Curriculum Information

Document Version

QAA Benchmarks

Educational Aim

Learning Outcomes

Course Structure

Level 7 Modules

Teaching and Assessment

Learning and Teaching Methods

Employer Engagement

Visiting Speakers

The course has been allocated 36 hours HPL per year. We expect to use some of this budget to engage experts as visiting speakers, particularly in order to bring a range of diverse voices from different international contexts to the course.

Based on existing collaborations and networks, we expect that each of six content-focused modules (as opposed to research modules) will feature one-hour webinars from academics based in universities in America, Australia, Egypt, Norway, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey and the UK.

Volunteering

Students on this course will not be asked to do volunteer work, though opportunities would be available if requested, through existing staff networks and activities. More focus is given to a work placement, as mentioned below.

Fieldwork

The programme does not incorporate compulsory fieldwork outside USW because we expect supervised peer teaching (micro-teaching) to be most relevant to international students’ employment prospects.

However, should students wish to undertake research with their home countries using online resources, which would be useful for their coursework or research projects, then such engagement would be encouraged and supported.

Fieldtrips

We will encourage international students to participate in fieldtrips for international induction and will explore other options where course budget permits. Local conferences such as Learn English Wales in Cardiff invite TESOL students to present research posters at their conferences and to talks and events at Cardiff language schools. All relevant opportunities will be presented to students as optional enrichment activities.

Work Placements

All students will be given the opportunity to undertake optional work-based learning placements with USW’s Centre for International English, which will consist of teaching assistant work and lesson observations. Students will be able to undertake these activities during their academic year in addition to their study timetable, and the timetable is structured to facilitate this. No DBS check is required.

The number of hours of engagement will be logged and students will receive a USW certificate (in addition to their MA degree certificate), which will outline the hours of engagement spent with the Centre of International English. The certificate will demonstrate work placement. Students will normally be able to choose the number of hours in line with the benefits for their own professional development, but the C.I.E. may limit these hours to a maximum of 60 per student if logistics require this.

These placements are available in line with numbers predicted on the three-year business plans submitted for this programme, with capacity for further growth. If the number of applicants accepting offers on the programme exceeds these predictions, the course leader will review placement opportunites with the Director of the Centre for International English (C.I.E.) and the USW placements team to develop an appropriate long-term strategy..

Work-based Learning

The programme supports continuous professional development and offers bespoke peer teaching opportunities and an optional work placement opportunity, so there are no dedicated work-based learning modules.

Sandwich Years

n/a

Employer Forums

We will work with the alumni office and through faculty partnerships to monitor employment demand and experience for our graduates internationally.

Means of Assessment

Presentation, Report, Essay, Performance, Poster, Presentation, Project

Learning Support

Induction

All students will be given a full induction in their first week, enabling them to adjust to university life, get to know the teaching team and their peers, plan their studies, and understand how the University works. The induction includes a full explanation of the course handbook and the student charter, a tour of Blackboard and its resources, and team-building activities to help foster a sense of cohort and course identity among new and existing students.

International students will be encouraged to participate in International Welcome Week

Personal Academic Coach1

n/a

Learner Analytics

Learner analytics will be used by module leaders, personal academic coaches and the course leader to identify students who may not be engaging on the course. The course leader will review the information and contact the student about individual modules or engagement across the course as a whole, or refer to the progression team where appropriate. Whether or not the issues relate to a single module or the course as a whole, the course leader will advise the student about the best course of action. In most cases, this will be to contact module leaders for academic support and the Advice Zone to discuss applications for extenuating circumstances and advice on appropriate support services. The course is recognised as being one of the programmes that utilises learner analytics frequently and was included in a pilot study on how to further this and as part of promotional material to further encourage its adoption within USW.

Office hours

Students will be able to request meetings with academic staff. Regular office hours will not be held away from the classroom because of the block teaching style, as students will be able to meet staff in the course of teaching days.

Tutorials

Students will be able to request meetings with academic staff, but tutorial hours are not part of the formal contact hours for these modules.

Seminars

Modules are taught workshop style with no formal division between lectures, seminars and group and practical activities.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment features on all modules. It may take the form of group work, coursework plans or discussions, peer review, discussions, or full or partial drafts on which the module team make comments before the final version is completed. Activities and tasks set in advance of seminars and workshops may also be classed as formative assessment; feedback on these will be given during seminar discussions and workshops.

