These negotiated professional practice work-based learning programmes are purposely flexible and are designed to be responsive to the changing work force development needs of the health, social care and education sectors and to the professional development needs of individual practitioners.
This course is delivered entirely online.
This is a flexible, work based route to gaining a postgraduate qualification in a particular area of professional practice, that can be customised to meet your needs and those of your workplace. It is ideal for those who have completed previous accredited activity/qualifications/CPD as well as for those who have significant prior experience of work in the health, social care and education sectors.
You will be supported to reflect and build upon your prior experience and experiential learning to develop advanced situated knowledge based around your workplace context. You will develop your advanced practitioner inquiry, leadership and project skills to develop your own practice and practice in your organisation. You will also be able to design and lead a work based project that has the potential to transform your own practice and that of others.
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During the course of this programme, you will develop your knowledge and critical understanding of a range of theoretical concepts and practice knowledge that can be applied to give new insight to real work contexts and complex issues. You will study ethical principles, values and codes of practice and explore how these can be critically applied to your practice and that of others. You will also explore the influence of current policy, organisational context, quality imperatives and workplace priorities on practice development. You will also look into relevant methodologies and improvement strategies for developing practice/service in health, social care and education settings.
All modules are delivered through online distance learning.
On completion of this programme, you will be able to effectively engage, network and communicate with relevant stakeholders and academic audiences, and take responsibility and leadership for practice/service development initiatives. You will understand how to critically evaluate practice or organisational issues and apply creative problem solving techniques, advanced inquiry and action planning. You will have the ability to systematically design, undertake and manage a work based project that has the potential to transform your own practice and that of others. Finally, you will learn to critically reflect and evaluate your own practice and systematically plan professional development.
All modules are delivered through online distance learning.
This module is designed to enable you to critically evaluate your personal and professional development needs as a part of your programme. The goal will be to create a professional development portfolio in which you critically reflect on your development and critically discuss its relevance to the aims and needs of your studies and your practice in the workplace. You will critically reflect on your current practice and create planning for future continued professional development when considering your own work/practice context and practice. The professional development portfolio will facilitate an investigation of your unique professional experience and context to enable you to decide on your own priorities and goals, and to develop a future strategy for achieving these. There will be an opportunity to reflect on the way learning has contributed to current work practice, and to evaluate the contribution of professional engagement with peers and professionals.
This module is a culmination of your Masters study and provides the opportunity to synthesise professional and academic learning. It will support you to undertake a substantial work based project that is designed to develop your own professional practice and address a practice, organisational or service issue that you have already identified in your workplace or professional field. Building on your understanding of advanced practitioner inquiry methodologies, you will be encouraged to consider improvement and leadership strategies to support the successful management of your project with the potential to deliver real outcomes that can transform practice.
This module is designed to develop your understanding of a range of advanced inquiry and research methodologies appropriate for practitioners, in order to design a real work based project or practice development activity that has clear objectives related to your own professional development or the development of practice in your setting. you will be expected to focus on specific service, organisational or practice related issues and take initiative and leadership. It will explore approaches to advanced practitioner inquiry and innovative research methods appropriate for your area of practice. It will enable critical reflection upon your position as a ‘practitioner or insider researcher’ and the ethical implications that could arise during the project.
The aim of this module is for you to review and reflect on past and current learning experiences, and your ongoing professional development. This module will allow you to undertake tasks that develop the skills of reflection and critical analysis that are necessary for study at level 7. The module will also engage you in a process of recognising experiential and certificated learning leading to accreditation of learning, which gives individuals access to the full range of postgraduate University awards.
This module will support your to undertake a small work based project or activity that is designed to systematically develop areas of your own and/or others professional practice. You will plan, carry out and evaluate a small project and critically discuss the learning gained, as well as outcomes of the project for your area of practice and setting. The focus of the projects are negotiated and can be related to individual or team practice development aims. As these small projects are not usually research based it is not envisaged that formal ethical approval will be required. However relevant workplace permissions will still need to be gained.
This module will support your to undertake a small work based project or activity that is designed to systematically develop areas of your own and/or others professional practice. You will plan, carry out and evaluate a small project and critically discuss the learning gained, as well as outcomes of the project for your area of practice and setting. The focus of the projects are negotiated and can be related to individual or team practice development aims. As these small projects are not usually research based it is not envisaged that formal ethical approval will be required. However relevant workplace permissions will still need to be gained.
