Postgraduate Course: Critical Issues in Digital Education (EDUA11444)

Course Outline
School	Moray House School of Education and Sport	College	College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course type	Online Distance Learning	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	40	ECTS Credits	20
Summary	This course is aimed at teachers, developers and other practitioners within post-compulsory education who wish to develop both their understanding of the effects of the online mode on educational theory and practice, and their skills in creating and supporting high quality online learning opportunities for their students. It will give participants the opportunity to engage hands-on with digital learning environments, provide them with structured access to a community of peers and expert tutors, offer practical guidance on the effective use of new technologies for learning, and also explore some of the cultural and contextual issues which define 'elearning' as a vibrant field of study. On completion of the course, participants will have gained a broad overview of how online learning has become a key issue in higher education, what digital environments can offer in terms of the delivery and support of learning programmes, and how the educational project is affected by our engagement in this mode of teaching. Participants will gain first-hand experience of working individually and collaboratively in a formal online-learning programme, will have the opportunity to design their own learning resources, and will have the chance to engage with and debate some of the key ideas about elearning emerging from current research. Students from outwith the Digital Education programme wishing to enrol for this course or take it on a 'class only' basis must liaise directly with the course secretary before enrolling.
Course description	This course introduces a range of key critical issues in the field of digital education, explored through variety of collaborative and individual learning activities. The course aims to provide a snapshot of some of the current technological possibilities and challenges in digital education, and to discuss some of the key practical and theoretical issues in the field. During the course, students will experiment with a variety of environments and media for communication and for learning ¿ from discussion boards and blogs, to social media ¿ and engage with a range of conceptual areas important to research and practice in online education. In terms of assessment, students will use a blog to record and reflect on their studies, and complete an additional assignment on a relevant issue in digital education.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: 0
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 400 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 392 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Part 1 (60%): Creation and maintenance throughout the course of a reflective blog, including some structured tasks. Part 2 (40%): Production of an assignment relating to an area covered by the course. Participants will be encouraged to explore alternative forms of literacy in its presentation (for example hypertext or wiki essays).
Feedback	Not entered
No Exam Information

Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: 0
Course Start	Semester 2
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 400 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 392 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Part 1 (60%): Creation and maintenance throughout the course of a reflective blog, including some structured tasks. Part 2 (40%): Production of an assignment relating to an area covered by the course. Participants will be encouraged to explore alternative forms of literacy in its presentation (for example hypertext or wiki essays).
Feedback	Not entered
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Critically evaluate a range of technologies in terms of their impact on teaching and learning Critically reflect on key concepts, theories, and ideas from the research of digital education Contextualise your own practice in terms of the key issues emerging from current research in digital education