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Learning and teaching: educating the next generation

This module is for anyone interested in educating school-age students. We live in a rapidly changing and complex social and digital world – how should this change the way we think about the kind of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment needed to educate future generations? As you interact with other students on this module, and engage critically with a range of media and published research, you will consider current views of education across the globe. From there, you will start to form your own vision of how educators can effectively prepare students for their place in the future.

Vocational relevance

We’ve designed this module to draw on your interest in formal or informal education of children and young people aged between 3 and 19, as well as contribute to your current role or future roles in education. We will support you in professional development planning as part of the module’s activities. We will also encourage you to explicitly reflect on and develop your digital information literacy skills, as you consider their value in your professional context.

Qualifications

EE830 is an optional module in our:

EE830 is the recommended Stage 1 module in our:

Module

Module code
EE830
Credits

Credits

  • Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
  • One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
  • You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
  • For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
60
Study level
Across the UK, there are two parallel frameworks for higher education qualifications, the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Northern Ireland and Wales (FHEQ) and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). These define a hierarchy of levels and describe the achievement expected at each level. The information provided shows how OU postgraduate modules correspond to these frameworks.
OU Postgraduate
SCQF 11
FHEQ 7
Study method
Distance learning
Module cost
See Module registration
Entry requirements

Find out more about entry requirements.

Module details Entry requirements Module registration Study materials

What you will study

Section 1
In this section, you’ll reflect on the possible purposes for education and a vision for education that would be fit for the future, taking into account three global drivers for change – the environment, demographics (particularly migration) and technology. This section includes an ‘open element’ – a badged open course – which means you’ll study part of the section with a much bigger cohort of people beyond the students on your module. You’ll then have the opportunity – with students who are on your module, and supported by your tutor – to develop the ideas introduced in more depth. Completion of the free six-week badged open course, Looking globally: the future of education, forms part of the first assessment.

Section 2
In this section, you will explore different ways of thinking about knowledge; and how these might affect educational changes in response to global drivers, like those in Section 1. This leads to thinking about how different ways of conceptualising knowledge form the basis for thinking about curriculum development and implementation. You will also look at the important role of teachers and teacher agency in terms of what teachers feel they can and cannot do. The module introduces these ideas through a number of in-depth case studies based on the education systems in Singapore, Finland, Scotland and Canada.

Section 3
This section asks you to think about how learning theories implicitly or explicitly shape pedagogical practices. You will unpack alternative views of classrooms as learning environments. You will be asked to reflect on the roles of both teachers and those engaged in learning in realising a successful educational provision.

Section 4
The last section completes the journey through the inter-related dimensions of education – curriculum, pedagogy and assessment – with an examination of how the learning of compulsory school age children is assessed. This will involve revisiting your thinking about views of knowledge and teacher agency; learning and how that may be accomplished and reflecting, in particular, on the wider settings in which teaching and learning is located, and how educators are held accountable.

Throughout the module, you will engage critically – supported by tutors – with a range of media and published research. You will discuss alternative approaches to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment with others who are interested in educating school-age students. This will leave you with a renewed vision for education.

You will learn

The aims of the module are to:

  • develop your knowledge and understanding of concepts and current debates about learning, pedagogy, curriculum, assessment and contexts for education
  • develop your ability to apply this knowledge to considerations of practice
  • equip you with a high-quality, distinctive range of knowledge, skills and attributes needed for an increasingly competitive and international workplace
  • provide opportunities for you to engage with and contribute to a community of practice in addition to networks that are relevant to your academic or professional interests
  • support your personal and professional development

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You’ll have a named tutor who will support your studies and mark and comment on your assignment work; you can also seek academic advice and guidance from them. Your tutor will offer support through email, telephone and online forum discussions. Additionally, there will be online tutorials and live webinars. We’ll advertise the tutorials and webinars before the module starts; the module tutors and academic staff will lead the tutorials, which will not necessarily be your own named tutor. The webinars will be led by academic staff associated with the module. We recommend you book online to attend these tutorials and note the dates for the live webinars.

