BPP University - Amazon S3 · Induction Week (Term 1 Only) 18 January 2016 Teaching Week 1 25 January 2016 Teaching Week 2 01 February 2016 Teaching Week 3 08 February 2016 ... (APL)

BPP University

MSc Professional HR

Student Handbook

September 2015

Contents

Foreword 2

Part A –Essential Information 4

Part B – Programme Structure 12

Part C – Modules 17

Part D – Assessments 33

Part E – Policies 45

Part F – Student Support 51

Part G – Appendix 1 – Management Matrix 59

Appendix 2 – Staff Contacts 60

Appendix 3 – Other Contacts 62

Appendix 4 – Course Abbreviations 63

Appendix 5– Diagram of Achievements 74

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Foreword

Welcome by the Dean of the Business School

BPP has a long, diverse history and is today one of Europe’s biggest academic and professional educational provider. BPP University is also the UK’s first private sector educational body, with the privilege to award degrees. At BPP Business School, we offer a range of professional and academic programmes. These include the MSc Accounting & Finance Programme which will prepare you for your chosen career.

The business school is uniquely positioned by virtue of the involvement of professional as well as academic experts and strong industry relationships. The school has a strong focus on employability and developing individuals into successful professionals.

All our tutors and support staff are here to support you through your academic journey and make it a remarkable success. We expect all our students to adhere to the highest standards and put their best efforts to achieve the academic success. It is our endeavour to continuously improve the quality of education and student experience at the school.

I welcome your comments and suggestions on improving the overall student experience.

I hope you will find the student journey at the school memorable and fruitful. I wish you good luck with your studies!

Professor Tim Stewart

Dean of the Business School

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Foreword

Welcome by the Director of Programmes On behalf of the Business School and our postgraduate programme team, I am pleased to welcome you to the MSc Professional HR Programme. BPP has been training professionals for many years across a range of disciplines, and you have made an excellent choice for your first step on your professional career.

All of us at BPP are keen to develop strong, mutually beneficial relationships with you to support you on this career journey. Throughout your time with us you will come into contact with professional staff from many disciplines that support the programmes in different ways. You will also find many opportunities to engage in building your industry knowledge and professional network. Consider this to be the first day of your professional career and take every opportunity that you can find to help you on your journey.

You should have high expectations of us and we have high expectations of you. We need your commitment from day one, and we need to see you fully engaged in all the learning opportunities and activities, whether face to face or via the virtual learning environment. Success on your postgraduate programme can be route directly into the workplace or onto further study. At BPP, we will continue to support your professional development with many programme and course options.

As future alumni and leaders, we hope that your period of study at the Business School will be productive, positive and the beginning of a long-term association with us.

I look forward to getting to know you and wish you every success.

Dr Sally-Ann Burnett

Director of Programmes

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Part A: Essential Information

Term Dates Academic Year 2015-2016

Term September 2015 – January 2016

Term Date (Week Commencing) Induction Week (Term 1 Only) 21 September 2015 Teaching Week 1 28 September 2015 Teaching Week 2 05 October 2015 Teaching Week 3 12 October 2015 Teaching Week 4 19 October 2015 Teaching Week 5 26 October 2015 Reading Week 02 November 2015 Teaching Week 6 09 November 2015 Teaching Week 7 16 November 2015 Teaching Week 8 23 November 2015 Teaching Week 9 30 November 2015 Teaching Week 10 07 December 2015 Consolidation Week 14 December 2015 Christmas Holiday 21 December 2015 Revision & Assessment Week 1 28 December 2015 Revision & Assessment Week 2 04 January 2016

Term January 2016 – May 2016

Term Date (Week Commencing) Induction Week (Term 1 Only) 18 January 2016 Teaching Week 1 25 January 2016 Teaching Week 2 01 February 2016 Teaching Week 3 08 February 2016 Teaching Week 4 15 February 2016 Teaching Week 5 22 February 2016 Reading Week 01 March 2016 Teaching Week 6 08 March 2016 Teaching Week 7 15 March 2016 Teaching Week 8 22 March 2016 Easter Holiday 29 March 2016 Teaching Week 9 05 April 2016 Teaching Week 10 12 April 2016 Consolidation Week 19 April 2016 Revision & Assessment Week 1 26 April 2016 Revision & Assessment Week 2 03 May 2016

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Term May 2016 – August 2016

May–September Term will be a break term for 3 year students

Term Date (Week Commencing) Induction Week (Term 1 Only) 16 May 2016 Teaching Week 1 23 May 2016 Teaching Week 2 30 May 2016 Teaching Week 3 06 June 2016 Teaching Week 4 13 June 2016 Teaching Week 5 20 June 2016 Reading Week 27 June 2016 Teaching Week 6 04 July 2016 Teaching Week 7 11 July 2016 Teaching Week 8 18 July 2016 Teaching Week 9 25 July 2016 Teaching Week 10 01 August 2016 Consolidation Week 08 August 2016 Revision & Assessment Week 1 15 August 2016 Revision & Assessment Week 2 22 August 2016

September 2016 – January 2017

Term Date (Week Commencing) Induction Week (Term 1 Only) 19 September 2016 Teaching Week 1 26 September 2016 Teaching Week 2 03 October 2016 Teaching Week 3 10 October 2016 Teaching Week 4 17 October 2016 Teaching Week 5 24 October 2016 Reading Week 31 October 2016 Teaching Week 6 07 November 2016 Teaching Week 7 14 November 2016 Teaching Week 8 21 November 2016 Teaching Week 9 28 November 2016 Teaching Week 10 05 December 2016 Consolidation Week 12 December 2016 Christmas Holiday 19 December 2016 Revision & Assessment Week 1 26 December 2016 Revision & Assessment Week 2 02 January 2017

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Business School – Site Contact Details London BPP Business School Fitzwilliam House 2 St Mary Axe London EC3A 8BF

Tel : 0330 060 3813 or 0330 060 3814 BPP University web address: http://www.bpp.com/university-college/lp/university-college/10682

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http://www.bpp.com/university-college/lp/university-college/10682

Key Programme Staff

All contact details (including email addresses) are given in Appendix 2 and are on the Virtual Learning Environment (under the Programme Information site). Management Team Director of Programmes Sally-Ann Burnett Director of Business School Operations Nicholas Stratford Director of Faculty Stuart Ansell Head of Programme Jennifer Park Head of Student Managers Michael Gaffer Faculty Operations Manager Samantha Lavelle Assessment Manager Andrew Butt Systems Manager Kieran Hutley Student Manager Ashleigh Stenning A full list of all Programme Staff and their contact details is available in Appendix 3.

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Registration and Student Registration Number (SRN)

Once you have accepted your offer of a place on the BSc Programme, the Student Records Office (SRO) should have contacted you with full details of the registration procedure. This includes an Induction Timetable, listing all initial classes and presentations. At registration, you should have received your Student Registration Number (SRN). This number is your unique student identification number and will be utilised throughout your studies at BPP. It must be cited on all correspondence within BPP and any assessments you complete. For this reason you should try and memorise your SRN as soon as you can. You will be issued with a BPP student identity card shortly after you enrol on the Programme. You must ensure that you carry this card with you at all times. BPP staff has the right to carry out spot checks on students to ensure that they have permission to be on the premises.

