BA (Hons) Special Education Online

Program Overview

This intellectually challenging and thought-provoking course is now offered online via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Moodle.

It opens up the world of Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and offers you the chance to enter the world of work with confidence. We’ll equip you for a range of careers helping to bring about a more inclusive society.

Our course takes you on a fascinating journey through this complex area. You'll learn about every aspect of the subject in line with government policy, including autism, speech, language and communication, challenging behaviour, disabilities, dyslexia, therapeutic teaching and learning, as well as alternative educational provisions.

You'll develop a reflective approach to special education and critical thinking skills that are transferable to the workplace.

You'll have access to our online student community and discussion forums so you can work with the other online students to discuss and resolve issues related to your studies.

We'll give you the opportunity to bring your own passion and experience to the course. We put an emphasis on sharing and discussing personal experiences in the online community to enrich our teaching.

Program Outline

This course will give you a broad and in-depth understanding of current practice, policy and theoretical concepts in the field of Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

It covers the concepts of equal opportunity, inclusion, children’s rights and working in partnership and it will also give you a good understanding of teaching and learning.

You'll learn about the historical development of special education and about specific areas such as communication and interaction, challenging behaviour, specific learning difficulties and management.

You'll also explore theoretical perspectives on inclusion and look at actual models of inclusive practice such as the modern-day policy of teaching children with special needs in mainstream schools.

In addition, you'll learn about educational organisations, the social context of learning and the development of children as learners. We'll show you how to evaluate the language of special needs in relation to the concepts of equal opportunity, rights and disability.

You'll also have the chance to look at SEND from an international perspective through modules such as Critical Global Perspective in Special and Inclusive Education, which outlines international agreement, partnerships and thinking.

You'll be taught by staff with relevant experience and practice to ensure you learn from real life experience and research. We offer online teaching, allowing you to interact as if you were there in person. Students can interact and collaborate online in any of these live-streamed sessions. Live-streamed sessions will also be recorded, so you can log in when you want, playback and watch from the comfort of your home and whilst on the go.

The approximate percentages for this course are:

When not attending timetabled lectures you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, Microsoft Teams and Moodle.

We are investing in key areas beyond your studies including our career services, library and well-being, to be available both face-to-face on campus and online with many of these available 24/7.

Students are supported with any academic or subject related queries by an Academic Advisor, module leaders, former and current UEL students. If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths or statistics, our Academic Tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions and one-to-one appointments to help our students achieve their potential.

You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses. Our Student Support hubs in Docklands and Stratford feature centralised helpdesks to cater for your every need.

We have new, modern library facilities on both campuses offering inspirational environments for study and research. Libraries contain resources in print and digital formats, a range of study spaces and a dedicated librarian who can assist with your learning.

UEL provides also support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs). Your overall workload consists of class and online tutor-led sessions, individual learning, practical activities.

Our aim is to prepare our students for a broad range of careers so that they can make amazing contributions to their communities. When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of staff who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.

Approximate class sizes: 30

We assess all modules through different forms of coursework. Assessment methods include coursework assignments, self reflective assignments and individual tutorials

In addition to writing traditional essays, you'll be required to write reports, policy reviews and give presentations. This is to ensure you gain skills that are relevant to and can be transferred to the workplace. In your final year, you'll write a research dissertation.

All grades count towards your module mark.

More details will be included in the student handbook and module guides.

Feedback is provided within 15 working days in line with UEL's assessment and feedback policy.