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AWARD and ROUTE TITLE / MSc in Supportive & Palliative Care
INTERMEDIATE AWARD TITLES / Postgraduate Certificate in Supportive & Palliative Care
Postgraduate Diploma in Supportive & Palliative Care
Name of the Teaching Institution / Sheffield Hallam University & St Luke’s Hospice, Sheffield
Mode(s) of Attendance
(e.g. FT/PT/SW/DL) / PT and or DL
UCAS CODE
Professional/Statutory/Regulatory Body Recognising this Programme
QAA Subject Benchmark Statement or other relevant external reference point / QAA academic benchmarks for postgraduate study
Department of Health and College of Radiographers Policy Documents.
NICE(2004) Improving Supportive and Palliative Care for Adults with Cancer
End of Life Care Strategy (2008)
Date of Validation / 6th October 2008
1PROGRAMME AIMS
This MSc and intermediate awards aims to:
1.1Offer you a flexible programme of post-graduate study, allowing you to develop your intellectual potential, critical reflection and clinical reasoning skills and improve your ability to evaluate and enhance practice.
1.2Meet the needs of a diverse range of professionals byproviding opportunities to experience inter-professional teaching, learning and assessment, reflecting multi-professional working practices within general and specialist supportive & palliative care services.
1.3Provide opportunities to critically evaluate a range of theoretical perspectives relevant to your area of practice in order to inform and underpin professional decision making and facilitate effective and collaborative working both within and across professional and organisational boundaries
1.4Facilitate your development of enhanced skills in order that you are able to proactively review, influence and enhance your own professional practice and lead others in the context of health care provision in the UK and internationally.
1.5Focus you on contemporary issues and the needs of the service user in supportive & palliative care settings, thus promoting patient-centred practice.
2PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES
2.1Knowledge and understanding covered within the Programme. By the end of the programme you will be able to
2.1.1Reflect critically on current theories and concepts underpinning professional practice and its application in a range of general and specialist palliative care settings in health, social care and the independent sector
2.1.2Critically evaluate factors which may have an impact on policy guidelines, potential for enhancing care, resource management and multi-professional working
2.1.3Apply specialist knowledge and understanding to challenging and complex scenarios in own practice setting
2.1.4Synthesise and critically appraise research/evidence-based materials from diverse and/or complex sources underpinning current concepts in the management of patients and their families at the end of life
2.1.5Justify, utilise and apply knowledge of approaches to enquiry in order to undertake service improvement, service evaluation and research in your area of practice
2.1.6Demonstrate conceptual understanding and critical analysis of legal, ethical and professional issues relating to autonomous clinical practice in the context of your role, both in written work and through peer discussion.
2.2 Intellectual/Subject/Professional/Key skills covered within the Programme: by the end of the programme you will be able to
2.2.1Demonstrate independence and autonomy in your learning and practice
2.2.2Critically analyse the theoretical basis for practice across the spectrum of supportive & palliative care
2.2.3Select, evaluate and utilise relevant information and data, drawing heavily on academic literature and appropriate primary sources
2.2.4Demonstrate the ability to combine critical thinking with evaluation of clinical practice in challenging situations and make informed judgements
2.2.5Develop and manage an independent research or applied project within an agreed timescale
2.2.6Critically reflect upon your own and others learning and performance, and plan for requisite development needs
2.2.7Employ problem solving strategies appropriate to complex professional activities and inter-professional working
2.2.8Initiate and sustain effective communication with patients & carers, health care professionals, organisations and external agencies, through a variety of media.
The course is designed to encourage you to progressively become more autonomous learners. Tutors will function as a facilitator, to encourage and foster an independent approach to learning and development. You are encouraged to undertake more independent, student-centred learning and engage significantly with developing your own learning strategies. This is evidenced in a number of ways e.g. self-appraisal and reflection, provision of peer feedback.
3LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT
3.1The approach to Learning and Teaching within the Programme
The philosophy and approach to learning and teaching for this framework of awards is informed by the University's Learning and Teaching Strategy (2006) and aims to:
- ensure flexible delivery with time, pace and place, chosen by you
- enable your acquisition of high level critical abilities
- support and facilitate you to become autonomous in your studies
- provide enhanced study skills support and guidance, appropriate for postgraduate students
- provide a variety of opportunities for you, as you progress through your studies, to develop and demonstrate advanced skills of critical thinking, problem solving abilities, creativity and innovation
- facilitate achievement of module learning outcomes, by the provision of appropriately focused learning and assessment activities
- ensure your learning experience enhances your employability and career prospects.
Specific details of the approach to learning and teaching may be found in each of the module descriptors. However, this provision will also seek to:
- maximise the use of electronic learning materials, including access to the University’s virtual learning environment, to facilitate flexibility, efficiency and effectiveness of delivery and to develop learner autonomy
- provide tutorial support through personal and electronic contact
- maximise the opportunity for inter-professional learning, by the design of modules, learning materials, activities and assessment opportunities, together with the use of inter-professional learning sets
- utilise the expertise of specialist supportive and palliative care clinicians to inform practice development
- continue to work closely with external partner organisations at all levels, to ensure that the design of modules, learning materials, activities and assessment opportunities continue to be driven by critical policy and professional agendas.
The approach to learning and teaching throughout the MSc will aim to facilitate active and independent learning and attempt to provide some parity of student learning experience between the taught (PT) and distance learning (DL) modes.
Examples of this approach are indicated below:
Learning materials: In PT mode, tutor presentations may be used to present concepts / new material, or to facilitate group work; and to enable clarification, application and practice with all materials available on a dedicated Blackboard site. In DL mode, slide presentations on the Blackboard module sites, will be used to introduce each new topic/concept along with other reading material / video and narratives. In addition, case studies will demonstrate practical application of the topic area and approaches that have been discussed.
Student learning: Active learning will be fostered in both the PT and DL modes. In the PT mode, this will be achieved through activities undertaken in seminars and workshops where you are encouraged to share practice and develop new thinking and approaches. In DL mode this will be replicated through a series of structured e-tivities (activities that require students to post work on a discussion forum and discuss with peers), which will be a formatively assessed task. E-tivities provide 'a framework for active and interactive online learning' (Salmon, 2004). The e-tivities will be supported by the use of e-moderators (tutors who engage with a group of students wholly through the Blackboard site monitoring their progress and facilitating online discussion). They essentially guide you through opportunities to develop learning and make meaning of information provided.
Blackboard sites: In PT mode, the ‘Blackboard’ virtual learning environment will be used as a course management tool, an information resource, and to facilitate some discussion and sharing of ideas.
In DL mode this will be the primary vehicle for delivery, based upon Salmon's (2004) 5 stage model for on-line learning:
Access and motivation
Online socialisation
Information exchange
Knowledge construction
Development
Collaboration: Students in both modes will be encouraged to discuss ideas throughout the programme and will be challenged by peers and academic staff to question, explain and explore topics under consideration. You will be encouraged to reflect on the development of your professional practice and that of others to demonstrate learning. Application of learning and the justifications for changes in practice will be strengthened by the use of questioning, student-led presentations, and classroom based or on-line discussion. A number of these activities reflect approaches, which may be encountered in clinical environments. Group work will be utilised in some modules to further enhance collaboration.
For the DL mode, it is expected that students will originate from a variety of cultural backgrounds, with different professional, political and health care contexts, hence bringing a variety of experiences. This diversity and richness will be drawn upon during module delivery and on-line discussion forums.
Thus, learning and teaching will be supported utilising a combination of peer and tutor support, materials presented on Blackboard supported by Key Skills on-line. Typically for a 15C module, this involves a total student learning hours of 150. Of this total, approximately 25 hours are allocated as 'contact' time' (involving attendance at St Luke’s for the PT course or participation in BB activities for the DL mode), with the remaining hours allocated to self-directed study. This is appropriate at M level to support the development of independent learning skills.
You are also able to design and develop individual learning packages undertaken as an Independent Study Module as part of your study pathway.
SALMON, G. (2004) E moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online,
2nd Ed., Routledge Farmer.
3.2The approach to Assessment and Feedback within the Programme
Similarly, the approach to assessment and feedback for this programme is also informed by the University's Learning and Teaching Strategy (2006) and aims to:
- ensure that the assessment of student learning outcomes is based on clear criteria and focused on assessment for learning rather than a test of knowledge
- provide appropriate and timely feedback, which is balanced and coherent
- ensure that both assessment and feedback is effective and efficient within the context of different modes of learning.
Assessment of learning will be via both informal (formative) and formal (summative) means. This will help to ensure that learning and development is seen as progressive, developmental and continuous and is not just evidenced by completion of a summative assessment at the end of the module. There are no formal written exams for this programme.
Formative assessment for both modes of study this is designed to provide you with constructive feedback on your learning as you progress through the course. Formative assessment will be achieved through facilitated activities (e-tivities for DL mode), which may include working individually, or in a group and will involve some element of self and/or peer assessment (not just tutor feedback) as part of the process. This will be a compulsory aspect of modules with students posting work to the Blackboard site. Evidence of formative work is a requirement of the module. This will serve as an opportunity to share ideas, challenge opinions and give feedback on titles, plans, etc. in advance, which may inhibit and reduce plagiarism. This increased emphasis on and approach to formative assessment, will provide a structured way of tracking your progress through to summative assessment and therefore not just receiving feedback on the final product. Activities (e-tivities) are designed to guide you towards the final assessments and should be viewed as a constructive process rather than additional work. More detail can be seen in individual module descriptors.
