Effective Practice of Teaching and Reflective Practice Module

Learning and Teaching

This module is delivered using a blended learning approach with scheduled online and face-to-face sessions.Most sessions comprise an online lecture and a workshop activity or activities. If you are unable to attend a live session due to factors outside your control, you are expected to inform your tutor and engage in this, where possible, before the next scheduled session.Tutorials will take place which will provide you with the opportunity to discuss your progress on the module and receive feedback on assessments.  Learning and teaching will be principally in small groups or communities or working independently with the support of a mentor or mentors using blended learning. There will also be a series of formal lectures. You will be required to take part in e-discussions with peers and tutors and to make full use of ICT as a source of information and support and to maintain a portfolio of evidence.

Graduate attributes are the personal qualities and skills which the University of Bolton community values, and which a student is expected develop during their time at the University. Graduate attributes act as a point of reference for a student’s personal development and support the articulation of employability and transferable skills.In total there are 10 graduate attributes. This module seeks to support the development of:  

1. Adaptability

2. Confidence

3. Module Communications

4. The Module Tutor’s contact details are provided at the top of this page.  You must check your University of Bolton email address and the Moodle area dedicated to this module regularly as many module communications are channelled through these media.Your Module Tutor will normally aim to respond to your email messages within 2 full working days of receipt.  However responses will be longer in holiday periods.

The purpose of the module is to enable you to demonstrate effective practice of teaching and to understand and apply theories, principles and models of reflective practice. It enables you to understand your own development needs and engage in personal and professional development required to improve your practice. You will consider the relationships between existing educational theories and actual practice and you will consider, act upon and share your own ideas about learning and teaching, in order to improve your effectiveness as a teacher. You will keep up to date with current changes in educational policy and demonstrate your active participation within a professional team. 

Feedback on items of assessment can be formal (such as on a signed feedback form) or informal (such as advice from a tutor in a tutorial). Feedback is therefore not just your grade or the comments written on your feedback form, it is advice you get from your tutor and sometimes your peers about how your work is progressing, how well you have done, what further actions you might take.

We recognise the value of prompt feedback on work submitted. Other than in exceptional circumstances (such as might be caused by staff illness), you can expect your work to be marked and feedback provided not more than 15 working days from the deadline date. However, please note that that such feedback will be provisional and unconfirmed until the Assessment Board has met and may therefore be subject to change.

Please take time to read or listen to your assessment feedback. This can be very useful in determining your strengths and key areas for development, and can therefore help you improve on future grades.

Formative assessment is an important aid to learning.  It is designed to provide you with feedback on your progress and inform development.  It can be used to identify any areas which would benefit from extra attention on your part, or extra support from your tutor.  It does not contribute to the overall formal assessment for the module.Formative assessment will be given on the on-going development of your portfolio.

Academic misconduct may be defined as any attempt by a student to gain an unfair advantage in any assessment. This includes plagiarism, collusion, commissioning (contract cheating) amongst other offences. In order to avoid these types of academic misconduct, you should ensure that all your work is your own and that sources are attributed using the correct referencing techniques. You can also check originality through Turnitin.

Write a case study focusing on your curriculum area and placement.This study should include a description of appropriate resources and learning technologies used in your specialist area and justification as to why these are appropriate.  It should also include an analysis of what is meant by ‘dual professionalism’ and ‘accountability’ in your specialist area.You need to provide a discussion about the quality assurance and improvement processes used at your institution. Evaluate the purpose of quality improvement and quality assurance with specific reference to data collection and its use, including mention of; retention, achievement, pass rates, high grades and value-added measures.You must refer to relevant educational literature for your case study to achieve the level of analysis required.