EDU4211 – Critical Issues in Educational Reform
Course description
Course content
The themes of the course are:
- the origin and dimensions of three critical issues in education reform: equity, quality and relevance
- equity, quality and relevance in governance, planning and management of education systems
- equity, quality and relevance in teaching and learning processes
Learning outcome
The aim of the course is to provide conceptual clarifications and practical examples of approaches to addressing the three key issues in education reform: equity, quality and relevance.
Knowledge
Upon completion of the course you are expected to:
- Understand and analyze dimensions and concepts that are essential for education reform.
- Understand and analyze inter-relationships between education systems and societal development processes in the context of education reform.
Skills
Upon completion of the course you are expected to:
- Demonstrate capacity to identify pertinent research issues for independent analysis.
- Demonstrate capacity to present an issue in a focused manner in accordance with academic formalities
Competence
Upon completion of the course you are expected to:
- Document analytical competences of relevance to education reform issues.
Admission
The course is a part of the Master Programme in Education Policies for Global Development (GLOBED) wich is a joint degree coordinated by The Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Only students formally accepted to the programme may attend this course.
All students in the GLOBED master programme must apply according to the procedures laid out by the The Autonomous University of Barcelona and The University of Oslo.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
The course requires that you have completed the first semester courses of the programme at the The Autonomous University of Barcelona: Study programme.
Overlapping courses
10 credits overlap with EDU4201 – Core Focus Areas in Comparative and International Education (discontinued)
Teaching
The courses combine lectures with seminars, group work, exercises and oral presentations by students.
There is a mandatory 80 per cent attendance requirement for this course. You must fulfill the requirement in order to take the exam. If you do not fulfill the mandatory attendance requirement, you must complete an additional assignment prior to passing the course. The requirement for the additional assignment is at the discretion of the teacher. If you do not fulfill the requirements you may not take the exam. Contact the UiO administrative contact person for the course for more information.
Access to teaching
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
You are required to write a term paper of 10-15 pages as a home assignment. Requirements and deadlines will be announced at the beginning of the course. The paper will be judged by two examiners.
Use of sources and citation
You should familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to the use of sources and citations. If you violate the rules, you may be suspected of cheating/attempted cheating.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.
Evaluation
The course is subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students to participate in a more comprehensive evaluation.