Childhood Studies Foundation Degree

Innovative and integrated

The Childhood Studies course is innovative in its design, as it has been able to integrate significant setting-based learning hours into each module, alongside scheduled teaching and events, online and 'asynchronous' learning opportunities, alongside daytime, twilight and weekend activities.

This has enabled students to work and study alongside each other, and actively 'knit' theory and practice together, with increasing sophistication.

Required learning hours per module

Each 20 credit module requires 200 hours of study, and in Childhood Studies this has been distributed across the educational-setting hours, academic direction, and Independent Study.

Each module is organised to provide a rich range of learning tasks, reflective activities, PAT support, and independent study guidance, which will not only assure the breadth and depth of your academic assignments, but build your professional and academic identity to influence the practice in your setting.

Each module has the equivalent of 35 hours of academic direction and 75 hours in setting, undertaking learning activities alongside your duties, and 90 hours of independent study.

What is academic direction?

Academic direction is the term given to a range of academic inputs, and includes:

• face-to-face teaching and events
• online teaching and/or events
• 'asynchronous' activities or activities that you can do at your own pace
• tutorials and group activities.

Academic direction is also integrated into the setting activities through 'work-based tasks', which call for observation and inquiry into theory and practice (see next tab).

Taught sessions

Typically, all taught sessions are conducted face-to-face at your specified location.

You are expected to engage with the pre-reading or pre-tasks each week, so this should be factored into your weekly planning. You will be required to engage with some online learning activities during each module, but the nature of these will vary across modules.

Frequency

Given the precision of the allocation of hours in this innovative course design, attendance is mandatory. The expectations are:

• five days, typically one day per week per module (daytime groups), OR
• five evenings (twilight) per module and three Saturdays a year.

The Saturday events are open to all students as part of a wider offer of academic direction, independent study, and professional or academic development.

Attendance and engagement

Attendance and engagement will be closely monitored by your PAT, the Year Lead, and the Course Director, as we know that there is a direct relationship between attendance and engagement, with attainment, progress, and student wellbeing.

As such, any non-attendance or non-engagement with scheduled events will be raised with you for discussion by your PAT, to identify what support you might need.

The employment setting

Having the support of your employer is vital to your success, and having a mentor can enhance your learning further. This is something that should be discussed with an employer if they are keen to support you on the course.

The work-based elements of your learning hours are integral to your progress, and the tasks that you undertake in setting provide the evidence and stimuli for your academic development.

Therefore, assuring that your colleagues are aware of the requirement to observe, investigate, and reflect on policies and practices in your setting. It is also beneficial to discuss ways in which the school can benefit from your developing knowledge and insight throughout the course.

Stakeholder agreement

All students must provide a signed Stakeholder Agreement from their employer (whether paid or voluntary) that acknowledges their support for you, as well as record the satisfactory DBS clearance once conducted (before the start of the course).

'Work-based tasks'

The 'work-based tasks' (WBTs) are incredibly valuable and are a key to student success on this course. The WBTs are inquiry based activities, specifically designed to prompt observations and reflections from theory and practice into the same space. This is what facilitates the increasingly informed analysis of practice, evidence, and wider literature, to empower you to raise your ideas and curiosities with others.

The WBTs are a vehicle for 'meaning making' and identifying connections between different perspectives and ideas. These WBTs become the stimulus and the evidence for academic assignments, as well as the ongoing dialogue with PATs, peers, and colleagues, about evidence informed professional practices.

The 75 hours of setting-based learning per module is therefore a blend of setting-related duties and learning opportunities, and purposeful engagement with the WBT expectations for each module.

Independent study can take a wide range of forms, and effective use of this aspect of the module learning hours can have a significant impact on the quality of academic assignments, and the persuasiveness of professional discussions. The content should be predominantly academic material, but the rest could be more diverse.

Over the length of a module, 90 hours of independent study could take the forms of:

• Reading around the module topic (more than the pre-reading) and should include current academic journals (credible research) and policy documents
• Engaging in relevant CPD in your setting or in one of their partners
• Engaging in online learning activities provided by the course team (beyond the minimum requirements) or by an external provider
• Speaking to other professionals specifically about the emerging themes in the module, e.g. speech and language therapist, occupational therapist
• Finding relevant podcasts
• Attending conferences
• ..and others.

Students who immerse themselves in the narratives and debates on a topic will acquire a broad perspective and a rich understanding.