THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES ST. AUGUSTINE, TRINIDAD, WEST INDIES

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND EDUCATION SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

STUDENT HANDBOOK

2017-2019

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PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION Philosophy The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership programme reflects the belief that the foundation of school improvement is to bring about change in the classroom through high quality teaching and learning and that leadership is a key factor in engendering such change and improvement in schools. It also reflects a belief that educational administrators must engage in specialized professional training to acquire and develop the skills and competencies which ultimately lead to sustained improvement in schools. The programme synthesizes participants’ formal training; their knowledge of the education system, school and classroom environments which they have constructed from their experiences of disparate educational contexts and cultures with emergent educational leadership theory, policy and practice. The field-based orientation of the programme reflects the belief that leading and sustaining school improvement is a highly cultural and contextualized process that requires involvement, coordination and collaboration among stakeholders; staff development, enquiry and reflection. Finally, the programme conceptualizes educational leaders as change agents charged with responsibilities: to develop educational institutions for the public good that promote citizenship, social and national justice; to foster sustainable human, economic and social development that safeguards the country’s cultural authenticity yet promotes regionalism and globalization. Therefore, courses within the programme are designed to assist participants to understand their roles as educational leaders in achieving the macro and micro educational goals of the society.

Aim The programme aims to facilitate the professional development of educational administrators/leaders at the micro (school) and macro (system) levels of the educational system. Goals The goals of the programme are to develop educational leaders who will:

respond effectively to the challenges of leading system and school improvement in a constantly changing technologically driven environment;

use data to make decisions and solve problems at the system and school levels;

seek to foster the holistic development of all staff and by extension students;

collaborate with all stakeholders to provide education for the public good;

demonstrate the necessary attitudes, skills, and knowledge to support their professional practice;

act as change agents at the institutional and community levels;

collaborate with others through different technological modalities to access, develop, and disseminate information about best educational leadership practice; and

commit themselves to continuous professional development throughout their professional careers. General Objectives Participants who have successfully completed this programme will be able to:

lead school improvement and educational change that is culture and context specific;

apply leadership practices to develop staff, students, schools and by extension communities;

establish schools for the holistic development of students;

collaborate with all stakeholders through the use of different technological devices to improve student achievement in schools;

plan and create opportunities for the continuous professional development of staff;

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plan, conduct and use research to inform their professional development;

use research data to inform strategic planning, decision making and problem solving in schools and other institutions;

plan strategically for the development of the school as an organization;

interpret global educational leadership best practices and adapt those relevant to the Trinidad and Tobago educational landscape and their institutions and schools’ contexts in particular;

use appropriate information and computer technology to manage educational systems at the macro and micro levels;

consult with stakeholders to devise a vision and mission for the school;

execute their duties as instructional leaders in schools;

align the schools micro goals with the wider societal macro goals to develop good citizenship and academic success in students;

use their organizations/schools vision and mission and, in collaboration with stakeholders, set realistic goals for their organizations/schools;

reflect on their leadership practices and find ways to change and improve. STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAMME The M.Ed. in Educational Leadership programme has been structured to meet the foregoing objectives and help participants respond effectively within changing and different educational contexts. Duration This part-time programme will be delivered over the course of two academic years (two semesters in each year). Participants must successfully complete ten (10) courses to be awarded the degree: eight 4-credit courses, one 10-credit course and one zero (0) credit pass/fail course. Components The programme comprises 42 credits. Individual courses within the programme account for four credits.

In keeping with the School of Graduate Studies and Research guidelines these four credits are

distributed as follows:

three credits are derived from 36 hours of lectures

one credit is derived from forty-eight hours of non-supervised research work – theme directed pre-reading and activities, annotated reviews of reading, group discussions, portfolio directed activities, and mini case studies to facilitate activity-led and problem based learning.

The 42 credit programme comprises the following major components: (I) Three compulsory core courses (12 credits)

EDFA 6207: Education and the Development of Social Competencies (4 credits) EDRS 6208: Fundamentals of Educational Research I (4 credits) EDRS 6210: Fundamentals of Educational Research II (4 credits)

(II) Five compulsory specialization courses (20 credits) EDEA 6230: Organization Development and School Change (4 credits) EDEA 6200: Action Research for School Improvement (4 credits) EDEA 6118: Educational Leadership (4 credits) EDEA 6204: Organization and Administrative Theories (4 credits) EDEA 6201: System and School Improvement (4 credits)

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(III) EDRS 6203: Graduate Research Seminars: These do not count for credits but are graded on a

pass/fail basis. The requirement is that students must fulfill a 75% attendance requirement.

(IV) EDEA 6202: Educational Improvement Project (year long) – 15,000 words (10 credits) PROGRAMME SEQUENCE Year 1 Year 2

Sem

este

r 1

EDFA 6207: Education and the Development of Social Competencies

EDRS 6208: Fundamentals of Educational Research I

EDEA6204: Organization and Administrative Theories

EDRS 6203: Graduate Research Seminars

EDEA 6203: Organization Development and School Change

EDEA 6202: Educational Improvement Project (year long)

EDEA 6201: System and School Improvement

EDRS 6203: Graduate Research Seminars

No. of Credits = 12 No. of Credits = 8

Sem

este

r 2

EDRS 6210: Fundamentals of Educational Research II

EDEA 6200: Action Research for School Improvement

EDEA 6118 :Educational Leadership

EDRS 6203: Graduate Research Seminars(pass/fail)

EDRS 6203: Graduate Research Seminars

EDEA 6202: Educational Improvement Project

No. of Credits = 12 No. of Credits = 10

COURSE OUTLINES

EDFA6207: Education and the Development of Social Competencies 4 credits

Course Description

This course will employ a problem-based approach to introduce participants to some of the critical

dilemmas, conflicts and prominent controversies arising from social development. It therefore takes into

consideration the dilemmas relevant to education that often arise in the promotion of equity, the

enhancement of productivity and competitiveness, the empowerment of agents and actors in the

education system, and the development of sustainable models of socio-economic and political

development. It helps students to identify, characterize and analyse some of these major dilemmas in

contemporary social life as they would impact on educational issues. It would contribute to the

development of theoretical and practical insights that can guide actors and agencies in education

towards the formulation of practical solutions. Since agency is an attribute of persons as well as

institutions, students are required to engage in a process of self-study and group evaluation even as

they examine wider educational contexts. In addition to the cognitive dimension of the course, students

are engaged in procedures that experientially target affective and psycho-motive competencies in

themselves and other members of the group in which they are required to work through given issues,

scenarios and problems.

The course will be assessed through course work (60%) and a final three-hour examination (40%).

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Course Content

Using critical analysis and the particular perspectives afforded by the foundation disciplines of

philosophy, sociology and psychology, the development of social competencies is examined in relation

to content drawn from among the following themes:

Goals/Aims

In general, the course interrogates issues in personal and social development. It explores the role of

educational agents in their task of equipping citizens with what is required for developing and sustaining

a vibrant democracy in Trinidad & Tobago. The course focuses on developing an understanding of what

is involved in learning the relevant competencies and how this learning may be more effectively

facilitated.

The aim of this course is to enable participants to:

1. engage in the critique of major practices and goals of schooling; 2. formulate relevant ideas, standards and principles that animate desired social competencies; 3. enquire into their experiences through self-reflection; 4. interrogate personal and group beliefs and values in the process of policy initiative,

implementation and reform; 5. assess the competencies required in initiating, facilitating and managing school reform; 6. defend the rights of all citizens (individuals and groups) in a diverse society, particularly minorities

and/or the socially vulnerable; 7. engage in debate on controversial issues in schooling; to contest with sound argumentation; 8. engage in group enquiry into a problem/ dilemma presented in schools and wider society drawing

on their years of experience in dialogue with relevant literature; 9. connect learning outcomes in school and classroom activities with the competencies needed in

citizens for a vibrant democracy; 10. develop consciousness of self as an active creative agent (who is in fact “creating worlds”) and

take responsibility for outcomes; 11. respond constructively to criticism; and 12. demonstrate the capacity of reasoned deliberation and toleration.

General Objectives

Participants will:

1. identify and examine some of the major dilemmas in contemporary social life that impact on educational practice;

2. apply key principles, concepts and theories from the philosophy, sociology and psychology of education to the analysis of these major dilemmas;

3. adduce and address the implications for education emanating from the analysis of these dilemmas; 4. gain practical skills in creating learning communities.

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Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Critique educational policy in Trinidad & Tobago or in a selected Caribbean country. 2. Address prejudice reduction at any selected level of the education system. 3. Critique schooling praxis in Trinidad & Tobago or in a selected Caribbean country. 4. Employ strategies to promote desired social competencies in a given school community. 5. Write group reports, incorporating school practices and classroom activities, in response to a social

issue/ problem/ or dilemma. 6. Create school plans for effectively protecting and promoting Human Rights for all in the school

community. 7. Develop reform proposals to leverage schools as learning communities.