This module will support your to undertake a small work based project or activity that is designed to systematically develop areas of your own and/or others professional practice. You will plan, carry out and evaluate a small project and critically discuss the learning gained, as well as outcomes of the project for your area of practice and setting. The focus of the projects are negotiated and can be related to individual or team practice development aims. As these small projects are not usually research based it is not envisaged that formal ethical approval will be required. However relevant workplace permissions will still need to be gained.
This module will support your to undertake a small work based project or activity that is designed to systematically develop areas of your own and/or others professional practice. You will plan, carry out and evaluate a small project and critically discuss the learning gained, as well as outcomes of the project for your area of practice and setting. The focus of the projects are negotiated and can be related to individual or team practice development aims. As these small projects are not usually research based it is not envisaged that formal ethical approval will be required. However relevant workplace permissions will still need to be gained.
This module will support your to undertake a small work based project or activity that is designed to systematically develop areas of your own and/or others professional practice. You will plan, carry out and evaluate a small project and critically discuss the learning gained, as well as outcomes of the project for your area of practice and setting. The focus of the projects are negotiated and can be related to individual or team practice development aims. As these small projects are not usually research based it is not envisaged that formal ethical approval will be required. However relevant workplace permissions will still need to be gained.
You can find more information about this course here:
Optional modules are not offered on every course. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.
We are regularly reviewing and updating our programmes to ensure you have the best learning experience. We are taking what we've learnt in recent years by enhancing our teaching methods with new and innovative ways of learning.
The course is taught entirely through online distance learning. On all programmes, modules are supported through an online approach, involving online workshops, supported online peer interaction, tutor support and guided self-study.
Most modules run over 12 week semesters from October to January or January to May. The final project module runs over 2 semesters.
All modules are assessed through course work that is directly relevant to your own practice and work context. Key assessment requirements are:
We have developed new approaches to teaching and learning for the 2021/22 academic year, and have resumed the majority of our teaching on campus.
We are currently reviewing our approach to teaching and learning for 2022 entry and beyond. We've learned a lot about how to give you a quality education - we aim to combine the best of our pre-pandemic teaching and learning with access to online learning and digital resources which put you more in charge of when and how you study. We will keep you updated on this throughout the application process.
Your timetable will be built around on campus sessions using our professional facilities, with online sessions for some activities where we know being virtual will add value. We’ll use technology to enhance all of your learning and give you access to online resources to use in your own time.
You’ll receive final arrangements for your teaching and a full course timetable before you start. Delivery may differ in light of block teaching requirements, with theory sections covered online and practical sessions delivered in specialist spaces on campus.
Outside of these hours, you’ll be expected to do independent study where you read, listen and reflect on other learning activities. This can include preparation for future classes. In a year, you’ll typically be expected to commit 1200 hours to your course across all styles of learning. If you are taking a placement, you might have some additional hours.
Definitions of terms
Support
You have a strong support network available to you to make sure you develop all the necessary academic skills you need to do well on your course.
Our support services will be delivered online and on campus and you have access to a range of different resources so you can get the help you need, whether you’re studying at home or have the opportunity to come to campus.
You have access to one to one and group sessions for personal learning and academic support from our library and IT teams, and our network of learning experts. Our teams will also be here to offer financial advice, and personal wellbeing, mental health and disability support.
As this programme gives you the skills and experience you need to apply directly into your current service or practice, the range of projects can vary. Below are just some examples of previous student projects:
Past students tell us how the Msc and their work based project in particular has helped their career progression and promotion:
Ruth is the Director of Programmes for Accreditation, RPL and Work-Based Learning across the School of Health and Education. She has extensive experience across FE and HE developing programmes in response to workforce development needs across the sector. She has a particular interest in the recognition of students experiential learning and developing their project skills to lead real practice development.
Dr Nottingham is based in the Department of Education within the Faculty of Professional and Social Sciences working on the professional doctorate programme and degree apprenticeships. Her research interests are in higher education and work-based pedagogy, lifelong learning and professional doctorates. She has been the co-covenor for the UALL Work and Learning Network since 2015 and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education academy.
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.
Start: September 2022, January 2023
Duration: 2-3 (max 5) years part-time
Code: PGB70Y
Start: January 2023, October 2022
Duration: 2 - 3 years part-time
Code: PGB72Y
Start: September 2022
Code: PGB70C