Registration - Further Information

If you have any queries relating to your registration, please contact the relevant department:

Student Records: [email protected] Fees: [email protected]

For general help, please contact one of the Student Advisors at [email protected]

International Students

The International Student Office at BPP Business School deals specifically with queries from overseas students.

For general help for International Students, please contact: [email protected]

Exemptions and Transfer Students

If you are an exemption student, or have transferred from another university, you should contact Students manager, Ashleigh Stenning at [email protected] to discuss Accreditation for Prior Learning (APL). It is possible to apply for exemptions for topics/modules which have been previously studied. In order to do this, you will be required to fill in an accreditation of prior learning form, where you will need to provide sufficient evidence that the learning outcome match the ones of the module(s) you are applying for an exemption from.

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mailto:[email protected]




Term Structure

Your term structure will be available during induction and is also placed on the VLE main page. For details of the abbreviations used in your term structure please refer to Appendix 4 in this handbook. If you have difficulty in understanding your term structure you should contact your Student Manager.

Week Commencing Teaching mode

21-Sep-15 Head Start Face to Face In Person – Weekend Blocked Session (Sat & Sun) 28-Sep-15 TW 1 (Recorded) Online 05-Oct-15 TW 2 (Recorded) Online 12-Oct-15 TW 3 (Recorded) Online 19-Oct-15 TW 4 (Recorded) Online 26-Oct-15 TW 5 Live webinar 02-Nov-15 Reading week Formative Support 09-Nov-15 TW6 (Recorded) Online 16-Nov-15 TW 7 (Recorded) Online 23-Nov-15 TW 8 (Recorded) Online 30-Nov-15 TW 9 (Recorded) Online 07-Dec-15 TW 10 (Recorded) Online 14-Dec-15 Revision Live webinar

14-Dec-15 Coursework Submission 21-Dec-15 Break 28-Dec-15 Break 04-Jan-16 Assessment Exam

Any requests regarding module changes should be sent to [email protected] . Please note that any request made after teaching week 2 will not be responded to and will be automatically rejected. Exam timetables are available for each academic term under the assessment tab on the VLE.

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Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

All MSc students are supported by an area on the VLE (often referred to as). There are two specific areas of the VLE you will need to frequently visit: The Programme Information site (for your campus e.g. London) and the individual module sites. The Programme Information site contains all procedures and policies, assessments, timetables, groups, staff contact details, announcements, etc. relating to the course.

Each module site contains the following information: • Syllabus • Tutorial and seminar materials • Tutorial and seminar e-learning resources • Reading materials (both core and further) • Discussion boards • Announcements from your module tutors and the module leader • Assessment information

You can log on to the VLE via the internet site by going to: https://vle.bpp.com

To log into the VLE, please follow the link as above. When you arrive at the front page, click the link in the middle which says “Student login page (Central Authentication Service)”

You must then create your own password – to do this, click the “forgot password” button and follow the instructions. A link and a code will then be emailed to your personal email address enabling you to enter a new password. If you do not receive the email, first of all please check that it was not filtered out as junk mail by any filters you have. If you still do not have it, please contact the Technical Assistance Centre (details below).

Email Correspondence

Your BPP email account is used for all official correspondence. You must ensure that you check your email regularly. You can redirect your BPP email to another personal email account if more convenient.

Coursework assessments are submitted electronically through Turnitin (a software package utilised for detecting similarity). Receipts for successful submission of your work are emailed to your BPP account. You must ensure that you retain these receipts as evidence of your assessment submission. There is a reputable presumption that you have not submitted your assessment without proof of a Turnitin receipt.

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Student Contact Details

You must ensure that all your contact details, e.g. address, email, mobile number, are always correctly recorded on BPP’s student database. If you need to change your details, at any time, please contact both your Student Manager and the Student Records Office at [email protected] or a Student Advisor [email protected].

Induction

Your first week on the course is referred to as the Induction. During this weekend induction, you will be introduced to the following:

• the programme structure • assessments • the virtual learning environment (VLE) • your student manager • learning resources • careers • student support services

Details relating to the Induction Programme are emailed to students prior to registration.

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Part B: Programme Structure

You will have been registered for the following postgraduate programme:

Programme Title: MSc Professional HR On successful completion of your degree programme, you will be awarded:

Qualification: MSc Professional HR The following Interim Awards are available:

Interim Exit Awards: Postgraduate Certificate (60 Credits) Postgraduate Diploma (120 Credits) Awarding Body: BPP University

Academic Years and Terms

What is an academic year? An academic year runs from September to the following August, partially covering two calendar years.

What are terms? These are self-contained periods of study in which a number of modules are studied. There are three terms a year. Terms run on a 13 week cycle as follows:

1. Introduction 2. Teaching weeks 3. Reading week 4. Coursework skills / mock exam (dependent on how the module is assessed) 5. Consolidation week 6. Two revision and assessment weeks

There is usually a short break between each.

How are the terms organised? There are three terms within an academic year. They run from September to January (Term 1), January to May (Term 2), and May to August (Term 3).

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Credits and Levels

Each module is worth a number of credits based on the notional number of study hours required to successfully complete the course, e.g. a 15 credit module requires 150 hours of study, for a 30 credit module, 300 hours and so on. Once a student has completed 180 credits they are awarded the MSc degree1. Each module is broken down into a number of topics (see the VLE for details). The course is also made up of 3 stages; Term 1 – certificate stage, Term 2 – diploma stage, and Term 3 - MSc (graduate) stage. The higher the stage, the more academic/cognitive ability is required to study the material. Effectively, the modules get increasing more demanding as the course progresses. To satisfy each level i.e. Terms 1, 2 & 3 a student must complete 60 credits made up of a number modules at each level.

In order to be awarded the MSc Professional HR you must complete 180 credits: 60 credits at Term 1; 60 credits at Term 2 and 60 credits at Term 3. Each level is made up of both compulsory or core and elective modules. Compulsory or core modules must be studied whilst students can choose their electives.

1 There are also Interim Awards available. After completing 60 credits at Term 1, a Certificate in Professional HR may be awarded. After completing 120 credits at Terms 2 & 3, a Diploma in Professional HR may be awarded.

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Outline of the Programme Structures MSc Professional HR – Programme Overview

Core Modules

Competitive Intelligence in Human Resources 15 Credits Emerging Themes in Human Resources 15 Credits Managerial Finance 15 Credits HR Strategy – Application & Implementation 15 Credits Leadership, Management & Entrepreneurialism 15 Credits Organisational Stakeholder Behaviour 15 Credits Reward & Motivation 15 Credits

Elective - Talent Management ( 15 Credits)

Elective - Employment Law & Practice (15 Credits)

Electives (Talent Management Stream) Resourcing & Assessing Talent 15 Credits Organisational Performance 15 Credits

Electives (Employment Law & Practice Stream) Compliance & Risk Management 15 Credits Business & Contract Law 15 Credits

