Master of Education
Offered byGraduate School of Education,
The University of Western Australia
in collaboration with
School of Continuing Education,
Hong Kong Baptist University
The University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA), established in 1911, is Western Australia’s premier university and one of Australia’s most prestigious educational institutions. UWA is one of Australia’s elite “sandstone” universities, one of the “Group of Eight” in the top bracket of Australian universities. It is regarded as one of Australia’s top research institutions, attracting researchers of world standing across the range of disciplines, with international leaders in many diverse fields. UWA promotes excellence in teaching through commitment and strong support to professional development, and also through its annual Excellence in Teaching Awards. It has acquired an international reputation for academic excellence and achievement, and has achieved top national ratings (five stars) for its prestige, research performance, staff qualifications, student demand, gender balance, positive graduate outcomes and academic services in Australia’s foremost non-government rating of universities, the “Good Universities Guide”.
The Graduate School of Education
UWA has offered programmes in education, through its Graduate School of Education (GSE), since 1916. Its educational graduates and staff have occupied leading positions as principals in schools, in educational systems as consultants
and administrators, and as leading researchers and academics in universities all over the world. The GSE is committed to quality programmes suited to the diverse individual and cultural needs of professional educators. The GSE is also committed to ensuring its strong international identity and status as a centre for innovative teaching practices, developing new programmes and research initiatives, and providing professional development opportunities.
The GSE has an established track record in conducting its programmes internationally in Singapore and Hong Kong. GSE staff are internationally known and respected for their work in different areas of education. They present regularly at major national and international conferences, publish widely in top quality international journals, write important books for education and consult widely in education in Australia and internationally. They bring this expertise to the Hong Kong programme.
Master of Education
(MEd)
Aim of the Programme
To expose students to theory and to national and international educational practices so that they can link diverse theory and practices with their own experiences, and through discussion, debate and the sharing of ideas and information, broaden their knowledge and improve their practices. It also provides an opportunity to develop specialised research skills leading on to further professional research.
Programme Structure
The degree of Master of Education comprises coursework to the value of 48 points, made up of 36 points of coursework (6 units of study at 6 points each) and a dissertation worth 12 points. It will require 2-year part-time study. The entire programme will be conducted in a face-to-face mode with UWA academic staff undertaking all teaching in Hong Kong. It is offered through a series of intensive lectures over an eighteen-month period with supervision support of dissertation for further six months.
Assessment
Assignments, normally 5000-word assignment per unit
10,000-word dissertation
Programme Fee
The tuition fee of HKD102,120* is to be paid in four equal instalments.
Programme fees include the provision of learning materials, registration cost, intensive lectures, assignment marking, supervision and examination of the dissertation, as well as general administrative support.
Main Features
The degrees are exactly the same as those taken by students in Australia, and have the same status 100% face-to-face teaching by UWA academic
staff
2-year part-time study for six taught units plus a dissertation provided with intensive and expert supervision
Classes are held on weekday evenings and weekends
Access to HKBU Library and SCE Resource Library
Access to UWA Library and Databases
Admission Requirements
The normal requirements for entry to the postgraduate programmes in Education are:
A previous university degree relevant professional experience
English language proficiency - applicants from a non-English speaking background would normally be expected to have: TOEFL score of 570 (Paper-based)/230 (Computer based) with 4.5 in Essay Writing/TWE or IELTS score of 6.5 with no band less than 6.0
All applications will be considered on the basis of individual merit for the MEd programme.
Teaching Schedule
2014 - Week of:
November 3 EDUC5634 Qualitative Inquiry
2015 - Week of:
January 19 EDUC5612 Leadership for Learning April 6 EDUC5608 E-learning
June 15 or 22 EDUC5631 Approaches to Research
September EDUC5678 Improving Learning and Teaching in the Curriculum To be
confirmed EDUC5633 Quantitative Inquiry
2016
To be
state-level policies and practices relevant to educational leadership; relate theories of educational leadership to personal experiences and
practices through a process of reflection and discussion; and demonstrate a capacity to think about leadership issues and problem solving in relation to educational organisations.
EDUC5631 Approaches to Research
This unit provides an introduction to research methods (quantitative and qualitative). There are four sections:
(1) the nature and historical background of research in education;
(2) an overview of quantitative research methods; (3) an overview of qualitative research methods; and (4) proposal development and the writing of research
reports, with emphasis on master’s dissertation and theses.
Students are able to demonstrate a broad understanding of the nature of research in education; demonstrate a broad understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods; and write a high-quality research proposal for a Master’s level project.
Unit Description
EDUC5608 E-learning
This unit explores e-learning and m-learning (mobile learning). It focuses on the pedagogical aspects of teaching and learning with computers and mobile technologies. Topics include the latest developments in e-learning; the discourse of normalisation; online pedagogy; digital literacies; and social, sociopolitical and ecological issues connected with e-learning and m-learning. Students explore a range of web 2.0 tools and mobile apps in a hands-on manner, focusing on those most relevant to their own teaching practice. Tools and techniques explored may include apps, blogs, chat, data visualisation, digital storytelling, discussion boards, folksonomies, gaming, IM, machinima, microblogging, podcasting, polling, RSS, search, social networking, social sharing, virtual worlds,
v o d c a s t i n g , VOIP and wikis. Students are able to broaden and d e e p e n t h e i r understanding of e-learning and
m-learning; gain practical experience; and are able to reflect critically, synthesise information and apply new ideas to local educational contexts.
