating to digital transformation in health and social care, to be agreed in advance with UoE academic supervisor and a local expert advisory group including the Executive Sponsor. The project will allow the student to put theory into practice within their organisation and to apply, and further develop, the skills and knowledge gained from the first two years of the MSc programme.
Outline content
The challenge project will assess the student's ability to design and justify a plan to address a significant digital transformation challenge within their organisation, and to critically review and reflect on their progress and leadership approach. It will also assess their ability to communicate the plan to stakeholders in a clear, succinct and compelling way.
Students will identify a challenge question relating to the digital maturity agenda of their organisation, through the following process:
- review their organisation's latest Digital Maturity Assessment Report, any associated action plan and relevant organisational strategies and improvement plans
- synthesise findings to produce a concise report identifying potential challenge project ideas
- meet with a local advisory group to discuss the report and to agree on an area of organisational priority suitable for the project. This group should include Executive Sponsor, organisational digital, technology and improvement lead/s.
Once the challenge question has been identified and agreed, students will carry out a comprehensive literature review to situate the project within the context of existing evidence and literature.
Students in organisations that have not undertaken a formal Digital Maturity Assessment should select their project focus in a similar way ie. in collaboration with senior colleagues and in alignment with organisational strategic goals and digital maturity enhancement agenda, reflecting national priorities for renewal and reform of health and social care in Scotland.
As real-world projects within individual organisations, the scope and size of challenge projects will inevitably vary.
Student learning experience
The challenge project takes nine months (part-time) to complete, and is largely self-directed. The course supports students with a dedicated virtual learning environment, online tools such as asynchronous discussion boards and an e-portfolio, interactions with a dedicated supervisor and membership of an action learning set, supported by a facilitator.
Students will be allocated a supervisor with relevant expertise. Supervisors will hold the minimum of four timetabled meetings with the student and and will be available for consultation. A record of supervisory meetings will also be logged. Supervisor support can take on many forms and may be provided face-to-face, or remotely, via e-mail, or telephone or Teams. Supervisory support will be supplemented by the detailed dissertation project handbook given to all students.
Students will also be supported as a members of the wider Leading Digital Transformation community, including:
- membership of a peer support group
- invitations to regular expert guest lectures
- invitations to twice yearly in-person learning and networking events
This will continue to nurture the strong sense of community developed over the first two years of the programme and support the cross system leadership connections that serve the integration of health and social care across Scotland.
Learners will also be required to seek guidance and mentorship from their place of work, including their Executive Sponsors, to ensure the final outcome has the desired impact on and in practice. They will be encouraged to consider forming a steering group for the duration of the project to include colleagues relevant to the project focus, relevant service leads and other critical friends. They will also be encouraged to ensure wide organisational interest in the project and to identify to whom and at what intervals the progress of the project is reported. They will also be advised to engage with others outwith their own organisation to maximise cross fertilisation of ideas and opportunities.
Building up a collegiate network to provide support and challenge throughout the project will be key to success of the work, allowing the student to demonstrate leadership and impact, as well as to ensure that any support needed to achieve the desired outcomes can be more easily accessed.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
600
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 12,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
568 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical exam 0%
Incorporates written assignments and other activities |
| Feedback |
Students will gain feedback on initial project ideas from their local expert advisory group.
Students will receive oral and written feedback on their work from their supervisor throughout the supervision period.
Students will also be encouraged to seek feedback from professional colleagues through the process, including their Executive Sponsor and the local expert advisory group.
Students will receive feedback on their learning and leadership development from peers as part of the action learning process.
They will receive feedback on their final submitted project from the assigned markers. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of theories, concepts and principles relating to the design and implementation of transformational change enabled by digital in health and/or social care
- Apply a range of skills, knowledge and practices to produce a project plan addressing a significant real world digital transformation challenge in a health and/or social care setting
- Engage, inform and influence academic and professional stakeholders by presenting a compelling and coherent argument for transformational change
- Critically reflect on personal learning and leadership development involved in researching and planning the project
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
1) Mindsets:
Enquiry and lifelong learning
Students on this course will be encouraged to seek out ways to develop their expertise in leadership and digital transformation. They will also be encouraged to strive for excellence in their professional practice and to use established and developed approaches to share learning with peers and networks.
Aspiration and personal development
Students will be encouraged to draw on the quality, depth and breadth of their experiences to expand their potential and identify areas they wish to develop and grow. Students will also be encouraged to understand their responsibility within and contribute positively, ethically and respectfully to the health, housing and social care community while acknowledging that different students and community members will have other priorities and goals.
Outlook and engagement
Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning. Students will be asked to use their initiative and experience, often explicitly relating to their professional, educational, geographical or cultural context, to engage with and enhance the learning of students from the diverse communities on the programme. Students will also be asked to reflect on the experience of their peers and identify opportunities to enhance their learning.
2) Skills:
Research and enquiry
Students will use self-reflection to seek out learning opportunities. Students will also use the newly acquired knowledge and critical assessment to identify and creatively tackle challenges faced by service users and providers.
Personal and intellectual autonomy
Students will be encouraged to use their personal and intellectual autonomy to critically evaluate the literature and their learning. Students will be supported through their active participation in self-directed learning, discussion boards and collaborative activities to critically evaluate concepts, evidence and experiences of peers and supervisors from an open-minded and reasoned perspective.
Personal effectiveness
Students will need to be effective and proactive learners that can articulate what they have learned and have an awareness of their strengths and limitations and a commitment to learning and reflection to complete this course successfully.
Communication
Effective leaders in the health, housing and social care sectors require excellent oral and written communication, presentation and interpersonal skills. The structure of the dissertation project course will reinforce and develop these skills.
|
| Keywords | work based learning,experiential learning,reflection,industry,digital transformation |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Miss Michelle Evans
Tel: (0131 6)51 5440.
Email: michelle.evans@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Rosie Downs
Tel:
Email: Rosie.Downs@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage