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s

PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION Final

Course summary

Final award PGCert Communities, Engagement and Enterprise

Intermediate award

Course status Validated

Awarding body University of Brighton

Faculty N/A

School Applied Social Sciences

Location of study/ campus Falmer + Residential

Partner institution(s)

Name of institution Host department Course status

1. Action for Regenerate Trust Joint

2.

3.

Admissions

Admissions agency Direct to School

Entry requirements Include any progression opportunities into the course.

Applicable for 2015 entry. Check the University’s website for 2016 entry requirements.

Degree or Equivalent (normally within the past eight years), plus successful completion of the OCN award in Community Organising level 3 (or equivalent community based experience)

Students requiring additional study support prior to commencing the course will be referred to the university's online study guide https://student.brighton.ac.uk/ask/

Start date (mmm-yy) Normally September

May-14

Mode of study

Mode of study Duration of study (standard) Maximum registration period

Full-time Select Select

Part-time Select Select

Sandwich Select Select

Distance 8 months Select 2 years

Course codes/categories

UCAS code

Contacts

Course Leader (or Course Development Leader)

Dr Juliet Millican

PART 1: COURSE SUMMARY INFORMATION

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Admissions Tutor Juliet Millican

Examination and Assessment

External Examiner(s)

Name Place of work Date tenure expires

Professor Stephen Hill

University of Gloucestershire

2016

Examination Board(s) (AEB/CEB)

SASS PG AEB and SASS PG CEB

Approval and review

Approval date Review date

Validation th 1

18 April 2012 2

2017

Programme Specification Republished September 2013 with no changes

Republished September 2014 with module code SS704

Republished 2015 with no 3

changes.

4

September 2016

Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body 1 (if applicable):

N/A 5

Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body 2 (if applicable):

Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body 3 (if applicable):

1

Date of original validation. 2

Date of most recent periodic review (normally academic year of validation + 5 years). 3

Month and year this version of the programme specification was approved (normally September). 4

Date programme specification will be reviewed (normally approval date + 1 year). If programme specification is applicable to a particular cohort, please state here. 5

Date of most recent review by accrediting/ approving external body.

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AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Aims

The aims of the course are:

1. To provide a programme of post graduate study that enables students to reflect in depth on the

purpose, practice and process of their work as Community Organisers/animators and to see this

work in a broader socio-economic and historical context.

2. To enable students to grasp the theoretical concepts and values of Community

Organising/animating and to put these into practice in a real world setting

3. To facilitate further in depth study of the RE:generate’s Root Solution Listening Matters Strategic

Development Process to understanding power and to working in complex community settings.

4. To enhance the development of a student’s skills in research and analysis, reflection and

evaluation, problem solving and enterprise; and to offer a route into full M Level study via Social

and Community Research or through APEL in a range of related areas including Community

Psychology, Public Administration (MPA), or Psychosocial studies.

Learning outcomes

The outcomes of the main award provide information about how the primary aims are demonstrated by 6

students following the course. These are mapped to external reference points where appropriate .

Knowledge and theory 1. Demonstrate a comprehensive and critical understanding of the key

concepts, values and philosophy of community organising and animating and

how it relates to other approaches used to engage communities.

2. Demonstrate a comprehensive and critical knowledge of the practice of

community organising and animating in the UK, the centrality of the RSLM

process and the way it has been used to facilitate social change in local and

global settings.

3. Critically evaluate their contribution to the development of community

enterprise, conflict resolution and capacity building within their area of

practice

4. Critically reflect on the strengths and limitations of community organising to

produce social change and improve the capacity of communities to manage

themselves.

5. Identify a particular element of practice or theory and explore its relevance

to the particular context in which the student is based.

Skills Includes intellectual skills (i.e. generic skills relating to academic study, problem solving, evaluation, research etc.) and professional/ practical skills.

6. Demonstrate competence in applying the concepts, theories and values of

community organising and animating in theoretical and practical settings

7. Demonstrate skill in working ethically and collaboratively to define

community concerns and play an appropriate role in developing subsequent

community actions or enterprises

6

Please refer to Course Development and Review Handbook or QAA website for details.

PART 2: COURSE DETAILS

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8. Demonstrate the ability to engage with others in participatory research

activities and an understanding of the values and principles that underpin

participation.

9. Demonstrate a high level of cultural competence in working in professional

and local settings and in dealing with difficult or unpredictable situations.

10. Demonstrate the skills and intentions of reflective practice and an

awareness of the importance of this to their own development and that of

their work.

QAA subject benchmark statement (where

7 applicable)

In keeping with the QAA benchmark for Level 7 qualifications this qualification provides accreditation for a comprehensive continuing professional development programme for those who have already completed six months in practice as community organisers. It offers a systematic understanding of the broader field of community development and community organising informed by recent research conducted both in the UK and other parts of the world. It is designed to foster in students both a confident and systematic understanding of the range of techniques open to them and the ability to evaluate existing research and methodologies and to act creatively to solve complex problems on the ground.

PROFESSIONAL, STATUTORY AND REGULATORY BODIES (where applicable)

Where a course is accredited by a PSRB, full details of how the course meets external requirements, and what students are required to undertake, are included.

The National Community Organiser Programme (NCOP) to which this course is exploring the possibility of establishing an institute of Community Organising. This is expected to take place within the coming two years.

7

Please refer to the QAA website for details.

LEARNING AND TEACHING

Learning and teaching methods

This section sets out the primary learning and teaching methods, including total learning hours and any specific requirements in terms of practical/ clinical-based learning. The indicative list of learning and teaching methods includes information on the proportion of the course delivered by each method and details where a particular method relates to a particular element of the course.

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This programme is in keeping with the University’s Learning and Teaching strategy (2008 – 2010) in aiming to provide socially purposeful Higher Education that equips graduates to contribute effectively as citizens to their chosen professions and communities. By working in partnership with a practitioner organisation it incorporates academic and practice based knowledge and aims to strengthen the relationship between learning and teaching – empowering participants to achieve their full potential as learners, facilitators of learning and as citizens. It will include a structured staff development programme for our partners and make use of their expertise in facilitating the use of e learning throughout.

It will draw participants from a diverse range of backgrounds who are operating as community organisers in different parts of the country and ensure those with the potential to undertake a programme of post graduate study are supported to do so. Although only open to those working in the UK it will maintain a strong international perspective learning from work undertaken in other parts of the world.

In order to accommodate those living in different parts of the country the 600 learning hours attached to this course will be structured with 30 hours face to face contact, 50 hours on line support, 20 hours group work and up to 500 hours of individual study time.

The four day residential will run from mid day Monday to mid day Friday (three full days and two half days) and will involve 30 hours of structured contact time organised according to the structure indicated in the table below with:

7.5 hours lectures 12 hours workshops 10.5 hours seminars

8 hours group tutorials Total 30 hours contact time.

The residential will include sessions on both of the core modules for this course: Community Organising and Animating, theories and practice (CO&A) and Learning by Objectives (LbO). Learning by Objectives, as an open module designed to respond to the needs of individual students will, where possible, make use of the content from a range of faculty modules by offering students the opportunity to sit in on relevant lectures and seminars to supplement the learning attached to their particular project ideas.

Programme for Residential Element.

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 9am Lecture 1.5

hrs CO and A Alinsky and Rules for Radicals.