Assignments

The course work will be divided into two main group-assignments: the first assignment (20%) and the

second assignment (30%); The remainder of the course work comprising of various mini- tasks is

submitted individually (10%) and takes the form of a group evaluation on members of the group and

their contribution to the group effort during the process of doing the second assignment, an individual

assessment of the group process, an article-based task and four journals.

Assessment

This course shall be assessed through course work (60%) and a final, three-hour written exam (40%).

Since a main objective of this course is to provide experiences whereby the student gains practical skills

in creating learning communities by engaging in group work, the course work assignments are weighted

more heavily than the final exam. The course assignments for the most part relate to the various tasks

that must be completed on the group level and require intra-group interaction where members are

required to talk to one another, to share, to enquire together in the process of implementing the various

tasks given. They are also required to reflect both individually and collectively on the group process.

Required Reading

Boulding, E. (2000). Peace Culture: The problem of managing human difference. Retrieved from Aril Crosscurrents 2000 website: http://www.aril.org/boulding.htm

Burke, B. (2000). Post-modernism and post-modernity. Retrieved from Infed website: http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-postmd.htm

Clapham, A. (2007). Human rights: A very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Chapter 8.

Clements, P. & Spinks, T. (2000). The Equal opportunities handbook: How to deal with everyday issues of unfairness. 3rd edition. London, UK: Kogan Page.

Crick, B. (1999). The presuppositions of citizenship education. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 33 (3), 337- 352.

Cunningham, F., Lalonde, D., Neelin, D., & Peglar, K. (2003). Philosophy: The big questions. Toronto, Canada: Canadian Scholars’ Press Inc. Chapter 14.

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Endres, B. (2002). Transcending and attending to difference in the multicultural classroom. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 36(2), 171-185. Enslin, P., Pendlebury, S. & Tjiattas, M. (2001). Deliberative democracy, diversity and the challenges of

citizenship education. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 35 (1), 115 - 130 Haq, Mahbub ul.(1995). Reflections on human development. New Delhi, India: Oxford University Press. Hamm, C. (1989). Philosophical issues in Education. London, UK: Routledge /Falmer. Chapter 9. Impediments to cogent reasoning- Stereotypes, prejudice and scapegoats. (2011, June 8). Retrieved November 17, 2011 from Santa Rosa Junior College website: http://online.santarosa.edu/presentation/page/?36963 Kubik, J. (n.d.). Stereotypes- Glossary. Retrieved November 17, 2011, from RUTGERS website:

http://gc2000.Rutgers.edu/GC2000/MODULES/STEREOTYPES/Glossary.htm Linn, R. (1996). A Teacher’s introduction to post-modernism. Urbana, Ill: National Council of

Teachers of English. Chapter 5. Trinidad & Tobago.National Task Force on Education. (1994). Education Policy Paper (1993-

2003) (White Paper). Port of Spain, Trinidad: Ministry of Education. Truth Goodman, R., & Saltman, K. (2001).Dancing with bigotry. Educational Researcher, 30(6), 27-30. Ungoed-Thomas, J. (1997). Vision of a school: The good school in the good society. London,

UK: Cassell. Wells, L. (2003). A culture of teaching peace. UNESCO Conference on Intercultural Education, Finland.

Retrieved from http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0616-01.htm

Additional Reading

Adams St. Pierre, E. (2002). “Science” rejects postmodernism. Educational Researcher, 31(8), 25-27. Barriteau, V. E. (2006). 30 years towards equality: How many more? The mandate of the Bureau of

Gender Affairs in promoting gender justice in the Barbadian state. A Public Lecture to Commemorate the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Bureau of Gender Affairs, Barbados, 8 Nov 2006

Clapham, A. (2007). Human rights: A very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Crick, B. (2002). Democracy: A very short introduction. New York, NY: Oxford Currie, D. H., Vernooy, R. (2010). Research as praxis: social and gender analysis in natural resource

management. (Gender, Technology and Development (special issue (14), 1, p.126). Sage Publications

Dawkins, R. (2006). The God delusion. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. Dell Publishing Co. Drayton, K. (1995). Gender issues in education: a review of the major gender issues in education and of

relevant Caribbean studies. OECS. Castries, St Lucia. Educational Researcher, 30(2), 34-36. Eshete, A. (1992). Population and women in development: gender issues in the context of population

and development. IN: African Development Review, 4 (2), p.79. Gender justice: key to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. UNIFEM. UN Women. Washington,

DC. 2010. 23 p. (an excerpt from UNIFEM's Progress of the World's Women 2011). Hayden, P. (2001). The philosophy of human rights. St. Paul, MN: Paragon House. http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0616-01.htm

http://www.uiowa.edu/~grpproc/crisp/crisp16_4.pdf ILO gender audit 2001-02. Final report. ILO Bureau for Gender Equality. ILO. Geneva, Switzerland. 2002.

258 p. in-group and out-groups? A cognitive dissonance framework. Retrieved from: Intercultural Education, Finland. Retrieved from Introduction. London, UK: Routledge-Falmer.

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Joerger, C. (2000. Changing times, changing attitudes: alternative portrayals of men and women. Sample products of the DANIDA-UNESCO workshops for the production of gender-sensitive radio programmes for use in non-formal education programmes(ed). UNESCO. Paris, France.

Kearney, R. (1994). Modern movements in European philosophy (2nd edition). Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press. Media Watch, Texts & Press Releases website: http://www.bigmedia.org/textsWar.html Mills, F. L. (1998). Gender issues that challenge the development of the Caribbean. Eastern Caribbean

Center of the UVI. St Thomas, USVI.. 32 p. Caribbean Perspectives Jan 1998. Ministry of Culture and Gender Affairs. (1999).Training and sensitization in gender and development. A

training manual and facilitator's guide. Trinidad and Tobago. Mohammed, P., Wedderburn, J., Babb, C., & Friedrich, E. (2004). Gender-sensitive policy making in the

Caribbean: A Manual. Jamaica. Multicultural Societies. Oxford, UK: Westview Press. Oxford University Press.

Pearson, R. (2001). All change? Men, women and reproductive work in the global economy from Men at work: labour, masculinities, development. Edited by Cecile Jackson, London Portland, OR, Frank Cass.

Postman, N. and Weingartner, C. (1969). Teaching as a subversive activity. New York, NY: Salzman, J. (2001). Why TV news ignores war’s opponents. Retrieved from Rocky Mountain Tawa, J. & Kim, G. (2011).How does biological belief in race relate to our feelings towards Taylor, S. (Ed.), (1999). Sociology – issues and debates. London, UK: Macmillan. Téllez, K. (2001). Incommensurable views on multicultural education. Turquet, Laura et al. (2011). Progress of the world's women: in pursuit of justice. UN Women. New York.

University Press. Valadez, J. (2001). Deliberative democracy, political legitimacy and self-determination in Wells, L. (2003). A culture of teaching peace. UNESCO Conference on Whose perspective? A guide to gender-sensitive analysis of the media. A training manual. Women's

Media Watch. Women's Media Watch. Kingston, Jamaica. 1998. Winch C., &Gingell J. (2004). Philosophy & educational policy- A critical

EDRS6208: EDRS 6208 Fundamentals of Educational Research 1 4 credits

Course Description

This course provides postgraduate education students with an introduction to the quantitative research

process and facilitates the development of the analytical thinking skills using basic and advanced

techniques and tools in education research. Students will be equipped with the knowledge and

competencies in quantitative methods they require to conduct research in education. They will be

exposed to a variety of quantitative research designs; descriptive and inferential statistical techniques;

statistical software; and quantitative research articles that utilize the quantitative paradigm. This course

will be assessed through course work (40%) and a final three-hour examination (60%).

Course Rationale

Postgraduate students need to be equipped with the requisite knowledge and competences in

quantitative research methods to conduct independent research in education. This course will prepare

students to select and implement research designs that are appropriate and adequate in investigating

contemporary education issues and answering education policy questions.

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This course is delivered through the blended mode and uses the transformational approach to learning

quantitative research methods to postgraduate education students. The aim is to facilitate the

development of analytical thinking skills using basic and advanced statistical techniques and tools in

quantitative research. Students will be exposed to a variety of quantitative research designs; descriptive

and inferential statistical techniques; statistical software; and quantitative research articles that utilize

the quantitative paradigm. Students are required to engage in self-directed learning activities and

critical reflection throughout the course.

Goal/Aim

Prepare postgraduate students to conduct quantitative research in education.

Learning objectives

At the end of the course the course, the participants will be able to:

describe the nature of educational research;

explain the role of quantitative research in education;

explain the different types of research that employ quantitative methodologies;

use educational theory in order to select and identify significant research issues;

generate testable hypotheses;

use appropriate sampling strategies to conduct quantitative research;

apply ethical principles in the conduct of research;

employ quantitative research methodologies to investigate educational issues;

design appropriate tools and instruments for quantitative research investigations;

access and use data to analyse, organize and make decisions on educational issues;

select and use appropriate statistical tools for analysis of quantitative data;

apply descriptive and inferential l statistical methods to make decisions about a data set.

interpret and evaluate quantitative educational research findings competently; and

evaluate the quality of quantitative research conducted by others.

