Professional Master of Education in Art and Design with Digital Media (Level 9)

Course details

The programme supports and promotes the professional dimensions of teaching with an emphasis on the teacher as a reflective practitioner committed to and capable of career-long development based on informed reflective practice. Student teachers will acquire advanced professional knowledge and skills associated with research-informed teaching incorporating creative/academic study, research inquiry, professional discipline in work settings and a foundation for continuous professional development. The professional teaching portfolio is recognised as an important dimension of career-long learning. For the duration of the programme it is developed as a flexible electronic space, somewhere not just to document emergent and enduring development but as a learning artefact that is immanent in personal and professional development itself. The portfolio is a highly individualised, creative online vehicle that has many dimensions and purposes.

The programme builds on the growing importance of digital media and social networking platforms that are progressively more available to everyone, but especially to young people. The special attention given to art and design digital media and pedagogies reflects both the increasing importance of teachers having the knowledge and skills to use contemporary digital media confidently in different personal and professional contexts, but especially in their classroom teaching, and the particular knowledge and skill set of art and design graduates who are increasingly adapt in the use of digital media in their art and design practice and for online networking. The programme uses online dialogue within a community of practice for student teachers to search, share and construct knowledge, and for them to support each other while on school placements.

School placement involves three periods of block teaching with the advantage of student teachers having real opportunities to immerse themselves into the life of art and design departments and schools. Student teachers are placed in two different schools where they gain experience of teaching in different types of schools and in different social environments.

Year 1

The programme is designed as a sequence of six learning activities with embedded modules, encompassing work that infuses art and design practice, theorising and reflective practices, research and living inquiry, school placement and professional preparation for life-long learning.

Art/Design Community of Practice – COP

The programme’s community of practice is formed and student teachers begin to interact, building relationships, sharing profiles and collectively constructing knowledge. Consideration is given to the nature of living enquiry, of being an artist-research-teacher, to being a professional with responsibilities.

Art/Design Education 1 - ADE1

Time is devoted to drawing and personal art and design work as a fundamental aspect of art and design curriculum, and as an introductory basis for planning, teaching, assessment and reflection (with a three week school placement block) 

Art/Design Digital Media - DM

This activity involves a creative exploration of digital media in art and design and the changing landscape of digital media in education and its use in everyday society, especially by young people

Art/Design Education 2- ADE 2

Here planning, teaching, assessment and reflection come to the fore, this time focusing on more involved resource-based teaching and learning and studio-workshop, addressing art and design concepts, materials and processes (with an eight week school placement block)

Year 2

Art/Design Education 3 – ADE 3

Attention shifts to research and participatory teacher enquiry, with a focus on out-of-school group projects concerned with art and design in the environment and local community (with a ten week school placement block)

Art /Design Professional Practice and Portfolio- PP

Creating an enquiry-orientated professional portfolio and establishing self-directed goals for continuous professional development