EDUC5612 Leadership for Learning
Educational leadership is examined in the current global context of change and reform. Leadership approaches are linked with theoretical perspectives about organisations and students are asked to apply insights gained from reading and discussion to their specific work context. Evolving views of educational leadership are examined with a particular emphasis on organisational culture, teaching and learning, the management of change, and developing relationships with the community. Students are able to explain theory relevant to the field of educational leadership; critically analyse international, national and
EDUC5633 Quantitative Inquiry
This unit focuses on the principles of research design and the analysis of quantitative data from research and evaluation studies in education and the social sciences. Topics include reliability, validity, the interpretation of quantitative data and the development of measuring instruments and scales. Students are able to critically analyse reports from assessment and evaluation studies in education and the social sciences; identify appropriate techniques for the analysis of quantitative data; and interpret and present the results of such analyses in an appropriate format.
EDUC5634 Qualitative Inquiry
This unit gives an overview of present-day qualitative research methods. It includes historical background, t h e p h i l o s o p h i c a l context and paradigm c o n s i d e r a t i o n s . It focuses particularly on design and strategy in qualitative research and on the collection and analysis of qualitative data. It also covers
developing and writing qualitative research proposals and writing qualitative research reports. Students are able to understand the background to the present day emphasis on qualitative methods in educational research; appreciate the diversity and complexity of qualitative empirical enquiry; understand the role of philosophical issues in qualitative enquiry; understand the main strategies and designs for qualitative research; apply the different methods of collecting and analysing qualitative empirical materials; and demonstrate an understanding of how to write a qualitative research proposal.
EDUC5678 Improving Learning and Teaching
in the Curriculum
This unit focuses on national curricula as a phenomenon in a variety of countries; teachers’ views on curriculum initiatives in a climate of restructuring and devolution; curriculum and ideology, curriculum as a social construct; the nature of curriculum development, differentiating between curriculum design and curriculum development; the nature of situational analysis, the relationship between situational analysis and curriculum development, Skillbeck’s approach to situational analysis; an introduction to different forms of curriculum organisation, the subject-based approach to curriculum organisation, the relationship between a subject-based approach to curriculum organisation and the teaching of thinking skills; organising the curriculum according to pupils’ interests, ‘themes’ or ‘topics’, and ‘integration’; and the nature of the curriculum change process, Vanterpool’s principles of curriculum change, Adams and Chen’s proposition on curriculum acceptance and persistence. Students have a broad understanding of the meaning of the concepts of curriculum design, curriculum development, curriculum implementation, curriculum diffusion, curriculum innovation, curriculum evaluation and curriculum management; the contemporary educational scene in Australia, particularly in Western Australia, with respect to each of these concepts; and the major research questions in Australia in the areas associated with these general concepts and the variety of approaches to researching these curriculum areas.
EDUC5620 Master’s Dissertation
The dissertation (about 10,000 words) provides evidence that the student can generate a problem and/or research area from his/her own interests or professional work in education; demonstrate mastery of that area; and show a capacity to review it critically. Seminars focus on research design, critical literature review and policy analysis. Students are able to generate a problem and/ or research area from their own interests or professional work in education; critically review the background research in that area; and produce a coherent and cohesive dissertation with the nominated area.
Application Procedure
Application forms can be obtained from the following SCE offices during application period:
Headquarters
2/F, Franki Centre, 320 Junction Road, HKBU, Kowloon Tong
Tel: 3411 1919
Campus Centre - DLB office
4/F, David C. Lam Building, Shaw Campus, Renfrew Road, HKBU, Kowloon Tong Tel: 3411 5459
Campus Centre - SCE Tower office
8/F, Madam Chan Wu Wan Kwai SCE Tower, Baptist University Road Campus,
HKBU, Kowloon Tong Tel: 3411 5771
Tsimshatsui Centre
4/F, 136A Nathan Road, Tsimshatsui
Tel: 2721 2211
Wan Chai Centre
26/F, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai
Tel: 2892 0042
Or, enclose a $1.7 self-addressed and stamped envelope to: Early Childhood and Elementary Education Division School of Continuing Education HKBU
2/F, Franki Centre, 320 Junction Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon.
Please mark “Ref: UWA” on the envelope. Or, download the application form at
www.sce.hkbu.edu.hk/forms/degree/uwa-med-af.pdf
Enquiries
Tel :
3411 1988 / 3411 4318
Fax :3411 4302
Email :
vanusso@hkbu.edu.hk
anniekww@hkbu.edu.hk
Further information is also available on the Internet Website of UWA :
www.education.uwa.edu.au
Website of SCE :www.sce.hkbu.edu.hk
Exempted Course at Non-local Courses Registry, Education Bureau (Reference number: 410196)
It is a matter of discretion for individual employers to recognise any qualification to which this programme may lead.
