Q&A with Elaine McGinlay
Elaine McGinlay is a Global Learning MA student from the UK, class of 2025.
Hi Elaine! What is your educational background and what led you to pursue a graduate-level degree?
I have a BA in Business (which I got in 2002!) but I've been working in Development Education for SCIAF, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, for over 10 years.
I felt the MA would strengthen my position as an educator and give SCIAF's Dev Ed work credibility in education spaces.
I was working full time alongside my part-time study. As a mum of a young child (aged 2 when I started the course) and someone living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a progressive neurological condition, the thought of going back to university was definitely daunting. However, it was a challenge I was also looking forward to.
Why did you choose your degree at UCL?
IOE is the best place to study Education. The course fitted exactly what I was looking for and online only was a must for me so it ticked all the boxes.
I felt very fortunate to have been accepted on such a prestigious course and tried my best to immerse myself fully in the course and take any opportunities that were available to me.
What is the best thing about your course?
I think the course covered a lot of ground in terms of Global Citizenship Education, Education for Sustainable Development and also elective subjects like Teaching Controversial Issues.
It was very well rounded in terms of the scope of Global Learning. I was impressed by the other students and their experiences, and also by the staff who were willing to give time and help where needed.
The online activities were well organised and always available which made it easy for me as I was also working full time alongside my studies.
What are your career plans after completing your current course of study at UCL? If you have completed your studies with us, do you feel that it was beneficial to your career? In what way?
My reasoning for doing this course has always been about strengthening my work as a development educator within SCIAF, not necessarily my own career aspirations. However, completing this course obviously strengthens my skill set for the future.
I would like to think that if I choose to move on from SCIAF it will be to a role which helps me to embed Global Learning more deeply into Scottish Catholic Education, as an extension of my current work.
Since leaving the course I have written a children’s book based on the principles of Integral Human Development called The Wisdom of the River and I have been appointed as SCIAF's representative on the Global Citizenship Education Advocacy Committee for Scotland's International Development Alliance (SIDA).
What advice would you give to future UCL students based on your experience?
Go for it! Yes postgraduate study is difficult, but it's also incredibly rewarding.
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