Core Module - Leading Innovations in Human Resources 30 Credits

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Expectations

The programme can be tailored to your individual need. However, there are certain expectation in terms of progression and completion. Any deviation from these expectations must be discussed with and approved by your Student Manager in advance. Key principles of online education at BPP University We consider the following principles to be critical in approaching all of our online programmes: Equivalence It is important to appreciate that degree programmes delivered online carry the same awards and are accredited to the same level as face-to-face programmes. They should not be regarded as “second best” in any sense - research has demonstrated that online programmes can be at least as effective as face-to-face, whether this is measured in terms of quality of tutor support (Richardson, 2009) or test performance (Bowen et al, 2012). As such, all standard University regulations apply to these programmes. The student experience on an online programme will be different to a face-to-face one, but should not be inferior and in some respects has the potential to be superior. As such, you should be reassured that your experience will be of the same quality as any other University student. Appropriate delivery methods Most of the tools used for delivery are asynchronous. This means that interaction between you and tutors, and with other students, occurs intermittently with a time delay. This has a number of advantages – in particular, you can take part in learning activities at a time which is convenient for you. We appreciate that you are probably working full-time and simply would not be able to study for a degree if you had to attend regular face-to-face classes. You can reflect before responding to questions and participating in discussions and there is also evidence that asynchronous activities can boost the level of collaboration between students (Akhras, 2012). However, we are conscious that you may find it difficult to communicate well on an asynchronous basis and many tools, such as recorded videos, do not allow the facility to ask questions. To address this, we also use synchronous tools, meaning that we deliver real-time learning events in which all participants are logged on at the same time and communicate directly with each other. The most common tool for this is a webinar, or web conferencing tool, where interaction can occur via video, voice, text, shared images and collaborative working. This has the disadvantage of reduced convenience for you but does enable questions to be asked and answered, and discussions to develop, in real time. This course uses a mix of asynchronous and synchronous tools. We believe that both have their place, and are carefully combined to optimise your experience Tutor contact Tutor contact in online courses will take different forms to face-to-face courses, but is no less important. The tools we use are:

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• Webinars • Feedback on assessments or informal activities such as discussion forum posts • Email • Live conversations via telephone or similar tools such as Skype We use all of these methods to ensure that you can ask questions as needed and receive appropriate support. Tutors will make themselves available for contact through webinars, email and telephone. If you wish to speak live to your tutor, it is often helpful if you contact them in advance and book a time, to make sure they are available. Student Support As well as tutors, you will have support from our student management team, careers service, and all other resources available to our face-to-face students. As with any other student, we will monitor your engagement with the programme (attendance at webinars, contribution to activities, assessment submission). If problems do arise, we will aim to offer any necessary support as soon as possible References Akhras, C. (2012) 'Virtual Classrooms and the Discussion Forum: A Net Benefit for Business Students', International Journal Of Business & Social Science, vol.3, no.11, pp.1-7. Bowen, W., Chingos, M., Lack, K. and Nygren, T. (2012) Interactive Learning Online at Public Universities: Evidence from Randomized Trials, Ithaka S + R, http://www.sr.ithaka.org/research-publications/interactive-learning-online-public-universities-evidence-randomized-trials (accessed 2 June 2012). Richardson, J.T.E. (2009) ‘Face-to-face versus online tutoring support in humanities courses in distance education’, Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, vol.8, no.1, pp.69–85

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Part C: Modules

All compulsory and most elective modules follow the same structure: broken down into a number of topics which are grouped together in themed parts. The number of topics in each module depends on the number of credits the module carries. For example, 30 credit compulsory modules each comprise of 16 topics. The number of themed parts will vary depending on the individual module. Most modules require full attendance for all classes. Some are based on individual supervision, e.g. Business Integration Project at Level 6.

It is essential that you complete a module selection form when requested to do so. A failure to complete the form will result in your electives being chosen for you.

Conditions

The modules you are required to study depends upon the Programme you are enrolled on. Likewise, some modules have pre-requisites i.e. you must have successfully completed another foundation module as a condition of study; or co-requisite, i.e. you must study at the same time within the same level. For example, if a module is two parts, it is usually a requirement to study part one before being allowed to study part two. Module Selection

At the beginning of term 3, students will be required to select their modules for the forthcoming term - either Talent Management or Employment Law & Practice. Alongside this your core module will be Reward & Motivation. Once a selection has been made, students will not be able to change to other modules. Likewise, once the student has signed up for a particular module, they must complete all the assessments within that module. You cannot simply ‘drop’ a module during a term.

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Module Descriptor

Competitive Intelligence in Human Resources Module leader: John Kouraklis

Credits: 15

Pre-requisites: None

Co-requisites: None

This module aims to:

• Provide you with an appreciation of the array of information that human resource practitioners draw on and commission and the concept of knowledge management.

• Give you the knowledge to reflect on different philosophical views and how these impact on the practice of business research.

• Refine your research skills to enable you to plan qualitative, quantitative and mixed method research designs to solve academic and real life problems.

• Encourage you to seek out new and emerging human resource management themes and research practices in business research to improve your employability in the workplace.

• Provide you with a set of practical research skills including appropriate vocabulary that you can use in academic and business contexts.

This module will cover:

• The role of research in human resource management • Knowledge management • Using electronic databases in a human resource management context • Deconstructing and critiquing literature • Inductive vs. deductive research • ‘World views’ – epistemology, ontology & methodology

Assessment: Written coursework 100% module grade

Prepare a 2,500 word research proposal on a Human Resources theme of your choice.

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Emerging Themes in Human Resources

Module leader: Jennifer Park

Credits: 15


Co-requisites: None


• Develop a deep understanding of the emerging themes within human resource management.

• Critically evaluate themes and assess their impact on HR practice. • Apply a range of techniques to critically evaluate the appropriateness of

existing HR policies and practices. • Assess HR’s role in leading the management of employees as a key source of

organisational competitive advantage. • Provide practice in application through assessment of organisational

impact of emergent themes and the development of strategies and policies to manage change.


• The leadership and strategic role of HR and its evolving paradigms • HR within the international dimension , including off-shoring & outsourcing • The impact of the world of virtual work • The war for talent • The challenges and future directions of technology and employment • Career Management in the 21st century • Measuring effectiveness of HR within organisations • Ethical challenges facing HR • Crisis and risk management

Assessment: Written assignment 100% module grade

A 2,500 word written assignment exploring linkage and impact of emerging themes in HR.

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Managerial Finance

Module leader: Alicia Farrell

Credits: 15 Credits


Co-requisites: None


• To provide an understanding of the fundamentals of accounting and finance with special emphasis on practice and application.

• To develop an understanding of financial reports and relevant accounting

and regulatory environment.

• To develop skills in accountancy and finance leading to an understanding of financial planning.

• To develop the ability to apply techniques in the analysis of relevant

financial information required for strategic planning, control and decision making.


• Basic Financial Accounting • Accounting standards and adjustments • Cash flow statements • Interpretation of accounting data • Cost accounting • Short term decision making • Budgeting • Variance analysis • Investment decisions • Financing decisions

Assessment: Unseen examination 100% module grade The examination will include finance-based, numerical questions with a critical evaluation of methods and output.

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HR Strategy – Application & Implementation

Module leader: Darryl-Louise Crowley

Credits: 15 Credits


Co-requisites: None


• Develop a deep understanding of the issues surrounding the role of the HR

function in shaping and supporting the development and delivery of business strategies.

• Assess the impact of external factors on organisations and their strategic intent and direction.

• Apply techniques to critically evaluate an organisation’s current competencies, competit ive advantage and the appropriateness of its existing HR policies and practices.

• Critically evaluate a range of structures for delivering effective and efficient HR services within a variety of types and sizes of organisation.

• Provide you with a range of opportunities to practice the application of strategic management tools in developing HR strategies and policies which support business change.


• Contemporary organisations, their environments and their approaches to strategy and business planning.

• How organisational and HR strategies are shaped by and developed in response to internal and external factors.