Assessment

Summative Assessment

This course shall be assessed through course work (40%) and a final three-hour written examination

(60%). The three-hour examination will consist of a selection from the common item types, namely,

multiple choice, short response and essay items.

Course Work

Methods and tools of research: Development of questionnaire. 5%

Mid-semester examination: web-based multiple choice format 5%

Web-based discussion: critique of a quantitative research article 5%

Data analysis and interpretation using SPSS/SAS 5%

Mini Research: Survey ( group project) 20%

All coursework assignments will be submitted through myeLearning.

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Resources

Required text

Best, J. & Kahn, J. (2006).Research in education. Boston: Allyn & Bacon

Additional References

American Psychological Association (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5thed). Washington, DC: Author.

Blaxter, I., Hughes C. and Tight M. (1996) How to Research. Buckingham, Open University Press. Borg, W. & gall, M (1996).Education research – An introduction. NY: Longman. Bryman, A & Cramer, D. (2009). Quantitative data analysis with SPSS, 14, 15 and 16. London: Routledge. Cohen, L (1984). Statistics for social scientists. London: Harper and Row.

Cohen, L & Manion, L. (2000).Research methods in education. London: Routledge. Gay, L.R. & Airasian, P. (2003). Educational research; Competencies for analysis and application. Upper

Saddle River, NJ. Merrill Prentice Hall. Gorard, S. (2001). Quantitative methods in education research: the role of numbers made easy. London:

Continuum. Leedy, P.D. & Ormrod, J.E. (2005). Practical research: Planning and design. Boston: Pearson. Muijs, D. (2004). Doing quantitative research in education with SPSS. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage. Salkind, N.J. (2008). Statistics for people who think they hate statistics. Los Angeles: Sage

Internet Resources

Trochim, William M.The Research Methods Knowledge Base, 2nd Edition. Internet WWW page, at URL:

http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/ (version current as of December 20, 2006). (This is the

excellent site referred [and linked] to several times in the sections presented above.)

Electronic Statistics Textbooks and demonstrations:

http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/stathome.html

Hyperstat Online

Simulations and Demostrations

http://onlinestatbook.com/stat_sim/

The World of Visual Statistics

Statnotes: An Online Textbook,

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EDEA6204: Organization and Administrative Theories 4 credits

Course Description

The course is divided into six modules. Each module explores different ways in which the school as an

organization is affected by and impacts individuals and groups who must establish and nurture

relationships to achieve organizational goals. The content of each module will be analysed and re-

interpreted to address the special circumstances and imperatives of school improvement and

empowerment of administrators, teacher, and other school personnel. The course also provides

student-administrators with a variety of experiences that allow for creativity, collaboration and

individuation.

The course is delivered in semester 1 through face to face lectures and tutorials, online group

discussions, mini-case studies and non-supervised theme directed readings. The course will be assessed

entirely on course work. The assessment will consist of two written papers; one mid-term (40%) and the

other at the end of the semester (60%).

Course Rationale

This course targets educational administrators and senior teachers who have declared commitment to

assume their new role in education as Trinidad and Tobago transitions into the global environment,

characterized by turbulence and uncertainty. In order for Trinidad and Tobago to occupy its leadership

position among developing economies in the region and to carve out its space among the more

technologically advanced societies, it is imperative that the potential of our human capital must be

leveraged through professional development and training.

Further, if the economic development of Trinidad and Tobago is to be pursued with rigour and

efficiency, then educational administrators must play a significant role in crafting indigenous policies to

direct and support educational strategies at all levels of the system.

The demands of the education system require educational administrators who are solidly grounded in

organizational and administrative theories. It is envisaged that participants of this course will develop

knowledge, skills and competencies in a learning environment of active engagement/ interaction,

simulations, and role play while immersed in relevant and current organizational literature.

Aims/Goals

The aim of this course is to enable participants to understand and critique organizational and

administrative theories and practices. Participants will also adopt and adapt these theories in the

context of current research and their professional experience. The integration of theory and practice is

central to the course.

General Objectives

1. To provide participants with opportunities to actively use their knowledge of organizational and administrative theories, organizational structure and technology to create effective and efficient educational organizations.

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2. To provide participants with the opportunity to deepen their understandings of culture, climate, conflict and decision making and the effects on organizations.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

1. Apply their understandings of organizational and administrative theories to educational institutions.

2. Analyse their professional practice by adopting/adapting principles of traditional and contemporary organizational and administrative theories.

3. Reconceptualise traditional organizational designs to meet the needs of an education system in transition.

4. Apply insights and understandings of organizational processes in educational institutions. 5. Scan the educational environment for threats and opportunities. 6. Devise new structural and technological menus for operationalizing education at the macro and

micro levels. 7. Create healthy organizational culture and climate in educational institutions. 8. Manage conflicts in educational organizations 9. Implement contextually appropriate decision making strategies.

Assessment

Participants will be assessed entirely on the basis of course work. The assessment will consist of one

mid-semester paper and one end of semester paper.

The purpose of the mid-semester paper will be to allow participants to demonstrate understandings and

insights gained in respect to organizational and administrative theories, organizational and job design,

organizational structure and technology. Employing these understandings and insights, each participant

will be expected to present a contextual analysis of his/her organization. This mid-semester paper, with

a limit of 2000 words, will constitute 40% of the final mark.

The end of semester paper will require each participant to identify and describe an area of concern or

issue in his/her organization and develop/suggest ways in which the organization can increase its

effectiveness and efficiency by employing experiential knowledge, understandings and insights gained

from the course. The end of semester paper, with a limit of 3000 words, will constitute 60% of the final

mark.

Readings

Banner, D. K, & Gagne, T. E. (1995). Designing effective organizations: Traditional and transformational views. London: Sage Publications, Inc.

Cuban, L. (2004). The blackboard and the bottom line: Why schools can't be businesses. Cambridge, MA:Harvard University Press

Daft, R.L.(2010). Understanding the theory and design of organization( 10th ed). US : South-western, Cengage learning.

Dubrin, A. J. (2007). Fundamental of organizational behaviour. Mason, OH: Thompson South- Western, Inc.

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Giovanni, D., Nelson, R. R.,& Winter, S.( 2001). The nature and dynamics of organizational capabilities of schools. Oxford, England: University Press

Hoy, W. K. & Miskel, C. G. (2005). Educational administration: theory, research, and practice (7th Ed.).New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.

Lunenburg, F.C. & Ornstein, A.C.(2004). Educational administration: concepts and practices ( 4th Ed.). Belmont, CA, USA: Thomson Wadsworth.

Miner, J. B. (2002).Organizational behavior: Foundations, theories, and analyses. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Olmstead, J. A. ( 2002). Creating the functionally competent organization: An open systems approach. Westport, CT:Quorum Books.

Ott, J. S., Parkes, S. J., & Simpson, R. B. (2008). Organizational behavior (4th Ed.). Belmont, CA, USA: Thomson Wadsworth.

Owens, R.G. (2004). Organizational behavior in education (8th Ed.).New York: Pearson Education, Inc. Robbins, P., & Alvy, H. (2004). The new principal's fieldbook: Strategies for success. Alexandria,

VA:Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Simon, C. A. (2001).To Run a School: Administrative Organization and Learning. Westport, CT: Praeger. Szilagyi, A. D. & Wallace, M. J. (1990). Organizational behaviour and performance (5th Ed.). London:

Harper Collins Publishers.

EDRS 6203: Graduate Research Seminars (Pass/Fail)

Each Master’s student is required to present the proposal for his/her research project to fellow students

and academic staff members at a Graduate Research Seminar. The student is provided with feedback by

way of questions and comments. The intention is to provide a forum in which the student could

articulate his/her plans for research and also receive suggestions and comments about such plans.

Students are expected to attend at least 75% of the seminars over the two-year period during which the

master’s programme is offered.

SEMINAR PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

1. Survey and study the literature well-ensure that it assists you in framing the problem to be

investigated.

2. Ensure that the background to the problem justifies the need for the study

3. Demonstrate mastery of your proposal by recognizing the links between its critical parts:

conceptualization, literature review, theory and methodology

4. On each slide include only the most significant points ; avoid information overload

5. Use non-text (e.g. symbols, pictures, graphs, maps, charts etc.) to enhance the presentation

where necessary

6. Determine the de-limitations of your impending study-the things that will not be studied and be

prepared to justify them

7. Be mentally prepared for the seminar; rehearse it, critically appraise

8. Be reflective-jut down a list of questions that you may have with the proposal. Determine the

answers to your own questions-Verify the answers and make the necessary changes

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9. Complete slides at least two days before-avoid adding new information at the last minute

10. Do not prepare too many slides

11. Make your title catchy and interesting (first impressions count)

EDRS 6210 – Fundamentals of Educational Research II 4 credits

Course Rationale

This course is offered by the School of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Education, St. Augustine. It

is a compulsory course for students who are enrolled in post-graduate programmes at the master’s and

doctoral levels. The course seeks to develop in students an understanding and appreciation of

qualitative inquiry, and to assist them in developing the necessary know-how in conducting qualitative

research. Postgraduate students should have a sound grasp of different approaches to research and

therefore this course complements the first semester offering of Fundamentals of Educational Research

1 which focuses on quantitative research methods.