9am Lecture 1.5 hrs CO and A Freire, pedagogy and Reflective Praxis

9am Lecture 1.5 hrs CO and A Citizens, Chicago and the current context

Group Tutorials 2 hours LbO Formulating individual project plans

11.00 Group work / workshop 2 hours CO&A: What this means for practice

11.00 Group work / workshop 2 hours CO&A: What this means for practice

11.00 Group work / workshop 2 hours CO&A: Root Solutions and the current context

Structure and next steps 1.5 hours Processes for working at a distance

1pm Arrival registration

1.00 Lunch 1.00 Lunch 1.00 Lunch

1.30 Introductions 1.5 hours Getting to know the group and the programme, using the online elements

2.00 Workshop 2 hours CO&A Codes for Ethical working

2.00 Workshop 2 hours CO&A Tools of Participatory Research

2.00 Workshop 2 hours CO&A Tools for managing conflict and difference

1pm end

3.00 LbO 2 hours Designing a LbO project and

4.00 Seminar 1.5 hours CO&A: Reflective

4.00 Seminar 1.5 hours CO&A: Participation and participatory

4.00 Seminar 1.5 hours CO&A: Cultural competence,

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writing learning outcomes. 5.00 small group activity.

Learning and reflecting on practice

research working cross culturally

Meal Meal Meal Meal 7.00 Evening

Session 1.5 hours CO&A Histories, theories and influences, discussing pre- course reading.

7.00 Evening session 1.5 hours CO&A: Reflecting on practice till now.

7.00 Evening session 1.5 hours CO&A Student led sessions, sharing practice

7.00 Evening session 1.5 hours CO&A Student led sessions, sharing practice.

The residential will be followed by:

Fortnightly on line seminars of one hour at a time (CO&A)

These will be facilitated and delivered in partnership with Regenerate using software offered to all community organisers at the start of their government programme. Those students applying independently will be given free access to this software. They will be held in the evenings to facilitate attendance from those in full time work.

Weekly blogs sharing practice experience and discussing course reading (CO&A)

Participants will be required to complete a weekly blog commenting on both their practice experience and the set course reading. Using either Adobe software or student central the blogs will serve as a mechanism to share experience and ideas and will be commented on by the course leader and learning guide.

Individual online and skyped tutorials to support Learning by Objectives projects

All students will be given individual tutorials to support their LbO projects, either face to face or through skype. These will be arranged in accordance with the requirements of the project and other academics will be brought in to offer specialist supervision as appropriate.

Attendance at University lectures and seminars by arrangements to support projects from the Learning by Objectives module*

Some students may opt to take an intensive module from one of the options in the list given below. This will entail whole day attendance at the University of Brighton for specific times. To facilitate ease of distance learning and for consistency in the course their registration will be on the Learning by Objectives module and they will, by arrangement with module tutors, be offered the opportunity to sit in and join those seminars that are viable for them. Their assessment will be through LbO and organised through negotiation with both module tutors. A list of possible modules is included below*

Action Learning sets, per led, either regionally based face to face meetings, or through Skype conference calls

By involving the minimum of travel and printed resources and actively discussing questions of

sustainability in communities the course meets with the school’s sustainable development action plan.

Although not currently subject to the expectations of a professional body this course will be closely involved with the establishment of an institute of community organising to be developed as part of the government’s national community organising programme.

Learning and Teaching Method % of Student Effort

Lectures and seminars 10%

Group work 15%

Practice and reflection on practice 35%

Independent study 40%

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*Semester 1 modules to support SSM20 Learning by Objectives

Principles of Social Research SSM48

Social and Psychological Contexts of Mental Health SSM24

Participation and Democracy SSM61

Doing Qualitative Research SSM42

Quantitative Research Methods in the Social Science SSM49

Community Psychology: Theory and Practice SSM202

Social Research Practice SSM200

Developing Community Media MJM14

Social and Community Enterprise SS734

Semester 2 modules to support SSM20 Learning by Objectives

Marketing in the Not for Profit Sectors MKM24

Organisations, Partnerships and Networks SSM45

Public Administration and Policy Analysis SSM301

Strategy and Planning in the Public and Voluntary Sectors SSM23

Personal and Social Transformations SSM41

Organisation and Management of Public and Voluntary Organisations SSM47

Participatory Media Production for Social Change MJM07

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ASSESSMENT

Assessment methods

This section sets out the summative assessment methods on the course and includes details on where to find further information on the criteria used in assessing coursework. It also provides an assessment matrix which reflects the variety of modes of assessment, and the volume of assessment in the course.

