Education and training course in DCU....

flag123 · 25-03-2009 8:35pm #1

Anyone here do the course or finish the course?
Would like some information about career prospects and overall course content..

sunnyjim · 25-03-2009 9:04pm

AFAIK it's a degree, but not a particular qualification for anything.

flag123 · 26-03-2009 10:01pm

Ok, i guess it would be best to do an Arts course, get the degree and then head on to do the course..?

sxcbecca · 05-08-2009 3:16pm

:pIm starting this course in september

BornToRun88 · 06-08-2009 1:58pm

does anyone have an idea what the points for the course will be like, im really nervous. I applied for the course as my first choice. However, with the ecomonic recession and as was the case last year, many educatinal related courses went up like arts. Education and training itself went up by 20 points from 305 to 325, quite a jump. I got 330 in my leaving and I am worried that I will just miss out:(

nia121 · 07-08-2009 3:47am

It's a great course, very interesting........it's basically teaching, don't let anyone tell u its not.

in first year you do:

Microteaching and teaching preperation
Teaching and learning methodologies
Psychology of education and training
Curriculum development
Human Development
issues in CSPE
History of education in ireland. dev and structure
2 projects:(1) academic writing (2).ICT
Social and personal development

these are split into 2 semesters

its a great course, plenty to go on for when finished

Would recommend it over an arts degree as I started off in UCD doing arts

Best thing about the course is that there's little or no hours and nearly always have friday's off

scruff murphy · 01-10-2009 9:44pm

why did you say that? I heard its great. Have you other information to dispute this?

MonaghanPenguin · 02-10-2009 3:23pm

Check this out for what Graduates do http://www.dcu.ie/students/careers/fdr/fdr.php3?programme=et

Ryan29 · 15-12-2014 7:02pm

Are you a qualified teacher if u do the 2 years after this course?

zanador · 16-12-2014 10:25pm

If you do the four year version then you are qualified as a further educator, you are registered with the teaching council but can only teach in further ed so no primary or secondary. If you do the three year version then you don't get your teacher number.

Some people do this one and then a conversion course in order to teach primary or secondary.

Ryan29 · 18-12-2014 6:35pm

So it's similar to an arts degree?

zanador · 19-12-2014 11:47am

No, it's a teaching degree for adult educators - it's an education degree not an arts degree. You're a qualified teacher of CSPE for adults at the end of four years, and qualified in education and training at the end of three. Have you looked up the course modules? That could help you understand it better

a lot of teaching skills are taught, as are theories of learning, pedagogy and andragogy.

byrneg28 · 22-12-2014 1:01pm

I recently completed the course.

Ironically, all the comments people make about this course are subsequently argued within the degree for instance - only looking at a degree on the basis of it's professionalism and employability. Another comment that was made was the course being basically 'crap'. Every course runs a rigorous needs analysis in relation to societal change and economy, if the course was 'crap', it wouldn't exist. I think the problem with the course is the title. I think the course should be renamed to Education and Training Management or something along those lines (the masters degree is entitled Education and Training Management). It doesn't realistically qualify you to teach, but it does cover almost 25 modules of pure educational theory, educational psychology and educational policy as well as ICT. Making someone a specialist in the discipline of Education and Training.

With regards to employability, yes it's not the greatest degree to be flaunting around in Secondary Schools but that's not it's purpose. Funnily enough, everyone who looks at the degree (regards to school leavers) wants to be a teacher and a lot of people who do the course want to be a teacher with the intention of taking it as a stepping stone to doing a postgraduate degree (if a student was bad at Irish, or wanted to apply to England to teach primary, or simply didn't get the points for primary school teaching).

I kind of landed in this degree from a panic attack not getting the required points for the course I wanted to do (Multimedia) and ended up in Science (10th on my CAO). Yet, the guidance I was given to get back on to the track of what I originally wanted to do was unbelievable.

For me, the course is excellently run with some great academics (Dr. Brendan Walsh) and really encourages you to critically think.

The jobs I know people have got as a result of the degree are Programme Managers, Training in VECs (must have previous background in specialist subject area e.g. Engineering, Customer Service, Business etc.), Training Specialists (Human Resources), Youthreach Workers, Youth Officers etc.

I worked hard in retail gaining experience in the training departments within my job during my time in DCU, and this was one of the most important factors for me. As I recently was employed by a higher education college in Dublin working with distance learning and e-Learning programs (finally working with Multimedia as I had first hoped)

I graduated in 2013. People who did the course went and did Masters in Career Guidance, Primary School Teaching, Special Needs Education, Digital Arts, e-Learning etc.

