Learning and Teaching

The Business School has articulated its approach to learning and teaching in to a single strategy as presented below.

Introduction and Philosophy

Our philosophy is that students who study at MMUBS benefit from excellence and consistency in learning, teaching and assessment and the strengths of the individual subject specific expertise of staff within a supportive and inclusive environment where all contributions are valued.

The MMUBS Blend

The MMUBS student experience is distinctive and is built around ‘modelling professional behaviour’.

This ‘immersive learning experience’ benefits our students in a number of ways including:

 Courses that reflect current business practice and values that help students to continually develop as world class professionals

 Courses that are accredited by professional organisations as recognition of our professional approach

 A business professional approach to the delivery of learning and teaching that is built upon staff professional skills, research informed subjects and continuous professional

development

 Degree⁺ - extra curricular opportunities, such as student societies engaged with their professions, that add value to the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of study and enhance employability

The key attributes of learning, teaching and assessment on our courses are:

 An emphasis on professional skills development with embedded curriculum links to employability skills developed as part of the learning, teaching and assessment process.

A commitment to sustainability and developing students as responsible managers including the use of case based scenarios to develop professional judgements and ethics.

 Assurance of learning* of programme level outcomes through authentic, relevant summative assessments based on the simulation of the professional environment.

Supportive assessment processes such as rehearsing how to solve problems together with additional, front ended support in early assessments within each academic level of study.

 A blended approach using a “coaching” model for Personal Academic Tutoring (PAT) to build on student strengths and help them to address their areas for improvement, including developing and monitoring inclusive learning plans such as PLPs. As students progress the contact time will be become more specific to their identified, agreed needs.

 Alternative modes of learning to support the needs, learning styles and abilities of and to enable contributions from all of our students. A mix of alternative approaches such as lectures, seminars, videos and self directed study. Student learning styles and choices can influence the approach relevant to their level of study that is agreed with their tutors.

 Using research informed teaching (RIT) as a bridge between research and teaching with an increased emphasis on RIT at levels 6 and 7.

 A wide use of diagnostic online and in-class testing to identify student progress and individual learning needs. Flexible levels of additional support to challenge exceptional students and support those identified as needing further help to progress.

 The consistent use of a wide range of digital resources including imaginative use of a virtual learning environment and digital library resources. These resources are

complimentary resources for student development.

 A wide range of faculty events built around strong student societies that are connected to their professions. The events focus on, but are not limited to, improving

employability.

 Flexible, work based learning opportunities through formal placements, internships and the use of students own employment opportunities.

 Working in partnership with students to enhance their experience, including staff-student liaison meetings and regular staff-student surveys of learning, teaching and assessment at a unit and course level. This is accompanied by staff reflection on the feedback and reporting back on student feedback throughout their studies.

Specific mechanisms through which this Strategy is enacted in the Masters network are:

 Provision of pre-course reading and other resources to ensure preparedness of students for the expectations of the course.

 Early diagnostic and developmental work on writing skills to provide early feedback and to direct students to additional resources (eg ELSIS, The Writing Project, Student

Support Officers)

 Learning based on case studies (live and simulated) to encourage the relationship between theory and practice

 The integration of staff in research clusters and research units in to the postgraduate teaching team

 Opportunities for current faculty research to be included in delivery plans of units

 Programme of business visits

 Live team-based business project (for full time students)

 Assignment tasks that encourage relationship to direct business experience

 Development of reflective skills

 Consideration of ethics in business and in the conduct of business research 32 Assessment

Applying the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategy presented in section 31, assessment tasks have been balanced across each award to ensure that each student experiences a variety of assessment tasks, within each unit and across their course, appropriate to level 7 study. In line with the overall philosophy of our masters provision, assessment tasks are designed to develop both academic and professional competence, as appropriate to the subject domain. These tasks have been mapped to ensure this variety and to ensure that all programme learning outcomes (PLO) are both developed and assessed across each course. The level of achievement of students across the network in relation to each PLO will be audited and evaluated against a target. Where targets are not met, or where performance on a particular course is weak, actions will be taken through the Continuous Monitoring and Improvement Process to improve future achievement.

Assessment Design

The norm for each 30 credit unit is two elements of assessment, totalling 6000 words or

equivalent. Each examination hour is treated as equivalent to 1000 words. This provides a level of consistency with variations from the norm having been agreed by the programme team at the unit design/modification stage. Word counts do not always equate to ‘student effort’ and where tasks have required extended practical research the outcome document (particularly if targeted at a business audience) may be shorter. On the other hand in the economics domain higher word counts are expected. The norm for the balance between elements is 50/50 but again this can be

adjusted by agreement to suit the nature of the assessment tasks within a unit, up to 30/70 (other than the dissertation which has a 15/85 balance).

Individual and Group Assessments

Consideration has been taken of the balance between individual and group assessment; and in most cases where group assessment is used, individual outcomes can be arrived at through the identification of individual contribution and/or through a process of peer assessment. In cases where the outcome relates to the whole group there is a rationale in relation to profession

development: this is the case in relation to programmes in Marketing. The majority of assessment on all courses is individual.

Inclusive Assessment

Consideration is made, in assessment design, of the student body. Where possible course work tasks are related to student experience; whether this be work experience, national origins, or case studies. Where examinations are used, students are provided with opportunities for formative practice in relation to the style of examination (eg closed book, open book, case study based).

Examinations are often a requirement where there is professional body accreditation (eg Human Resource Management).

Assessment Processes

Students are provided with comprehensive coursework briefs which clearly articulate the PLO and Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO) to be assessed. Students are provided with assessment criteria for each element of coursework, with staff being guided by the University Standard Descriptors in setting their criteria. The Faculty has a robust system of internal and external moderation that conforms to the University policies on moderation.

Whilst the Faculty does not have a policy for the anonymous marking of coursework, all

coursework is submitted electronically (except for oversize poster work) and hence student names are not as apparent in the marking process. All examinations are marked and moderated

anonymously.

Formative feedback is provided on an early written submission in all programmes to support students’ transition to the expectations of the level of study and to signpost additional support where necessary. Assessment in all units is both formative and summative. Formative feedback in units can take many forms, for example, tutorial exercises and online quizzes. Summative

assessment feedback is designed to provide guidance on future performance, and so has a formative as well as summative purpose.

Feedback is provided to students within standard University turnaround times, with shorter feedback cycles where necessary for first elements of coursework in a unit, to ensure feedback is provided in a timely manner to support second elements/examinations. The design of the

curriculum in to short-fat units ensures feedback builds across the period of study.

Students are encouraged to reflect on their assessment performance and this forms part of the personal development planning activity for postgraduate students.