Bachelor of Arts in Facilitating Inclusive Education (Honours) Top-Up Degree – B.A. (Inc. Ed.) (120 ECTS)

Aim of the course:

This course aims to prepare those working in an educational setting in the area of inclusive education to become a Learning Support Educator 3 (LSE3). The program is targeted towards professionals within the area of inclusive education who wish to enhance their skills and competences in this specific area of study.

Target audience & entry requirements: 

The target audience is learners holding MQF level 5 certificates in the practice of inclusive education in the classroom [20week course [30 ECTS credits] and 30week course [30 ECTS credits]] and wishing to progress within the education sector as graduate Learning Support Educators 3.

In addition to the above students must submit copy of their O’level or proficiency certificate in Maths, English and Maltese OR the accreditation letter as LSE 2

Method of delivery: 

This is an on-line course. All taught units are taught online and even the Practice Placement is evaluated through an Oral Examination held online and through the evaluation of  specific documents that are also sent to examiners through online means.

The taught element of this course is made up of 18 modules. There is a Practice Placement in the First Year and one in the Second Year.  A Long Essay of 9,000 is completed in the second year.

Course outline: 

This graduate degree will enable the learner to have a comprehensive focus on contemporary debates within special and inclusive education including local, national and international policies and approaches. The course considers the specific needs of children with learning difficulties and disabilities, communication impairments, literacy difficulties/dyslexia, autism and SEBD/ADHD to illustrate the challenges encountered in professional practice.

This course is suitable for learners who are interested in developing their knowledge and understanding of children and young people with special educational needs, working as a facilitator for teacher or associated professional in mainstream education or specialised settings wishing to extend their skills and practice, an experienced professional, or already working with children with additional needs. It provides high-quality professional development and flexibility for learners to explore areas and in-depth study that interests them.

The course is intended to upskill learners who already have competences as Learning Support Educators and have already a working experience with children with disabilities and learning difficulties.

This qualification will provide more specialised theoretical knowledge and understanding of child development, the dynamics of various disabilities and/or learning difficulties, and teaching strategies, taking into consideration all the competences that the learners should have acquired when they have undergone the LSE Advanced Certification Course (30 week course) or its equivalent. Thus, it will enhance the skills already acquired in previous courses and through practice, leading the learner to have a full range of knowledge and skills to be able to work professionally as a Learning Support Educator. The outcomes of this course envisage that the learner would be able to deal with wide range of learning difficulties and disabilities and use different strategies accordingly.

The qualification aims to allow learners:

1. To have sound knowledge and understanding of child development and education with special emphasis on disability or learning difficulties
2. To acquire sound knowledge of the National Curriculum (NMC) and other local educational structures and its application for children with learning difficulties and disabilities
3. To further their knowledge and understanding on the most common disabilities and learning difficulties (especially those that were not covered in previous studies)
4. To master ICT knowledge, strategies and devices to be used with children with learning difficulties and disabilities.
5. To further develop their professional skills and vocationally appropriate competence to work with children with diverse needs
6. To become fully professional in their work as Learning Support Educators.
7. To develop understanding of inclusive practice and value diversity
8. To apply health and safety of children with diverse needs

In order to achieve the above, the learner will have good knowledge about the most common disabilities and learning difficulties including also teaching strategies that will help him/her work and adapt the curriculum for the needs of these children. These include more focused modules on child development, psychology of learning, numeracy and literacy with special reference to children with disabilities and learning difficulties. Apart from this it incorporates a module focusing specifically on the various disabilities and learning difficulties.

This course when completed will ensure that the learners will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to complete a wide series of tasks with children having different learning difficulties and disabilities and are of different levels of the educational system, according to the curriculum and vocational qualifications.

Access to resources:

At the start of the course, learners are given access to the institution’s VLE where every student is to create his/her personalised password-protected account. This online portal is utilized as a direct link between student, teacher and institution. Here lecturer upload resources for students, and students upload work assigned. The portals are also used for attendance records and gradebooks. Moreover, they provide for a direct news portal and means of communication between students and teachers or institution.

Delivery of lessons & method of assessment:

Tuition and online one-to-one assessments/orals take place via the platform ZOOM. Online classes are delivered in real-time so that students are able to bring forth queries and teachers can offer feedback. Lectures are held twice a week between 5pm and 8pm for 78 weeks. Where it comes to timed assessments, these continue to be taken via the online portal and invigilated via the ZOOM platform.

The total learning hours amount to 3000 hours out of which 464 hours are contact hours and 360 hours are supervised placement hours.

Practice placement will be conducted at the learner’s place of work, hence within the school where s/he is already employed as LSE. The learner will be expected to be in full time employment within this setting and will be required to validate 180 hours of practice in each one of the two practice placements. When on sick leave, missed hours would need to be compensated.

This will consist of hands-on practice undertaken by the learner within the duration of the course. Such hours are a mandatory part of the course.

The HoS or the INCO will be responsible for validating the said practice hours. No specific contract is required to conduct the placement, since the learner will already be engaged in full time employment, and the practice hours will be part of her/his daily role.

The taught modules will be delivered using the following methods:

• Online synchronous lectures which mainly constitute of explanations, highly informative presentations followed by class discussions and case studies which engage all participants in learning through critical thinking and verbal interaction.

• Self-directed study through online research and the Future Focus online platform where relevant course material is made available for students.

Tutors with a breadth and depth of knowledge, understanding and skills developed through experience in the field, provide for interactive and collaborative teaching methods promoting shared enquiry. Individual and group tutorials with emphasis on formative feedback will support learners to successfully complete the course. Learners will have the opportunity to discuss approaches with other experienced practitioners.

Training of lecturers for the effective and efficient employment of the digital system is ongoing, with meetings held regularly to improve and fine-tune the delivery of classes online. Students also undergo an induction session at the start of every course and this includes explanations on how to use the digital means of delivery of lessons and of the online institutional platform.

All tests will be in the form a multiple choice questionnaire and this will be in the form of 20 questions which are to be answered in 40 minutes.

Classes for this course are twice a week, in the evenings via zoom, which classify this course as a full time course.