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Education in Public Administration

Explore the debate between focusing on theory or practice in public administration education, including types of students, educational approaches, and necessary knowledge and skills.

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Education in Public Administration

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  1. EducationinPublicAdministration Unit 1

  2. What do youthink? • 1. In your opinion, what should public administration education place more focus on: theory or practice? Why? • 2. What should a public administration curriculum consist of?

  3. Preview • Theory v practice • Typesofstudents • Basictypesofknowledgeandskills • A publicadministrationcurriculum (University College London)

  4. Theory v practiceinpublicadministrationeducation • Thetensionbetweentheoryandpractice- centralto publicadministrationeducation. Differentviews: • Theoriesofpublicorganization provide a basis for understandingpracticeandshouldinformeverything a “reflectivepractitioner” does. • Theoriesusuallystandat some distance frompractice, sounderstandingtheorymaynothelppractice.

  5. Theory v practiceinpublicadministrationeducation • Learningtheory – equivalent to learningthe “logic” ofthefield; studentsneed to understandthebasiclogicofthefieldratherthanthedetailsofpractice. • Studentsnotonlyneed to learnthelogic, theyalsoneedthoseskillsthatallowthem to applyit. • Studentsneed a base ofknowledge, but theyalso must developspecificskillstheycan use inadministrativesituations.

  6. Typesofstudents: pre-serviceandin-service • Pre-servicestudents - oftenmore interestedintheadministrativepractice; • In-servicestudentsfeeltheyknowpracticeand are more concernedwiththeory.

  7. Career • Most pre-service MPAstudentsmovefromtheirgraduatedegreeprogramsintotechnicaloranalyticalpositionse.g.budgetanalysts, personnelanalysts, administrativeassistants. • In-servicestudentshaveprobablymovedfromtheirinitialpositionsinto management jobs. Theyreturnto schooloutof a desireto acquireknowledgeneeded for theirnewjob as a manager. • Studentsrequiredifferentkindsofknowledgeandskills at differentpointsintheircareers.

  8. Basictypesofknowledgeandskills • Fromthepersonal developmentalperspective: basictypesofknowledgeandskills: • 1) cognitiveknowledge, • 2) interpersonsonalorbehavioralskills, and • 3) intrapersonalskills.

  9. Cognitiveknowledge • Cognitiveknowledge-informationabouttheworldand a wayofinterpretingtheworld. • Thisareawouldincludetheadministrator’sfactualknowledgeaboutprograms, policies, andprocesses, as well as hisorherintellectualunderstandingofthe moral andpoliticalcontextwithinwhichadministrativeactionoccurs.

  10. Interpersonalorbehavioralskills Culturallyspecifiedandapprovedwaysofinteractingthatwe use inournormalexchangeswithothers. Skillsthatenableus to actwithinorganizationalandinterorganizationalsystems, to mediatedisputesand to influence processesofchange.

  11. Interpersonalorbehavioralskills • Communication, • Motivation, • Delegation, • Negotiation, • Understandingbehavioralcues, • Engaginginrelationshipsof power andauthority

  12. Intrapersonalskills • Capabilitiesthat provide psychologicaland moral grounding for ouractions. • Theseskillsgiveustheconfidence to actually do whatwehavelearnedcognitivelyandperhapsevenpracticedbehaviorally on previousoccasions. • Theyalsopermitus a degreeofindependentself-reflection.

