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SoE Success for All

Module description

Ensuring there are opportunities for you to discover, grow, and thrive whilst you are with us in the School of Education is important to us. This compulsory non-credit bearing module has been designed to support your transition into masters level study in a UK university by developing a range of skills, knowledge, and experiences for success during your time here and beyond.  This will include things like study skills and academic writing support, but also opportunities for you to establish a sense of ‘belonging’ within the SoE community through participation in a range of activities.  We want you to feel a welcomed and valued member of our community.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The principal aim of this module is to enable you to discover, grow and thrive as a Masters level student whilst in the School of Education.  As a result, this module will provide opportunities for you to:

• Develop and grow your knowledge, skills, and understanding of how to succeed within the academic discipline of Education at Masters level which promotes critical engagement with theory, research, policy and practice in the field
• Experience a sense of belonging so that you feel a valued member of our internationally and culturally diverse SoE community and are therefore able to thrive in an environment which celebrates and embraces difference.
• Discover opportunities to engage in the wider university community and effect change through participating in programmes such as Bystander Training and the Exeter Award;  
• Ensure that you continue to discover, grow and thrive through engaging in ‘next steps’ sessions which are targeted at supporting your decisions for post-masters study and/or future employment

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Develop skills associated with masters level study such as academic reading, thinking, and writing
• 2. Develop skills, knowledge and understanding of good academic practice
• 3. Develop skills needed to a self-directed, autonomous and independent learner who can work collaboratively with others as a mutually supportive member of a team

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Develop skills, knowledge and understanding of how to access, read, and interpret relevant literature in the field
• 5. Develop skills associated with critical engagement with theory, policy, research and practice in the field of Education

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Develop skills that will enable you to contribute to the wider learning community and help you to thrive in an internationally and culturally diverse environment that celebrates and embraces difference
• 7. Make the most of opportunities available to enhance your future employment prospects

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover the following topics: 

• How to access and make the most of resources available through the University of Exeter library
• How to think, read, and write with criticality
• How to synthesise and paraphrase the ideas of others
• How to reference your sources using APA-7 referencing style
• Understanding what is meant by good academic practice, plagiarism and academic honesty
• Getting your voice heard and the Student Guild
• Wellbeing, self-care, and Stress Management
• Community, belonging, and Global Citizenship (eg peer mentoring, accessing societies, and intercultural café etc
• How to develop your skills as an autonomous, motivated self-directed and independent learner
• Getting involved with the wider university community eg the Exeter Award, Green Consultants, Peer mentoring, Exe-change the Norm bystander intervention training etc – Students as Agents of Change, volunteering, getting teaching experience
• An introduction to Education in England
• Time management and organisation
• Planning for the future: Employability and Career Planning and Moving on to Doctoral study

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Cottrell, S. (2019) The Study Skills Handbook 5th ed. (Palgrave Macmillan)
• Hopkins, D., & Reid, T. (2018). The academic skills handbook: Your guide to success in writing, thinking and communicating at university. Sage.
• Shon, P. C. (2015). How to read journal articles in the social sciences: A very practical guide for students. How to Read Journal Articles in the Social Sciences, 1-144.
• Smale, B., & Fowlie, J. (2015). How to Succeed at University: An Essential Guide to Academic Skills, Personal Development & Employability. Sage.
• Alexander, R. (2022). You've Got This: A Student’s Guide to Well-being at University and Beyond

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• https://apastyle.apa.org/

Key words search

Induction, transition, study skills, belonging