Postgraduate Taught Courses Research Articles

Finding the joy: effective mentoring in Teacher Education

ABSTRACT Effective support of student teachers is critical to the teaching profession. This research involved student teachers and those who support student teachers on a new two-year Postgraduate teaching course. Using a range of data collection, including creative methods such as the use of artefacts, participants’ interpretations of effective mentoring were explored. It is reported that it is important that mentors volunteer for, and proactively engage in their mentoring role. Also, that sufficient time is allocated to undertake mentoring responsibilities, which include frequent mentor meetings and professional learning. Key aspects identified for effective mentoring include the importance of a trusting relationship between the student teacher and mentor; nurturing student teacher self-reflection and ensuring that student teachers observe a range of teaching styles. The implications of the findings include the improvement and development of support materials for the programme’s mentors along with sharing effective mentoring practice case studies, that showcase effective approaches in different school contexts.

University-based Training Courses for Literary Translators in the Twenty-First Century: An Overview from the United Kingdom

As part of a wider project exploring literary translation in the United Kingdom, the present article profiles the three named postgraduate taught courses focusing exclusively on literary translation which are currently available at universities in the United Kingdom: the MA in Literary Translation at the University of East Anglia (UEA); the MA in Literary Translation Studies at the University of Warwick; and the MA in Audiovisual and Literary Translation at the University of Essex. After providing a concise summary of the situation regarding (literary) translator training in the British context, online sources are used to obtain information regarding the structure and course content of each of the three degree programmes under analysis. The findings are presented, contrasted, and discussed, before some proposals for further research are outlined.

Becoming an “owner” in a learner-centred context: a Sri Lankan experience at a postgraduate taught course in management and technology

PurposeThere is a need for a shift of the pedagogy to student-centeredness in the teaching–learning process of the higher education sector in countries such as Sri Lanka, where the education system is still identified with the dominant “teacher-centeredness” pedagogy. Within this backdrop, this study aims to understand whether a learner-centred teaching (LCT) can be practised effectively within a postgraduate taught course in Sri Lankan public sector university system.Design/methodology/approachOntologically, this study is placed within the interpretivist paradigm and adopted qualitative methodology. Reflections and experiences of 2 facilitators and 63 participants were thematically analysed.FindingsFour themes emerged from the data as key phases of LCT-based learning process, namely: “changing role of the facilitators,” “emerging a collaborative learning environment,” “creating a platform for contextualising the knowledge gained in class” and “becoming an owner of the learning.”Originality/valueWithin the learning process, participants became “owners” rather than “renters” because of facilitators maintaining low power distance and participants developing a sense of empowerment, leading to engaging in the learning process willingly. Further, this study shows how the classroom shifted from the state of learner-centred to learner-driven. These novel findings become the main theoretical contribution of this research to existing knowledge.

How power relations affect the distribution of authority

In this article we report on the distribution of authority over information practices observed in a postgraduate taught course at a large research university located in the UK. The course was designed using principles from information literacy (IL) pedagogy and represents the operationalisation of Radical Information Literacy (RIL) theory. By analysing course documentation, assessed online discussion board posts and through interviews with teaching staff and students we examine how and why the distribution of authority is a complex matter; not least that the liberatory intentions of the Programme Director actually contain repressive dimensions in practice. We identify that students are subjected to techniques of disciplinary power, including surveillance and normalisation, and that they resist these by communicating outside of official discussion board spaces. Such resistance is not necessarily problematic, as it enables learning. Notably, students demonstrate development of IL practices through, for example, shaping their information landscapes, digital stewardship and critical reflection.

How power relations affect the distribution of authority

In this article we report on the distribution of authority over information practices observed in a postgraduate taught course at a large research university located in the UK. The course was designed using principles from information literacy (IL) pedagogy and represents the operationalisation of Radical Information Literacy (RIL) theory. By analysing course documentation, assessed online discussion board posts and through interviews with teaching staff and students we examine how and why the distribution of authority is a complex matter; not least that the liberatory intentions of the Programme Director actually contain repressive dimensions in practice. We identify that students are subjected to techniques of disciplinary power, including surveillance and normalisation, and that they resist these by communicating outside of official discussion board spaces. Such resistance is not necessarily problematic, as it enables learning. Notably, students demonstrate development of IL practices through, for example, shaping their information landscapes, digital stewardship and critical reflection.

