PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION
Programme title MA Evaluation, Inspection and Educational Improvement (previously
‘Inspection and Regulation’)
Awarding body: University College London
Teaching institution: University College London Institute of Education
Details of accreditation by a professional/statutory body: NA
Name of the final award: MA Evaluation, Inspection and Educational Improvement
Programme title: MA Evaluation, Inspection and Educational Improvement
UCAS/admission code: MA Evaluation, Inspection and Educational Improvement
Criteria for admission to the programme
Criteria for admission are:
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A minimum of a good second class honours degree (2.1 or above) or the equivalent
from an institution acceptable to the Institute of Education, University of London
plus at least two years’ relevant work experience. Applicants with other
qualifications and/or work experience will be considered on an individual basis.
European or international applicants are expected to have qualifications at an
equivalent level.
Those who do not meet these criteria have to show an ability to meet the demands
of the programme through a qualifying assignment which is normally one or more
of the following forms, to be agreed by the Programme Leader: an essay, a critical
review, a written statement, an unseen written paper, a portfolio of materials,
and/or a viva voce examination.
Participants are required to have regular access to the Internet in order to link to
the Virtual Learning Environment, and the necessary computer hardware and
software.
Word-processing, Internet and email skills are all basic requirements of this
programme.
An advanced level of ability to work in English is essential. Applicants whose first
language is a language other than English may be required to provide evidence of
their English language proficiency. Participants need to take a test to provide
evidence of their ability to work in English. Available tests are the IELTS or the
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Pearson test (please note that TOEFL tests taken after 16 April 2014 are not
accepted, only tests before this date with a minimum score of 650 in the paperbased test, 280 in the computerized test and 114-115 in the internet-based test).
The Institute requires an overall score of 7.0 in IELTS, with no less than 6.5 for reading
and 6.0 for writing. If you are undertaking the Pearson test, we require a score of over
57. The Cambridge Certificate in the Proficiency of English is accepted and must be
passed with grade A, B or C.
Aims of the programme
The MA in Evaluation, Inspection and Educational Improvement is designed to
develop your analytical and reflective capacities. This will help you to connect your
own self-knowledge and understanding with the key theoretical ideas underlying
inspection and evaluation, the needs of the settings within which you presently work
or support, or may work in the future and the dynamics and demands of the
educational systems within which these are set.
In particular, it will help develop your resourcefulness and understanding of inspection
and evaluation principles, models and frameworks and continually reinforce the
application of theory and existing research findings to institutional practice and
improvement and in evaluating quality against criteria in making judgements. This
emphasis on personal and professional development as evaluators and inspectors, or
those supporting inspection and evaluation, articulating with applied study, is one of
the qualification’s most distinguishing features.
The MA in Evaluation, Inspection and Educational Improvement provides learning
opportunities for you – evaluators, inspectors, professional staff and others working in
a variety of inspection/regulation remits (e.g. schools and colleges, higher education,
local authorities) – to work out ways in which existing theory on inspection and
evaluation may be successfully applied to the evaluation and improvement of
institutions and to your own professional development.
The programme will specifically:
 deepen your knowledge and understanding of inspection and regulation models
and frameworks
 facilitate critical evaluation of emerging ideas in this field
 enable analysis of values, equality and human rights and international perspectives
of inspection systems and practices
 provide access and engagement with the latest cutting edge research
 develop your critical and analytical skills in relation to: evaluation and judgement;
organisational improvement; consultancy and advice; the use of data and
evidence; the use of inspection and audit.
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Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external and internal
reference points used to inform programme outcomes
The MA in Evaluation, Inspection and Educational Improvement provides learning
opportunities for you – evaluators, inspectors, professional staff and others working in
a variety of inspection/regulation remits (e.g. schools and colleges, higher education,
local authorities) – to work out ways in which existing theory on inspection and
evaluation may be successfully applied to the improvement of institutions and to your
own professional development.
Because you are probably involved in inspection and evaluation you have
responsibilities for ensuring institutions and their staff are fulfilling their duties and you
will provide judgements concerning value for money for the public. Studying this
course will give you the opportunity to engage with the ideas of inspection and
evaluation as they apply in the field of public services (knowledge for understanding)
and allow you to consider them in relation to your own professional practice and its
improvement (knowledge for action). The wider course aim is to develop your capacity
for critical reflection on professional practice by considering inspection and evaluation
in the light of a wider research and professional literature.
In all of the sessions you will be looking critically at literature on inspection and
evaluation, and related areas, some of which is theoretical and some of which reports
on research and practice. In all of these sessions you will also be asked to consider
the implications of what you are studying for your own practice. Exposure to a wide
literature will lead you to review critically your own practice, for example, both
inspectors and the academic research community regard evidence/data as
sacrosanct, yet the way in which evidence/data are constructed and made use of is
quite different – isn’t it?
Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be
achieved and demonstrated
The course is delivered fully online through an online learning environment, Moodle.
Each module includes eight sessions which require you to read 2 to 3 papers or book
chapters on a specific topic and complete 2 or 3 activities that will help you understand
the text and background materials. There are four types of activities throughout each
module:
Discussion activity: A forum is set up for each discussion activity. There will be
direct links set up within each session’s content area. For each discussion activity,
you will be expected to post your own thoughts and response to the thoughts of at
least one colleague. In your final assignment you will be asked to reflect on the
discussions and on your contribution to the discussion.
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Blog activity: Each session includes a blog activity in which you are asked to
discuss a specific topic, using the required reading. Your tutor will provide individual
feedback to your blog to support you in understanding the required readings. These
blogs will help you in your preparation of your final assignment.
Reflection activity: At various points, you will be asked to reflect on specific
subjects. You will be asked to post these reflections in your reflection journal on the
online environment. In your final assignment you will be asked to draw on these
reflections.
Knowledge test: Some sessions will include a short questionnaire, including
multiple choice and open answer questions to test the knowledge covered in the
previous and/or current session(s). The aim of the test is to highlight areas you have
not mastered yet; you don’t need to pass the test.
Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules, credits and awards
The MA includes 2 core modules (each 30 credits), 2 optional modules and a
dissertation (60 credits); OR 2 core modules (each 30 credits), 3 optional modules
(each 30 credits) and a Report (30 credits). The Postgraduate Certificate only includes
the two core modules, which are:
Core module 1 ‘Principles, Frameworks and Context of Educational Evaluation and
Inspection’
Core module 2 ‘Evaluation and Inspection for Educational Improvement’
Optional modules can be chosen from the IOE’s broader offer of modules.
Mode of study
Distance learning
Language of study
English
Date at which the programme specification was written or revised. Initials of
author.
ASQEU (BP) 14 October 2014 updated ASQEU (RD) July 2015
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