Digital Technologies, Communication and Education MA
Objectives-help students further their careers through improving their skills and knowledge base in the area of digital technologies and communication, in order that these can be applied in any educational setting; -enhance students' interpersonal and group communications skills in order to enable them to learn independently and make effective decisions through self-reflection on their own practice; -develop in students the ability to design their own educational materials using digital technologies and in particular to develop creative and innovative approaches to this work; -build in students the confidence and ability to identify and critically evaluate the use of digital technologies, whether in formal educational settings or the informal educational processes of society, and with specific reference to their own needs and practice; -develop students' ability to systematically understand and critically evaluate research and research methodologies relevant to digital technologies in education, and then to apply this knowledge in actual research projects; -to assist students in developing an ability to manage and understand rapid technological change and its effect on educational processes, institutions and policies.
Entry requirements-educators and/or educational managers using, or desiring to use, digital technologies in any aspect of their teaching; -computing or other media specialists (programmers, designers and other practitioners) with an interest in becoming involved with the development of educational materials or software; -ex-teachers who are returning to the profession and who wish to update their skills, knowledge and understanding of digital technologies and communication in education; -anyone else with an interest in the use of digital technologies and communication in education.
Academic titleDigital Technologies, Communication and Education MA
Course descriptionSpecial features
Module details
The MA is a modular course carrying 180 UCET points. It is divided into a taught component of 120 credits (subdivided into eight course units of 15 credits) and a dissertation of 60 credits. The taught component must be successfully completed before the dissertation can be submitted.
The course is semesterised. For on-site participants, this involves Semester 1 (late September - late January), Semester 2 (February-mid-June), and, for full-time participants, a summer semester (mid June - early September) for the dissertation. Part-time participants, whether studying in Manchester or at a distance by elearning, follow the same teaching semesters as full-time participants but with a lighter study load in each. Their dissertations can then be completed over a longer period and submitted in either April or September.
Each 15-credit course unit is normally taught in one semester either through face-to-face classes or through various types of distance/ e-learning. Except where noted below, all courses exist in both a face-to-face and distance version. It is possible for students to complete the degree by a mixture of face-to-face and distance methods, if this is desired. Each 15-credit course unit is designed to fill 150 hours of study time. This time includes both set activities/classes, independent study, and work on assessment projects.
Career opportunities
Graduates from the course can follow a number of career paths: some continue to work in their existing posts, but often with enhanced status; some move into teacher education, materials development, publishing, the media, managing self-access facilities, testing and assessment, research; some set up their own businesses. Alternatively, graduates may use the programme as a springboard into further study, eventually leading to a PhD.
For example, we quote one student who studied on this course in 2005-6:
I was employed with my Master's degree at the Arab Open University. It is a non-profit Higher Education Institution established mainly to enable those who missed the chance of attending the University to pursue their higher education through distance learning. I belong to the faculty of computer studies, while they also have languages and business studies. We offer undergraduate as well as postgraduate studies at the AOU! I've planned two modules for this semester. One is "Education and ICT", the other is "Using Computer Software in Education". I'm using the best that I have experienced in Manchester to construct stimulating courses.