Educational Support, FdA

Develop your professional knowledge and skills and boost your career with this part-time course. Ideal if you are already employed in a role in educational support, this course will explore current education and social issues affecting support for children and adults.

This two year, part-time foundation degree is designed to support, develop and extend your academic learning as a foundation for professional development. You will undertake small tasks and projects within your own working environment to support module sessions and assignments.

It is ideal for a range of practitioners including:

• teaching and learning support assistants
• learning mentors
• extended school activity workers
• subject technicians
• support workers in alternative education settings.

It may also be of interest if you are employed in a wider learning support role.

Why choose this course?

You will benefit from:

• studying in the evening to fit around your work and commitments
• expanding your knowledge and skills to enhance your educational support practice
• extending your transferable skills to support your career development
• progression options to an undergraduate degree or teacher training.

Postgraduate open events

During our open events you will be able to talk to staff about the courses in more detail and find out about course content, modules, entry requirements, fees and funding and modes of study. Staff will be on hand to answer your questions. Find out more and book your place on the next Postgraduate and Professional Open Evening.

Any questions?

Course enquiries:
Email
Telephone: +44 (0)115 848 6682

Admissions enquiries:
Telephone: +44 (0)115 848 4200
AskNTU

School of Education

When does the course start?

The course starts on the week beginning Monday 8 September 2014. Induction information and start times will be sent to you in August.

What will I study?

This course focuses on the practical and ethical issues of educational support enabling you to meet the needs of a wide range of learners in regular, inclusive, extended and alternative settings, using a common core set of professional skills.

In Year One you will study the contextual issues covering the educational support worker’s role. Year Two enables you to focus on key areas for educational support, whatever your individual role.

Each year you will also choose an optional module relating to either special educational needs or an independent study project focusing on a specific area of professional interest.

Modules

Year One

• Current education issues: educational support roles
• Education support: reflection on practice
• Effective communication skills
• Optional modules:
  • Special educational needs
  • Independent study

Year Two

• Supporting learning and teaching
• Educational support: reflection on practice
• Investigating educational support practice
• Optional modules:
  • Supporting inclusion
  • Independent study

How will I learn?

The course is studied as a mixture of class sessions and work-based activity. Most class sessions run from 4.45pm to 9 pm every other week, supported by two hours of tutorials and module study skills support on the alternate weeks. You will therefore average three hours attendance a week over the academic year.

You will learn through a range of teaching methods, encouraging you to critically reflect and discuss theory, and its relationship to your own working life and educational setting.

Learning and teaching methods include:

• lectures
• small-group work
• practice-based activities
• seminars
• workshops
• visiting speakers
• independent work-based tasks
• tutorials.

Studying away from the University campus is made easy with NOW – the NTU Online Workspace. It offers you course and module information, the ability to upload assessments and receive feedback, as well as store personal files. NOW can be used anywhere that you have an internet connection.

How will I be assessed?

Assessment will be on independent work you have done both for modules and in preparation for assignments. These may include:

• presentations
• reports
• essays
• communication skills qualification and reflection
• portfolios
• independent study projects.

There are no formal exams.

Learn from our experienced staff

Our tutors are all experienced professionals who contribute to research and development within their specialist fields. Their research and influence not only shapes new educational practice, but also feeds directly into our courses, keeping you at the forefront of policy and practice.

View the full course specification
Please note that course specifications may be subject to change

You will be based in the Ada Byron King and Lionel Robbins buildings on our Clifton campus, an attractive self-contained greenfield site located on the outskirts of Nottingham.

Clifton campus boasts a large and well-stocked library with group and quiet study areas, modern lecture theatres and teaching rooms, IT resource rooms and Student Support Centre with a wealth of information and advice on careers and boosting your CV.

You will also find the Point bar and diner, a convenience store, refectory, bookshop, and recently extended sports facilities that include two gyms, a sports hall and an all-weather floodlit pitch, on-site.

You will find it easy to get to our Clifton campus. Our award-winning Go2 Uni 4 bus service runs every 12 minutes taking students to and from the campus to the City site, via the train and coach stations.

Find out more about traveling to our Clifton campus and view our campus video tour.