Learning Outcome Assessment method

Module No. of credits

1. Demonstrate a comprehensive and critical

understanding of the key concepts, values

and philosophy of community organising and

animating and how it relates to other

approaches used to engage communities.

2. Demonstrate a comprehensive and critical

knowledge of the practice of community

organising and animating in the UK, the

centrality of the RSLM process and the way it

has been used to facilitate social change in

local and global settings.

3,000 word essay critically comparing different approaches to Community Organising with their own practice. (summative)

SS704

20

3. Critically evaluate their contribution to the

development of community enterprise, conflict

resolution and capacity building within their

area of practice

4. Critically reflect on the strengths and

limitations of community organising to produce

social change and improve the capacity of

communities to manage themselves.

10.Demonstrate the skills and intentions of

reflective practice and an awareness of the

importance of this to their own development

and that of their work.

Weekly reflective blog evaluating the contribution they have been able to make to their own local community (summative)

SS704

10

6. Demonstrate competence in applying the

concepts, theories and values of community

organising and animating in theoretical and

practical settings

7. Demonstrate skill in working ethically and

collaboratively to define community concerns

and play an appropriate role in developing

subsequent community actions or enterprises

8. Demonstrate the ability to engage with

others in participatory research activities and

an understanding of the values and principles

that underpin participation.

9. Demonstrate a high level of cultural

competence of cultural competence in working

in professional and local settings and in

dealing with difficult or unpredictable

Group presentation filmed and posted on line reflecting on the strengths and limitations of their work (summative)

SS704

10

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situations.

5.Identify a particular element of practice or

theory and explore its relevance to the

particular context in which the student is

based.

To be negotiated with the student: could include written paper, practical project and reflective evaluation, structured impact assessment or online presentation of findings.

SSM20

20

In keeping with the school and the University’s assessment Policies the assessment for this programme will be both formative and summative and endeavour where possible to be student centred, using a range of approaches to reflect the learning styles of different participants and their aspirations for development.

The constraints of working with students from across the country who meet only in one intensive residential programme dictates that the programme will need to make full use of online assessment and feedback approaches.

Although based in practice the course does not make use of work based mentors who have a formal role in assessing progress. However the Learning Guide who is employed by Regenerate and closely associated with course delivery will be involved in their work within their host organisations through the (NCOP) and will visit them and their hosts during their period of registration.

Formative assessment is implemented through the weekly online blog in which students will be expected to debate their continued practice in the light of their reading and on line seminars. They will receive ongoing comments and feedback from both the course leader and the learning guide during this process as well as from their peers.

Summative assessment is implemented through a 3,000 word essay which requires them to compare the approaches used in the UK with others presented to them during lectures at the residential programme. It will ensure they are able to work at post graduate level and to process and apply complex ideas to practice.

Their assessed presentation will, as far as possible be done in groups using people from a similar geographical area or where possible the same host organisation who will work together on presenting a filmed account of some of their work. This will be assessed by posting the film on line.

The final assessment task will be agreed with the student concerned and is intended to reflect the work on their elected project. Those students who opt to sit in on seminars from another faculty module that is relevant to their work area will be assessed via this module either using a similar task to that of the module they are attached to or one that is negotiated and agreed according to the specification of this course.

SUPPORT AND INFORMATION

Institutional/ University All students benefit from:

Student Handbook: the University and you

Course Handbook

Extensive library facilities including access to local university libraries through the Sconul scheme

E-mail address

Welfare service though this may be accessed from a distance

The course leader and the learning guide will be responsible for ongoing advice and guidance.

Course-specific Additional support, specifically where courses have non- traditional patterns of delivery (e.g. distance learning and work-based learning) include:

In addition, students on this course benefit from:

Use of student central, Adobe Connect, the online resources for the Locality Programme and Regenerate’s own online library.

