EDM185: Teaching and learning in healthcare

Module code: EDM185

Module provider: Institute of Education

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Professor Richard Harris, email: r.j.harris@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Professor Helen Bilton, email: h.o.bilton@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module aims to provide healthcare practitioners with an overview of approaches to teaching that support effective learning. It explores what is meant by learning and provides an overview of learning theories that are necessary for underpinning approaches to teaching. In turn, this supports an understanding of how to deliberatively plan for learning, examines different cognitive and affective obstacles to learning, and how teaching, learning and assessment should align.

It intends to support the development of good educational practice in the workplace and to get students to reflect critically on their own and/or other’s educational practice.

The module aims:

• To introduce key theories about learning and to relate these to practice
• To develop knowledge of a range of pedagogical approaches
• To introduce the principles of effective planning and assessment
• To develop your practical skills as a healthcare educator
• To develop students as reflective practitioners, who are able to manage their professional development

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Know key theories about learning and approaches to pedagogy and choose appropriate teaching approaches to support learning
2. Explain the principles of effective planning and to apply these in the design of sessions
3. Recognise good practice in the assessment of learning and apply appropriate means of assessment
4. Show a reflective approach to their professional development and identify targets to support their future development

Module content

The module is based around three interconnected areas, namely:

• Theories about learning
• Approaches to teaching
• Effective use of assessment

Session topics include:

• What is learning?
• What do we want people to learn?
• What gets in the way of learning?
• What makes questioning effective?
• How do we plan for learning?
• Putting theory into practice?
• What is the point of assessment?
• What do assessable learning outcomes look like?
• How do you give feedback?

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

There are three taught days, made up of, usually, four sessions, led by a range of tutors.

The content of the modules is a mixture of practice-based and research-informed sessions run by in-house research specialists and those working front line with educational experience. All have vast experience of working with those who are also working at the same time as studying.  Students also learn from each other as well as from the tutors via regular experiential group sessions run during the taught days and interacting with the video materials.

Through this interdisciplinary approach to learning and flexible delivery of content, students are encouraged to evaluate their practice alongside the work they are doing on the programme, considering how this works in their world, and working with each other to improve their practice

Their learning is scaffolded through the values based approach of social sciences which is different to what the students are used to, being science based and used to a somewhat paternalistic teaching approach. This includes interactive sessions, group discussions, academic tutorials, teaching episodes, journal entries, reflective exercises and practice-based academic essays and reflections.

Study hours

At least 24 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs