Master of Education Programme (MEd) – Department of Education

Introduction

Master of Education is a taught course. Its duration is one year. The objective of this course is to promote the professional development of teachers. The teachers are expected to obtain study leave for one year.

Objectives of the course

On completing the M.Ed degree course, participants should

• have a breadth and depth of knowledge, and understanding in education, providing a firm foundation for professional development as a teacher or other educational professional.

• Understand and be able to use a range of research methods appropriate for their professional practice

• have developed a range of intellectual, practical transferable skills appropriate to their professional practice including personal reflection

• have developed their capacities for critical thinking, analysis, evaluation and synthesis.

Expected learning outcomes

• At the end of the successful completion of the M.Ed programme the students will be able to describe education theory and practices.

• Apply how the above knowledge and understanding can be applied in teaching learning and other situations in diverse educational settings.

• Use a range of generic skills for education (Communication skills, ICT skills, especially in utilizing ICT in instruction, critical thinking and problem solving skills, interpersonal skills necessary for working collaboratively with children, parents, peers and superiors, skills necessary for managing self and time.

• Demonstrate appropriate professional behaviour which include

• Critical reflection (thoughtful consideration of one’s own actions and their effects)

• Contributing to the school / organization

• Grow as professionals

• Show professionalism (Eg: Serve as advocates to students and families)

Demonstrate a critical understanding of the psychological sociological and philosophical foundations of education, a critical awareness of contemporary educational issues in Sri Lanka and in other countries, and a thorough knowledge and understanding of the role of research in analyzing and resolving educational problems at different settings.

Course Structure

Master of Education degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of 36 credit points. Twenty four credit points must be obtained from course work, six credit points from guided research and another six points from an independent project. The course will be run on a three semester basis. The first two semesters will be devoted to course work, assignments and the final examination. The third semester will be devoted to the independent project. Every student has to take six courses during each semester and each course carries two points. The six points earned from guided research will be course related. The course lecturer has the freedom to decide on the criteria or the type of research paper that is expected from the particular subject area.

Compulsory Courses

The Research Methodology course is compulsory for all the candidates registered for the M.Ed.

Credit and non-credit courses: All the subject related courses will carry two credit points each. English and Basics in Computer Science will be offered on a no-credit basis but is compulsory for all students offering M.Ed degree programme.

Admission requirements.

Basic degree and a merit / distinction pass in the postgraduate Diploma in Education from an institution recognized by UGC. The selection criteria may vary according to the demand.

Semester 1

MED 601 Research methods in Education-I	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 602 Management in Education -I	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 603 Sociology of Education-I	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 604 Comparative and International Education (basic) -I	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 605 Educational Measurement and Evaluation-I	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 606 Educational Psychology-I	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 607 Philosophy of Education -I	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 608 Curriculum Studies-I	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 609 Basics in Science Education-I	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 610 Guidance and Counseling -I	30 hours – 2 credits
Semester 2
MED 611 Research methods in Education-II	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 612 Management in Education -II	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 613 Sociology of Education-II	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 614 Comparative and International Education (History)-II	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 615 Educational Measurement and Evaluation-II	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 616 Educational Psychology-II	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 617 Philosophical Foundation of Education-II	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 618 Curriculum Studies-II	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 619-A Mathematics in the Elementary and Secondary School	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 619-B Science Education at School Level	30 hours – 2 credits
MED 620 Guidance and Counseling -II	30 hours – 2 credits

M. Ed candidates are expected to follow above courses and they should obtain 24 credits.

COURSE EVALUATION AND AWARD OF MASTER OF EDUCATION DEGREE

Students will be evaluated at the end of semester on the basis of their performance in each of the course offered.

Each subject will be evaluated in several ways as follows.

i. Tutorials and In- Class Quizzes 20%
ii. Mid-Semester Examination 20%
iii. Final Examination 60%

In addition to the above every candidate has to obtain a minimum of 50 marks (6 Credits) for the guided project and a minimum of 60 marks (6 Credits) or above for the independent project.

Course Evaluation

Based on the standard achieved under different components of the course students will be given the following grades:

Course Grade Guide

Marks	Grade	Grade Point
100 – 90	A+	4
90- 80	A	4
79 – 70	A-	3.7
69 – 65	B +	3.3
64-60	B	3.0
59 – 55	B-	2 . 7
54 – 50	C +	2 . 3
49-40	C	2.0
39-30	C-	1 . 0
29-0	D	0

Candidates who fail to obtain at least a grade of ‘C+’ in a particular component has to repeat the subject when it is offered next. A subject can be repeated only up to a maximum of three times. The final grade (Grade point average – GPA) will be a weighted average of the number of credits of the subject and the grade point. The calculation of GPA will be based on the following formula.

Where C i is the number of credits of the i th subject and g i is the grade point obtained for i th subject. The minimum GPA necessary to qualify in the subjects for both degrees is 3.0.