An online course reader

Facilities (Adobe Connect) for online tutorials and seminars as well as filmed distance presentations.

Where possible students will be connected with other participants from their

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COURSE STRUCTURE

This section includes an outline of the structure of the programme, including stages of study and progression points. Course Leaders may choose to include a structure diagram here.

This programme has been designed to accredit a second stage of professional development that is currently attached to a government programme currently managed by Locality, a national not for profit organisation. It is specifically attached to the work of Regenerate, the training provider for the NCOP and will be run jointly with Regenerate making use of a course leader from the University of Brighton and a Learning Guide who is employed by them and will co teach on the course. Partnership arrangements and responsibilities between the two organisations are specified in a Service Level agreement which is currently being prepared by the University’s partnership office.

The NCOP will recruit and train 14 cohorts of Community Organisers over the coming five years. Each cohort will include between 40 and 50 participants who receive a common foundation training (OCN certificate). Six months into the programme they are able to choose from among 7 different options for a second ‘Go Deeper’ phase. This Post graduate certificate will be one of those options and will provide an informed and critically reflective approach to the work of community organising.

In order to ensure sufficient numbers to form a viable cohort the programme will combine two of the NCOP cohorts into one PG cert cohort and will run twice yearly in April and October (although the first cohort will actually run in May 2012). It is the only one of the 7 options provided to NCOP organisers that offers a post graduate certificate and is expected to attract those students who already have a degree or equivalent and who may be considering progression to a future Master’s programme. The course will also be advertised in the University Prospectus and promoted by Regenerate outside of NCOP and it is possible that it will recruit outside applications. If this is the case they will be linked with a relevant local voluntary organisation in order to gain the practice experience necessary for this work. Those who come from outside will not be expected to undertake the foundation units in Community organising but will be interviewed in order to ensure they have relevant community based experience.

Internal applicants will also be interviewed by both the course leader and the learning guide to ensure they have sufficient academic ability and IT skills to participate in this programme which will need to make extensive use of distance learning. Those who we feel are unable to successfully complete it will be guided to one of the other seven ‘Go Deeper’ routes. One of these includes a programme offered by Regenerate with a kitemark (REQ) from the University of Brighton.

All participants on the post graduate programme will attend a four day residential which will be held off campus (at a venue to be determined). Regenerate have responsibility for identifying and managing the booking of the residential element. The residential with be the first point of face to face meeting on the course but will be preceded with set pre-course reading posted on line. All participants will take both the Community Organising and Animating Theories and Practice module, and a second core module ‘Learning by Objectives’ and elements of both will be covered during the residential.

Due to the staggered start date of the course, which is determined by the NCOP programme participants will not easily fit with the start dates of other modules offered within the faculty. However a range of relevant modules have been identified, many of which are delivered intensively. Learning by Objectives has been structured as a flexible module in which participants identify their own objectives for the module. Where possible they will be encouraged to link in with existing university seminars or external lectures and they will be guided to construct their own study programme through tutorials with the course leader. Learning by Objectives is intended to support a particular area of study or project activity relevant to the participant and their community based practice. All students will be assessed via this module rather than the module they sit in on in order to ensure assessment is consistent with the dates and requirements for this course and all will have one online tutorial to agree the details of their project as well as seminars during the residential that deal with this module and ongoing email support. An

PART 3: COURSE SPECIFIC REGULATIONS

host organisation or their geographical area for local action learning sets and face to face group working.

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attached file shows the start dates of the different NCOP cohorts, the cohorts of this course and the additional modules students might choose to link with.

The residential will be followed by pre-planned online seminars, the dates and times of which will be listed in the course handbook. All students will be expected to be online at the same time in order to participate in these and each will be structured around a key question also listed in the course handbook. The seminar will consist of an initial dialogue between the course leader and learning guide in relation to the question, followed by a group discussion. Participants are then required to follow up issues discussed in the seminar with additional reading and a weekly online blog entry which relates this back to their own practice. Weekly blogs will form part of summative assessment and both tutors as well as other participants are invited to comment on blog entries. At the end of the course the blog will be printed out and submitted with a reflective statement commenting on the personal learning from the course.

It is anticipated that several participants may come from either the same host organisation or the same geographical region and small groups will be formed based on proximity, to work together on the third assessment task. This will entail student led action learning sets of workshops to discuss practice based activity, culminating in a final filmed presentation of their work. Other assessed assignments can be submitted electronically via Turnitin to a deadline set by the course with a hard copy posted to the university.

Course boards for the programme will formed during the residential and meet virtually to evaluate the programme and to raise any issues on behalf of the student group.

Those students wanting to progress to a full MA at the University of Brighton will be able to move on to the Masters in Social and Community Research which acts as a progression route from this course. Others will be able to APEL either 40 or the full 60 credits (depending on their prior learning and their Learning by Objectives study) into either the MA in Community Psychology at the University of Brighton or to a similar MA by negotiation in their local area.

Modules

Status:

M = Mandatory (modules which must be taken and passed to be eligible for the award)

C = Compulsory (modules which must be taken to be eligible for the award)

O = Optional (optional modules)

A = Additional (modules which must be taken to be eligible for an award accredited by a professional, statutory or regulatory body, including any non-credit bearing modules)

Level8 Module code

Status Module title Credit

M SS704 M Community Organising and Animating: theory and practice.

40

M SSM20 M Learning by Objectives 20

Status:

M = Mandatory (modules which must be taken and passed to be eligible for the award)

C = Compulsory (modules which must be taken to be eligible for the award)

O = Optional (optional modules)

A = Additional (modules which must be taken to be eligible for an award accredited by a professional, statutory or regulatory body, including any non-credit bearing modules)

8

All modules have learning outcomes commensurate with the FHEQ levels 0, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. List the level which corresponds with the learning outcomes of each module.

AWARD AND CLASSIFICATION

Award type Award* Title Level Eligibility for award Classification of award

Total credits9 Minimum credits10

Ratio of marks11: Class of award

Final PG Cert Communities, Engagement and Enterprise

7 Total credit 60 Minimum credit at level of award 60

Level 7 marks Postgraduate degree

Select Select Total credit Select Minimum credit at level of award Select

Select Select

Select Select Total credit Select Minimum credit at level of award Select

Select Select

Select Select Total credit Select Minimum credit at level of award Select

Select Select

Select Select Total credit Select Minimum credit at level of award Select

Select Select

*Foundation degrees only

Progression routes from award:

Award classifications Mark/ band % Foundation degree Honours degree 12

Postgraduate degree (excludes PGCE and BM BS)

70% - 100% Distinction First (1) Distinction 60% - 69.99% Merit Upper sec nd (2:1) Merit 50% - 59. 9%

Pass Lower second (2:2) Pass

40% - 49.99% Third (3)

9

Total number of credits required to be eligible for the award. 10

Minimum number of credits required, at level of award, to be eligible for the award. 11

Algorithm used to determine the classification of the final award (all marks are credit-weighted). For a Masters degree, the mark for the final element (e.g, dissertation) must be in the corresponding class of award. 12

Refers to taught provision: PG Cert, PG Dip, Masters. Page 12 of 13

EXAMINATION AND ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS

Please refer to the Course Approval and Review Handbook when completing this section.

The examination and assessment regulations for the course should be in accordance with the University’s General Examination and Assessment Regulations for Taught Courses (available from staffcentral or studentcentral).

Specific regulations which materially affect assessment, progression and award on the course e.g. Where referrals or repeat of modules are not permitted in line with the University’s General Examination and Assessment Regulations for Taught Courses.

Exceptions required by PSRB These require the approval of the Chair of the Academic Board

Document template revised: 2010 Page 13 of 13