Graduate Certificate of Education (E5E)

This degree is designed to provide postgraduate level coursework for professionals who are associated with the practice of education. It is intended to enable competent, experienced professionals to broaden, deepen, update and integrate knowledge in an area of interest and/or expertise.

Our objectives are to;

• Develop practical understanding of teaching as an "evidence based profession".
• Engage in research to promote critical reflective practice which will enhance the outcomes of learners in educational contexts.
• Explore theoretical and practical aspects of teaching and learning in a range of contexts including schools, workplaces and community settings.
• Advance your knowledge, skills and understandings of educational research and practice.
• Develop critical and analytical skills through discussion of relevant and substantive research in areas of specific interest.
• Engage in wider and more general education debates.
• Engage, develop and implement research methodologies in your own research project.

Please Note: This course does not qualify graduates as teachers. The appropriate graduate entry course for initial teacher training is the Master of Teaching.

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Knowledge - Graduates will know and understand:

• The theoretical foundations and practice of education (including various specialisations), and how these can facilitate enhanced pedagogical approaches, curriculum, policy, and student engagement from a global perspective;
• The relationship between reflective practice and professional standards in local and/or global education contexts, and how each can define, validate and enhance learning and teaching;
• The key research principles and methods applicable to extending knowledge in their specialised area of interest.

2. Skills - Graduates will:

• Critically reflect on practice and/or research findings to develop new understandings that can inform sound professional judgment, planning and decision making;
• Apply education theory to specific content and/or pedagogical knowledge to inform and advance learner outcomes and/or systemic developments within their own contexts;
• Initiate constructive responses to changing educational contexts and learner needs.

3. Application of Knowledge and Skills - Graduates will:

• Utilise educational theory and professional knowledge to design and evaluate programs in different learning and teaching contexts.
• Independently utilise professional standards and contemporary scholarly literature to reflect on practice and facilitate positive educational change.
• Plan and conduct independent inquiry to inform professional practice.

4. Communication, Collaboration and Leadership - Graduates will:

• Communicate professionally and effectively across diverse settings and audiences;
• Apply their knowledge and skills in collaborative practice and/or leadership roles.

5. Professional Learning - Graduates will:

• Utilise contemporary literature and professional standards to improve practice and promote constructive and collegial learning in educational contexts;
• Employ appropriate technologies to investigate and share practice with peers engaged in professional communities;
• Be responsible and accountable for their own learning.

6. Ethical Professional Practice - Graduates will:

• Conduct their practice and engage with stakeholders in an ethical, collaborative, professional and accountable manner;
• Understand that, globally, educational professionalism requires ethical standards as well as evidence-based and exploratory approaches to teaching and learning.