Bronwyn never thought after completing her bachelor's degree that she would return to study. However, after working at a local Newcastle high school, Bronwyn was selected to take part in the Department of Education Development Initiative for Emerging Executives.

She was given the opportunity to complete a Professional Certificate in Leadership and Management in Education online through the University of Newcastle, delivered via edX.

“I had considered undertaking a Masters, but I had really just entertained the thought. The edX course gave me a lot of needed confidence. It had been a while since I had done any form of academic writing, so it was a great way to reengage that part of my brain.”

After the edX course, Bronwyn yearned to learn more.

“I became far more interested in the psychology behind leadership and management in schools. I wanted to understand the current and historical political influence on education policy and broaden my understanding of change management.”

From here, inspired to continue to develop skills and contribute to her career progression, Bronwyn transitioned into studying the Master of Leadership and Management in Education. “I had an excellent experience as an undergraduate in the School of Education. Knowing the calibre of academic staff which I would be working with was a huge draw card.”

Bronwyn took on postgrad studies online whilst juggling becoming a mum and her active lifestyle. “The flexibility of this program has been integral in my ability to undertake it. Not only does the online study option allow me to structure my study around my work, family and training commitments, but the staff are incredibly supportive and understand the demands of teaching, being industry professionals themselves. During COVID-19 the lecturers were AMAZING. I can’t stress this enough.”

Bronwyn wasn’t expecting to make friends or connections online but was pleasantly surprised, finding the diversity of students exciting. “In one of my subjects we had students in the UAE, Singapore, Australia, and the US all in the same Zoom meeting and were discussing the various school systems and it blew me away to be discussing firsthand experiences of such different political and social pressures all under the umbrella of education.”

Postgrad enables students to implement their learnings directly into their work and Bronwyn was able to do just that. “As the relieving Head Teacher of my Faculty during the return to face-to-face teaching after COVID-19 lockdowns, being able to understand Change Management and the psychology behind people’s reactions to change I was able to much more effectively manage the expectations of various stakeholders in this process.

In each subject I have completed, I have found that the assessments are incredibly practical and directly related to what I am doing in school.”

Study an online short course at the University of Newcastle

Bronwyn Jones `

Bronwyn Jones

Before studying a Master of Leadership and Management in Education, Bronwyn had the opportunity to complete a short course online which inspired her to further develop her skills and contribute to her career progression.

I had considered undertaking a Masters, but I had really just entertained the thought. The edX course gave me a lot of needed confidence. It had been a while since I had done any form of academic writing, so it was a great way to reengage that part of my brain.

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