A few people are working in VECs/CDTEB
I know some who are career guidance teachers (after doing the MA)
I know there's teachers in England
One guy is a Special Needs Assistant in a primary school
Some are still doing postgrads for Primary School teaching
1/2 are doing masters in Human Resources, they'll be well specialised as they have the grounding in education and training making them good for Learning and Development Managers

So the advice I give you all is, if you wish to do the course apply yourself, gain experience and work hard. Don't expect a degree just to get you instant employability

zanador · 23-12-2014 12:08pm

This thread was started 6 years ago so most of the posts may be irrelevant now. The new four year version of the degree DOES qualify you to teach - adults. As of 2013, Im sure you're aware!, certain further education sectors require their teachers to be registered with the teaching council so the degree has been modified to cater to that.

byrneg28 · 23-12-2014 12:13pm

zanador wrote: »

This thread was started 6 years ago so most of the posts may be irrelevant now. The new four year version of the degree DOES qualify you to teach - adults. As of 2013, Im sure you're aware!, certain further education sectors require their teachers to be registered with the teaching council so the degree has been modified to cater to that.

Well I'm not sure if you are aware... but the old one qualified you to teach as well. I'm registered to the teaching council as an Adult Educator.. only problem is.. what can I teach? I've no experience in anything else? .. I can't teach Train the Trainer, or Communication Skills cause i'd get 6 hours a week and that's really not feasible

They changed the course to 4 years because the teaching council changed their requirements with regard to work experience and ECTS.

They required you had 1 year teaching practice and 240 ECTS . While the old degree did very little teaching practice and had 180 ECTS.

It would be unfair for them to change the degree mid-way through - so if you have graduated you can appeal it to the teaching council and get registered for teaching in the further education sector

zanador · 24-12-2014 11:33am

Ah, ok no I wasnt aware. We will be qualified to teach any module that comes under cspe, perhaps that's another difference?

sal_irish · 06-05-2015 11:17pm

Hi I am currently in 2nd Year in Education and Training and was hoping anyone who has completed the course might have some notes to help me for Brendan Walsh's Policy and Structures in ET exam. I have noticed that the exam papers haven't changed much over the years and I am really struggling with what is expected for the exam. Anyone who knows Brendan knows he's not into technology so I have no way of emailing him for help and my class are clueless too. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

byrneg28 · 07-05-2015 9:54am

sal_irish wrote: »

Hi I am currently in 2nd Year in Education and Training and was hoping anyone who has completed the course might have some notes to help me for Brendan Walsh's Policy and Structures in ET exam. I have noticed that the exam papers haven't changed much over the years and I am really struggling with what is expected for the exam. Anyone who knows Brendan knows he's not into technology so I have no way of emailing him for help and my class are clueless too. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

He expects essay style answers with a lot of reading. It's not that he doesn't like technology it's just he's a very purist lecturer and doesn't like spoon-feeding students. (which I'd agree with, some of the lecturers on that course spoon-feed the hell out of students)

Take a couple of questions from the exam paper with similar themes and read about them in the suggested readings - Green Paper/White Paper/Views on Education what have you. He's happy once you've read and he can see it in your answer but what he wants you to do is discover for yourself the answers you have found by comparing and contrasting.

So I'll give you a quick example. One of the questions is 'Views of the Irish Public on Education Survey 2004 - demonstrated that a number of people in the Irish Public held beliefs about the nature of the Irish Education System. Discuss 2 of these...'

So that can be literally anything so just from glancing over the survey it appears that parents held most concern over not enough emphasis being held in preparing students for the working world within schools. You could argue this is because of changing perceptions of education, go back to the plato days of when education was a privilege, it was for enlightenment. The concept of education changed during the industrial revolution in England and now society deems education to be a 'means to an end', a degree now has to have some sort of economical value and must produce a worker, re-defining the definition and concept of education etc. etc. ( I could go on and on)

Read Brendan's books too! Degrees of Nonsense is a fantastic book and holds a lot of his beliefs.

Also you can find more on what I was talking about in the industrilisation of education etc. in this video (which you've probably seen a million times but remember, it's okay to reference this within your essay)

Just show you understand it and that you've read and you'll get a good mark. Use your mind. Good luck.

sal_irish · 07-05-2015 7:27pm

Thanks a mil really appreciate it!

tony_m123 · 18-05-2015 4:14pm

Hi. I did this degree back when it was only a 3 year course and qualified you to register as a cspe teacher. After leaving college things happened that forced me to place my attention on other matters and I'm only now trying to find employment in this area. As its been some time in not sure what I'm doing exactly. When registering with the teaching council who will I be registered as? Also where and what can I teach. Is it only youthreach and cspe or can I teach other things that the degree covers such as inter and intra personal skills etc. Please help. Thanks!

Education and training course in DCU....

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