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to the philosophical foundations and methodological strategies of

research in education. It explores the nature of educational research and the origins and uses of

different research methodologies. Specifically, the course focuses on educational research informed by

the naturalistic tradition.

A key feature of the course will be interactive sessions designed to assist students in identification and

formulation of research problems and issues. A guiding principle is that education is an applied

discipline and that educational research must be driven by the need to improve education in justifiable

ways. Thus, the course will address both the technical side of research as well as its ideological

dimensions.

The course will be delivered through face to face lectures, discussions and group activities; online

readings, activities, discussions; and laboratory activities.

This course is delivered through various modalities –plenary sessions, small group tutorials and online

discussion groups. Each session builds on the required readings and discussions in the online forums and

student regular presentations within their small groups based on their developing understanding of

qualitative research. All students are required to undertake for the course work component a small-

scale qualitative research project based on an issue or problem in which they are interested and which

has educational significance. The course is assessed through coursework (40%) and examination (60%).

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Course Content

The course is structured around the following topics:

The quantitative-qualitative dichotomy. Philosophical underpinnings of the empirical-analytic and naturalistic approaches to research.

Introduction to major research orientations and methodologies in the naturalistic paradigm: o Case study o Grounded theory o Ethnography o Phenomenology o Critical inquiry o Biography o Historical research

Problem identification and formulation

Designing research in the naturalistic tradition: o Identifying data sources o Data collection (nature and use of interviews, observation, document analysis, use of web-

conferencing technologies such as Skype) o Data analysis (manual process and use of computer software for qualitative data analysis) o Ethical issues

Reporting qualitative research

Aim/Goal

This course aims to help students develop the basic knowledge and skills needed for conducting

research in the qualitative tradition.

Assessment

This course will be assessed through course work (40%) and a final, three-hour examination (60%). The

three-hour examination will consist of a selection from the common item types, namely, multiple

choice, short response and essay items.

Readings

Coffey, A., & Atkinson, P. (1996). Making sense of qualitative data. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage. Creswell, J. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five traditions. Thousand

Oaks, CA: Sage. Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (2011). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks,California:

Sage Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews: an introduction to qualitative research interviewing. Thousand Oaks, CA:

Sage Mann, C., & Stewart, F. (2000). Internet communication and qualitative research: A handbook for

researching online. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

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Merriam, S. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Walcott. H. (2009). Writing up qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Walford, G. (2001). Doing qualitative educational research.London: Cassell. Yin, R. (2009). Case study research design and methods. Thousand Oaks, California.: Sage

EDEA6200: Action Research for School Improvement 4 credits

Course Rationale

Schools must take ownership of the school improvement initiative. One way they can do that is through

collaborative action research. Action research may be used for school improvement, accountability, or

student achievement and therefore knowledge and practice in the use of action research becomes a

necessary skill for successful school leaders at all levels.

Collaborative action research for school improvement will provide a tool and a protocol for school

improvement teams and institutions to look inward as they engage in organizational learning and work

on shared issues. Thus, action research helps a school create the knowledge necessary for adaptation

and innovation. How does action research actually lead to school improvement? The mechanism of

action may be through increased data use, reflective practice, and the creation and sharing of

knowledge among personnel. These elements can cause individuals to challenge existing beliefs and

assumptions and commit to change existing practice. Action research for school improvement thus

envisages the schools as a professional learning community sharing, networking, and learning. This is an

important aspect of organizational culture that must be incorporated into future Caribbean schools.

Course Description

The course provides training in the theory and use of collaborative action research for school

improvement using current models of the process. It provides the education leader with basic protocols

governing the process as well as the skills necessary to restructure the institution and lead the process.

This leads to a study of collaborative action research in four broad areas: Theory, process, structures,

and application. These four elements serve as a broad framework for organizing the course. The course

Action Research for School Improvement prepares participants for the year-long Educational

Improvement Project. The course will be delivered through face to face and online lectures, discussions,

tutorials, and non-supervised theme directed readings. Assessment will be done on the basis of 100 %

coursework.

Aim/Goal To develop competence among school leaders and school leaders in preparation in the ability to plan and conduct school improvement, using the collaborative action research model. Assessment: 100% Coursework

Students are required to work with a study group or department team within their school/organization to develop and present an action research proposal plan on an issue that is of proven interest.

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Preparation for this assessment is embedded in the course instruction and students will receive formative feedback as they work with their class groups on the project. The proposal plan is an outline that includes all elements of a full proposal. The presentation and discussion of the proposal plan is a critical aspect of the assessment. The written proposal plan will include the following sections: (1) Abstract; (2) Introduction, including Focus and Organization of Study; (3) Literature Review; (3) Proposed Methodology; (4) Implementation Plan; (5) Expected Findings; (6) Approach to Dissemination; (7) Conclusion; and (8) Appendix, including journal articles cited. Both assignments will be scored using rubrics that will be shared with students at the start of the course. Resources Essential and /recommended textbooks Hendricks, C. C. (2009). Improving schools through action research: A comprehensive guide for

educators (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon. Bauer, S. C., & Brazer, S. D. (2011). Using research to lead school improvement: Turning evidence into

action. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Journals and other readings Bauer, S. C., & Brazer, S. D. (2011). Using research to lead school improvement: Turning evidence into

action. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Calhoun, E. F. (1994). How to use action research in the self-renewing school. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Clauset, K.H., Lick, D.W., & Murphy, C.U. ( 2008). Schoolwide action research for professional learning

communities: Improving student learning through the whole-faculty study groups approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin

Coghlan, D., & Brannick, T. (2004). Doing action research in your own organization (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Cresswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

DuFour, R., DuFour, R., & Eaker, R. (2008). Revisiting professional learning communities at work: New insights for improving schools. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Du Four, R. & Marzano, R. (2011). Leaders of learning: How district, school, and classroom leaders improve student achievement. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Farrell, J. B., & Weitman, C. J. (2007). Action research fosters empowerment and learning communities. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 73(3), 36-45.

Glanz, J. (2004). Action research: An educational leader’s guide to school improvement. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.

Hargreaves, D. (2002). The knowledge-creating school. In B. Moon, J. Butcher, & E. Bird (Eds.), Leading professional development in education (pp. 224-240). London: Routledge & Falmer.

Hendricks, C. C. (2009). Improving schools through action research: A comprehensive guide for educators (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon.

Marzano, R. J. (2003). What works in schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Reason, P. W., & Bradbury, H. (Eds.) (2001). Handbook of action research: Participative inquiry and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Sagor, R. (2000). Guiding school improvement with action research. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

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Sagor, R. (2008). The action research guidebook: A four-step process for educators and school teams (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Sagor, R. (2009). Collaborative action research and school improvement: We can’t have one without the other. Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 3(1), 7-14.

Sagor, R. (2010). Collaborative action research for professional. learning communities. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Schmuck, R. (2006). Practical action research for change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Readings Hendricks, C. C. (2009). Improving schools through action research: A comprehensive guide for

educators (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon (Week 1-2). Bauer, S. C., & Brazer, S. D. (2011). Using research to lead school improvement: Turning evidence into

action. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.(Week 3-6) Krathwohl, D. R., & Smith, N. L. (2005). How to prepare a dissertation proposal: Suggestions for students

in education and the social and behavioral sciences (1st ed.). Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press (Weeks 7-13).

EDEA6118: Educational Leadership 4 credits

Course Description

Educational leadership is a one-semester course in which the key themes in educational leadership are

addressed. The course focuses on core leadership issues as they impact the quality of learning and

attempts to develop the participants’ understandings of the nature, purpose and impact of leadership in

relation to improving schools and educational institutions from theoretical, research and practical

perspectives. The course also seeks to assist participants in developing their leadership skills and

practices and applying their learning to the specific contexts in schools and educational institutions in

Trinidad and Tobago.

This course will be delivered using a combination of face to face and online lectures,

discussions/workshops sessions, theme directed readings and mini case studies. The assessment

consists of in-course short assignments accounting for 40% and a final assignment accounting for 60%.

Purpose of the Course The purpose of the course is to enable participants to develop educational leadership skills and practices

in order to lead educational change and improvement in their schools and educational institutions that

enhance teaching, learning and student outcomes. The delivery of high quality leadership is culturally

and contextually bonded since it has to be designed to fit the needs of specific institutions. This requires

an approach to leadership training that is practice-based and research oriented. This course facilitates

the development of leadership and capacity building knowledge and skills using a context-based

approach that enables participants to develop plans to improve the teaching and learning and

organizational conditions in their schools and institutions.

