Background and Rationale

Throughout the design specification of the MA Programme in Educational Leadership and Management, there was an emphasis on a number of underpinning principles, including that:

•  participants should have significant autonomy to construct a coherent learning programme to achieve success at post-graduate level and develop as autonomous learners;
•  the modules pursued should have personal and professional relevance and be directly linked to the workplace of participants;
•  the pathway should offer a maximum level of practicable flexibility;
•  patterns of provision should be structured to offer access to as wide a range of participants as possible.

The module extends the accessibility, flexibility and capacity of the MA and postgraduate awards to incorporate these principles. An individual will have to define the parameters and strategies of their investigation to satisfy the Programme Leader that their proposal has  sufficient academic content and professional relevance to meet the requirements of study at Master’s level. A candidate wishing to undertake an Independent Study is expected to submit a protocol for his/her proposed topic and this will be approved on the basis of:
• its appropriateness for postgraduate level study
• personal and/or professional relevance
• the availability of a suitable tutor
• the practicalities of the proposed programme of study.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the module the student should be able to:
• identify a suitable area and/or issue for research.
• produce a protocol for the proposed investigation for scrutiny and monitoring purposes.
• use appropriate methods on research.
• analyze the findings in relation to specified aims, objectives and criteria for assessment.
• present a critical evaluation of his/her findings.