Progress meetings

Students will be able to make group or individual appointments with their module leaders to discuss progress at any time throughout the academic year.

Research Supervision

Students will be allocated appropriate supervisors on the research project modules and supervision will take place at scheduled clinics.

Online Resources

Students will be able to access course materials, such as handbook, course timetable, assessment diary, marking criteria and copies of course-level announcements, through the course organisation on Virtual Learning Environment.

At module level, students will be able to access learning and teaching materials and tools via the Virtual Learning Environment. These will include the module programme, reading lists, recordings of lectures and seminars where provided, module-specific resources, tools for producing and submitting coursework (like Turnitin), staff contact details, discussion boards where used, and copies of modular-level announcements.

Most items for learning and teaching will be made available by the Library (through FindIt) or academic online resources. Students will also have access to the Student Development and Study Skills Service and USW Careers to help develop their skills.

Students will be able to access online resources provided by the University through their UniLife dashboards. The course and module leaders will be able to monitor engagement on the course via the Learning Analytics tool.

Advice Zone

Advice Zones are the first point of contact for advice and information regarding university life. Advice Assistants offer confidential, impartial guidance and advice on a range of issues including extenuating circumstances. Advice Assistants are also able to answer and advise on queries, questions or concerns regarding booking appointments with specialist teams such as Mental Wellbeing Services, Counselling, Disability Services, Money Advice, Careers, and Progression Advice.

Disability

The Disability Service provides information, advice and guidance to and co-ordinates support for USW students who have disabilities, including physical, sensory, mental health or unseen disabilities, specific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia) and autism. This is a confidential service where students can discuss their individual requirements, learn what support is available and get help to apply for support.

The Disability Service also has a key role in ensuring the University meets its commitment to providing an inclusive environment for disabled students. See our Policies and Equality Scheme.

IT/Library

IT and media resources are a common thread behind many of the activities which help to enhance students’ learning experience, such as their online student account (giving access to email, printing and payments and more), UniLearn (the online learning environment), open access to computers on each campus, printing services, and media equipment. In addition to the online resources, two bespoke sessions are delivered by the Faculty Librarian to introduce and encourage engagement and use of the library facilities.

USW has a strong commitment to providing technology-based learning environments to support students. Whether studying on campus, at home or elsewhere, students have web access to their course materials anytime and anywhere.

There is also a periodicals collection with newspapers and magazines. Many of these resources are also available digitally.

Course Exit Points

Progression Route

PGCE Education

BA English

BA English and Creative Writing

BA Education

BA Business and Management

Entry Requirements

Admission to the course is typically through the following qualifications:

For applicants educated through the medium of English:

a minimum classification of 2.2 or equivalent in an undergraduate degree in any discipline or a combination of evidence of relevant study, language-teaching qualifications, work experience, to be assessed at interview

For applicants who are not educated through the medium of English: An IELTS score of 6.5 is required. Each component minimum required score is IELTS reading 6.0, writing 6.0, listening 6.0 and speaking 6.0. and either a minimum classification of 2.2 or equivalent in an undergraduate degree in any discipline or a combination of evidence of relevant study, language-teaching qualifications, work experience, to be assessed at interview
The Centre for International English will provide appropriate pre-sessional teaching and assessment for candidates below level 6.5 IELTS or below 6.0 on any of the components.

The USW Centre for International English (C.I.E.) has agreed to provide pre-sessionals specifically designed for students on the MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) as an outcome of consultation prior to course approval by USW’s Programmes and Operations Group. Marketing descriptions and responsibility for design and quality control of these pre-sessionals lies with USW’s Future Students Department. This is the standard and only approved arrangement for pre-sessionals preparing students for USW courses. The proposed provision is in line with current visa requirements. The Future Students department in collaboration with International Student Advice provides all advice on visa arrangements to students, monitors changes to these requirements, and will liaise with the course team on any future changes.

Inclusive Curriculum Statement

The University of South Wales operates a policy of inclusive learning, teaching and assessment to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to fulfil their educational potential. Course teams will have considered ways of designing out any potentially disadvantageous element of courses during the course design process. However some specific needs may remain, details about how to apply to have your needs assessed can be found at: http://unilife.southwales.ac.uk/pages/3040-disability-and-dyslexia-service/

Addendum for Delivery at a Partner Institution

N/A