Unit information: Managing People in Education in 2024/25

Unit name	Managing People in Education
Unit code	EDUCM5204
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Mrs. Lythgoe
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one	None
School/department	School of Education
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Unit Information

Why is this unit important?

This unit is important because it has the potential to impact the professional practice of the students. This is achieved by bringing the theory of the management of people in education together with the practical application of the concepts and ideas. This is done in several ways:

1. Students are encouraged to reflect on the theory and concepts in relation to their own experience of education or their experiences of working in education settings. This is encouraged both in discussion activities and in the summative assignment.
2. Current practitioners from local schools are invited to contribute to sessions where possible, thus bringing to life the theory by talking about how it is enacted in their education setting.
3. Students are encouraged in their written assignment to apply their knowledge of the theory in order to suggest developmental targets for managers of people in education.

This means the unit has the potential to have a positive impact on the professional practice of the students who take it.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study

The unit aims to include inputs from practitioners from local education settings in order to bring the theories and practices that we talk about to life. The outside speakers will bring a wide range of experiences to complement and extend the core component of the unit.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

The unit focuses on a range of theoretical concepts and practical applications that underpin the management and leadership practices crucial to the effective management of people in educational contexts, and with a large focus on schools. It combines lecture inputs and sessions run by a number of visiting speakers, along with a strong emphasis on active learning through discussion and case studies. Students are encouraged to apply theoretical and conceptual knowledge to the critical analysis of people management and leadership issues in the organisational and professional contexts in which they work or are aspiring to work. This results in learning and reflection which relates to the professional contexts that students come from or aspire to work in.

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit

On completion of this unit you will:

• be familiar with a range of theoretical perspectives on the management of people in educational contexts;
• understand the contributions made by research to knowledge about managing people in educational settings;
• have considered the relevance of theoretical concepts and practices in your own professional context;
• be able to apply theoretical understanding to the practice of managing and leading people in a range of settings;
• have demonstrated the ability to analyse critically issues relating to people management in educational organisations and to formulate developmental or remedial solutions;
• be better equipped to discharge personal responsibilities for managing others in your professional environment.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the unit students will be able to:

1. Explain theoretical perspectives on the management of people in educational contexts in order to build further professional practice and understanding;
2. Apply their understanding of the research about managing people in educational settings to the practical implications for their own professional practice;
3. Apply theoretical understanding to the practice of managing and leading people through reflection on local case studies and their own professional context
4. Independently source, manage and engage critically with a range of texts and data related to management of people in educational contexts, including through use of digital and web-based tools.

How you will learn

The unit will be will be taught using a mixture of activities such as lectures and seminars, case studies, critical analysis of key readings, group discussions, presentations from external speakers and student presentations.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):

A poster presentation where students present the plans for their assignment in the final lecture of the unit. Student must draw on at least two pieces of literature which convey the key arguments they intend to make in their essay. This is presented in a poster conference that all students take part in.

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

A 3,000 word assignment which will assess students' critical understanding of the literature and their ability to apply the concepts and theories explored to their own professional practice. (100%, ILOs 1-4)

When assessment does not go to plan

When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis. Students will resubmit a revised version of the original work.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EDUCM5204).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.