Due to the ever changing nature of the post compulsory education working environment, the content of this module is likely to be equally dynamic.
This module introduces you to a selection of institutional and externally driven factors which affect the priorities of post compulsory education. You are exposed to a variety of contemporary organisational and/or legislative issues and are asked to consider the effect of these on not only your own professional practice, but also the team within which you work.

You will be required to prepare a set of bullet points and accompanying notes on one or a combination of the contemporary issues studied on the course, as if you were going to give a presentation. (However you will not be required to give a presentation of the slides). The total wordage of the slides and accompanying notes should be up to 1800.

You will be expected to:

- Explain the importance of this topic to your institution

- Identify the actual or potential implications for your area of work

- Suggest workable strategies to facilitate progress with this issue in your area of work.

- Reflect upon your current or potential future role in relation to this issue

A variety of learning and teaching methods will be used such as presentations by specialist practitioners, group discussions, case studies and task centred investigations. There will be a strong emphasis on activity-focused learning and you will be expected to actively engage in all sessions.

In addition you will be required to engage in independent study in order to consolidate and build upon your learning from the taught sessions. This will take the form of undertaking follow-up tasks, work based self-assessments, and, where appropriate, reading relevant literature.

The module will be delivered in 10 weekly 2 hour workshops, and opportunities for additional assignment workshops will normally be available on request.

The rationale for a website-based reading list is that this course focuses on contemporary, and therefore continuously changing, issues in post compulsory education. Recent research reports, media reports and FE agency websites will inform participants? thinking. We also hope that participants will continue to engage with these sites and identify relevant information in future, beyond the module.

Agency / professional body websites

Learning and Skills Council:
http://www.lsc.gov.uk/

Quality Improvement Agency:
http://www.qia.org.uk/

Ofsted:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/

Lifelong Learning UK:
http://www.lifelonglearninguk.org/

Standards Verification UK:
http://www.lifelonglearninguk.org/svuk/index.html

Department for Education and Skills:
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/

Media websites

Education Guardian ? Higher Education section at:
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/

BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk


Extensive use will be made of articles in the Guardian and Times Higher Education Supplement newspapers.

All participants must currently be working in a post compulsory education establishment

College library for a range of relevant texts and journals
Internet access enabling access to relevant websites