| Unit name | Project Management |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EFIMM0156 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2D (weeks 19 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lloyd Fletcher |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
To become a skilled practitioner of project management requires a grounding in the subject that equips you to proactively participate in diverse forms of project work. A strong theoretical foundation is essential if you are to use project management practices in an informed and effective way, with ‘soft’ people skills as vital as ‘hard’ technical know-how. So in this unit we encourage your learning and build your confidence to develop the intellectual and practical skills you will need to critically and creatively analyse and manage projects, wherever you career takes you. We do this from a social science perspective that encourages critical reflection and a theory-rich basis from which to challenge orthodox thinking and engage productively with the complex, dynamic, challenging, and peopled world of project working. This will offer you a ‘competitive edge’ compared to more conventional and ‘by the book’ approaches to learning about project management.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is the capstone unit for students on their chosen specialist MSc pathway. It thus builds on and integrates the learning foundations established in preceding core units on your masters programme. By the time you reach this point in your studies, you will have been exposed to a diversity of theory, practice, and cases. You will have honed your academic skills, ready to apply them in this, your chosen subject area, to further refine your scholarship and practice as you advance towards your dissertation research, graduation, and the next steps in your career.
An overview of content
The content and learning is structured as three inter-related ‘subunits’:
Project Management Foundations (PMF): focused on foundational theory and historical practice
Critical Analysis of Projects (CAP): focused on analysis of project situations and critical scrutiny of project management discourses
Delivering a Project (DAP): focused on applying concepts and methods in practical, hands-on group assignments
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, a successful student will be able to:
Teaching takes a student-learning centred rather than a teacher-centred approach, with a focus on active learning and authentic assessment techniques. There is therefore a variety of teaching and learning activities to offer a rounded and stimulating experience. In addition to some traditional lectures, methods can include the following, designed to suit student needs and the topics being covered: videos, animations, in-person tutorials, seminars, and workshops; online Q&A classes, video tutorials; learning activities in a virtual learning environment, such as online quizzes and exercises, and digital discussion boards; role playing, simulations; hands-on project delivery, group discussions and debates, case studies, practical problem solving, and student presentations.
Teaching and learning activities and course materials are shaped by feedback from students throughout the term, with students encouraged to provide input into curriculum and content design early and often, not just at the end of the course.
For each of the three subunits, the teaching and learning activities broadly take the following approach:
A total of 45 hours of structured learning activities, both synchronous and asynchronous, including at least 6 hours of interactive seminars/tutorials per week.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Feedback to students is provided throughout the unit in the form of formative quizzes, feedback online and in seminars from tutors in response to student discussions, questions, and ongoing work products (e.g., reports, outlines, project artefacts).
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Individual (50%) (all ILOs covered)
A portfolio of coursework that includes one or more components, which could be written or delivered in other media (e.g., blog, video presentation, journal, audio, role play) (roughly equivalent to between 2,500 and 3,000 words in total). Depending on the specific component and the topic assigned, the assessment will involve some combination of research, evaluation, and critical analysis of theory, practice, or project cases. The combined content will address all ILOs. Previous examples include a critical review of a theory or model, assessment of a failed project, and a review of the experience of playing a project management simulation.
Group (50%) (all ILOs covered)
The joint effort of a team to conduct a project as a piece of coursework. It is assessed for both the performance of the team in managing the project as well as the project’s end product (deliverable). Depending on the specific brief, the deliverable may be created using various media or platforms, including but not limited to written work, oral presentation, video, animations, audio recordings, or simulations (roughly equivalent to between 2,000 and 3,000 words in total).
A group mark will be awarded and apply to all group members, provided individual students have contributed equitably. A peer review and conflict mitigation and warning system will be implemented to encourage collaboration and to enable the early identification and resolution of conflict or inequity. Where a student’s contribution diverges significantly from an equitable division of effort, an individual may be awarded a mark that is different from the group’s mark.
When assessment does not go to plan
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis.
Reassessment of the individual coursework component: a portfolio covering similar topics and delivery media (e.g., written or otherwise) as for the original assessment. But students must produce a new piece of work in each case. E.g., a different case study, a new simulation exercise, or a new theoretical focus (roughly equivalent to between 2,500 and 3,000 words in total). Detailed guidance and a specific brief will be provided in the event of reassessment.
Reassessment of the group coursework component: design and delivery of a simple project carried out on an individual basis. As for the original group assignment, students will be assessed both for their management of their project and for its deliverable. The project brief will be similar to the original group assignment, but will require the student to produce their own new work (roughly equivalent to between 1,000 and 1,500 words in total). Detailed guidance and a specific brief will be provided in the event of reassessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EFIMM0156).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