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Goals/Aims The aim of this course is to enhance participants’ understanding of educational leadership from theoretical, research and practical perspectives and to develop the capacity to use this understanding to improve organizational conditions and student outcomes in schools and educational institutions.

General Objectives

1. To provide participants with the opportunity to acquire the leadership skills and practices to lead educational change and improvement in their schools and educational institutions, that enhance teaching, learning and student outcomes.

2. To provide participants with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of leadership theories, capacity building strategies, school improvement and change strategies, practice-based research skills, that enables participants to develop plans to improve the teaching and learning and organizational conditions in their schools and institutions.

Assessment

Participants will be assessed on the basis of written assignments and multi-media group presentations. They will be encouraged to address topics directly relevant to their own professional development needs and/or to current leadership issues within their schools. All papers will assess the students’ understandings and abilities to apply theories and concepts, in ways that are relevant to specific school’s or organization’s context:

1. Module one will be assessed by a written assignment. The word limit for this assignment will be 1,500 words and will be due one week after completion of the module (week 5). This assignment constitutes 20% of the final mark.

2. Module two will be assessed by a multi-media group presentation. This assignment will constitute 20% of the final mark. The purpose of this assignment is to encourage the active engagement of ICT and also critical thinking skills, as students will have to present on an issue gleaned from the content of module two.

3. The last assignment will be a more comprehensive assessment of the students’ abilities to apply leadership theories and practices to a school or organization’s problem or task that is complex. The word limit is 5,000 words and will constitute 60% of the final mark. This assignment will be due after the course is completed, at a time specified by the teaching team.

Readings Anderson, R., & Dexter, S. (2005). School technology leadership: An empirical investigation of prevalence

and effect. Educational Administration Quarterly, 41(1), 49-82. Bennett, N. (2008). Distributed leadership and IT. In J. Voogt & G. A. Knezek (Eds.), International

handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 597-613): Springer Verlag.

Dexter, S. (2008). Leadership for IT in schools. In J. Voogt & G. A. Knezek (Eds.), International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 543-553): Springer Verlag.

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Briggs, A. & Coleman, M. (Eds.). (2007). Research methods in educational leadership and management. London: Sage.

Bush, T. & Glover, D. (2002). School leadership: Concepts and evidence. Nottingham: NCSL Bush, T. (2003). Theories of Educational Leadership and Management: Third Edition, London: Sage. Bush, T., Bell, L. and Middlewood, D. (2010). The Principles of Educational Leadership and Management.

London: Sage. Cuban, L. (1998) How Schools Change Reforms: Redefining Reform Success and Failure. Teachers College

Record, (99) 3, p. 453-477. Day, C. Harris, A. & Hadfield, M. (2001). Challenging the orthodoxy of effective school leadership

International Journal of Leadership in Education. (4) 1 p 39-56. Donahoo, S. & Hunter, R. (Eds.). (2007). Teaching leaders to lead teachers: Educational administration in

the era of constant crisis. New York: Elsevier Hadjithoma-Garstka, C. (2011). The role of the principal's leadership style in the implementation of ICT

policy. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(2), 311-326. Harris, A. (2008). Distributed school leadership developing tomorrow’s leaders. London: Routledge. Hargreaves, A. & Fink, D. (2003). The seven principles of sustainable leadership. Educational Leadership.

61(7). P. 8-13. Hoy, W. & Miskel C.G. (1996). Educational administration: Theory, research, and practice (5th ed.). New

York: Mc Graw-Hill, Inc. James, F. (2008). Putting policy into practice: Is the hubris of the change agent the nemesis of the

implementers? The International Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Change Management, 8(3), 69-76.

James, F. (2010). Leading educational improvement in Trinidad and Tobago. School Leadership and Management Journal, 30 (4), 387-398.

Papa, R. (Ed.). (2011). Technology leadership for school improvement. Los Angeles: Sage. Sergiovanni, T. (1992). Moral leadership getting to the heart of school improvement. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass. Sergiovanni, T. J. (1995). The principalship: A reflective practice perspectve. USA: Allyn and Bacon. Wasserberg, M. (2000). Creating the vision and making it happen. In Tomlinson, H. Gunter, H. and Smith, P. (Eds.), Living leadership: Voices, values and vision, London: Paul Chapman Publishing.

EDEA6201: System and School Improvement 4 credits

Course Description

This course is built upon four core areas that are intimately connected: school effectiveness history and

theory, school improvement practice as a discipline, documented school improvement practice at school

and system level, and education reform in developing countries. The four themes are explored by

considering examples of best practice and exploration of case studies in developed and developing

countries. Some attention is also paid to the methodological issues involved in the study of educational

effectiveness research and evaluation. An attempt is made to connect school improvement practice

with the large scale system reform practiced in developing countries. Lessons learnt are extracted and

applied to the Caribbean context where much reform is directed by external agencies. Educational

benchmarking is a promoted as a tool for comparison and determination of best practice

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This course will be delivered through a mix of face to face and online lectures, discussions/workshops

sessions, theme directed readings and mini case studies and will be assessed through 100% course work

embedded throughout the course.

Course Rationale

School improvement practice has evolved from school effects and school effectiveness research and has

now become a discipline in its own right. This body of work on school effectiveness and school

improvement is now the basis of systemic reform practiced in several developed countries (changing

many schools at the same time). Systemic and comprehensive school reform based on school

improvement theory provides clear directions on the nature and direction of changing schools and

systems. This course provides a theoretical foundation for leaders working at school and system level

and explores the ideas put forward by different system thinkers such as Michael Fullan, Andy

Hargreaves, and David Hopkins. The emerging literature on high performing school systems and

effective levers of change are central to the themes explored. Several high performing systems are

considered in detail including Finland, Brazil, and Hong Kong. The content is also informed by an in-

depth consideration of education reform in the local context by analysing the context and nature of

reform in the Caribbean.

The course material builds further on the ideas gleaned on organizational development and education

reform in the early part of the programme, which provided a basic understanding of leadership in school

and system change, focusing especially upon insights gathered from case analysis and examination of

best practice in education systems throughout the world.

Aim/Goal

To enhance insight into the nature, practice, and implementation of site-based school improvement

projects and large scale school improvement reform initiatives using current theory and practice.

Assessment: 100% Coursework

Students will provide an in-depth analysis and critique of any ONE large scale project implemented

within the Caribbean using theory and principles gleaned from both site based and large scale reform to

analyse functionality, efficacy, and to predict or explain outcomes.

The assessment is an extended performance assessment and embedded within the course, running from

weeks 11 to 13. Students will begin preparing the assignment in class working collaboratively.

Word Limit: 5000 words.

Resources

Essential and /recommended textbooks

Alleyne, H. McD. (1995). Nationhood from the school bag: A historical analysis of the development of secondary education in Trinidad and Tobago. Washington, DC.: OEA/OAS General Secretariat.

Fullan, M. (2010). All systems go: The change imperative for whole system reform. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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Hargreaves, A., Lieberman, A., Fullan, M. & Hopkins, D. (Eds.) (2010) Second International Handbook of Educational Change. Dordrecht, Springer.

Hargreaves, A. & Shirley, D. (2009). The fourth way. Thousand Oaks, CA; Corwin Press. Harris, A. & Chrispeels, J. (eds) (2008, second edition) International perspectives on school

improvement. London: Routledge Falmer. London, N. (2003). Pathways to educational transformation and development: Policies, plans, lessons.

Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press Sims, S., & Sims, R. (2004). Managing school system change: Charting a course for renewal. Greenwich,

CT: Information Age Publishing. Reynolds, D. (2010). Failure free education? The past, present and future of school effectiveness and

school improvement. London: Routledge. Journals and other readings Bacchus, M. K. (1980). Education for development or underdevelopment? Guyana's educational system

and its implications for the third world. Waterloo, Ontario (Canada): Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

Barber, M., & Mourshed, M. (2009). Shaping the future: How good education systems can become great in the decade ahead. Report on the International Education Roundtable (July 7), Singapore. McKinsey Education, Mc Kinsey and Company.

Corrales, J. (1999). The politics of education reform. Washington, DC: World Bank. Creemers, B., Kyriakides L., & Sammons, P. (2010). Methodological advances in educational

effectiveness research. London: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. Datnow, A. (2005). The sustainability of comprehensive school reform models in changing district and

state contexts. Educational Administration Quarterly, 41(1), 121-153. Desimone, L. (2002). How can comprehensive school reform models be successfully implemented?

Review of Educational Research, 72(3), 433-479. Elmore, R. F. (1996). Getting to scale with good educational practice. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1),

1-26. Fullan, M. (2011). Choosing the wrong drivers for whole systems reform. Center for Strategic Education

Seminar Series 204. Goodson, I., F., & Hargreaves, A., (2006), Educational change over time? The sustainability and

nonsustainability of three decades of secondary school change and continuity. Educational Administration Quarterly, 42(1), 3-41.