Postgraduate taught portfolio review – the cluster approach, non-subject-based grouping of courses and relevant performance indicators

ABSTRACTThis paper summarises a new method of grouping postgraduate taught (PGT) courses introduced at Oxford Brookes University as a part of a Portfolio Review. Instead of classifying courses by subject, the new cluster approach uses statistical methods to group the courses based on factors including flexibility of study options, level of specialisation, research links, vocational character and undergraduate continuity. The model of five defined clusters helps understand an increasing diversity of PGT provision better, find similarities outside of traditional subject divisions and share a good practice outside of the departmental structure of the University. It can assist with a new approach to University-wide marketing activities as well as with evaluation of performance taking into account course specifics within the clusters. The paper proposes a set of new and tailored performance indicators for PGT courses.

Supporting Students in the Transition to Postgraduate Taught Study in STEM Subjects

While there has been a wide range of studies examining the transition of undergraduate and postgraduate research students, there are few which concentrate on the experiences of postgraduate taught (PGT) students. This is unfortunate, because PGT students have pressing needs for support: since taught masters courses last for usually one academic year, postgraduate students are asked to adapt and succeed at a far faster rate than undergraduates, who take four years in Scotland to complete an honours degree. PGT students are a minority group amongst the university population, with e.g. more than three times as many undergraduates enrolled at the University of Glasgow than postgraduates. Furthermore, international students represent a high proportion of PGT students. To better understand the needs of PGT students and therefore improve the quality of their education, we need to understand their experiences and challenges as they transition through their course. This paper presents a study focused on PGT students in STEM subjects at the University of Glasgow. Feedback from students in the College of Science and Engineering was gathered using a multi-methodological approach. Surveys, one-to-one interviews and a workshop were utilised to investigate students’ perceptions of support received from staff and services. This data was linked to student academic confidence, social confidence, and overall satisfaction with their experience at the university. Data were gathered at three points in the year to evaluate whether perceptions change as students progress through their course. This data from surveys and interviews was used to direct a workshop, which discussed potential solutions to issues raised. Better online resources were identified as key to feeling prepared before the commencement of a PGT course, and better communication with lecturers and peers was important to the success and satisfaction of students, particularly after beginning PGT study.

Similarity and difference in fee-paying and no-fee learner expectations, interaction and reaction to learning in a massive open online course

ABSTRACTThe new pedagogical opportunities that massive open online course (MOOC) learning environments offer for the teaching of fee-paying students on university-accredited courses are of growing interest to educators. This paper presents a case study from a postgraduate-taught course at the Open University, UK, where a MOOC performed the dual role of a core teaching vehicle for fee-paying students and also as a “free-to-join” course for open learners. An analysis of survey data revealed differences between the two groups in respect to prior experience, knowledge, expectations and planned time commitment. The nature and experience of interaction was also examined. Fee-paying student feedback revealed four conditions in which MOOCs could be considered a pedagogic option for taught-course designers. These are: when there is a subject need; when used to achieve learning outcomes; when there is acknowledgement or compensation for the financial disparity; and when issues of transition and interaction are supported.

Post graduate clinical placements: evaluating benefits and challenges with a mixed methods cross sectional design.

