Dissertation Portfolio
| Module title | Dissertation Portfolio |
|---|---|
| Module code | EFPM642 |
| Academic year | 2025/6 |
| Credits | 60 |
| Module staff | Dr Sharon Morgan (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 4 | 4 | 7 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 40 |
|---|
Module description
Drawing from the discipline of teaching inquiry, this module will provide you with ideas, resources, and tools to support your own education inquiry, promoting the discussion of contemporary issues in education, alongside creating an educational artefact or resource aimed at enhancing the teaching and learning of others. You will engage in iterative cycles of exploration, investigation, and reflection, deepening your understanding of key educational concepts and related them to developing questions regarding specific issues in contemporary education. Through inquiry-based learning, you will pose questions, reflect on your practice and the practices of others, gather information from existing academic research, and make informed decisions regarding how to enhance the learning of others.
We use the terms artefact and resource to refer to something which is designed and created by you with the intention of addressing a specific issue in education practice. Previous artefact examples and research questions include:
- How can Chinese education enhance teaching methods to foster critical thinking skills? Artefact: a Whodunit murder mystery role play lesson
- How does creative dance education enhance elementary school students' mental wellbeing: Artefacts: lesson plans and teaching resources
- How can we help busy teachers to embed creative thinking in everyday teaching? Artefact: Podcast Series which interviewed a range of academics regarding their conceptualisations of creativity.
- What are the existing problems faced by primary school teachers in China when disciplining students? Artefact: shadow puppet video
- What are the most effective strategies and tools for helping primary school students transition from spoken Arabic dialects to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)? Artefacts: lesson plans and teaching resources
- How does the integration of identity formation in professional development programmes in Peru influence teachers’ motivation and resilience? Artefact: in-service training materials
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of this module is to develop your knowledge and skills required to:
- Develop understanding of teacher inquiry and how it can be applied to practice
- Develop and review project aims
- Review and synthesise relevant academic literature to support your understanding of the problem
- Apply theory, research, and policy to an aspect of practice by designing and creating a practice-based artefact / resource
- Present an aspect of your portfolio to peers
- Critically evaluate the final artefact and the learning processes
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Critically evaluate current research and academic literature in a chosen area of study
- 2. Demonstrate originality in the application of theory, research, and policy to create an artefact or product
- 3. Critically reflect on and evaluate the project and learning process
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Demonstrate a critical awareness of a current problem in education or professional practice
- 5. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the relevant knowledge and skills applicable to the creation of an artefact or resource.
- 6. Critically reflect upon and evaluate your own understanding of current issues and debates in education and those of others
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Undertake both directed and independent study to recognise, justify, and analyse key ideas in the literature and relate these to research, theory, policy and practice
- 8. Develop project management skills: problem solving; critical thinking; digital literacy, and respond creatively to potential challenges
- 9. Synthesise and communicate ideas in writing and where relevant verbally
Syllabus plan
- Teacher inquiry and inquiry-based teaching practices
- Identification of a research ‘problem’ and research context
- Identification and synthesis of relevant academic literature
- How to use theory, policy, and research to inform practice
- Planning and creating authentic artefact / resource for ‘real world’ contexts
Teaching for this module runs across the three terms:
- Term 1: A combination of lectures and seminars to introduce inquiry-based teaching practices, identify a research problem, establish the research context, and reflect on your own positionality.
- Term 2: A mix of lectures, seminars, and the introduction of small group tutorials to formulate a research question, plan the research project overview, and deepen understanding of the problem through relevant literature.
- Term 3: Primarily small group tutorials with some seminars to identify relevant theory for artefact design, focus on designing artefacts (e.g., curriculum and assessment design), and engage in critical reflection on practice and the learning process.
Note: there is no one-to-one supervision on this module.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 560 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 20 | 10 x 120 minute face to face lecture / seminars |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 7 | 7 x 60 minute seminars / workshops |
| Group Tutorials | 13 | 13 x 60 minute tutorials |
| Guided Independent Study | 560 | Complete tasks through module online materials and suggested readings., Conduct independent research and creation of artefact., Prepare for formative and summative assessments |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written assignment | 1000 words | 1, 2, 4, 5, 9 | Written |
| Project Plan | 500 words | 3, 4, 7 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio Part One | 50 | 5,500 words | 1-9 | Written and grade |
| Portfolio Part Two | 50 | Equivalent to 5,500 words | 1-9 | Written and grade |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio Part One | Resubmission of Portfolio Part One | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral Period |
| Portfolio Part Two | Resubmission of Portfolio Part Two | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral Period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Bartlett, S., & Burton, D. (Diana M. ). (2020). Introduction to education studies. (Fifth edition / Steve Bartlett and Diana Burton.). SAGE.
- Brookfield, S. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. Jossey-Bass.
- Clarke, A., & Erickson, G. (Eds.). (2004). Teacher inquiry: A defining feature of professional practice. In Teacher inquiry: Living the research in everyday practice (1st ed., pp. 1-15). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203417669
- Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Introducing and focusing the study. In Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed., pp. 127–146). SAGE.
- Dunn, R. (2023). Teacher inquiry: Towards a typology of a teacher's inquiry disposition. Professional Development in Education, 49(5), 884-898. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2021.1879219
- Mahon, K., Heikkinen, H.L.T., Huttunen, R., Boyle, T., & Sjølie, E. (2020). What is Educational Praxis? In Pedagogy, Education, and Praxis in Critical Times. Springer, Singapore
- Timperley, H., Kaser, L., & Halbert, J. (2014). A framework for transforming learning in schools: Innovation and the spiral of inquiry (Seminar series 234). Melbourne: Centre for Strategic Education.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
ELE – www.ele.exeter.ac.uk
| Credit value | 60 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 30 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 14/03/2025 |
| Last revision date | 14/03/2025 |