• The organisational environment in which HR professionals work. • The aims and objectives of HRM and HRD functions in organisations and how these

work in practice. • The different types of contribution made by HRM and HRD specialists in

contemporary organisations. • The impact of globalisation and international forces and how organisations respond.

Assessment: Controlled Assessment 100% of module grade

A 3 hour controlled assignment during which you answer a mandatory unseen question based on a case study, key details of which will be issued one week before to allow market-specific research to be undertaken.

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Leadership, Management & Entrepreneurialism

Module leader: Shaine Richardson

Credits: 15


Co-requisites: None


• Develop a critical understanding of leadership, management and entrepreneurship. • Evaluate theories and models of leadership, management and corporate

entrepreneurship. • Develop critical insights into how leadership, management and

entrepreneurship influences organisational performance. • Assess the practice of leadership at different hierarchical levels of the

organisation and associations between gender and age. • Critically evaluate a range of HR practices in developing leadership and

entrepreneurship within different organisational contexts e.g. global vs local. • Provide the opportunity to apply organisational leadership concepts through

systematic reflection of experiential knowledge about their own and other leaders' characteristics.


• Management vs Leadership • Contemporary perspectives on leadership • Leadership and organisational strategy • Developing leaders & entrepreneurs • Leadership Ethics • Gender, Age and Leadership • Leadership in a global context

Assessment: Written examination 100 % module grade

A 3 hour unseen exam based on a pre-seen case study

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Organisational Stakeholder Behaviour

Module leader: Darryl-Louise Crowley

Credits: 15


Co-requisites: None This module aims to:

• Explore a range of approaches to considering organisational behaviour in order to examine the interplay between theory and practice.

• Evaluate the appropriate measurement of organisational and business performance in a people management context.

• Identify how HRM strategies and practices can contribute to effective organisational performance and business performance to the satisfaction of its stakeholders.

• Compare, contrast and distinguish between best practice and best fit approaches to managing people.

• Develop critical and analytical skills in the appreciation of the complexities of organisational behaviour theory, research and practice.


• Organisational behaviour and current market challenges • Personalities, perception and attitude formation • Motivation and leadership • Groups and team working • Communication, conflict, negotiation and decision making • Organisational Structure and job design

Assessment: Written examination 100% module grade

A pre-issued case study with a 3 hour exam paper designed to ensure the concepts and theories taught on the course are fully understood and appropriate responses are developed together with recommendations to allow implementation of solutions.

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Reward & Motivation

Module leaders: Stephen Moreton

Credits: 15


Co-requisites: None


• Explore the theoretical debates informing reward management and motivation. • Analysis sources of motivation (e.g., intrinsic and extrinsic motivation) and the link to

theories of performance management. • Develop an in-depth level of understanding of the contribution people make to an

organisation and their relative value to that organisation. • Develop a critical understanding of the linkage between reward and the

motivation, commitment and morale of employees. • Critically assess components of total reward framework, examining role of

financial and non-financial motivators. • Examine approaches to developing reward management systems. • Critically discuss traditional, contingent and knowledge bases for transactional and

relational rewards. • Analyse the impact of the state and legislation on reward frameworks in national and

international context.


• Reward management as a HR practice • Foundations of Employee Motivation and Rewards • Pay Structures and monetary remuneration • Motivating people beyond money • Designing rewards and recognition programmes • Pay Equality at Work • Rewarding Performance (Performance Related Pay)

Assessments: Written examination 100% module grade

A 3 hour time constrained examination will provide students with 5 essay tasks, of which they must complete 2. The specific questions are to be set by the tutor.

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Talent Management

Module leader: Liz Aylott

Credits: 15


Co-requisites: None

This module aims to enable students to:

• Critically evaluate talent management strategies that may be used to support an organisation’s strategy and objectives.

• Develop a critical, comprehensive and deep understanding of theories that underpin talent management.

• Utilise and apply a range of relevant HRM tools and techniques to create a Talent Management process.

• Show a critical approach to the design and operation of a talent management process.

• Evaluate the processes of talent management and adopt an ethical approach. This module will cover:

• Definitions and key process for Talent Management • Cultural and global issues in talent management • Implementation of the talent management cycle • Ethical issues in talent management systems • The Talent Management Cycle and associated HRM processes • The development of EVP’s and change processes • Engagement and retention of talent

Assessment: Written assessment 100% module grade

A 2,500 word report, which will include an analysis of the organisations needs and develop a proposal for a talent management system.

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Employment Law & Practice

Module leader: Liz Aylott

Credits: 15


Co-requisites: None


• Demonstrate a broad understanding of the legal framework relating to employee relations and human resource management.

• Be able to confidently handle and analyse legal materials. • Analyse developments in employment law, including EC law, and be able to identify

appropriate sources for keeping abreast of legal developments. • Identify problems and issues which arise in employee relations and human resource

management, and apply the legal principles to those situations. • Advise on appropriate legal action to be taken in the workplace. • Advise on the preparation, presentation and settling of employment tribunal cases. • Identify current legal issues, research those areas and analyse the findings.


• Employment Law and Employment Tribunals; Sources and Institutions of Employment Law and European dimension.

• Contract and related issues • Employment protection and related issues e.g. guaranteed work, medical suspension

pay, maternity and paternity rights, flexible working, • Discrimination with the focus on the employer’s actions and how they should mitigate

situations. • The legal implications of proposals and developments in employment discrimination

including the Equality Act 2010. • The preparation, policy and procedure of termination of employment and employment

tribunal cases. • The protection of employees from unfair or illegal procedure.

Assessments: Written assessment 100% module grade

A 2,500 word guidance report

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Resourcing & Assessing Talent (Talent Management Stream)

Module leaders: Shaine Richardson

Credits: 15


Co-requisites: None


• Analyse and evaluate the major features of national and international employment markets from which organisations source staff and ways in which these markets evolve or change.

• Evaluate resourcing and talent management strategies, diversity management and flexible working initiatives.

• Evaluate long- and short-term talent planning and succession planning exercises with a view to building long-term organisational performance.

• Develop your awareness of the gathering, analysis and use of information on employee turnover as the basis for developing robust staff retention strategies.

• Develop expertise in managing retirement, redundancy and dismissal practices fairly, lawfully and efficiently.


• The major features of national and international employment markets from which organisations source staff and how these markets evolve or change

• The development and evaluation of resourcing and talent management strategies, diversity management and flexible working initiatives

• The effective and efficient management of recruitment, • Long-and short-term talent planning and succession planning to build long-term

organisational performance • The gathering and analysis of information related to resourcing (including assessing

talent) and retention • Managing and retaining organisational talent • Role of business leaders, HRM, line managers and employees in performance

management of talent • Legal, ethical and professional practice


A 2,500 word written report

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Organisational Performance (Talent Management Stream)

Module leaders: Huw Morris

Credits: 15


Co-requisites: None


• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the role of performance management in achieving organisational performance.

• Evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in the area. • Show a critical and comprehensive understanding of performance management

theory and techniques applicable to your own research or advanced scholarship. • Critically evaluate and decide on strategies for achieving performance and

communicating strategic performance aims, objectives, priorities and targets. • Critically analyse, devise and sustain arguments for using appropriate performance

management techniques, rewards and sanctions to improve performance. This module will cover:

• Alignment of performance management systems and strategy. • Performance management and associated HRM practices, processes, tools and

techniques. • The planning and implementation of effective performance management policies and

practices to improve organisational and employee performance and engagement. • Evaluation of the effectiveness of performance management. • The performance planning and review process.


