TESTIMONIALS. WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Chengkai Liu alumni, MA Educational Leadership (pre-service)

experience at IOE was very meaningful. I am incredibly grateful to have met Dr. Tracey Allen and Dr. Monica Mincu in my master's programme. Dr. Allen led an extraordinary programme.

For each assignment, we were able to submit our drafts through the submission box and receive our feedback before we officially submitted our papers. This was an important and effective process for us to apply our knowledge and theory to real assignments. Meanwhile, I am grateful to Dr. Mincu for her help during my dissertation period, my topic was the role of educational leadership and technologies in the higher education system and the promotion of an inclusive education system in China.

I had the pleasure of studying the Educational Leadership (pre-service) programme at IOE (Institute of Education). As a pre-service practitioner, this course fully met my expectations. The programme offers courses in

“Introduction to Leadership in Education”

“Leadership for the Learning Community” and “Leadership in Diverse Cultures and Communities”. This rich curriculum has provided a very solid theoretical foundation for my future career path in academic research.

In addition, I would like to state again that my

Before preparing my dissertation, Dr. Mincu and I had many discussions about this digital field, a topic that I felt a bit confused about because there was little research on this topic in the Chinese context. However, she provided me with some reading lists and some professional advice on educational leadership which help me to define the research landscape. During the completion of my dissertation, Dr. Mincu gave me timely feedback on my dissertation, which improved my academic skills and really made me aware of what critical thinking is and how to apply it to my dissertation.

Therefore, a tip for completing a dissertation successfully is to follow the timeline that you set for yourself and to confirm the direction of your research with your supervisor. In the end, I submitted my dissertation successfully and received an “A” as my final grade. So, I really appreciate IOE for providing me with this solid theoretical foundation, and all the tutors who helped me.

Lihua Fu, MA Educational Leadership (in-service)

getting a C for my first assignment. In fact, I cried bitterly, questioned myself and even thought about giving up.

However, the support of the programme staff and my initial desire to come to UCL made me change my mind. My supervisor, Dr Aly Colman, not only mentored me when it came to research and writing, but also encouraged me when I made progress. This has given me a lot of confidence. Also, the module administrator, Rebecca Hussain, was always the first person to help me with questions other than academic ones, saving me from worrying.

With their support, I used my time in the Student Centre wisely, reading academic papers and constantly editing my tasks. Ultimately, the effort paid off, as I achieved an A for both my fourth assignment and my dissertation.

I am a student in MA Educational Leadership (In-service) 21/22. I come from China.

Before joining UCL I worked as a TV presenter for educational programmes and founded a school catering to high school students. Because I wanted to gain more knowledge in leadership and management and make my school better, I chose to return to student life after eight years of work.

This year has been an incredible learning experience. In the first semester, I found it hard to adapt to the fast-paced learning style of the course. This resulted in me

Another way I have benefitted is through gaining an awareness of the importance of research. Writing is all about researching as well as critically analysing cases in which you are a leader. Through analysis, you can then adopt a leadership style that is appropriate for your educational institution. In other words, the findings of the study can guide students in making leadership decisions that are applicable to their practice. According to Godfrey (2017), research-engaged schools (RES) are educational institutions that foster a culture in which research informs professional discourse. In my future work, I will strive to turn my school into a RES.

Learning from and communicating with my classmates was really rewarding. In-service students all have a rich experience of working and leading. They shared their experience of success. Meanwhile, they were open about issues they are currently facing in their organisations and invited discussion. It was this collaboration of different cultures and perspectives that helped develop my leadership knowledge in a more holistic way.

Overall, MA Educational Leadership (In-service) is an excellent programme. Now, I would like to say to prospective students: this is a family, and when you have learning or emotional problems, there is lots of help available. I wish you all the best for your year of study.

Reference

Godfrey, D. (2017). Exploring Cultures of Research Engagement at Eight English Secondary Schools. Doctoral dissertation. UCL (University College London).