Professional Practice or Work Based Learning Studies MA/MSc

The course is designed to meet your professional development needs and those of your organisation. Professional Practice and Work Based Learning Studies courses can include four kinds of modules: Review of Learning; Professional Practice; Practitioner Inquiry; Negotiated Work Based Learning Projects. Typically MA / MSc courses are constructed to include a combination of these modules.

Review of Learning

Review of Learning is a distinctive feature of Work Based Learning and supports a dynamic process of identifying, analysing and reflecting on your learning to date to develop and present a portfolio that demonstrates your prior learning. This portfolio can be assessed for academic credit that can then be recognised as part of your course of study, consequently reducing the overall length of time and number of modules you are required to complete. In addition, this process will enable you to recognise and evaluate your existing work based knowledge and skills as a platform for further professional development.

Continuing Professional Development

Professional Development modules are designed to both introduce and develop the knowledge and skills required to engage in the negotiated work based learning process. They are also designed to enable you to develop a professional development plan and course agreement. This will define the focus of your studies including your proposed work based projects and will be agreed in negotiation with your tutor and your employer (or other relevant party). These modules will also inform your plans for post course professional development and career enhancement.

Advanced Practitioner Inquiry

This module is designed to enable you to learn about, and experiment with, methods of inquiry to inform your own work or professional practice. Module activities will enable you to gain inquiry related skills including critical analysis, evaluation and appraisal. These skills help you to select, develop and apply appropriate methods of work based inquiry to your work based projects. This could include:

Analysis of the context in which a project is being undertaken including your role and position as worker/researcher and the ethical implications that arise from this
Devising and applying real time work based activity development processes Critical appraisal of research/professional literature, organizational or national policy, professional standards or directives
Appropriate inquiry methodologies and approaches to data in relation to the specific contexts of your work/practice
Engagement with professional practice networks to inform the development and application of inquiry methods

Negotiated Work Based Learning Project

Negotiated Work Based Learning Project modules are designed to address real life work or professional practice issues and are designed to improve or inform areas of your own or others’ work or practice. The work undertaken can take a variety of forms relevant to your work and is negotiated with your tutor and your employer (or other relevant party) in order to be beneficial to you and to the organisation(s) you work with. Projects may also generate creative solutions to work based issues or problems and so provide the opportunity to create new ways of thinking about particular areas of work or professional practice. All MA / MSc courses must contain a 60 credit Negotiated Work Based Learning Project module.