A 2,500 word proposal for introducing a 360-degree feedback programme.

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Compliance & Risk Management (Employment Law & Practise Stream)

Module leaders: Stephen Moreton

Credits: 15


Co-requisites: None


• Consider longstanding employment law, specifically Health & Safety and Data Protection, which students should already be familiar with, and provide an in-depth understanding of the practical difficulties in ensuring compliance in the workplace.

• Develop knowledge and understanding of new areas where compliance is required,

specifically: Sarbanes Oxley, Bribery Act 2010, Money Laundering Regulations 2007, Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

• Analyse the various aspects of Risk Management and allow students to begin to use

some of them and to critically evaluate their effectiveness.

• Provide students with a critical understanding of compliance and risk management and enable them to explore the range of approaches that are required to both ensure and demonstrate compliance as well as some of the potential tensions that exist through conflicting priorities, values and resource constraints.


• A thorough overview of risk management is provided together with an evaluation of the main approaches and techniques and a detailed consideration of specific aspects and issues of the topic.

• Operational and enterprise wide risk management. • Legal structures, dispute resolution processes in England and Wales. • Health & Safety and Data Protection laws. • The practical difficulties in ensuring compliance in the workplace.

Assessments: Written Assessment 100% module grade

Written Assignment of a 1,500 word limit 40% of Module Grade

Written Assignment of a 2,500 word limit 60% of Module Grade

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Business & Contract Law (Employment Law & Practise Stream)

Module leaders: Monica Horvath

Credits: 15


Co-requisites: None


• Enable students to explore the development of the legal framework in England and Wales as it applies to businesses and how this allows organisations to operate effectively, with a specific focus on the deployment of labour and disputes resolution.

• Provide students with a critical understanding of contract law and the practicalities of

drafting contractual terms particularly in respect of employment contracts.

• Develop a range of transferable skills and abilities in students, specifically in the areas of: reflective thinking, critical and analytical abilities, legal analysis and research, legal drafting and negotiation.

• • Enable students to combine the knowledge and understanding that they have gained

with the skills and abilities that they have developed and apply these to resolve relevant business problems.


• Legal structures, law making and dispute resolution processes in England and Wales together with the impact of European law.

• A classification and survey of the types of business organisations that operate in England and Wales.

• The legal frameworks in which specific organisations operate including non-corporate organisations, sole traders, various types of partnerships and both public and private companies.

• The nature of law as it applies to business contracts and its development and the factors that have influenced this.

• The structure, interpretation and drafting of employment related contracts. • The appropriateness and use of compromise agreements. • The process of drafting and producing employment related & contractual documents.

Assessments: Written examination 100% module grade

3 hour unseen exam based on a pre-seen case study.

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Leading Innovations in Human Resources Module leader: John Kouraklis

Credits: 30

Pre-requisites: Competitive Intelligence in HR, Emerging Themes in HR Leadership, Management and Entrepreneurialism, Organisational Stakeholder Behaviour

Co-requisites: None

Learning & Teaching Strategy:

There are limited formal sessions associated with the delivery of this module. Throughout, the emphasis will be on high levels of participation, both individually and within small groups or teams.

Participants can therefore expect the reflective-practitioner approach to learning to be embedded in all activity through undertaking activities which facilitate them to apply theory to ‘real-life’ situations, critically analysing and making recommendations for appropriate ways forward for themselves as individuals the organisations/ industries involved and the processes used.

The learning and teaching strategy is therefore primarily based upon individual student activity (with group support and interaction) under the guidance of the teaching staff. Critical reflection on knowledge, experience and practice underpins the learning and teaching philosophy along with the explicit development of competence.

Although there are some formal sessions, as a precursor for subsequent student research and activity, these will give an introductory account of the structure and requirements of the module. Within this preliminary period, students will be made aware of the importance of the learning outcomes with which the present module is associated. This period will also include an overview of previously studied techniques that will be required for the task.

After the initial sessions additional sessions will be allocated to provide the opportunity for individuals to consult with members of staff on matters related to the tasks on which they are working and work with others for mutual support. At all times, individuals will however be required to think critically and plan realistic strategies in accordance with the learning outcomes.

The module is predominantly a participant centred research based project which is supported by sessions that provide tutor guidance (formal and informal) and the opportunity for discussions between participants. As a result of the former there is the necessity for

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independent identification and reading of relevant literature which is a critical dimension of this module.

Students’ progress will be monitored regularly. All students will research information, ideas and data relevant to the task and to use the information acquired constructively.


• Provide you with a ‘showcase’ that allows you to demonstrate your ability to work on a complex, integrated activity to consolidate and integrate previous skills and learning on a significant and specialised task.

• Critically assess published research to determine methods of designing, implementing, measuring and monitoring the success of a project and human resource performance.

• Design and conduct research into human resource and business issues using a range of business data, research sources and appropriate research methods.

• Critically evaluate project success and recommend appropriate actions to improve future implementation or to revise approaches to practice.

• Encourages reflection to critically evaluate the success of a business related project and assess personal competence in light of current knowledge of the topic and future CPD needs.


• Market Research Practice (techniques, terminology and protocols) • Key Principles in identifying and obtaining Data • Appropriate research approaches and application • Project planning, implementation and evaluation • Analysing and synthesising data (Qualitative, Quantitative & Secondary) • Appropriate and coherent Reporting techniques for Research Findings • Personal Development Planning


A 8000 to 10,000 word seen assessment related to Leading Innovations in HR.

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Part D: Assessments Re-sits If a student fails a particular assessment, they will be able to re-sit that assessment on two separate consecutive occasions. Re-sits must be taken at the next available assessment opportunity. If a student is required to re-take a module they may be allowed to attend classes throughout the next term. However, they will be allowed to attend any, and all, revision webinars for that particular module and submit any formative assessments.

Please ensure that you understand the General Academic Regulations (GARs) and programme requirements for your particular programme of study. The GARs and associated Manual of Policies and Procedures (MOPs) can be found on the VLE under the Academic Registry tab.

Coursework Details

All coursework will be set by Reading Week and the deadline for submission will be clearly communicated to you.

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Degree Classification Descriptors

Percentage Classification

70% > Distinction 60-69% Merit 50-59% Pass 49 < Fail In addition to the qualities expected of a Merit answer a Distinction answer should be:

• very well structured • follow a clear argument throughout • analytical and display a good grasp of detail as evidenced by a relevant choice of

examples in the answer • informed by wider reading of articles and/or commentaries; and • there should not be any significant error or omissions

First class answers should excel in the following areas:

• comprehensiveness and accuracy • clarity of argument and expression • integration of a range of materials • evidence of wider reading • insight into the theoretical issues • excellent and fluent use of written English containing few grammatical errors

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Unfair Practices (UFP) and Poor Academic Practice (PAP)

What is plagiarism? Plagiarism represents the most common form of unfair practice. This represents a form of cheating and is, therefore, a serious disciplinary offence. It is a requirement that students found guilty of such an offence maybe reported to both the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board who may subsequently refuse membership.

