STEM Education

Please check the Sheffield Hallam University website for the latest information

Course summary
- Deepen knowledge of current STEM education issues

- Explore STEM education programmes, climate education debates, and leadership theories.

- Consider issues of social justice and inclusion in STEM education

- Develop your own research project.

This part time MA provides the skills and knowledge to debate contemporary issues in STEM education and critically appraise research evidence and policy. Topics include programme design, climate education and sustainability, social justice and leading innovation in STEM education.

The course will help you to develop the abilities and confidence needed to identify an issue in your educational context and undertake your own research project.

How you learn
All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

You will explore current policies, debates, and theories of STEM education and reflect on the connections to your context and work.

You will examine approaches to climate change and sustainability and consider the implications for your STEM programmes and context and work.

You will critically examine and reflect on models of leadership and explore the importance of leadership to effect change at both practice and organisational level. You will reflect on strategies to bridge the gap between theory and implementation in practice.

You will engage in self- directed study and will undertake a range of tasks over the duration of the course to build a knowledge base that is subject to critical review. You will be encouraged to put what you have learned into practice, and to reflect on this.

You will complete a final research dissertation or consultancy project to examine an area of particular interest.

You will be supported and guided by tutors whose role is to design, develop, support and manage your learning environment.

You will be taught by academics with expertise in STEM education fields, with inputs from STEM education experts from a range of professions to illustrate STEM innovations in practice.

Taught sessions will make the connections between research evidence and practice. You will learn by situating course content in your professional context, taking a reflective and critical approach to theory and research evidence. Your tutors will foster discussion around STEM debates and provide opportunities, including external speakers to encourage active engagement with the subject matter.

You will learn through:
- Active participatory sessions

- Lectures and seminars

- Tutorials

- Student and tutor co-designed learning activities

- Group work and peer discussion

- Peer and tutor formative feedback via structured feedback points in each module

- Independent study

- Digital resources

- Completion of a dissertation/research project

- Formative and summative assessments include written assignments, presentations, posters and a final dissertation as a research or consultancy project.

Key Themes
The first year of the course starts with a module on Exploring contemporary issues in STEM education, before moving on to study content on Designing STEM education programmes and Leading innovation in STEM education. The second year has a module on Research methods in education to further prepare students for their research project.

Applied learning
Live Projects
You will have the opportunity to engage with the issues raised in the MA in your workplace and context and to consider and reflect upon these to advance and challenge your understanding. This will support your career development and your practice, and allow you build your confidence and skills as the course progresses.