BackgroundSystematic evaluations of clinical placements are rare, especially when offered alongside academic postgraduate courses. An evidence-based approach is important to allow pedagogically-driven provision, rather than that solely governed by opinion or market demand. Our evaluation assessed a voluntary clinical placement scheme allied to a mental health course.MethodsData were collected over academic years 2010/11– 2013/14, from participating students (n = 20 to 58) and clinician supervisors (n = 10–12), using a mixed-methods cross-sectional design. Quantitative evaluation captured information on uptake, dropout, resource use, attitudes and experience, using standardized (the Placement Evaluation Questionnaire; the Scale To Assess the Therapeutic Relationship – Clinical version and the University of Toronto Placement Supervisor Evaluation) and bespoke questionnaires and audit data. Qualitative evaluation comprised two focus groups (5 clinicians, 5 students), to investigate attitudes, experience, perceived benefits, disadvantages and desired future developments. Data were analysed using framework analysis to identify a priori and emergent themes.ResultsHigh uptake (around 70 placements per annum), low dropout (2–3 students per annum; 5 %) and positive focus group comments suggested placements successfully provided added value and catered sufficiently to student demand. Students’ responses confirmed that placements met expectations and the perception of benefit remained after completion with 70 % (n = 14) reporting an overall positive experience, 75 % (n = 15) reporting a pleasant learning experience, 60 % (n = 12) feeling that their clinical skills were enhanced and 85 % (n = 17) believing that it would benefit other students. Placements contributed the equivalent of seven full time unskilled posts per annum to local health care services. While qualitative data revealed perceived ‘mutual benefit’ for both students and clinicians, this was qualified by the inherent limitations of students’ time and expertise. Areas for development included fostering learning around professionalism and students’ confidence on placement.ConclusionsThe addition of healthcare placements to academic postgraduate taught courses can improve their attractiveness to applicants, benefit healthcare services and enhance students’ perception of their learning experiences. Well-positioned and supported placement learning opportunities could become a key differentiator for academic courses, over potential competitors. However, the actual implications for student employability and achievement remain to be established.

The role of feedback in cross-cultural learning: a case study of Chinese taught postgraduate students in a UK university

Insufficient attention has been given to the role of cultural differences in feedback communication with the UK’s increasingly internationalised student body. This issue is particularly significant for international students taking short – one-year – postgraduate taught courses and we illustrate this in a study of Chinese students at a UK university. We draw on Holliday’s notion of ‘small cultures’ and Berry’s model of cultural adaptation to analyse how they perceive, react to and gradually adapt to the provision of formative feedback as a key aspect of the new academic culture. Our data reveal that such feedback presents the students with cognitive challenges and psychological and emotional struggles, especially in the early months of their courses. Avoiding culturally essentialist explanations for this, we focus on differences in the ‘small cultures’ of academia in China and the UK. Feedback is not only a part of the new academic culture itself, but can act as a bridge between norms, rules and practices of the two cultures. This bridge is often poorly constructed. Tutors need to be more aware of the nature and sources of stress that such students face and to which feedback may often be adding rather than contributing to enhanced learning.

The role of subject knowledge in primary prospective teachers’ approaches to teaching the topic of area

The relationship between primary teachers’ subject knowledge and their approaches to teaching is an ongoing concern. This study reviews the relationship between prospective teachers’ subject knowledge in the topic of area and their approaches to teaching that topic. The research presents case studies of four primary prospective teachers on a 1-year postgraduate teaching course. The strengths and limitations of their subject knowledge are examined, in relation to their selection of teaching activities. The results suggest connections between these strengths and limitations, in relation to espoused teaching activities and pedagogical orientations. This questions the assumption that secure subject knowledge is necessarily transformed into effective teaching and concurs with other research that suggests other factors may be involved, such as knowledge of learners.

Postgraduate taught course developments in geography, earth and environmental sciences in the UK: an initial assessment of drivers

Postgraduate taught course developments in geography, earth and environmental sciences in the UK: an initial assessment of drivers

Social Constructivism and Asynchronous Text-Based Discussion: A Case Study with Trainee Teachers

The paper reports a case study using asynchronous text-based discussion. It considers the role of the tutor and discusses the extent to which online discussions can facilitate social constructivist approaches to instruction and the creation of knowledge. Participants were 17 trainee teachers studying on a post graduate teaching course. The asynchronous text-based discussion (using e-blackboard) focused on planning for progression in children's learning in history and culminated in the trainee teachers writing individual assignments on the topic. The paper analyses the different types of contributions made and reports on the trainees' evaluations of the benefits and limitations of using e-blackboard. It concludes with recommendations and areas for further research.

Approaches to studying in undergraduate and postgraduate students

ABSTRACT Previous work has suggested that students taking postgraduate taught courses may adopt a reproducing orientation to studying because of a heavy curriculum and the pressure of examinations. The present study found no basis for this notion in a comparison of undergraduate and postgraduate students over a range of course units. It is concluded that postgraduate students are as capable as undergraduate students of adopting appropriate orientations in their studying.

A postgraduate teaching course in laparoscopic surgery.