Plagiarism involves a person utilising the ideas, thoughts, theories, words etc. of another as if they were his or her own. The offence is committed where the student intends to plagiarise or is objectively reckless as to whether they have plagiarised or not. As such, it can take several forms (though the following is not intended to be either exhaustive or conclusive as examples):

1. Citing substantial extracts from any printed work, either published or unpublished including lecture and seminar material, conference papers, consultation reports, computer material and other students’ work, without appropriate acknowledgment as to source. Such direct referencing should be correctly referred to with quotation marks around the exact abstraction and accompanied by the appropriate footnote

2. Summarising another author’s work by paraphrasing or using certain words or altering the order of presentation without acknowledgement as to source

3. Passing off work as being of original authorship when it represents the intellectual property of another

Other disciplinary offences, which you should be specifically aware of, with regard to the written assessments:

1. Impersonation, i.e. submitting your assessment on behalf of or pretending to be another student or allowing a person to take or submit an assessment on your behalf or pretending to be you

2. Collusion, i.e. submitting a joint piece of work as the work of one individual, including giving a false declaration that the work is your own unaided work

3. Bribery, duress or blackmail of any person who may directly or indirectly have an influence on the marking of any assessment

4. Aiding, abetting counselling or procuring any of the above

5. Attempting to commit any of the above

Poor academic practice can involve poor referencing, citation and failing to follow rules of submission.

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Good Academic Practices

Referencing

During your programme you will refer to work produced and written by someone else. These references may be from a wide variety of sources including journals or newspaper articles, government reports, books or specific chapters of books, research dissertations and electronic journal articles.

Referring accurately to source materials is part of sound academic practice and as such is a skill that should be mastered.

A formal system of referencing is necessary to:

• give appropriate credit to other writers and researchers by acknowledging their work

• help the reader understand the depth and breadth of the reading on which you have based your work

• enable readers of your work to locate your sources easily and lead them on to further information

Terms explained

Citing refers to formally recognising the source of your information.

Citation is the passage or words quoted or referred to in your text.

Reference is the description in the body of your work, which will elaborate and explain and the source of your information.

Bibliography is the list of sources you have used. Each reference requires an item in the bibliography at the end of the work; this gives the full details of the source item and should enable the item to be traced.

The Harvard System

There are a number of systems for citing sources. At BPP University, all students should use the Harvard Style (also referred to as ‘The Harvard System’).

In the Harvard Style, the author's surname and year of publication are referenced in the text, e.g. (Maguire, 2004) and a bibliography (of these references) is included at the end of the assignment, in alphabetical order by author with date.

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In the Harvard Style, a bibliography lists relevant items that you have used in the preparation of the assignment but not all of these are necessarily referenced in your text. A bibliography in the Harvard style has two components:

• works cited – this is a list of all of the items that you have cited in your work;

• works consulted – this is a list of all items that you have looked at and read for your work, the inclusion of such a list shows that you have read widely beyond the items you have cited

CITING REFERENCES IN THE TEXT

The Harvard Style of referencing in the text is straightforward: all you need to do is reference three things:

• the author’s name • the date of publication, and • the page of the idea or quotation (where appropriate)

Below are some examples of how to use this system:

1. When the author’s name used in the text

When an author’s name is used in the text, their name is directly followed by the year of publication of their work, and page reference, in brackets (parentheses) and forms part of the sentence.

Examples:

Giddens (1998) considers that there is many factors that contribute to the politics of networked cities in globalised contexts.

Rowley (1996, p.34) states ‘customer compatibility management emphasises the controllability of customer to customer interaction in the higher education environment’…

2. When author’s name is not used in the text

When the author’s name is not used in the text, their name and date of publication, in brackets, follows the idea you are referencing and forms part of the sentence before the full stop.

Example:

Customer compatibility management emphasises the controllability of customer to customer interaction in the higher education environment (Rowley, 1996).

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3. When you use a short quotation from a work (less than four lines)

If you are directly quoting a piece of work, you should identify the page numbers the quotation is taken. The page reference should occur after the date but within the brackets.

If you are citing a short quotation from a published work, the quotation must be included within single quotation marks.

Example:

Johnston (1994, pp.32-33) states that 'when writing for a professional readership, writers invariably make reference to already published works'.

4. When you use a long quotation from a work (more than four lines)

If you are citing a quotation of more than four lines of text (or if you feel the quotations are of sufficient length) the quotation is indented 1cm from the left-hand margin and 1cm from the right-hand margin and no quotation marks are used.

Example:

On the topic of professional writing and referencing Cormack (1994, p.32) states:

When writing for a professional readership, writers invariably make reference to already published works. This common practice encourages the clear development of previous ideas and arguments from a variety of academic and professional discourses.

WRITING THE BIBLIOGRAPHY

The purpose of a bibliography is to enable sources to be easily traced by another reader.

All items should be listed alphabetically by author or authorship, regardless of the format, i.e. whether books, websites or journal articles etc. Where there are several works from one author or source they should by listed together but in date order with the earliest work listed first. 1. Referencing books

Use the title page, not the book cover, for the bibliographic details. The bibliographic reference for a book will include the following information in this order:

• author(s) or the organisation responsible for writing the book • year of publication – in brackets • title and subtitle (if any) – underlined and followed by a comma • series and individual volume number (if any) – followed by a comma • edition if not the first, for example 2nd ed. – followed by a comma • place of publication if known – followed by a colon • publisher – followed by a full stop

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Single Author

Example:

Redman, P. (2006) Good essay writing: a social sciences guide, 3rd ed., London: Open University Press.

Two or Three Authors

For books with two, three or four authors of equal status the names should all be included in the order they appear in the document. Use an ampersand (&) to link the last two multiple authors.

Example:

Barker, R. Kirk, J. & Munday, R.J. (1988) Narrative analysis, Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

More than three authors

For books where there are more than three authors, use the first author only with surname and initials followed by et al.

Example:

Davis, B. et al. (2000) Physical education and the study of sport, 4th ed., London: Mosby.

Edited Books

For books which are edited give the editor(s) surname(s) and initials, followed by ed. or eds in brackets.

Example:

Coloina, J.H. & Spence, B. (eds.) (1993) Secondary school management in the 1990s: challenge and change, London: Independent Publishers.

FURTHER GUIDANCE

In this guide are just a few examples of sources you might refer to. If you would like to know more about how to reference other sources of information, please log on to the Online Library to download a comprehensive Harvard referencing guide.

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Guide to the Deferrals, Extensions, Fit to Sit Policy and Mitigating Circumstances Procedure

NB: Please note that the following is subject to amendment. You are advised to always consult the latest version available on the VLE under the Academic Registry tab.

We recognise that unforeseen circumstances and unfortunate events like illness, bereavement or being a victim of crime may impact on your ability to undertake or perform well in examinations and assessments. Our general academic regulations therefore make provisions for mitigating circumstances which may be deemed to have impaired your ability to prepare for an assessment or sit an examination.

If you can provide objective and authoritative evidence that illness or other good cause has impaired your ability to prepare for an examination or assessment, you may apply to sit the examination or undertake the coursework assessment at the next available opportunity. A deferral is different from an extension as you will not undertake the same coursework task or examination as students undertaking the assessment at the current sitting.

Deferrals

The request for a deferral, together with all relevant evidence, must be received at least 5 working days prior to the examination or assessment, and a student manager must be satisfied that the illness or other good cause would render you unfit to undertake the examination or coursework assessment.

Extensions

If you can provide evidence of an illness or other good cause, you may apply for an extension to the deadline for handing in a coursework assessment.