Gross, B., Booker, T. K., & Goldhaber, D. (2009). Boosting student achievement: The effect of comprehensive school reform on student achievement. Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis 31(2), 111-126.

Hargreaves, A. (2011). Second international handbook of educational change. New York, NY: Springer. Hargreaves, A., & Shirley, D. (2009). The fourth way. Thousands Oakes, CA: Corwin. Hargreaves, A., Halász, G., & Pont, B. (2007). School leadership for systemic improvement in Finland.

Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Hickling-Hudson, A. (2002) Re-visioning from the inside: getting under the skin of the World Bank's Education Sector Strategy, International Journal of Educational Development, 22(6), 565-

577. Higham, R., Hopkins, D., & Matthews, P. (2009) System Leadership in Practice, Maidenhead, Berkshire:

Open University Press / McGraw Hill. Hopkins, D. & Reynolds, D. (2001). ‘The past, present and future of school improvement: Towards the

Third Age’. British Educational Research Journal Vol. 27(4), 459-475.

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Klees, S. J., Samoff, J., & Stromquist, N. P. (Eds.) (2012). The World Bank and education: Critiques and alternatives. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

Muijs, D., Harris, A., Chapman, C., Stoll, L. & Russ, J. (2004). Improving schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas: A review of research evidence. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 15 (2), 149-175.

Sammons, P., (2007), School Effectiveness and equity: Making connections, A review of School Effectiveness and improvement research and its implications for practitioners and policy makers, report commissioned by CfBT, London. Retrieved from http://www.cfbt.com/evidenceforeducation/pdf/91168_SchEffectiveness_FullLiteratureReview.pdf

Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (1999). Schools as knowledge building organizations. In D. Keating & C. Hertzman (Eds.), Today’s children, tomorrow’s society: The developmental health and wealth of nations (pp. 274-289). New York: Guilford.

Schleicher, A. (2009). International benchmarking as a lever for policy reform. In A. Hargreaves & M. Fullan (Eds.), Change wars (pp. 97–115). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree. Smylie, M. A. (2010). Continuous school improvement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Townsend, T. (Ed) (2007). International handbook of school effectiveness and school improvement,

New York: Springer. OECD (2010). PISA 2009 Results: What makes a school successful? – Resources, policies and practices

(Volume IV). Paris: Author. OECD (2011), Strong performers and successful reformers in education: Lessons from PISA for the United

States, Paris: Author

Major Policy Papers

Trinidad and Tobago. National Task Force on Education. (1994). Education policy paper

(1993–2003) (White Paper). Port of Spain, Trinidad: Ministry of Education.

Videos

http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/oecd/

Web Sites

www.oecd.org/edu/learningenvironments

EDEA6202: Educational Improvement Project 10 credits

Course Description

The course essentially engages students in conducting site-based research to engender improvement in

some aspect of their educational setting. It is designed to take students through a research process from

conceptualization to evaluation, working collaboratively with other stakeholders to engender

improvement. The process involves the following:

reflection on educational practices within their institutions

diagnosing areas requiring improvement

designing an intervention

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developing the intervention

implementing the intervention

evaluating the outcomes of the intervention

Students will conduct their enquiries, with the support of their supervisors. Each project will be

individually designed to meet students’ personal and professional needs.

The course takes place in the field over two semesters with some in-house preparation through lectures,

face-to-face and online tutorials, group discussions and presentations. There are also tutor/supervisor

visits to the site to discuss and evaluate the on-going project. Assessment involves the preparation of a

project proposal, a project report, and submission of a project binder.

Purpose of the Course

The Educational Improvement Project is a ten (10) credit course. This course draws specifically on

students’ understanding and application of research methods acquired in the Action Research Methods

course and incorporates their knowledge and understanding from all other courses.

This course is the site-based component of the practice of Educational Leadership.

It is intended that the comprehensive integration of theory and practice (praxis) will be mastered during

the programme and applied to all school or system administration problems or developmental needs.

The course challenges students to engage in a practice-based research process which involves

conceptualizing the project; designing an intervention; developing the project; implementing the

intervention; evaluating the outcomes and reflection on the intervention. The purpose of this course is

to provide students with the opportunity to work collaboratively with other stakeholders utilizing

practice-based research that is contextually and culturally grounded to engender improvement in the

educational system.

Course Content

Conceptual Skills – an in-depth understanding of the problem to be solved, the needs to be fulfilled, the goals to be attained, etc. in both their specific features or dimensions and within the complexities of the entire school; whole school conditions or contexts, micro-systems and macro-systems.

Technical Skills - pre-operational (diagnosing and planning), strategic (implementation) and institutional (culture-building and culture maintenance) acts of management and leadership gleaned from theoretical or conceptual understandings; specific functions e.g. decision-making, change management, team building, conflict management, planning, for accomplishing tasks (planning and implementing projects or programmes, developing policies, constructing systems or organizations) in running a school.

Human and Social Skills - Relational skills in the interactions with others as individuals or in group activities. Communication skills - for expressing, clarifying and making meanings; sharing sentiments, emotions, values that are to be conveyed or that are to be evoked in others. Efforts

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towards networking, climate and culture building - cohesiveness, teamwork and team spirit (esprit de corps), morale, satisfaction, motivation, values infusion and empowerment.

Aim/Goal

The aim of this course is to enable participants to:

design an intervention for the continuous development, renewal and improvement of educational institutions and their cultures.

engage in collaborative efforts with stakeholders to bring about educational improvement

deploy technical skills, conceptual understandings, and human/social skills in solving the identified problems or providing for felt needs

explain and demonstrate the theoretical perspectives, models, and/or conceptual frameworks used for the solution of the whole as well as for parts of the problem

Assignments

Assignments Word limit Weighting Due Dates

1. Educational Improvement Proposal 5,000 20% End of Semester 1

2. Portfolio which includes:

Educational Improvement Project Report

15,000 50% End of Semester 2

Documentary evidence of Intervention(s), artifacts, videos, etc.

None 20% End of Semester 2

Journal with reflections on:

Process

Change

Leadership

ther

None 10% End of Semester 2

Assessment This course will be assessed on the basis of (i) a proposal and (ii) a portfolio. Each participant will submit a project proposal (of not more than 5,000 words) in semester one. The proposal will identify an issue or area of concern and propose intervention strategies that will lead to improvement of the educational institution/organization. The proposal will be based on planning activities such as examination of the organizational context or work environment, completion of related literature review, application of analytical tools/techniques, and other organization developmental frameworks. The proposal will be prepared as the basis for full implementation and evaluation of the effectiveness of the interventions that will be carried out in semester two. The proposal will account for 20% of the final mark. At the end of semester two, each participant will submit a portfolio which will consist of a project report of not more than 15,000 words, documentary evidence, and a journal.

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The project report, which accounts for 50% of the final mark, will focus on how the project was planned, initiated, implemented, evaluated and on measures to be taken to sustain its effects. Documentary evidence, artifacts, videos etc. will account for 20 % of the final mark. The journal, which accounts for 10% of the final mark, will contain reflections on: process, change, leadership, other insights and understandings gained. Three characteristics should be noted about this project: It involves both theoretical and field work. 1. Documentation, artifacts, photos, videos and so on, and journals will be involved in its

implementation and development. 2. Tutors will be involved with site visits to ensure that students receive required guidance and

advice

Course Evaluation

Formative: The course will be evaluated through the analysis of face to face and online student

feedback of their activities and learning experiences.

Summative: At the end of the course students will do an evaluation by means of questionnaires.

Resources:

PowerPoint presentations

Course Readings

Relevant websites

Year Two Semester Two

In Semester 2, participants will be fully engaged in proposal implementation and writing the project

report.

EDEA6203: Organization Development and School Change 4 credits

Course Description

This course invites participants to theoretically and contextually explore the fundamental principles of

organization development and school change. The course consists of a menu of organization

development and change theories and techniques. Further, diagnosis, interventions, and solutions to

issues that are inherent to organization development and school change are integral to the delivery of

this course.

The course will be delivered in six modules over one semester through face to face lectures, tutorials,

face to face and online group discussions, and oral presentations. The particular organizational or school

context will provide overarching platforms. Assessment will involve a mix of group (60%) and individual

(40%) reports.

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Course Rationale

The education system, at the micro (school) and the macro (Divisional and Central Office) levels, appears

to remain steeped in the traditional ways of operation. Efforts to decentralize and democratize the

system have been stymied by strategic forces of centralization. Although there have been incremental

changes over the years since the country has attained political independence, the traditional colonial

culture of an over centralized authority has remained the norm. The human development and relational

aspects of these incremental changes have been the major casualties. There are no shortages of

conceptions of what a modern educational system should be. However, the skills, methodologies,

techniques, strategies, and interventions as well as the legal and policy frameworks related to

organization development and school change or transformation have not been effectively and efficiently

engaged. EDEA 6xxx is an essential course for inducting and teaching the ways by which leaders as

change agents proceed toward developing and institutionalizing enabling cultures in educational

organizations.

