EDF5761 · Education in contemporary contexts

Overview

Educators in the twenty-first century occupy challenging positions, as the fluid dynamic of instruction and learning constantly shifts. As both a learner and educator, you will be called upon to be facilitators and producers of creative programs which will develop your students for both the present and the future. Intended to initially explore the complexity of educator roles within this context, this unit will also consider strategies to support educators, and equip you to sustain and promote teams within which you work. The unit will reflect on the use of professional expertise to inform contemporary educational settings, while considering the modern context and its digital complements that influence and shape learning. Additionally, the unit will reflect on both contextual and global policy shifts and initiatives in education which demonstrate an awareness of universal designs for learning and teaching. The nature of the educator’s role often involves collaboration with peers – this unit will explore some of these dynamics and reflect on how coaching and mentoring could form part of the contemporary educator’s compendium. Essentially, the unit will offer scope to consider the dynamics of educational contexts broadly, and then more specifically on distinctive contemporary elements which impact upon teaching and learning.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. demonstrate an understanding of the dynamics of contemporary education, while reflecting on elements that are more context-specific within teaching and learning
2. interact with the significant dialogue, through engaging with contemporary debates in the field through both collective and independent study
3. evaluate critically and analyse research, literature and knowledge within the education sector, drawing on personal judgement to shape programming and initiatives
4. communicate an awareness and understanding of contemporary debates in education, through a sustained literature review of current factors which impact on teaching and learning
5. synthesize knowledge of contemporary education and utilise this to create a personal initiative to enhance the delivery of educational programs in the contemporary context
6. demonstrate an understanding of theoretical methodologies within contemporary education
7. analyse and evaluate emerging research and professional practice within both contextual and global contexts, demonstrating an awareness of policies more broadly, and as they apply more distinctively to individual settings
8. generate and research an individual topic, applying the required knowledge and skill of scholarship, while interacting with complex concepts and ideas in the field.

Workload

The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 288 hours per teaching period comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Usually, you can expect to engage with: • 12 hours of scheduled learning delivered on campus via weekly/regular directed learning activities, 24 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities and the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study OR • 36 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities and the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study^ ^ International students studying in Australia are not permitted to undertake this scheduled learning delivery mode Scheduled learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.