Module EDUC59230: Leading Change in Education Organisations

Department: Education

EDUC59230: Leading Change in Education Organisations

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To have critical understanding of management, leadership and change in the context of organisation of educational institutions organisations.

Content

• • The scale and number of educational reforms, together with the speed with which they have been introduced, have made the successful leadership of change the key task of many professionals within educational organisations, and often the organisations themselves. Whilst a number of different disciplinary areas consider models of leadership and change, education frequently represents a unique context where the individuals responsible for leading and implementing change have no real background in leadership or indeed responsibility for developing the change they are charged with implementing. Frequently, those who find themselves in leadership positions in education are those who have been identified as excellent practitioners and this is not without its challenges.
• It is no longer enough to respond to change of this significance by becoming marginally more efficient or effective. Instead, there will have to be a more radical response which will alter fundamentally the culture of educational institutions and the roles and responsibilities of all those working within them.
• This module explores three large and inter-related themes:
• Theories and models of leadership with a particular focus on leadership within an educational context.
• Theories of change and its implementation in education and Educational organisations.
• The policy contexts of educational change at a local, national and, where relevant, international level.
• This module tries to capture both the far-reaching and deep-seated nature of change and the complexity of the change process itself within educational organisations.
• If one were to try to characterise the closing years of the twentieth century and those opening the twenty first, the impact of rapid and universal change would feature highly. In all walks of life we see the raised profile of issues in management and the drive for quality as responses to change. This is not confined to the world of education but is ubiquitous and all-pervasive in a developed consumer society. Hence to confine oneself to the educational literature alone is to overlook some of the significant changes that are taking place in society, industry and the economy as well as in education. Changes in society have a significant impact on education. Education has to initiate and reflect changes in society and to prepare society's future citizens to become active members of changing societies. How this can be approached will be one of the key foci of this module.
• This module tries to capture both the far-reaching and deep-seated nature of change and the complexity of the change process itself within educational organisations.

Learning Outcomes

• To have a critical understanding of the policy context that underpins educational change.
• To develop a Critical understanding of the-contexts of educational change; and the models of change that might be utilised.
• To develop a critical understanding of key theories of leadership in Educational contexts

• By the end of the module students will be able to:
• Critique key theories of leadership and change
• Analyse and evaluate the policy contexts of change in educational organisations;
• Critically reflect upon and challenge the relationship between theory and practice.

• Demonstrate the ability to research, select, critique and synthesise literature, into a coherent written argument.
• Demonstrate the ability to evaluate educational research;

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module is delivered through a series of interactive workshops that are designed to introduce students to the key theories, concepts and ideas of the module. The format of each workshop will vary but workshops will offer students the opportunity to explore theories reflect on ideas and discuss with peers and tutors the merits and limitations of current understandings. These workshops will build on preparatory and in class activities and set readings and offer students the opportunity to explore key concepts and construct their own understandings of the relevant literature.
• Guided reading sessions will identify core readings for the module and form dedicated discussion groups to explore the reading and relevant ideas in more depth. The facilitated reading groups will happen as both face-to-face sessions and through the dedicated class blog.
• Face-to-face teaching is supplemented by a series of preparatory tasks which students will be required to do in time for each of the workshops. These tasks will include, for example, reading specific case studies of change in educational organisations and being ready to discuss the case taking a particular perspective. Reviewing relevant media sources to look for models of leadership in use, and writing reading summaries as a contribution to the class blog.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

The module contains a number of opportunities for formative feedback through the discussions in the workshops and tutor and peer comment on blog entries and paper summaries. In addition there is a formative assessment task specifically designed to support students in the development of their summative work. Students will prepare an outline, maximum 2 pages, of their change scenario and identify a sample of the relevant literature and constructs that will be used to analyse their change event. Students will receive written feedback on these outlines but will also have an opportunity for an individual meeting with the module tutor to discuss their plan prior to the written submission.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University