Aims /Goals The aim of this course is to provide participants with skills, competence, and confidence to build capacity and develop enabling cultures within and across the educational system. It is also envisaged that participants will recognize the importance of effective and efficient systems and subsystems but will also recognize the imperatives of the collaborative nature of educational experience for human development.

General Objectives

To provide participants with opportunities to:

1. Explore and deepen their understandings of the fundamental elements of organization development and theories of planned change.

2. Understand the forces that facilitate and inhibit organizational change.

3. Examine and understand intervention theories and models/techniques for data gathering.

4. Understand the importance of evaluating organizational change.

5. Explore legal and policy frameworks for educational change. Assessment This course will be assessed entirely on the basis of course work. The purpose of this assessment is for participants to demonstrate understandings of fundamental issues inherent in organization development and change, facilitate group work and individual reflection. Assessment of work will be based on:

Report on a small group task (groups of convenient size and school or organizational type) on a realistic problem of an organization (school, divisional, or central office, etc.)

The problem must be diagnosed and solved holistically, using organization development methodologies. The joint report will be submitted at the end of the course, must not exceed 10,000 words and will be worth 60 % of the final assessment mark.

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A personal evaluative and reflective report on the understandings of the methods used in the group’s experience and applied to the student’s own setting. This will be written in not more than 2500 words and will carry 40% of the final mark and must be submitted at the end of the course.

Teaching/Learning Strategies The delivery of this course will focus on creating a cadre of administrators who will view the education system and schools characterized by dynamism and continuous search for meaningful change, relevance and excellence. A wide range of instructional methodologies will be employed – face to face lectures, face to face and online discussions, oral presentations, group projects, case studies and simulations – with the specific intent of allowing for intense group interaction as well as opportunities for individual scholarship. Resources

Power point presentations

Readings supporting each module

Relevant websites

Readings

Anthony, K. (1993). Evolving Judicial Intervention in the Administration of Commonwealth Caribbean Education, (1991-92). The Caribbean Education Annual. 27.

Association of principals of public secondary schools of Trinidad and Tobago. (1986). Education circulars 1966-1986.Trinidad and Tobago: Association of secondary school principals

Association of principals of public secondary schools of Trinidad and Tobago.(2004). Educational circulars 1987-2004. Trinidad and Tobago: Association of principals of public secondary schools.

Association of principals of public secondary schools of Trinidad and Tobago.(1988). Education circulars 1966-1986.

Association of principals of public secondary schools. (1988). The laws of education: Acts and regulations. Trinidad and Tobago: Association of secondary school principals.

Cambell, C.C. (2001). Endless education: Main currents in the education system of modern Trinidad and Tobago (1939-1986). Kingston 7, Jamaica: The Press University of the West Indies.

Cummings, T.G., & Worley, C. G. (2009). Organization development and change (9th. Ed.). New York: SOUTH- WESTER CENGAGE Learning.

French, W.L., & Bell, C, H. (1995). Organization development: Behavioral science interventions for organization improvement (5th, Ed). Englewood Cilff, NJ: Prentice Hall.

French, W.L., & Bell, C. H., & Zawacki, R. A.( 2005). Organization development and transformation: Managing effective change (6th. Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Fullan, M. , & Ballew, A. C. (2004). Leading in a culture of change: Personal action guide and workbook. San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass.

Fullan, M.(2000). Change forces: The sequel. Philadelphia, PA: Falmer Press. Goldenberg, C., & Fullan, M. (2004). Successful school change: Creating settings to improve teaching and

learning. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Government of Trinidad and Tobago.(1968). Draft plan for educational development in Trinidad and

Tobago (1968-1983). Trinidad and Tobago: Government Printery. Harvey, D.E., & Brown, D.B (1992). An experiential approach to organization development (4th. Ed).

Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

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Sharratt, L., & Fullan, M.(2009). Realization: the change imperative for deepening district- wide reform. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Smith, L.(2008). School that change: Evidence-based improvement and effective change leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

The Concordat of 1960.Ministry of education. Retrieved from www.moe.gov.tt/ The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. (1987). Status report on the implementation of

the 1985-1990 education plan for the period January to December 1987.Trinidad and Tobago: Ministry of Education, Education Planning Division.

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. (1999). Education for all national report 1999.Minsry of Education.

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. (2005). Trinidad and Tobago National education for all plan of action (2000-2015). Trinidad and Tobago: Ministry of Education Planning Division.

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. (2012 ). Laws of Trinidad and Tobago: The education act. Ministry of Legal affairs.

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.(1985). Draft education plan 1985-1990). Ministry of Education: Schools Publication Branch.

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.(1993). Education policy paper: National task force on education (white paper). Ministry of Education.

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.(1996). Conventions on the rights of the child- report by Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved from:www.hri.cafortherecord1997/document/bodies/crc-c-11-add10.htm. 12/22/2003.

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.(2012). Education sector strategic plan 2011-2015. Ministry of Education. Retrieved from planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/.../Trinidad%20and%20Tobago/Trinidad%20a...

Trinidad and Tobago Unified teachers’ Association. Code of ethics. UNICEF. (2000).The rights of the child & the Caribbean experience. Symposium Report.

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TURNITIN INSTRUCTIONS A copy of your Turnitin percentage page must be attached to each of your EDE6202 Educational Improvement Project paper. Turnitin is now embedded into the My Elearning platform so students submit their papers from there. CITS now has a link on their Website with guides https://sta.uwi.edu/cits/turnitin as well.

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THIS INFORMATION SHOULD GO ON THE COVER OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT

TITLE OF THE EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT REPORT

(AT TOP OF PAGE AND ALL CAPITALS)

EDEA6202: Educational Improvement Project

Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Education in Leadership

of

The University of the West Indies

Author’s Name in Full

(Exactly as it is on file at the Registrar’s Office)

Year of Submission

Name of Supervisor

Department of

Faculty of

Campus

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REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE CONDUCT OF THE PROGRAMME

1. Attendance

The University regulations state:

Any candidate who has been absent from the University for a prolonged period during the teaching

of a particular course for any reason other than illness or whose attendance at prescribed lectures,

classes, practical classes, tutorials, or clinical instructions has been unsatisfactory or who has failed

to submit essays or other exercises set by his/her teachers, may be debarred by the relevant

Academic Board, on the recommendation of the relevant Faculty Board, from taking any University

examinations. The procedures to be used shall be prescribed in Faculty Regulations.

The School of Education requires a 75% attendance.

2. Course assignments - Preparation

(i) All assignments must be typewritten on quarto-size sheets. (ii) All assignments must be done according to the APA format (See section on presentation of

written work).

3. Course assignments - Submission

(i) The lecturer concerned will set the submission date for course assignments in consultation with students.

(ii) All assignments must be submitted by the deadline date. (iii) In cases of extreme emergency, the lecturer concerned can give a short extension. (iv) Students must submit assignments to the postgraduate secretary. Students must sign the

record book and complete receipt slips (in duplicate) when submitting an assignment. The date of submission must also be stated.

(v) If an assignment is not submitted by the due date, the maximum mark it can receive when submitted is the lowest passing mark, that is, 50%.

(vi) All course assignments must be submitted before the respective examinations (vii) If a student does not submit the course assignment before the examination, such a student

would be debarred from writing the examination.

4. Coursework assignments - Grading

Each assignment is marked by two examiners. The University’s grading scheme for work at the

postgraduate level is as follows:

Less than 50% Fail

50% - 59% B

60% - 69% B+

70% and above A

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5. Ethical considerations

Students are expected to engage in fair practices while sitting examinations and when preparing

course assignments. The relevant university regulation is cited below:

Cheating is any attempt to benefit oneself or another by deceit or fraud. This includes any

representation of the work of another person or persons without acknowledgement. Plagiarism is a

form of cheating. Plagiarism is the unauthorized and/or unacknowledged use of another person's

intellectual efforts and creations howsoever recorded, including whether formally published or in

manuscript or in typescript or other printed or electronically presented form. Plagiarism includes

taking passages, ideas or structures from another work or author without proper and unequivocal

attribution of such source(s), using the conventions for attributions or citing (e.g. MLA; Chicago; ACS;

AIP; ICMJE etc.) used in this University. Since any piece of work submitted by a student must be that

student's own work, all forms of cheating including plagiarism are forbidden.

INFORMATION LITERACY

Information Literacy is “knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to

evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner.” (Chartered Institute of Library and Information

Professionals, 2004).

