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 | |
School/department | School of Management - Business School |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Pathway unit for MSc Management (Project Management)
As the use of projects has become more commonplace, students require a grounding in the topic that will equip them to proactively participate in project working, wherever their careers take them. For those who expect to be involved in managing projects, a strong theoretical foundation is essential if project management practices are to be used in an informed and effective way. Thus this unit aims to develop students’ soft as well as ‘hard’ technical skills in project management. 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, and peopled nature of projects and their management.
The overall aim is:
To encourage students to develop the intellectual and practical skills with which they can critically analyse and manage projects
This is achieved through 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 practical, hands-on group assignments
To achieve these aims, the teaching objectives are:
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 some of the following, designed to suit student needs and the topics being covered: videos, animations, online lectures, online tutorials, material in a virtual learning environments, online quizzes and exercises, digital discussion boards, tutorials, seminars, and workshops, 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:
45 hours (indicatively 30 hours lectures; 15 hours tutorials)
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 (e.g., reports, outlines, project artefacts).
Summative
Individual (50%) (all ILOs covered)
A portfolio of work that includes three components, which can be written or delivered in other media (e.g., blog, video presentation, journal, audio role play) (roughly equivalent to 1,500 words each). The specific assignment brief can vary year to year, but the three elements must address theory, practice, and personal reflection.
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). The exact nature of the project required and the deliverable will vary year to year, indicated by the assignment brief.
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.
A group mark will be awarded and apply to all group members, provided individual students have contributed equally to the group work. Participation and individual contributions will be assured and assessed through group communications with tutors (e.g., group journals), formative feedback and assessment, peer contributions, tutor observations, and questioning individuals during group discussions or presentations. A conflict identification and warning system for individuals not fully contributing will be implemented, and those students who are contributing insufficiently to the group work will not receive the group mark.
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 Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
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. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.