The request for an extension, together with relevant evidence, must be received by a student manager by 12:00 noon on the last working day before the deadline, who must be satisfied that the period of time affected by illness or other good cause, would have prevented you from submitting the assessment on time.

Extensions will normally be granted for up to three days, unless a Learning Support Agreement explicitly provides otherwise with authorisation form the Head of Programme.

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The Deferral Process

Please note that you can only defer an examination until the next sitting and cannot defer a controlled assessment

Grounds to defer an exam:

• illness • victim of crime or accident • other mitigating

circumstances

Evidence required: • medical report • death certificate • birth certificate • learning Support Agreement • letter from legal

representative

Complete the deferral form (available on your VLE under

Academic Registry -> Forms and Guidance)

Submit form and evidence 5 working days before the examination to:

[email protected]

Granted

To appeal the decision, complete the appeals form (available on your VLE

under Academic Registry -> Forms and Guidance) and post it to the address shown on the form, along with your

evidence.

Refused

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The Extension Process

Please note that you can only apply for an extension for coursework, not an examination or controlled assessment

Grounds to extend a coursework:

• illness • victim of crime or accident • other mitigating

circumstances

Evidence required: • medical report • death certificate • birth certificate • learning support agreement • letter from legal

representative

Complete the extension form (available on your VLE under

Academic Registry -> Forms and Guidance)

Submit form and evidence by 12pm the day before the deadline to:

[email protected]

Granted To appeal the decision, complete the appeals form (available on your VLE under Academic Registry -> Forms and Guidance) and post it to the

address shown on the form, along with your evidence.

Refused

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Fit to Sit Policy

It is important to note that all programmes of study at BPP University operate a ‘Fit to Sit’ policy. This means that when you attempt an examination or assessment, you consider yourself well enough to give full account of your academic ability and that you are not aware of any mitigating circumstance that may prevent you from doing so.

Under the above policy, any student who signs the ‘fit to sit’ form and attempts an assessment is presumed capable of making a rational decision and believes that they are ‘ fit-to-sit’ that assessment. If you are aware of any mitigating circumstances that may prevent you performing to your best ability in the assessment: a) Do not sign the fit-to-sit form and do not attempt the assessment

b) Notify the BPP invigilator at the venue c) Obtain medical and/or independent evidence in support of your mitigating

circumstance

d) Submit an application for mitigating circumstances with your evidence within 10 working days of this assessment, or hand in date for the assessment

If you are affected by mitigating circumstances during the assessment, but were not aware of these circumstances prior to signing the fit-to-sit form, you should follow steps b-d as above.

On-going or chronic medical conditions

Pre-existing or chronic conditions are not normally considered as valid mitigating circumstances in themselves since these are known of beforehand and can be addressed by means of a learning support agreement or special arrangements, including enhanced pastoral support. The responsibility is on students to disclose in advance, of examinations or assessments any on-going conditions they feel may impact on their performance and take the appropriate course of action. If a student submits an application for a concession based on on-going or chronic conditions they will need to demonstrate that the circumstance that affected them in an assessment went above and beyond what is normally experienced.

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Mitigating Circumstances

Mitigating Circumstances applications should only be made when there are unforeseeable and unavoidable circumstances that may have significantly impacted on your performance in an assessment. If you did not take the assessment, please refer to the guidance on Deferrals.

Mitigating Circumstances applications need to be received within 10 working days of the date the examination took place or the date of hand-in for ‘take home’ assessments. Applications received outside of the prescribed 10 working days will only be reviewed if there is a valid reason, supported by evidence if applicable, for not complying with the timeframe. It is important to note that where an application is being made late (after the 10 day timeframe), you will need to fully address the reasons for lateness in your application. If the Mitigating Circumstances Panel is not satisfied that you were unable to comply with the 10 day timeframe, your application will not be considered.

All Mitigating Circumstances applications must be sent to: The Office of Regulation and Compliance BPP University 32-34 Colmore Circus Birmingham B4 6BN

Attempting the exam does not preclude you from submitting an application if you were taken ill after the assessment had commenced. In such cases you should bring this to the attention of the invigilator who will record this on their report. An application can only be granted by the Mitigating Circumstances Panel. Should the application be allowed the assessment attempt will be voided and you will be permitted to sit the assessment at the next available sitting. Further details and forms for these applications can be found on the VLE under the Academic Registry Tab.

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Part E: Policies

Assessment Regulations

The MSc Programme Assessment Regulations are as set out in the General Academic Regulations (GARs).

They are available to all students on the VLE on the Academic Registry tab.

Time Limits for Completing the Programme Students must complete the programme within six years. A student is deemed to complete the programme in accordance within the six year time limit if he or she has taken all relevant assessments within the relevant period, irrespective of the date of the meeting of the Examinations Board or the publication of results.

Other Regulations

BPP University General Academic Regulations and Joint Academic Stage Board Regulations

These regulations are drafted and shall be interpreted in accordance with the General Academic Regulations. In the event of any conflict between these regulations and the General Academic Regulations the General Academic Regulations shall prevail. In the event of any conflict between the General Academic Regulations and the Joint Academic Stage Board regulations derogation from the General Academic Regulations will be approved.

Reference should also be made to the university’s Manual of Policies and Procedures (MOPPs). These are also available on the VLE under the Academic Registry tab.

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Programme Regulations

Guide to the General Academic Regulations and University Policies

BPP offers a number of diverse programmes of study, from the BSc, MSc or ACCA qualifications to the LLB at the Law School. All of these programmes are governed by the General Academic Regulations (GAR). In addition, there are a number of university policies on key issues such as student discipline and complaints. Both the GAR and university policies may be found on the Academic Registry section of Blackboard. All students registered on all programmes at BPP are under constructive notice of all of these Regulations and Policies and are therefore bound by them. You should therefore aim to familiarise yourself with their contents as soon as possible after embarking upon the MSc. The Regulations cover a variety of matters, from the background to the awards given by BPP (e.g. the relevant level of the awards as regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency) to the procedures in place to ensure external verification of examinations and assessments. All of these have some relevance to the MSc and should be reviewed by students on the programme. In particular, the university would suggest that the following General Academic Regulations should be reviewed as a matter of priority, given their importance to the assessment process at BPP:

• Part H dealing with unfair practices • Part H dealing with examinations • Part K dealing with examination and assessment verification and appeals

Similarly, the following university policies should be reviewed carefully given their importance to your overall experience at BPP:

• Student Discipline Code • Student Complaints Code • Learning Support Policy

If you have any questions in relation to any of the matters contained within any of the GAR or College Policies, please contact a member of the Academic Registry staff. You can find the contact details on the Academic Registry site on the VLE.

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Guide to the Unfair Practice Regulations


The Unfair Practice Regulations are set out as Part H of the General Academic Regulations in the Registry section of Blackboard. This Guide is designed as no more than a brief introduction to these Regulations and the main ways in which students can find themselves in contravention of them. To satisfy yourself that you have a complete grasp of our policy in this area you are advised to consult the full text of the Regulations as they appear under the Registry tab.

What are unfair practices? Regulation 11 contains a definition of an unfair practice. To summarise, it is essentially any act designed to secure a student an unfair advantage in an assessment. Such acts can be dealt with as either infringements or violations, depending upon the gravity of the act (see Regulations 11-16 for definitions). Factors which will be considered in classification of the act include its significance, the surrounding circumstances and the degree of intent.

