MSc in Teacher Education

In the first year of the course, students will complete three taught units, each lasting eight weeks. The three online units that make up the first year comprise investigations focused on your own practice and tasks that involve individual and group work. The first two units involve observation and interviews with learner teachers (beginning or more experienced teachers) in order to learn more about their existing knowledge and beliefs about teaching. Your findings are brought together with key literature and shared with your study group for discussion and analysis. They inform the third unit’s focus on the development and evaluation of a teacher education session. These tasks also contribute significantly to the assignments associated with each unit. All tasks will be based on students’ own teacher education practice and readings that are readily accessible. These units last from October to December, January to March, and April to June. During the second year, the focus is on the research and development project.

You will be expected to participate in a course of instruction for six terms on a part-time basis. This will include two, one-week residential sessions in Oxford, and a series of online lectures and seminars. At the beginning of Hilary Term there will be an optional day’s induction to Unit 2. Students can attend in-person or remotely. A similar day is held at the beginning of Trinity Term in April for induction into Unit 3 and again, students can attend in person or remotely. Costs for accommodation and meals during these residential units are not covered by course fees. Students matriculate in absentia.

Assessment is through formally submitted assignments. In Year 1, you will draw on the content of the units studied, while in Year 2, you will be required to complete a research and development project, which involves implementing a new strategy to support teacher education in your professional context and evaluating its impact. All assignments are submitted online through the University’s Virtual Learning Environment and are subject to the rules and regulations surrounding examined submissions.

Students who are following the course are required to submit four assignments over two years:

Year 1:

• Assignment 1: Teachers’ beliefs about teaching, learning and the nature of the subject. To be submitted in January and must be between 4,000 and 5,000 words.
• Assignment 2: Investigating Subject Knowledge for Teaching. To be submitted in April and must be between 4,000 and 5,000 words.
• Assignment 3: Design, justification and evaluation of a teacher education session. To be submitted in September and must not exceed 10,000 words.

Year 2:

• A research and development project of between 15,000 and 20,000 words.This project presents a systematic account of a substantial practitioner research enquiry, focused on the design and implementation of a specific innovation intended to support teachers’ learning in your professional context. It should include strong emphases on the rationale for the design of the intervention and on the selection of appropriate criteria and collection of evidence through which its impact was assessed.

Successful completion of all these components is required to achieve the MSc in Teacher Education. Students’ final award is based upon the outcome of the Year 1 assignments and the Year 2 dissertation.

Your statement of purpose should tell us why you are interested in the course and how you feel you would benefit. You should aim to submit one to two pages, which includes an account of your career to date and any professional or academic learning you have undertaken.

Yes, attendance at these residential weeks is a requirement of the course. During the first residential, you will meet the tutors and your fellow students. The residentials last five days, running from Monday to Friday. Further information is provided on entry to the course.

College affiliation is an important part of being a student at Oxford. Students can indicate a preference for a particular college at the point of admission, but please note that there is no guarantee that you will be placed at any given College, and a place will be found for you where possible. Find out more about the colleges and making an open application on the University website.

This will vary but on average you should expect to be studying for the equivalent of 10 to 15 hours per week during the eight-week terms. However, some of the work can be spread out to take place between terms, and some of your task and assignment research work will take place in the context of your normal work supporting teachers’ professional learning.

You will be allocated a supervisor and be able to access the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas) to discuss aspects of your work with other students.

You are required to provide the details of three referees on your application form.? We are looking for references from your employer and an academic reference if possible. Please note that as part of the University regulations, the Graduate Admissions Office is unable to release your application to us until you have provided at least two references with your application. Once we have received and considered your application, we will then decide whether we wish to pursue the third reference if you have not already provided it.