PG Dip in Practice Education
The Postgraduate Diploma In Practice Education (Higher Specialist Level)extends the knowledge and skills you have gained at the Postgraduate Certificate Level.
You will be enabled to critique the role of research and programme evaluation, and leadership and management within your own organisation, whilst further developing your skills.
The programme of study comprises of three modules:
On completion of all six modules (to include the three postgraduate certificate modules), you will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Practice Education and for qualified social workers, the Higher Specialist level Post Qualifying Award in Practice Education.
Work Based Project (core module)
The 20 credit module is designed to enable learners to further develop expertise in training or workforce development in their specialist area of practice. The focus of the module is on enabling learners to deepen their knowledge and extend their practice expertise as leaders to transform organisations and develop teams to improve the experiences of service users and carers. The module aims to assist learners to develop their capacities and skills to the highest level within their specialist area of practice or desired specialist area of practice.
The module will enagage learners in a critical evaluation and analysis of their practice in order to assist learners to develop advanced knowledge, skills and values needed to work effectively in complex situations. It aims to equip learners with the knowledge and skills needed to evaluate a range of methods, and models of intervention in their specialist area of practice for the improvement of services. In undertaking this module, you will be supported to develop your practice expertse in an area of interest and will develop and implement a planned intervention to support practice in your specialist area and will be expected to use critical reflection, analysis and evaluation of practice knowledge and expertise to support workforce development. You will be expected to promote partnership working with users and carers of services to design and develop interventions to support practice in your specialist area of practice
The assessment for this module comprises two assignments.
To design a plan for the implementation of an intervention in a specialist area of practice, expertise or desired area of practice and an 4000 word essay discussing the implementation and evaluation of the intervention.
Research Management and Programme Evaluation (core module)
This 20 credit module presents theoretical and methodological concepts for programme and practice evaluation and management. You will engage in critical examination of evaluative research design and practice evidence through producing a needs assessment, drawing from your practice experiences to develop your ideas for a needs assessment/programme evaluation.
Increasingly, advanced level social workers and other professionals are required to engage in evaluation tasks. Learners address the issues of assessment, evaluation of organisational characteristics and planning for effective and efficient direct or indirect services, practice and programmes within the context of management of employees and staff in an organisation in the teaching of this module.
Different aspects of evaluation will allow learners to assess the design and implementation of programmes and the processes and outcomes of services as provided by staff. Included in programme and practice evaluation are qualitative and quantitative approaches to data analysis, experimental and non-experimental designs and statistical techniques, which are appropriate for various evaluative techniques. Attention is given to the ethical issues which may arise in programme and practice evaluation, as well as issues related to research with diverse and vulnerable populations. Learners are expected to develop managerial skills, both practical and theoretical, to focus the work of the organisation for maximum effect and efficiency. Budgeting and logic models for programme development will be utilised.
The assessment for this module is to Logic Model for a programme, preferably from your practice setting. This assignment will consist of several smaller written assignments. Each assignment will be part of the final assessment.
Supervising, Mentoring and Assessing Others (optional module)
Informed by the GSCC/TOPSS Guidance on the assessment of practice in the workplace (Nov 2002), this 20 credit module is designed to equip practitioners with relevant prior experience to become PQ Mentor Assessors of staff undertaking the PQ Awards. This role has a key part to play in the professional development of staff undertaking the PQ Awards. This is a specialised activity that involves supporting and assessing qualified practitioners in their own sphere of professional development. The module incorporates a focus on mentoring, supervision, coaching and assessment functions exploring critical theoretical understanding and practical application. This module will be of interest for those in practice, including independent practitioners, who want to have the advanced, skills, knowledge and expertise to support, assess and mentor a qualified practitioner undertaking further professional development.
Evidence from practice is a key component of the assessed portfolio focusing on demonstrating the learner’s ability to supervise, teach, mentor and assess qualified workers The sessions will cover the following topics:
Preparing the learning environment; Adult learning theories; Mentoring; Supervision skills; Assessment of professional development and practice; Coaching; Anti-discriminatory practice & emancipatory practice; Ethical Practice; Practice based learning; Reflective practice; Dealing with a student who is failing.
Substantial practice work with at least 2 PQ Award candidates is expected
and students will involve service users and carers in this process.
The assessment for this module is to produce a portfolio of evidence of the learner’s competence to support a qualified practitioner’s learning and development in the workplace.
Managing Self and Others (optional module)
The module looks particularly at practice issues for learners who are managers or intend to become managers or who have a supportive role with staff and are interested in developing training programmes for staff, teams, service users involved in social work training within their specialist area of practice or across teams and / or disciplines.
This module will develop your ability to manage individuals and teams through developing your theoretical knowledge and skills in management and leadership.
The module is designed to equip practitioners with relevant prior experience in management supervision, mentoring and assessment of staff to take a leading role in organising learning opportunities for staff and teams, as well as to become assessors of senior practitioners undertaking the PQ Awards. This role has a key part to play in developing the learning organisation (GSCC 2005). The module incorporates service user and carer involvement in designing the development of training programmes for staff, students and organisations. The module focuses on management and leadership and the organisation of programmes for developing a learning organisation within agencies. This is a specialised activity that involves supporting your own learning, as well as developing programmes and the learning of others.
The training programme designed by the learner will be verified and feedback sought from a line manager or other relevant professional within the organisation.
Topics covered include: Supporting staff to reflect on own practice; Managing own learning and supporting the learning of others, including within inter-professional teams; The role of creativity and innovation, and goal and objective setting in management; Applying motivation theory; Understanding and managing organisational culture and change; Critical application of group work theory to teams; Different management attributes, skills and styles; Current theories, models and principles of leadership; Accountability and duty of care.
The assessment for this module is to identify and design a training programme for your team and write a 4000 word evaluative report on how this will be implemented. The work must demonstrate theoretical perspectives of management, policy, research and how user and carer knowledge informed the design. The designed training programme needs to be verified by a line manager.