Modules

Module 1 - Traditions, Powers & Contexts (10 ECTS) 

When: Semester 1 

The content of this module will cover:  

1. Introduce the key historical developments in European and Irish higher education. 

1. Offer an introduction to the key sociological concepts and dimensions of higher education, including social stratification and reproduction, academia and the labour process, and social, cultural and economic globalisation. 

1. Provide a critical introduction to key policy developments in higher education from global, European and Irish perspectives, including the development of the knowledge-based economy, massification, social inclusion, widening participation, and managerialism. 

1. Offer an introduction to key philosophical concepts associated with higher education, including Building, ethics, epistemology, selfhood, and identity. 

Learning outcomes: 

On successful completion of the module students should be able to:   

• apply selected historical, sociological and philosophical concepts in relation to the field of higher education 

• communicate and articulate an informed ethical, social and cultural stance on issues related to higher education 

• analyse and identify the past, present and future policy trends in higher education through deconstruction of policy documentation  

• apply the concepts explored in the module within their own disciplinary contexts, and teaching and learning environments  

• appreciate the importance of these historical, sociological and philosophical concepts in their own professional development  

 

Module 2 - Reflecting on Practice in learning and teaching (10 ECTS) 

When: Semester 1 

The content of this module will cover:  

1. the role of learning and teaching in Higher Education; 

1. critical reflection and reflective practice in learning and teaching; 

1. the role that a Teaching Philosophy statement and a Teaching Portfolio plays in the evaluation of one’s teaching and student learning; 

1. the role and process of peer review; 

1. methods of evaluation of academic teaching and student learning. 

1. Online learning pedagogies and engagement with technology enhanced learning. 

 

Learning Outcomes: 

On successful completion of the module students should be able to:   

• identify and articulate their Teaching Philosophy 

• appraise the role of reflective practice in teaching and learning  

• identify, perform and analyse evaluations of their teaching and contribute effectively to a peer evaluation process 

• construct a Teaching Portfolio that evaluates their teaching and demonstrates critical reflection  

• reflect critically on the use of technology enhanced learning and online learning pedagogies  

 

Module 3 – Curriculum, Assessment & Supervision (10 ECTS) 

When: Semester 2 

The content of this module will cover:  

• An introduction to the key ideas of content, process, context, and practice in curriculum theory. 

• Situating curriculum design socially, historically, and autobiographically within a discipline. 

• Access and inclusion in curriculum, and the teacher as both a private and public intellectual. 

• An introduction to formative and summative modes of assessment, including the use of group and self-assessment in higher education, and the use of ICT in assessment. 

• An introduction to different forms of pedagogy related to the context of higher education and adult education more generally. 

Learning Outcomes: 

On successful completion of the module students should be able to:  

• apply selected models of curriculum design to the construction of learning modules in the disciplines  

• construct a module in the discipline with rationale, aims, learning outcomes and syllabus  

• analyse and evaluate different modes of assessment that can be integrated in modules to achieve learning outcomes ( 

• apply the pedagogical concepts explored in the module within their own disciplinary contexts, and teaching and learning environments  

Module 4 – Integrating learning and research through practice (10 ECTS) 

When: Semester 2 

The content of this module will cover:  

1. the role of learning and teaching in Higher Education; 

1. critical reflection and reflective practice in learning and teaching; 

1. the role that a Teaching Philosophy statement and a Teaching Portfolio plays in the evaluation of one’s teaching and student learning; 

1. the role and process of peer review; 

1. methods of evaluation of academic teaching and student learning. 

1. Online learning pedagogies and engagement with technology enhanced learning. 

 

Learning Outcomes: 

On successful completion of the module students should be able to:   

• identify and articulate their Teaching Philosophy 

• appraise the role of reflective practice in teaching and learning  

• identify, perform and analyse evaluations of their teaching and contribute effectively to a peer evaluation process  

• construct a Teaching Portfolio that evaluates their teaching and demonstrates critical reflection  

• reflect critically on the use of technology enhanced learning and online learning pedagogies