Study Skills for Master's Level Students, revised edition. Sally Hayes Tyler

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СКАЧАТЬ the findings within debate and argument. The issue of plagiarism will also be considered.

      Chapter 5, ‘Writing at Master’s Level’. This chapter explores the expectations for students’ writing at postgraduate level. It covers addressing posed questions, pursuing arguments, structuring the argument, examining the skill of writing interesting and appropriate introductions and conclusions, and considers the use of abstracts. The use of theory, concepts and paradigms is also explored.

      Chapter 6, ‘How to get Published’. This chapter presents and considers the obligation to share knowledge among the academic community and discusses both tools and tips for getting published.

      Chapter 7, ‘Applying Postgraduate Knowledge and Skills in the Workplace’. This chapter looks at why it is so important to apply postgraduate skills within the workplace. The concept of employability will be explored and students will be encouraged to examine and develop the skills that make them ‘employable’. There is also a discussion of the benefits of Master’s thinkers in the workplace, including the impact on improving practice and the quality of care delivery.

      THE AUTHORS

      Debbie Casey is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at Leeds Metropolitan University. As a registered nurse she has held a range of senior clinical posts. She has been involved in supporting learning in the practice setting, within an education, development and training department of a large NHS Trust and as a lecturer for the Open University. Her current teaching portfolio includes continuing professional development for health and social care professionals across a range of academic levels. She holds an MA in health care studies.

      Liz Clark is a Principal Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at Leeds Metropolitan University, with wide experience of teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students within nursing and health and social care. Prior to working in higher education she held a range of senior clinical and educational posts within a large NHS Trust. Her current teaching portfolio includes leadership and management, health policy, professional and legal issues and supporting learners in practice. She is a course leader for a Master’s level programme and holds an MSc in health professional education.

      Sally Hayes is a Head of School in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at Leeds Metropolitan University, with experience of teaching students at different academic levels within nursing and health care related professions. Her Master’s level education was an MA in management and leadership with the Nuffield Institute of Leeds University and this was undertaken while working as a lead nurse in a Primary Care Trust. Her current portfolio is focused particularly around primary health care provision and includes health policy, leadership, management and enterprise and the development of practice teachers. She is particularly interested in facilitating the development of practitioners who base their practice on a journey of lifelong learning through critical reflection. Her own journey is currently focused on completion of a Taught Doctorate in Education with Sheffield University.

      1

      WHAT IS MASTERLY?

      This chapter covers the following key issues:

•		the opportunities that Master’s level study offers students;
•		consideration of the issues Master’s level students face during their studies;
•		types of Master’s level courses;
•		the difference between Bachelor’s and Master’s level study and outcomes;
•		the regulation of higher education and the role of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA);
•		types of content, structure and delivery;
•		the types of assessment, learning and teaching students may experience.
•		By the end of this chapter you should be able to:
•		understand the different types of Master’s courses available;
•		explain the differences between Bachelor’s and Master’s level courses in terms of what is expected of you as the student;
•		describe the role of the QAA;
•		explain how Master’s courses may be structured and delivered;
•		describe the types of assessment, learning and teaching methods that you might encounter.

      INTRODUCTION

      Relatively little literature exists regarding the transition to postgraduate study, and the research or literature to support learning that is available tends to focus on doctoral study. O’Donnell et al. (2009) surmise that this may be based on an assumption that once students graduate with their first degree, postgraduate-level study simply represents ‘more of the same’, or ‘taking things to the next level’, and that therefore there is little (if anything) in the way of a transition to be undertaken. As senior lecturers supporting students to take that leap into Master’s level study, we disagree with this assumption. Furthermore, we support findings from the research that suggest that difficulties in the transition to postgraduate study are experienced as difficulties in the mastery of key skills or academic practices, suggesting that postgraduate students do not come ‘equipped’ for their studies in higher education (O’Donnell et al., 2009). Students come to Master’s level study with very different expectations and experiences and with different levels of skills in areas such as writing, use of information technology (IT) and even in their ability to access and identify relevant literature. The standard use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) such as, for example, Web CT and X-Stream, can therefore be quite a challenge to some students whose IT skills simply have not kept pace with advancements since completing their Bachelor’s degree. However, the most common anecdotal anxiety is ‘What is different about Master’s level study and what does Master’s level writing look like?’ This book is therefore intended to support students who are new to Master’s level study and who are seeking help in understanding what is expected of them and the challenges that will be coming their way.

      STUDYING AT MASTER’S LEVEL

      There are many reasons why individuals who already have a Bachelor’s degree wish to undertake further study at Master’s level. Some of these reasons may be professional – for example, career development through studying a Master’s in advanced practice, in order to develop nursing practice to include assessment, diagnosis and treatment in a nurse practitioner role or a consultant therapist role. Other reasons might include: looking for competitive advantage at interview; a love of reading; a wish to recapture the experience of university life and education; or simply a lust for learning. All of these reasons may apply as motivations for professionals from health and social care backgrounds. However, there may be further reasoning. In professions where learning is recognised and valued as driving quality and where reflective practice is a reality, individuals often need the space that СКАЧАТЬ