  13. Educationalapproaches: cognitiveskills • readingbooks, • listeningto lectures, or • conductingresearchprojects.

  14. Educationalapproaches: interpersonalskills • Experientiallearning: • teamwork • cases, • groupexercises, • simulations

  15. Intrapersonalskills • journal-keepingexercises, • internships, • otherreal-worldexperiences.

  16. Theskillscombined • Together, theseskillsenableus to actwithconfidenceintranslatingnormsandideasintoaction. • For thefuture administrator, theserangefrombuildingsufficientmaturityandself-confidence to operateeffectivelyandresponsiblyinpublicorganizations, to beingable to independentlysortthroughorganizationalissues

  17. Conclusion • Studentsandfacultycometogetherinimportantstagesof personal, professional, andpsychosocial development. • Teachersofpublicadministrationcomeintostudents’ lives at a veryimportant time, a time ofexplorationandchange, a time ofevolvingcommitmentandself-realization, a time ofdiscoveryandnewcommitments. • Learning-most effectivewhenitinvolves a processofmutualsharing, inwhichthe student andtheinstructorenterinto a relationshipthatcreatestheconditionsunderwhichappropriatelearningand personal development canflourish, both for the student andtheteacher.

  18. Readthetextcarefullyandanswerthefollowingquestions: • 1. What are students' viewsabouttheory vs. practiceinpubliceducation? • 2. Whatisthedifferencebetweenpre-serviceandin-servicestudents? • 3. Whatpositions do MPA studentsusuallymoveintoaftertheirgraduation? • 4. Whatpositions do in-servicestudentssometimesmoveinto? • 5. What are thethreetypespfknowledgeandskillsfrom a developmentalperspective? • 6. Whicheducationalapproachescorrespond to thesethreelevels?

  19. Combinetheverbswithappropriateprepositions:

  20. Provide themissingformswherepossible

  21. Discussthefollowingquestions: • 1. Which contemporary issues are relevant for the study of public administration? • 2. Should public administration studies be interdisciplinary? • 3. According to you, which disciplines are relevant for the study of public administration?

  22. A PublicAdministrationCurriculum: How willyouchangetheworld? • Isnuclearenergythekey to mitigatingclimatechange? • How muchcanorshouldweregulatethe internet? • How willsmartcitiesshapeour future? • Doestechnologicalinnovationreduceorincrease global inequality? • What are thebestmechanisms for governments to supportdigitalinnovation?

  23. Introduction • Some oftoday’s most controversialquestions are alsotheonesthatcould provide theopportunity to changeourworld for thebetter. • Innovationsinscience, technologyandengineering (STE) are almostalwayscentralto grapplingwiththese complex global challenges. • As a result, decisionmakersinthepublicandprivatesectors must worktogetherwithscientistsandengineers to make a change. • OurMaster’sofPublicAdministration (MPA) degreesprovide practicalskills, toolsandknowledge for thoseworking at theinterfacebetween STE andpublicpolicy. • Thedegreeisdesigned for decisionmakersandpolicyprofessionalsinpublic, privateorthirdsector, as well as thosefrom a scienceorengineeringbackgroundwhowish to engagewithpolicy.

  24. TAKE A MASTER’S OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION University College, London • Weofferfive one-year MPA degrees, focused on thefollowingpolicyareas: • • Science, EngineeringandPublicPolicy • • Digital Technologies andPolicy • • Urban InnovationandPolicy • • Energy, Technology andClimatePolicy • • Development, Technology andInnovationPolicy

  25. Which MPA degreeisright for me? • Whicheveraspectofpolicyyouwant to focus on, ourflexible MPA degrees provide theopportunity to tailoryourMaster’sexperience. • All five MPA degreesshare a numberofcoremodules. Thesedevelopyourunderstandingofkeypolicymodels, toolsandframeworks.

  26. Which MPA degreeisright for me? • ThemajorityofcorelearninghappensinTerm 1. Studentsthenfocus on theirchosenpolicyareasthrough a combinationofelectivesandspecialistmodulesinTerm 2, culminatinginanextendedpolicyprojectwith a realclient, whichtakesthe place of a finaldissertationinTerm 3. • Weoffer a rangeoffocused MPA degrees, but ifyouwouldlike to take a broader, lesstopicalapproach, werecommendyouconsiderour MPA in Science, EngineeringandPublicPolicy. Thisdegreeprovidesanincreasednumberofelectiveoptions for more flexibility, allowingyou to focus on severalareasofpolicy.

