Search

MAEL 102
Ensuring Quality in Educational Institutions

ECTS Value: 3 ECTS

Contact Hours: 15

Self Study Hours: 40

Assessment Hours: 20

 

Overall Objectives and Outcomes

This module, which targets prospective educational leaders, aims to debate and discuss quality vis-a-vis educational accountability and evaluation, drawing on the latest research and examples from around the world. It encourages a questioning and critical stance on accountability and evaluation across sectors. It introduces a range of quality assurance mechanisms, evaluation theories and up-to-date research on Educational Institution effectiveness and improvement. Participants will explore the role of accountability and evaluation in system reform and Educational Institution improvement while discussing current evidence on the relationship between evaluation and Educational Institution improvement. This module will present an understanding of notions of school quality and effectiveness. Participants will have an opportunity to explore the validity and reliability of measuring school effectiveness and improvement. 

By the end of this programme, participants should be able to:

Competences

a. Create an evidence-based evaluation by using various research tools; 
b. Demonstrate ability to identify strengths and weaknesses in Educational effectiveness; 
c. monitor current and meaningful pedagogical practices or otherwise; 
d. Interpret and address National standards within the context of local and internationally accepted quality assurance practices 
e. Design and guide implementation of an effective internal (review) evaluation to ensure quality education provision. 
 

Knowledge 

a. A comprehensive knowledge of the concept of quality in education; 
b. Uses of theoretical and practical knowledge of the purposes and functions of accountability and evaluation (particularly the differences in assessing the quality of Educational Organisations and assessing compliance with regulations); 
c. Evaluating critically the challenges and opportunities of different types of accountability and monitoring systems; 
d. Debating critically on the impact of external (reviews) evaluation on Educational Institution improvement; 
e. Explaining the relationship between external (review) evaluation and the process of ensuring quality education provision in Educational Organisations. 
 

Skills

a. Analyse and interpret evidence from data collection in a given context; 
b. Design an action plan related to an Educational Institution improvement in a given context; 
c. Develop effective use of evaluative and comparative research to steer improvement in a given context; 
d. Demonstrate leadership skills to respond to outcomes emerging from critical evaluation.

 

Assessment Methods

This programme adopts continuous and summative methods of assessment including assignments, online tasks, reflective journals, projects and video presentations. For further details, kindly refer to the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policy and Procedures.

Suggested Readings

Core Reading List
1. Anderson, J.A. (2005) Accountability in Education. UNESCO, Paris/Brussels 
2. Creemers, B. and Kyriakides, L. (2016). “Theory development in educational effectiveness research” Chapter 6 in: C. Chapman, D. Muijs, D. Reynolds, P. Sammons, C. Teddlie. The Routledge International Handbook of Educational Effectiveness and Improvement; Research, Policy and practice. Routledge, London/New York 
3. EACEA (2015) Assuring Quality in Education: Policies and Approaches to School Evaluation in Europe 
4. Ehren, M.C.M & Visscher, A.J. (2008) “The Relationship between School Inspections, School Characteristics, and School Improvement” in British Journal of Educational Studies 56 (2) pp. 205- 227. 
5. Ehren, M.C.M. (2016); “School Inspections and School Improvement; the current evidence base” (Chapter 4) in M.C.M. Ehren. Methods and Modalities of Effective School Inspections. Dordrecht: Springer. 
6. Gaertner, H.; Wurster, S.; Anand Pant, H. (2014) “The Effect of School Inspections on School Improvement” in School Effectiveness and School Improvement Vol. 25, Issue 4 pp.498-508. 
7. Ministry of Education and Employment (2012); A National Curriculum Framework for All; Ministry of Education and Employment, Malta 
8. Ministry of Education and Employment (2012); An Early School Leaving Strategy for Malta. Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Employment, Malta. 
9. Ministry of Education and Employment (2014); Framework for Education Strategy for Malta 2014- 2024; Ministry of Education and Employment; Malta 
10. Ministry of Education and Employment (2015); Learning Outcomes Framework; Ministry of Education and Employment; Malta. 
11. OECD (2013) Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education. Synergies for Better Learning: An International Perspective on evaluation and assessment 
12. Romzek, B. S. (2000); “Dynamics of public sector accountability in an era of reform”. In International review of administrative sciences, 66(1), 21-44. 
13. Sallis, E. (2014) Total Quality Management in Education. London: Kogan Page. 
14. Alkin, M. C. (Ed.). (2013). Evaluation roots: a wider perspective of theorists’ views and influences. Sage Publications. 
15. Newton, P., & Shaw, S. (2014). Validity in educational and psychological assessment. Sage. 

Supplementary Reading List
1. Ainscow, M., (2015); Towards self-improving school systems: Lessons from a city challenge, Routledge, Oxford 
2. Barber, M. (2004); ‘The virtue of accountability: system redesign, inspection, and incentives in the era of informed professionalism’ in Journal of Education, vol. 85(1), pp. 7-38. 
3. EACEA (2015); The Teaching Profession in Europe: Practices, Perceptions, and policies EACEA: Brussels 
4. Earl, L.M., (2013); Assessment as learning: Using classroom assessment to maximise student learning. (2nd edition) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin 
5. Ehren, M.C.M (eds) (2016); Methods and Modalities of Effective School Inspections. UCL Institute of Education; London, UK 
6. Faubert, V. (2009) ‘School evaluation: current practices in OECD countries and a literature review’; OECD Education Working Papers, No. 42 
7. Gordon, D. & Rose, D.H. (2016); Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice. CAST Professional Publishing 
8. Harris, A., (2012); “Leading system-wide improvement” in International Journal of Leadership in Education 15 (3) pp.395-401 
9. Hattie, J (2012); Visible Learning for teachers. Maximising impact on learning; Routledge; Oxon, UK 
10. Looney, J.W. (2011); Alignment in Complex Education Systems: Achieving balance and coherence. No. 64. OECD Publishing 
11. Mayne, J. (2003). “Results-Based Governance: Collaborating for Outcomes” A. Gray, B. Jenkins, F. Leeuw, J. Mayne (Eds). Collaboration in Public Services: The Challenge for Evaluation. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, pp. 155-179. 
12. Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment (2005); For all Children to Succeed: a New Network Organisation for Quality Education in Malta; Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment, Malta 
13. Ministry of Education and Employment (2014); A National Literacy Strategy for All. Ministry of Education and Employment; Malta 
14. Ministry of Education and Employment (2015); Respect for All Framework. Ministry of Education and Employment, Malta 
15. Ministry of Education and Employment (2016); A Language Policy for the Early Years in Malta and Gozo; Ministry of Education and Employment, Malta 
16. Muijs, R. D., Reynolds, D., & Kyriakides, L. (2016). “The scientific properties of teacher effects/effective teaching processes” in Chapman, C., Daniel, M., 
17. David, R., Pam, S., & Charles, T. (2016). The Routledge International Handbook of Educational Effectiveness and Improvement. Research, policy, and practice; Routledge, London & New York
18. Sammons, P. Davis, s. and Gray, J. (2016); “The Scientific Properties of School Effects” in Chapman, C., Daniel, M., David, R., Pam, S., & Charles, T. (Eds). The Routledge International Handbook of Educational Effectiveness and Improvement. Research, policy, and practice. Routledge, London & New York.
19. Scheerens, J. (2013) What is effective schooling? A review of current thought and practice; International Baccalaureate Organization, Den Haag.

Skip to content