MA Digital Technologies, Communication and Education

University of Manchester (MANCHESTER)

• Location Manchester, United Kingdom
• Type of Degree MA
• Start Date No info
• Duration No info
• Application Deadline No info
• Language English
• Attendance On Campus
• Dedication Full-time
• Pace Instructor-paced
• Tuition fees No info

Program description

MA Digital Technologies, Communication and Education is an award-winning course that uses digital technologies, the broadcast media and/or interpersonal, group or organisational communications techniques to enhance practice, research and the professional and academic development of educators in technology- and information-rich environments.

This MA is designed to help teachers, lecturers, administrators, managers, e-learning designers, trainers and anyone else with an interest in education to understand the impact of digital technologies and media.

It uses digital technologies, the broadcast media and/or interpersonal, group or organisational communications techniques to enhance practice, research and the professional and academic development of educators in technology- and information-rich environments.

Aims

You will:

• Further your career by improving your skills and knowledge base in the area of digital technologies and communication, in order that these can be applied in any educational setting
• Enhance your interpersonal and group communications skills in order to learn independently and make effective decisions through self-reflection on your own practice
• Develop the ability to design your own educational materials using digital technologies and in particular to develop creative and innovative approaches to this work
• Build your confidence and ability to identify and critically evaluate the use of digital technologies, whether in formal educational settings or the informal educational processes of society, and with specific reference to your own needs and practice
• Develop your ability to systematically understand and critically evaluate research and research methodologies relevant to digital technologies in education, and apply this knowledge in actual research projects
• Develop an ability to manage and understand rapid technological change and its effect on educational processes, institutions and policies

Special features

• Education has been a discipline of study at Manchester since 1890
• Our students come from all over the globe, and our qualifications are recognised across the globe
• Our research improves the quality of education across the world, with 78% of our activity defined as `world-leading' or `internationally excellent' (Research Excellence Framework 2014)

Teaching and learning

Formalised lectures are rare. Instead, classes tend to mix lecturer input with group work, computer and video activities, simulations, problem-based learning and class discussions.

We make considerable use of enquiry-based learning (EBL), encouraging students' critical reflection on their own practice and beliefs: formed both by their professional experiences and intuitions, and theory and research. We encourage both individual and co-operative learning and research and hope to foster an ethos of life-long-learning.

As most of our participants are themselves experienced teachers, we appreciate the wealth of knowledge and practical experience that they bring to the course and we encourage all participants to use all sources of professional insights including their fellow participants.

We provide training in the use of electronic databases, library resources, and computer based statistics packages. Many other key skills will be developed during the course.

Coursework and assessment

The form of the assessment varies from unit to unit, including:

• Practical project work (ie creation of a web site or other educational software)
• A written literature review or other essay of approximately 3,500 words
• Criticism of existing software, websites, etc
• Creation of a teaching portfolio
• Writing reports on schools or other educational settings
• Collaborative group work

For dissertations, you can choose between a Mode A (traditional-type) or a Mode B (portfolio-type) dissertation.

Mode A dissertations report on a research project of your own design or, possibly, discuss or develop theoretical understanding relevant to the field and/or your professional development.

Mode B dissertations are more practical, and involve you designing, testing and implementing a technological solution to an educational problem, for example, a website or piece of interactive multimedia, and then reporting on this process.

Mode A dissertations are 15,000-20,000 words long. The length of Mode B work can be negotiated, but the overall workload is expected to be equivalent to that of a Mode A.