Digital Education MSc, PGDip January 2027

Course information may change. Module information and course content, teaching and assessment may change each year and after you have accepted your offer to study at the University of St Andrews. We display the most up-to-date information possible, but this could be from a previous academic year. For the latest module information, see the module catalogue.

• Compulsory modules

• Optional modules

  • : This module provides you with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth independent investigation into your field of Digital Education, International Education or TESOL, and to conduct individual research related to your topic of choice. Your dissertation will be supervised by a member of IELLI staff, who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process.
  • Action Research & Reflection for Education Practitioners: provides a learning experience in which you can reflect on concepts and theories you are studying in other modules and connect them with classroom practice. The module explores the combined value of reflection and action research for classroom practitioners, providing a means for educators to understand their classroom contexts and to plan responses to challenges in these contexts.
  • Assessment and Evaluation in Education: brings together the study of language testing with the theory and practice of assessment in pedagogy. You will learn key concepts in both, how to design and improve tests for different purposes, and how to make productive use of assessment within teaching. We also consider some of the broader social impacts of assessment and testing and how teachers navigate tensions when promoting student learning within a measurement culture. The module also acts as an example of learning through assessment, giving you opportunities to reflect on how different approaches such as mastery learning or active learning are reflected in assessment design, as well as critiquing aspects of assessment such as the use of time limits, group tasks, multiple-choice questions, and gamification.
  • Contemporary Issues in Digital Education: is aimed at teaching and professional staff who support learning and wish to further their understanding of and engagement with the use of digital technologies. The module is designed to allow participants to step back from the delivery of digital education and develop an understanding of the contexts, philosophy and ethics of teaching online through examination of a variety of different stakeholder perspectives. The module will also provide participants with the skills they need to critically evaluate technologies and integrate them appropriately into their practice.
  • Education & Researching: educators are increasingly expected to be evidence-informed or even evidence-led; consuming, creating, and sharing research. This module addresses how we evaluate the quality of research to decide what is rigorous and informative for our practice, how we can build on existing research when planning our own interventions, and how to design, pilot and reflect on the effectiveness of different data collection instruments. We consider a range of research contexts and values to help you actively engage with pedagogical research.
  • English Medium Instruction: In recent years there has been a rapid increase in the teaching of academic subjects through English in countries where the majority of the population do not use English as a first language. This module explores this global trend from the standpoint of content and language teachers, as well as students. It considers the wide variety of English medium instruction contexts, evaluating theory in the fields of teaching and learning, language acquisition and intercultural communication in an attempt to address some of the practical challenges involved.
  • English for Academic Purposes: preparing and supporting students who come to study for undergraduate or postgraduate degrees through the medium of English is one of the most challenging but rewarding jobs in the field of language teaching. To do this well, an EAP teacher needs to understand the higher education context; the key principles underpinning learning in a university; text and discourse in the communities of the different disciplines, theories and practice of assessment; and the most effective methods and materials to motivate students and help them into a discourse community.
  • Leadership and Management in International Education A: asks students to think critically about the purpose, importance and understanding of key concepts and theories of educational leadership in higher education. To this end, the module will begin by exploring what is educational leadership and the qualities of an effective leader in educational settings in the 21st century. It will then introduce and consider relevant theories and principles underlying practice in educational leadership. In order to demonstrate an awareness of the contextual nature of leadership, the module will examine the contributions from international leadership perspectives in a number of different global contexts. Students will be encouraged to analyse and discuss questions and issues arising from the study in-line with their own practice and experience in both written and verbal communications.
  • Linguistics for Language Teachers: equips you with the skills required to describe and analyse language. It does not assume prior knowledge of Linguistics and seeks to introduce you to selected fundamental concepts, relevant to English language teaching. You acquire appropriate terminology and techniques in the analysis and description of grammatical terms and structures.
  • Online Programme Design A: You will learn about key theories of learning and teaching as well as the principles that underpin online programme design. In addition to this you will learn about digital content creation, how to build a sense of community in online teaching and learning contexts, and about assessment and evaluation in the online world. You will be given the opportunity to identify and conceptualise these aspects of online teaching and learning within your own professional contexts.
  • Organisational Development in International Education A: You will learn about key theories of organisational development as well as their practical application to an educational setting. In addition, students will explore organisation diagnosis, leading change, and organisation culture. Students will be given the opportunity to reflect and critically apply the organisation development interventions to international settings.
  • Teaching Young Learners: explores theories of child development and learning which are fundamental to the understanding of child second language acquisition, namely children aged 4 to 7, 8 to 11, and 12 to 18. Child psychology has to be taken into account in the development of teaching materials, teaching styles and classroom management. There is also a practical element to the module, in the form of tasks requiring you to create lesson plans and materials to share with your peers, to apply theory to practice.
  • Technology for Teaching: introduces you to the principle theories, concepts and practices of technology in language education. You will be able to critically consider the role and purpose of various modes of technology in education in a wide range of settings to identify and conceptualise problems within your own professional contexts. 
  • Trends & Policies in International Education A: aims to raise awareness and enable reflection of the key trends and policies in international education. It provides students with the opportunity to examine the impact that these trends and policies have on standing pedagogical structures and the dialogues they create within the field of intercultural pedagogy. Against this backdrop, the module will encourage students to assess the impact that the decisions they make as leaders, or may go on to make as potential leaders within the field of international education have on the stakeholders within their context of work.

• Dissertation (MSc only)

  Only those on the MSc programme are required to submit a dissertation.  

  For the dissertation, you will choose a topic of interest to you and to your future career. You will read related literature and conduct independent research on your topic.

  Student dissertations will be supervised by IELLI staff members. Supervisors will provide guidance throughout the research process, helping you to formulate a suitable research hypothesis. They will offer advice on relevant literature and how to plan your time effectively.

  The completed 15,000-word dissertation must be submitted by a specific date in April.