Working with other students

There is no compulsory requirement for you to interact or collaborate with others in your tutor group, but there is an assessed task which is recommended to be completed as a collaborative group. How you collaborate will be a matter for you to decide. Many students do this asynchronously through forums and social media, others choose to meet online. We know that the sharing of ideas and experiences with your peers increases understanding of the issues that are studied on this module. If you choose not to collaborate this will not mean that you attain lower marks in this module. We see collaboration as an important way in which people broaden their knowledge and understanding and therefore is an important part of understanding the purpose of education for children and young people in and across different contexts. However, alternative ways of working can and will be facilitated for those that either cannot or choose not to collaborate.

Assessment

You can find the assessment details for this module in the facts box.

Course work includes

3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
End-of-module assessment

Future availability

Learning and teaching: educating the next generation (EE830) starts once a year – in October.

This page describes the module that will start in October 2025.

We expect it to start for the last time in October 2025.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.

Entry requirements

You must have the minimum of a:

  • bachelors degree (in any subject) from a UK university, or
  • professional qualification equivalent to a UK bachelors degree, or
  • qualification from a university outside the UK and equivalent to a UK bachelors degree.

We recommend you have an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of 7.0 if English is not your first language.

You’ll find it beneficial to have professional experience or interest in some sort of education or training related to school-age children, whether formal or informal. Your experience or interest can include all phases of school education (ages 4–19), and all settings where school-age children are offered opportunities for learning (e.g. schools; informal settings such as additional provision, forest schools or youth work; or as part of educational authorities or governance). You do not need to be employed in or have direct access to an educational setting to study this module. However, it is important that you have an interest in education and some experience of engaging or working with learners, children or young people as all our learning experiences are all explored through the lens of education. In order to get the most out of your studies on this module you do need to have an educational context in mind to which you can apply what you learn.

If you’ve any doubt about the suitability of the module, talk to an adviser.

Outside the UK

Synchronous tutorials and communications could be difficult to attend for students outside the UK due to time differences. If you can’t attend the synchronous tutorials or make synchronous communications, you can use asynchronous alternative methods, such as watching recorded tutorials and emailing questions.

Preparatory work

The module website will be open to registered students three weeks before the module starts. You might find it helpful to explore the guidance entitled ‘supporting your study’ that includes activities designed to develop familiarity and confidence with the module’s online environment.

Our badged open course, Looking globally: the future of education, is a required part of the first assessment. You may complete this free six-week course up to two years before you register on this module. We recommend you start the badged open course at least three weeks before the module starts.

Our badged open course, Succeeding in postgraduate study, will introduce you to the nature of Master’s level study. It offers essential preparation for pursuing your learning at this level – and is free to study.

Register

Start End Fee Register
04 Oct 2025 Jun 2026 Not yet available

Registration closes 18/09/25 (places subject to availability)

Register
This module is expected to start for the last time in October 2026.

Future availability

Learning and teaching: educating the next generation (EE830) starts once a year – in October.

This page describes the module that will start in October 2025.

We expect it to start for the last time in October 2025.

Additional costs

Study costs

There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.

Ways to pay for this module

We know there’s a lot to think about when choosing to study, not least how much it’s going to cost and how you can pay.

That’s why we keep our fees as low as possible and offer a range of flexible payment and funding options, including a postgraduate loan, if you study this module as part of an eligible qualification. To find out more, see Fees and funding.

Study materials

What's included

Access to the module study materials via the module website. This includes:

  • a week-by-week study planner
  • course-specific module materials
  • audio and video content
  • details of the assignments and appropriate guidance
  • online tutorial access.

Computing requirements

You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11) or macOS Ventura or higher.

Any additional software will be provided or is generally freely available.

To join in spoken conversations in tutorials, we recommend a wired headset (headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone).

Our module websites comply with web standards, and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It’s not available on Kindle.

It’s also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you’ll also require a desktop or laptop, as described above.

If you have a disability

Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components might not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader.

Where possible, we can make reasonable adjustments to facilitate your participation where a learning difficulty or disability may impact studying.

To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our disability support pages.

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