FdA Inclusive Studies for Teaching Assistants

About the Course

A Foundation Degree is an employment-related qualification at higher education level. It is designed to equip students with the higher-level skills and knowledge that not only meet the needs of the employer, but also offer the opportunity to develop personally and professionally. The Foundation Degree in Inclusive Studies has been designed specifically for those professionals who are working to support children and young people in a variety of educational settings, and to respond to the changing needs within educational settings.

The programme aims to allow learners from a diverse range of backgrounds to learn within a supportive and flexible framework which recognises their needs, aspirations and potential. It also aims to support the developing role of the Learning Support/Teaching Assistant within the classroom through widening access to higher education and lifelong learning. The programme supports work-based learning and the delivery of modules in a variety of ways, including Saturday and Day School sessions, twilight sessions, and the use of INSET days and off-campus delivery through Widening Access. The degree will include modules delivered through the medium of English, Welsh and bilingually, and students will have the opportunity to present their work in either English or Welsh.

Award
FdA

Language Choice
English
Welsh

Course Length
3 years part-time

Entry Requirements

See introduction

You will be invited to visit the University to discuss the course. Entry is based on individual merit.

Career Opportunities

The Foundation Degree is relevant to those who work within an educational environment as learning support/teaching assistants. It can lead to further study for the degree in Education Studies and Social Inclusion. Graduates of these degree courses have the opportunity to pursue a number of careers, including:

  • Education officers
  • Social administration/ services
  • Community, continued learning and work with children
  • Primary/Secondary Teaching (with PGCE)

Department

School of Social Justice and Inclusion

Campus

Carmarthen Campus

Typical modules

In addition to the Work-based Learning element

  • Introducing Inclusive Studies
  • Developing Key Skills
  • Exploring Learning Techniques in Higher Education
  • Exploring Research Methods
  • The Spectrum of SEN
  • Applications of Psychology in the Classroom
  • Exploring Strategies and Policies
  • Skills to Access the Curriculum
  • Promoting Positive Behaviour in a Learning Environment

Key Features

The outstanding feature of this course is the focus on work-based learning so that students who are already working in an educational setting, or who volunteer within educational situations, have the opportunity to pursue their studies within the workplace.

  • Latest subject knowledge
  • Acknowledgement of the broad nature of education and inclusion
  • Exploration of recent research in subject areas
  • Research-active lecturers
  • Opportunity for personal research projects

Why study at this University?

  • Trinity is Wales’ most experienced centre for education and teacher training and its expansion into education studies and social inclusion demonstrates its strategic commitment to the development of this dynamic area of study
  • Specialist staff who continue their own research into educational and learning issues

Programme Specification

The main educational aims of the programme are to enable students to:

  • draw on a wide range of intellectual resources, theoretical perspectives and academic disciplines to illuminate understanding of the issues of Inclusive Studies and the contexts in which this take place;
  • engage with a broad and balanced knowledge and understanding of the principal features of Inclusive Studies in contexts in Wales and beyond;
  • acknowledge, accept and understand the values, interests and moral positions of others;
  • engage with fundamental research concerning the aims and values of the role of professionals within a variety of learning environments;
  • appreciate the challenging nature of social theory, policy and practice linked to an inclusive environment;
  • adopt appropriate problem solving skills which enables them to assess outcomes of interventions used to tackle issues relating to Inclusion.

Programme Outcomes

The Learning Outcomes of the modules in the programme will enable students to demonstrate:

Knowledge and understanding of the field

  • an understanding of the underlying values and principles relevant to Inclusive Studies;
  • knowledge of the contemporary activities and organisation of the main institutions of the UK welfare system, including the provision, financing and regulation of education;
  • the diversity of learners and the complexities of the education process;
  • the complexity of the interaction between learning and contexts, and the range of ways in which participants can influence the learning process;
  • the societal and organisational structures and purposes of educational systems, and the possible implications for learners and the learning process.

Application

  • successful application in the workplace of the range of knowledge and skills learnt through the programme;
  • a basic ability to analyse concepts, theories and issues of policy in a systematic way;
  • a developing ability to identify and reflect on potential connections between each of the aspects of subject knowledge and their application in policies and contexts;
  • an ability to accommodate new principles and understandings;
  • select a range of relevant primary and secondary sources, including theoretical and research-based evidence, to extend their knowledge and understanding;
  • qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment and progression to other qualification requiring the exercise of personal responsibility and decision making.

Reflection

  • an ability to reflect on their own and others’ value system;
  • an ability to use their knowledge and understanding critically to locate and justify a personal position in relation to the subject;
  • an understanding of the significance and limitations of theory and research.

Transferable Skills

  • the ability to communicate in speech and writing using relevant specialist vocabulary;
  • an ability to use ICT for their study and other appropriate situations;
  • an ability to interpret graphical and tabular presentation of data and to collate and present numerical data;
  • an ability to work collaboratively and plan as part of a team, carrying out allocated roles and fulfilling agreed responsibilities;
  • an understanding of and an ability to articulate their own approaches to learning styles and organise an effective work pattern including working to deadlines;
  • an ability to process and synthesise empirical and theoretical data, to create new syntheses and to present and justify a chosen position having drawn on relevant theoretical perspectives.