As an M. Ed. student you are required to produce a research project report. To assist with this

endeavor, the Library delivers a series of information literacy sessions designed to help you

along the journey. The sessions are designed to help you refine your research topic, explore the

many sources and formats of information available, and communicate your research in an ethical

manner. In addition, you will learn how to format your research report using the University’s

guidelines. These sessions will be offered as part of the Graduate Research Seminars. PRESENTATION OF WRITTEN WORK The School of Education requires that students use the format prescribed by the American Psychological

Association (APA) in its Publication Manual (6th ed., 2010) for all written work.. Students are urged to

refer to the APA Manual for a comprehensive explanation of the APA style requirements.

SUPPORT SERVICES AT THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

THE LIBRARY

The Education Resource Library was created in l973. It contains a comprehensive collection of material

in the field of education, with growing emphasis on Caribbean publications. The collection numbers

approximately 25,000 items consisting of books, monographs, reports, theses, and government

documents.

Some of the services offered are:

(i) Bibliographic searches

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(ii) Printing / Photocopying

(iii) Lists of new acquisitions

(iv) User orientation

(v) Information Centre

(vi) Book loans

(vii) Assistance in using materials

(viii) Information Literacy instruction

The Library serves the staff and students of the School of Education, staff and students of the wider

university community, planners and researchers of the Ministry of Education and other persons whom

the Faculty may deem eligible.

The Library also plays an integral part in the teaching and research programmes undertaken by the

Faculty through the acquisition and dissemination of published material.

The use of the School of Education Library is governed by the General Regulations for the use of the

Alma Jordan Library at St. Augustine, except where specifically stated below. Readers are requested to

familiarise themselves with both sets of rules.

Rules for use of School of Education Library

The Library endeavors to maintain an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and research. For this

reason users are expected to conform to certain standards of conduct to maintain the use and

enjoyment of the Library by others.

The following conduct is to be observed within the Library:

The University requires that students display ID cards at all times. All library users must comply with this rule.

Quiet shall be observed at all times

The following are not permitted in the Library o Children o Umbrellas o Bags o Food and drink o Use of cellular phones o Offensive or obscene language or actions o Solicitation or selling of any kind o Theft, mutilation or defacement of library property o Removal of any library property without the authorization of library staff or through the

library’s lending procedures o Entering a non-public area without permission of the library staff

The Library is a smoke-free area and smoking is strictly forbidden

Copyright regulations must be adhered to

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Books, periodicals, etc. taken from shelves and used in the Library should be left on the tables after use and NOT replaced on the shelves.

Users leaving the Library must show all books, folders, periodicals, papers, etc. to the security staff. Users may also be required to open for inspection any receptacle carried out of the Library.

Any other behavior that interferes with the right of others to enjoy and use the Library is not permitted.

All members of the Library and security staff are empowered to require users to comply with these

rules.

The Librarian shall at all times have authority to maintain good order in the Library and may exclude

from it or suspend from its use any user who breaks these rules.

Persons who infringe on library rules may have their loan and computer privileges suspended upon the

discretion of the Librarian.

LOANS

Loans are allocated to registered library users as indicated below:

UWI Academic Staff 15 items

UWI Administrative, Technical & Support Staff 2 items

UWI Postgraduates 14 items

UWI Undergraduates 12 items

Open campus Students 8 items

Alumni Reading/Reference

CIRCULATION PERIODS, RENEWALS AND LIMITATIONS

General Collection items are loaned for two (2) weeks to UWI students and one (1) month to Academic

staff. Any item may be renewed for one (1) week providing that there are no requests for that particular

item and the item is not overdue. In addition, an item can only be renewed once. Renewals can be done

in person or via the telephone at 662-2002 Ext. 83718.

Reserve items are normally loaned for three (3) hours in the case of single copies, and in cases where

there are multiple copies, three (3) days. Students from Tobago will be loaned Reserve items for seven

(7) days. Reserve items will not be renewed.

Items housed in the West Indian Collection cannot leave the library. However, specially selected items

will be loaned for three (3) days.

School of Education’s Academic staff are allowed to borrow periodical items for one (1) week. All other

patrons are only allowed reading and reference of periodical items.

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Borrowers are requested to examine all materials thoroughly and report all damages, discrepancies and

irregularities to the Library staff on duty.

All material loaned are subject to recall by the Librarian at any time.

RETURNS

Items must be returned to the Circulation Desk during the library’s opening hours. When the library is

closed, items can be returned to the Overnight Book Deposit outside the library. These items are cleared

the following morning.

OVERDUE NOTICES

Users are responsible for returning all Library material by the due date and are subject to all fines

incurred. Courtesy and overdue notices are periodically emailed to the student’s UWI email account.

Users are responsible for notifying the Library of any address changes in order to receive courtesy

notices.

FINES

The fines for late return of books from the General Collection is one dollar ($1.00) for each day the item

is overdue. The fine for late return of materials from the Reserve Collection is one dollar ($1.00) per

hour during the library’s business hours. The fines levied above shall not exceed five hundred ($500.00)

per item.

Users with fines of $1.00 or more are automatically blocked from borrowing.

Damage of Library material on loan to a reader should be reported immediately. The reader must pay

the current cost of replacing a lost or seriously damaged book or other item, in addition to any fine

which he may have incurred prior to reporting the loss or damage

If after due notice, a fine or replacement cost of item has not been paid, the Librarian is authorised to

request the Bursar to arrange for the amount of the fine to be recovered by the University. Borrowing

privileges will also automatically be suspended.

All registered students are also entitled to use the Alma Jordan Library. University identification cards

must be presented.

PRINTING AND PHOTOCOPYING

Three 3) print/copy machines are available in the library. They are self-service machines, which are

operated by Smart ID Cards. Paper Cut Copy cards are also on sale at the Circulation Desk.

External library users are required to purchase a Paper Cut card and units to be able to use the print

station. The Paper Cut cards are paid for and activated at the circulation desk.

The cost of printing/copying is $0.25 per page for black and white and $4.00 per page for color.

Students’ accounts will be set up on their Smart ID cards. They can add money to their accounts as

needed. However, unused funds cannot be refunded.

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INFORMATION CENTER

The Library has eight (8) computers available for students’ academic use in the Information Center.

These computers provide access to the Internet and to specialized databases and electronic journals via

UWI Linc. They are equipped with the Microsoft Office suite and EndNote. Use of a computer is limited

to 45 minutes when students are waiting.

WIRELESS ACCESS

The Library has Wireless Access Points distributed throughout the reading room. Patrons with wireless

devices may join The UWI’s open network. The library’s staff can provide assistance on connecting

devices.

POST GRADUATE ROOM

The Library has a study room reserved for postgraduate students. The room can also be used as a

seminar/training room.

Caribbean Educational Research Information Service (CERIS)

CERIS is a computerized information service at the School of Education, which provides access to

information on education in the English-speaking Caribbean. Information is provided on varying levels:

• References and detailed abstracts are provided for documents held at CERIS. These include official policy documents on education in the region, published statistics, research reports, curriculum guides, conference proceedings, examination syllabi and reports, and prospectuses and calendars of tertiary institutions

• References and varying levels of bibliographic information for research reports, textbooks, journal articles, conferences papers, monographs, and theses and dissertations not held by CERIS

• Biographical information on researchers on Caribbean education systems • Directory-type information on organizations that produce data likely to be of relevance to

Caribbean educational researchers.

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ACADEMIC SUPPORT/DISABILITIES LIAISON UNIT (ASDLU)

“Creating A Campus Without Barriers”

Academic Support Services for Students

The Unit was established in 2006 to ensure that no student is left behind. It has become the first and

most important stop for high quality academic support for the diverse populations of students

throughout the University including full-time, part-time and evening students and international

students, but especially students with disabilities.

~Providing Support for All Students~

The functions/operations of ASDLU are twofold:

1. Providing academic support to students of The UWI, St. Augustine at all levels of their academic

career.

2. Providing and ensuring equal access (infrastructure/academic) to all students who enter the

University system with a disability.

~ Academic Support for All Students ~

Educational Assessment

Time Management

Examinations Strategies

Workload Management

Academic Workshops

Career Planning

Study Skills

Tutoring

Extended working hours – Evening University Students

~ Students with Disabilities ~

(Temporary and Permanent)

Provision of Aids and Devices

Liaison with Faculties and Departments

Special Accommodations for Examinations

Classroom Accommodations

Academic Support

CONTACTS:

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Address:

Academic Support/Disabilities Liaison Unit

Quadrangle – South of the Alma Jordan Main Library

The University of the West Indies

St. Augustine

Tel: 662-2002 ext. 3866, 3923, 4254

Fax: 662-2002 ext. 3922

Ms. Jacqueline Huggins – Co-ordinator, ASDLU: 662-2002 ext 3921

Email: ASDLU.Office@sta.uwi.edu

Website: www.sta.uwi.edu/asdlu

HOURS OF DUTY:

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

8:30a.m.-4:30p.m.

Tuesdays and Thursdays

8:30a.m.-6p.m.

(Late hours to accommodate Part-Time and Evening University Students)