CERTIFICATE IN EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE

Unit 1: Introduction to Evidence-Based Education and the Value of Self-Assessment for the Research Informed School/College in NI

This unit will support staff as they develop their practices in becoming a research informed school or College or department.  The process of quality improvement and development through self-assessment will be outlined as well as the needs of the research-informed school or college.

The learning outcomes include:

1. To identify processes and practices suitable for self-assessment and research-informed evidence-based education;
2. To review good practice self-assessment and strategies that support quality monitoring and review including innovative and new approaches to teaching and learning in school/college;
3. To develop new methods to support curriculum and teaching and learning innovation in school or college including lesson-study, action research and mixed methods approaches to self-assessment and continuous data management;
4. To consider the idea of ‘measuring impact’ in a range of social situations to enhance teaching and learning through strategic module and course reviews;
5. To plan a strategy for evidence-based education to improve research and scholarship across the whole school.

Unit 2: Participatory Action Learning and Action Research

The unit will prepare practitioners and leaders in schools and colleges as they develop teams in support of continuous improvement and teaching and learning with a scholarship and research-informed approach. The learning outcomes include:

1. To review the idea of building capacity through the PALAR approach to impact and improvement planning for teaching and learning;
2. To develop a plan for PALAR based on school/college/department/phased improvement suitable to the social environment;
3. To understand the concept of action learning and action research in the context of evidence based practices;
4. To develop a community of action learners in support of self assessment and evidence based improvement in the short/medium term;
5. To critically review the PALAR approach to continuous improvement and self assessment at school/college level.

Unit 3: The Lesson Research Study and Trusted Colleague Networking 

Lesson research study is a phenomena that extends the trusted colleague networking principals often employed in education.  This unit will enhance the current practices of school by outlining the good practice approach taken by the Japanese theory of lesson research study (focusing on research as well as scholarship).

The learning outcomes are:

1. To consider lesson -research study as a model of good practice for the development of self-assessment and reflective practitioner teams focusing on ‘impact’ on teaching and learning and the individual learner;
2. To trial lesson research study within a discipline or at whole department level and evaluate the outcomes for improvement over time;
3. Critically reflect on lesson study as a way of supporting coaching and mentoring and team development within a department or whole school/college;
4. Plan a strategy to develop self assessment using lesson research study as a learner impact tool for future school or college development.

Unit 4: Scholarship in Education – Making ‘the’ Difference to the Learner

This unit will help individuals to reflect on the concept of scholarship as research-informed schools and colleges.  The principles of good practice will align to best practice in education. Various approaches to scholarship in terms of culture and ethos will be explored as well as strategies in support of practitioner journey toward scholarly outcomes across the whole school/college. Learning outcomes include:

1. To identify the value of scholarship as a practitioner and across the whole school/college;
2. To review benchmark best practices in support of scholarship in teaching and learning;
3. To critically assess the value of scholarship with a small team in support of self assessment and continuous development within school or college;
4. To reflect on the benefits and challenges of introducing scholarly informed practices for a staff team within a social environment;
5. To plan for scholarship within school/college for the future in consultation with others.

Unit 5: Good to Best Practice through Mentorship and Shared/Global Learning – Toward Communities of Practice for Sustainability

Global and shared learning are important aspects of school to school or college to college collaborations now or in the future.  Sustainability and quality in education come from such approaches.  This unit will highlight the rich opportunity that collaborative and shared learning can bring through a range of best practice examples including COIL, Global NI, and Shared Education in NI.  The learning outcomes include:

1. To reflect on the value of partnership in Education and a culture of sharing and learning together;
2. To review the idea of sustainability and collaborative practices in Education;
3. To consider mentoring and coaching as key parts of the global/sharing culture when building communities of practice;
4. To plan for collaborative and shared/global partnerships now or in the future to enhance research-informed and scholarly outcomes.

Unit 6: Impact and Learning Leadership in Schools and Colleges

This unit focuses on how to measure impact in the promotion of school or college improvement.  Impact must be measured when planning for any change in Education.  Developing ideas about good practice research and strategies for enhanced methods and strategies for data  (evidence) collection will be supported.  Pure and applied research approaches will be discussed as well as constructive or pragmatic models of good practice.  The learning outcomes include:

1. To develop an understanding of the research – school or college and approaches utilised when measuring impact and learning;
2. To reflect on the needs of school or college in support of continuous development and research informed practices for the robust measurement of impact;
3. To raise awareness of the importance of evidence and research integrity using guidelines in educational communities and good practice forums;
4. To develop strategies for improved impact measures using a research-informed approach now or in the future.