Summative assessment strategies used will facilitate learning and development and will not be used to purely test knowledge. Assessment will facilitate you to challenge concepts and ideas, to reflect upon practice, to critically explore and assess the literature and to relate it to clinical practice. Assessments will facilitate in depth exploration of topics that are pertinent to an individual’s practice. A variety of tools are utilised and include the use of assignments, seminar presentations and group assessment to demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes. A variety of written assignment formats will be used with some involving a choice of title presented by the tutor, others may be negotiated individually. Some assignments will be presented in a format suitable for publication to help further embed the value of publishing work as a means of sharing and disseminating good practice.
The Research Methods for Practice module will allow you to demonstrate your ability to identify a focused research question, critically evaluate a range of methodologies and plan for an in depth research project.
The final dissertation will provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of a chosen subject area and ability to conduct a research project from proposal through to final publication.
Feedback on progress and performance are key features in supporting the progressive development of student learning. It is also important that students operating at Masters Level should be able to offer some form of feedback on the thoughts and work of their peers and not purely rely on tutor feedback.
On this programme, feedback will be provided through self-assessment, peer assessment and tutor feedback on formative activities (e-tivities in DL mode). Feedback will be of both a formal and informal nature via the group discussion forums or individually to you from the tutor.
Feedback of a more formal nature will include an opportunity for you to submit an assessment draft, on which you will receive written feedback as an indicator of progress towards fulfilment of the assessment criteria. On this programme, it is standard practice to provide feedback on a draft submission up until 2 weeks before the submission date and no later.
You will receive quality, written feedback, using a standard proforma, to indicate whether you have satisfied the specified module learning outcomes in submission of your summative assessments. It is standard practice on this programme for you to receive a provisional mark and feedback prior to the Award Boards where marks are ratified.
4PROGRAMME DESIGN AND STRUCTURE
The design of the programme is both incremental and coherent whilst facilitating an individual and customised programme of learning. It will also equip you with the knowledge and skills to engage in life long learning.
All modules in the course are at level 7 (Masters level) and involve appropriate learning and assessment activities for this level of study. The course is delivered in PT and DL mode, and you will be able to access either / or both routes after discussion with the course leader on which would be most appropriate for you.
There are mandatory modules which must be undertaken e.g. Contemporary Issues in Supportive & Palliative Care (30C); Loss, Grief and Bereavement (15C); Working Together in Supportive & Palliative Care (15C); Research Methods for Practice (15C), and Dissertation (60C). There are also a number of optional modules available from a variety of professional disciplines (including MSc Advanced Professional Development Framework; MSc Radiotherapy & Oncology and MSc Advanced Practice in Radiotherapy & Oncology), which allows individualisation of the programme.
All students must complete a postgraduate research methods module and a dissertation to achieve the final stage award of an MSc in Supportive & Palliative Care. To achieve a post graduate certificate core modules in year one plus an optional module must be taken and for the postgraduate diploma the core modules in year one and two, research methods for practice and optional modules are required.
Schedule for delivery
Modules from the programme may be taken in any order (initially two new core modules PT & DL are available in the first year of this programme followed in the second year by a further new core module). The schedule for delivery will be based upon available modules at the commencement of each students’ programme of study and your preferences; you may commence in January or September. Thus students may access PGD modules at the start of the programme e.g. Research Methods for Practice. On acceptance to the programme the student and the course leader will discuss the planned pathway. This will facilitate the identification of appropriate modules that can be accessed by the student and the time frame for these selections.
5PROGRESSION/CAREER ROUTES
Possible progression or career routes after you have completed this programme include
The Masters in Supportive & Palliative Care has been designed to meet the academic and professional development needs of practitioners, already employed in general and specialist supportive and palliative care settings both within and outside the NHS / social care services. It is expected that individuals would progress to positions of greater responsibility and autonomy.
Therefore, successful completion of modules and awards will further enhance your employability in politically and professionally significant roles and areas of work.
Some graduates may stay in their country of origin or seek employment in another country. Others may pursue a career in clinical practice in a variety of settings in the UK or internationally. Alternatively you may pursue academic teaching or research careers in the UK or internationally. Study at this level will allow you to provide a level of teaching / mentorship required to meet You may also seek to enrol for further study such as a Professional Doctorate or a PhD.
6ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND ENTRY PROFILE
6.1Specific Entry Requirements for entry to the initial stage of this programme are
- Academic Qualifications (including A / AS level grades and subjects, where applicable)
- Level of English language capability
- Any other specific, formally certified qualifications
- Previous relevant work or work-related experience
- Any specific articulation arrangements recognised for this programme
- Professional qualifications
- Any other specific entry requirements
6.2APPLICANT ENTRY PROFILE: the knowledge, skills and qualities etc. required to enable you to benefit from, and succeed on the programme of study are