  27. Science, EngineeringandPublicPolicy (MPA) • Our most flexible MPA degreeissuited to applicantswhowouldlike to exploreseveraldifferentpolicyareas. • Thedegreesharescoremoduleswithspecialised MPA degrees, whilealsoallowingstudents to choosethreeoptionalandelectivemodulesfromacrossotherworld-classdepartments. • Thisprovidesgraduateswith a foundationinpolicytoolsandframeworksandtailoredexperienceinthepolicyareasthatsuittheirinterests.

  28. Digital Technologies andPolicy (MPA) • Thisdegreeprepares future decisionmakersandtechnologists/engineersworkingwithpolicy to meetthechallengesandopportunitiespresentedbytoday’sfastevolvingdigitaltechnologies. • Graduates are equipped to developstrategies, policiesandguidelinesandcollaboratewith a rangeofstakeholdersacrossthepublicandprivatesectorsworkingwithdigitaltechnology.

  29. Digital Technologies andPolicy (MPA) • Contentcovered: • • Thedigitaleconomy • • Policymakingintheinformation age • • Cybersecurity • • Online human rightsandthe Internet ofThings

  30. Energy, Technology andClimatePolicy (MPA) • Thisdegreeexploressustainableapproaches to addressing global challenges, frommitigatingclimatechange to developingaccessibleandrenewableenergy. • Graduatesdevelopanin-depthunderstandingofcomplexitiesaroundenergyandclimatepolicyandthetoolsavailable to collaborate on creativeandinclusivepolicysolutions.

  31. Energy, Technology andClimatePolicy (MPA) • Sustainabilityandinnovation • Technology for renewableenergy • Carbondioxidecaptureandstorage • Scientificadvice on energyandclimatepolicy

  32. Urban InnovationandPolicy (MPA) • Become a future innovatorin urban development andcityleadership. • Thisdegreeprovidesgraduateswiththeskillsto collaboratewith a broadrangeof urban stakeholders; analyseand set policy; innovateinthe face of complex systems; andenablesustainable urban planning.

  33. Urban InnovationandPolicy (MPA) • Contentcovered: • • Contemporary urban challenges • • Principlesof urban innovation • • Disciplinarylenses for understandingthecity • • Methods for delivering urban policy

  34. Development, Technology andInnovationPolicy (MPA) • Thisdegreefocuses on how policycanrespond to theneed for balancedgrowth, socialwell-beingandenvironmentalprotectionindevelopingcountries. • TheMPA draws on global, regionalandlocalexamplesinsectorssuch as agriculture, energyandenvironment.

  35. Development, Technology andInnovationPolicy (MPA) • Contentcovered: • Inclusivetransformationandsmartinfrastructure • Regulationandfinance for innovation • Technologicalopportunitiesandrisks • Institutionbuildingandcapacity

  36. DEGREE STRUCTURE • Our MPA degreescombine a highleveloverviewofkeyideaswithanin-depthfocus on topicalthemes, tools, frameworksandpolicyanalysis. • Specialistcontent • Specialisedmaterial for each MPA degree • Sharedcontent • Core conceptsstudiedacrossall MPA degrees • Experientiallearning • Applyingskillsandknowledge to realproblems

  37. Readthetextcarefullyandanswerthefollowingquestions: • 1. Which MPA degrees are offered? • 2. Whattypesofcontent are offered? • 3. How wouldrelatethetypesofcontent to threetypesofknowledgeandskillsdiscussedintheintroduction? • 4. Istheprogrammeflexible? • 5. How isflexibilityofthecurriculaachieved?

  38. Task • Chosethe module youfind most interestingandsummarizeitscontent.

  39. Discussion • 1. Do you think that the MPA modules listed are relevant for public administration? • 2. In your opinion, do the modules prepare the students well for their future careers? Which careers can you think of for the students of the above modules?

  40. Research • 1. Find out more about topics of the four modules and present your findings in class. • 2. Find other MPA programmes and present their contents in class.

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