Educational Leadership & Management MSc: Online distance learning
Building Ethical Education Systems EDUC51112
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Education
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
- Typically Offered: Semester 1
- Available to Visiting Students: No
- Taught Wholly by Distance Learning: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
This course explores global narratives and debates informing ethical and equitable leadership and management within educational contexts, including a focus on the moral responsibilities of leaders.
Timetable
A blend of synchronous and asynchronous online components.
Excluded Courses
N/A
Assessment
Participants will be assessed through a portfolio of work developed in response to this course and Leading and Influencing Beyond Education.
Portfolio components will be personalised to the individual student's context but will include a presentation (1,000 words-25%) to peers followed by a written report (3,000 words-75%) that critically examines an ethical dilemma encountered in a professional setting.
Ethical framing and analysis will:
■ Clearly outline the ethical dilemma and its context
■ Draw on the ethical dimensions using relevant literature, frameworks, and theories
■ Describe the actions taken in response to the dilemma
■ Consider how the dilemma reflects broader systemic challenges such as equity, sustainability, or community impact.
By critically examining a real-world ethical dilemma through both an educational and cross-sector lens, the assessment aims to foster a deeper understanding of how ethical (leadership) dilemmas operate within and beyond educational contexts.
The chosen dilemma will be agreed upon in advance with the course tutor.
Course Aims
The course introduces key ideas and critiques associated with creating more equitable and socially just education systems. Specifically, the course unpacks some of the assumptions related to the quest for "excellence and equity" that dominates much of the global policy discourse and places it within the imperatives of social justice, as framed by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course participants will be able to:
■ Review and critique theoretical and applied approaches to ethical leadership.
■ Demonstrate critical understanding of key concepts such as social justice and equity and articulate implications for leadership practice and organisational culture in international contexts.
■ Develop professional judgment and insight through analysis of ethical dilemmas and international discourses.
■ Reflect critically, and evaluate systemically, their own approach to ethical leadership in relation to a relevant educational context.