A teaching course in laparoscopic surgery was addressed to 21 young postgraduates as a part of their general surgery program with the aim of making them familiar with the basic principles of laparoscopic surgery. The methodology was based on tutorial teaching and "learning by problems"; the students worked in little groups elaborating check lists, discussing problems, and practising with laparoscopic training devices. Theoretical learning, practical abilities, and efficacy of tutorial teaching were investigated at the end of the course: the participant's understanding of instrument function, mastering of equipment, and solutions to clinical problems were good, as were the efficiency and pleasantness of the didactic method. Tutorial teaching seems to be a valid model for basic training in laparoscopic surgery in a modern medical education program.

CRITICAL SYSTEMS THINKING AND TOTAL SYSTEMS INTERVENTION: SYSTEMS-BASED RESEARCH AND CONSULTANCY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND SCIENCES, HULL UNIVERSITY, UK

This paper is a brief overview of the current achievements of a substantial research and consultancy program, which is reflected in our undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses, at the University of Hull, UK. Our ideas are based on critique, which has been found useful in developing an open and conciliatory approach to the diversity of systems-based problem-solving methods. We label this critical systems thinking. The diversity is shown to be a strength as opposed to the failed conception of fragmentation and isolation, which is a weakness. Ail of this is brought together in a pragmatized form, which then provides a creative approach to systems-based problem solving for our consultancy work. We label this total systems intervention.

Teaching and research in quantitative methods in university management schools

Much has been written and said about the education and development of operational researchers and management scientists from a specialist departmental viewpoint. Considerably less attention has been devoted to the role of management schools in this process and, more importantly, in their provision of a general education in quantitative methods for all their postgraduate taught course students. This paper aims to make a contribution towards rectifying this relative neglect. Moreover, it specifically contrasts the two sets of activities and argues that they are largely fulfilling different purposes and satisfying in the main different job markets. The paper also addresses some of the problems of management science researchers within a management school milieu.

Invitation to Radiologists

As one interested in radiology, you are cordially invited to come to Baltimore, Maryland, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, September 15, 16, and 17, 1930, for a post-graduate teaching course, with lantern slides, on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and tumors of bone. You may extend this invitation to any member of the medical profession who is interested in the problem as a radiologist, pathologist, internist, or surgeon. We are anxious that this invitation shall reach those members of the medical profession who see least of bone lesions and want help most in the diagnosis and methods of treatment. The demonstrations will be held in the ballroom of the Belvedere Hotel, Charles and Chase Streets, Baltimore, Maryland. On account of the size of the ballroom the number is limited to eight hundred. If you desire to attend this demonstration, which begins Monday morning, September 15, at 10 o'clock,1 write at once to the Manager of the Belvedere Hotel to reserve accommodations, and by so doing automatically register for the demonstration. It is requested that you specifically state whether you will be there Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, or all three days. The Manager of the Belvedere Hotel will be willing to give reduced rates to those who desire them. When writing, therefore, ask for the usual rates for single and double rooms, with and without bath; for special rates of three or more in a room, with and without bath, and for the special restaurant rates of club breakfast, luncheon, and dinner. It is very important for you to keep the final letter from the Belvedere Hotel and present it when you register. The demonstrations will take place from ten to twelve-thirty in the morning, two to four-thirty in the afternoon, and seven to nine-thirty in the evening. The demonstration Monday will be devoted to the simplest fundamentals of the clinical picture, X-ray and gross and microscopic pathology of osteitis fibrosa, giant-cell tumor, osteomyelitis, exostosis, benign bone tumors, sarcoma, multiple myeloma, and metastatic tumors. Four lanterns and screens will be employed in the demonstration. Tuesday will be devoted to the differential diagnosis of lesions of special bones—lower end of radius, upper end of humerus, vertebrae, etc. Wednesday will be reserved for the presentation of rare and very difficult-to-diagnose lesions of bone. Anyone planning to attend this meeting may at once register such a case or cases observed personally or by some colleague, addressing Miss Maude Walker, Secretary to Dr. Bloodgood, Surgical Pathological Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland. Accompanying this registration must be the X-ray films, or lantern slides, a brief clinical history, and, if an operation has been performed, sections of tissue. If you cannot send lantern slides, we will make them ourselves from the X-ray films and microscopic sections.