Doctor of Education

Purpose

The purpose of the qualification is to

• Provide competence in advanced school leadership and management.
• Equip educators and managers with competence in curriculum design and development.
• Develop educators and managers who are able to critically engage and be self-reflective practitioners.
• Help capacitate and empower educators and managers with policy making and governance skills.
• Promote advanced scientific research.

Rationale

The rationale for the development and implementation of the programme is to

• Provide an opportunity for learners to pursue research on a variety of education related issues at doctoral level. It is a professional doctoral qualification geared towards professionalizing research in education and it is done by dissertation only.

Prospective MEd EMP students must demonstrate

• An understanding of baseline research methods and techniques.
• Advanced critical and reflective skills as well as creative abilities.
• Management skills in order to manage school activities and also keep abreast with requirements of the profession.

An understanding, knowledge and application of educational governance and policy issues at an honours level.

Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

The DEd is accessed through the Recognition of Prior Learning route which is administered internally using internal Recognition of Prior Learning policies.

Access to the qualification

The entrance qualification for the DEd shall be an MEd of the University, or a qualification deemed equivalent by Senate.

NQF Level 8: Total Credits required at the exit of the qualification are 240 as assigned in the following table

Learning components; Number of Credits allocated; NQF Level

• Fundamentals: 60 Credits; NQF Level 6 and NQF Level 7.
• Core; 156 Credits; NQF Level 7 and NQF Level 8.
• Electives: 24 Credits; NQF Level 8.

Specific outcomes: Upon successful completion of the programme students will be able to demonstrate

• That they have acquired advanced sound knowledge base and critical understanding of education in general, and of education governance and policy in particular.
• The ability to critically analyse and evaluate knowledge as well as conduct research in governance and policy, and to contribute to systematic and disciplined thinking about educational matters and issues, with particular reference to governance and policy.
• At their sites of practice, a theoretically grounded and contextually relevant ability to lead, manage and govern schools.

Critical Outcomes: The critical cross-field outcomes are integrated into the exit level outcomes of the qualification as follows:

• Identifying and solving problems in which responses display that responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking have been made.
• Working effectively with others as a member of a team, group, organization and community.
• Organising and managing oneself and one's activities responsibly and effectively.

Both formative and summative assessment methods will be used as indicated in Section 10 on integrated assessment.

Integrated assessment

Learners prepare research proposals that go through internal statutory bodies and later, get externalized. When the proposal is favourably accepted the learner undertakes to continue with data collection, analysis and final conclusion, including results of the study. On completion of that process the thesis is externalized and, depending on the outcome of the external examiners subject to WSU Rules and Regulations, the learner either receives a pass or fail.