Examples of unfair practices You can find examples of unfair practices at Regulation 17. The most common transgressions which are brought to our attention across programmes are plagiarism (copying another’s work without proper attribution); being in possession of prohibited materials in assessments; and collusion between students in assessments. Within these broad categories, there are a wide variety of transgressions – from inadvertent plagiarism (such as improper citation in an essay) to the deliberate concealment and use of non-permitted materials (such as revision notes) in examinations.

Procedures These are set out at regulations 18 to 42. If you become the subject of an unfair practice allegation, you are advised to consult these procedures immediately. The Head of Programmes will take initial charge of the case, following which a recommendation will be made to the Academic Registrar. At this point, the route taken will depend upon the classification of the unfair practice as either an infringement or a violation.

Penalties The penalties which may be imposed upon the finding of an unfair practice vary according to its classification as either an infringement or a violation. The penalties for an infringement are set out in Regulation 25. The penalties for violations are set out in Regulation 37. These vary from a written warning on a student’s file to failing the programme.

Reporting to professional bodies One of the consequences of a finding of unfair practice can be found in Regulation 42, which states ‘… BPP undertakes to report to that [professional] body any identified infringement or violation of the Unfair Practice Regulations’. This means that any breach of the Unfair Practice Regulations may lead to you being reported to the professional body you are working to gain membership from.

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Appeals The procedures and policies relating to appeals are all set out in Regulations 43-65. Upon the determination of an unfair practice investigation and administration of any relevant penalties, students are advised to consult these regulations to see if they have grounds for an appeal and, if so, how to proceed.

Conclusion In the light of the gravity of the potential penalties for unfair practices, you are strongly advised to familiarise yourself with the Unfair Practice Regulations before your first substantive assessments in December. Given the consequences for your professional career of infringement, the risks from transgression far outweigh any conceivable benefits. Do not breach the regulations.

Guide to Examination Penalties


The university’s policy on submission of late assessments is set out in the General Academic Regulations under Part I, Examinations and Assessments, at Regulation 10. The General Academic Regulations can be found in the Registry section of Blackboard. Late submission is not permitted unless a prior extension or deferral has been sought. Late submissions which have not been excused by a grant of a deferral or extension will be marked as fail.

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Progression Policy

Note: The following policy applies nationally to all BSc and MSc programmes

Student progression depends on the programme mode the student has enrolled on.

In September 2012, BPP’s new policy on progression came into force.

This policy helps both you and us monitor your progress, ensuring that you move through the course at a sensible rate.

You are reminded that this summary should not be regarded as a substitute for reading the policy itself.

Summary

As a rule, you must pass everything in order to progress to the next level. So, a student studying 60 credits in 1 (September 2013) (60 credits is normal for a full-time student) must pass all their assessments. Failure to do so will mean you risk not progressing. This is of particular importance if you are studying on the two year programme. Please note, if you are enrolled on a two year accelerated programme, and you are subject to non-progression, your course will automatically be decelerated to a standard three year full time programme. This will have implications on fees due, and student finance in terms of fees payable being increased.

What happens if I cannot progress?

All students are offered a Progress and Review Meeting (PRM) with their Student Manager. During this meeting you will be able to discuss your progression and plan your future studies. Those on the two-year programme will have to switch to the three year programme. Those on the three-year programme will, in most cases, be able to catch by utilising their term off in order to catch up.

As with all policies there is an element of discretion which your Student Manager can exercise, having considered the individual circumstances of your case.

Please note that there are separate rules on progression for exemption transfer students.

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Question and Answers on the Progression Policy Can I attend classes if I am required to resit?

Answer: If classes are available you will be allowed to attend. If this is not possible then

support via online lectures and revision may be available. Students studying on a Tier 4 visa may be required to attend as a condition of their immigration status in the UK.

What are the arrangements for International students who cannot progress as a result of this policy?

Answer: If you are a student in this situation you must seek advice from the International Student Office ([email protected])

What are the main reasons why students fail to progress satisfactorily?

Answer: There are many reasons why students fail to progress. The principal explanation is that students have not attended seminars nor prepared fully for their classes. The MSc programme team offers a wide range of academic support. If you are concerned about your studies then you should contact your Programme Co-ordinator.

Why have you adopted this policy?

Answer: We are fully committed to maximising every student's potential. Naturally, this means achieving the highest degree classification possible. A situation where a student is attempting to resit exams and undertake new exams may not be the best option. If students have resits, we recommend that student decelerate their studies and achieve a respectable degree standard, rather than progressing through the programme achieving mediocre grades. This policy was designed in consultation with student representatives, external academics from other universities, reference to good practice and with the overarching principle of the students’ best interests.

Will I get my exam results early enough to know whether I am resitting or taking new modules.

Answer: Yes. Pass/Resit progression results will be released prior to the start of the new term. Students are trusted to ensure that they frequently check the VLE for assessment results. Please refer to the new assessment regulations.

Will I continue to have access to the library/VLE/Moodle? Answer: All students will continue to have full access to BPP facilities and to the VLE for

all modules that they are resitting (or have deferred).

Can I extend my studies over more than 1 years? Answer: Yes; students can take up to 5 years to complete their studies (with permission

from your Programme Co-ordinator)

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Part F: Student Support The Role of Your Employer It is a requirement of the programme that your employer supports your learning in some way. Depending on the circumstances, this could include, for example:

• Making a contribution towards the cost • Allowing you time off to study and/or permitting annual leave to be taken at key

points in the programme, such as when you are submitting assessments • Providing you with access to relevant resources such as case studies, records, financial

data and other information • Giving you access to facilities such as computers and printing • Providing you with additional coaching and mentoring • Identifying particular work issues and problems to use as the basis for your

Professional Practice Project and/or other assessments. In return, the employer can expect to see you adding tangible value to their business as part of your studies, and as a result of them. It is a requirement of entry to the programme that you are in employment. If you should later become unemployed, the Business School will seek to support and encourage you to continue in the programme by providing appropriate careers guidance, as well as giving access to pastoral care. Getting Started The course will begin with your orientation, which may be held at one of our centres to mark your transition into the programme. This will be an opportunity to interact with fellow students and staff, ask questions, and receive an introduction to the VLE. The role of the local centre The programme content is delivered online, but you also have the option to use one of our state-of-the-art learning centres in London, Birmingham and Manchester. These include social space, presentation areas and meeting rooms equipped with technology that makes sharing and collaborating as easy as possible. Depending on your location, you may find attending the centre valuable to, for example:

• Meet face-to-face with the Student Experience Team • Meet with fellow students to collaborate on group work • “Attend” scheduled webinars, using our display screens for a better experience • Attend optional live events such as presentations • Work in a quiet environment • Socialise with other students.

You are welcome to attend the centre at any time, but if you wish to meet a member of staff or use a room it would be helpful if you could book this in advance, by contacting the Student Experience Team. The centres will be open and manned during evenings and weekends for your convenience and you will be advised of exact opening times.

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BPP staff support We are here to help you. Whatever your question or problem, whether it is related directly to your studies or to anything affecting your studies, we will try and work with you to find a solution. So don’t hesitate to contact us if you are at all worried about anything related to your studies. The key members of staff supporting you are as follows: The Programme Team The Programme Team deals with all matters related to curriculum and assessment. Head of Programmes The Head of Programmes has overall responsibility for the quality and content of the programme. They will manage the strategic development of the programme and will be a key point of contact with internal and external stakeholders. Module Leaders Each module has a designated Module Leader who is responsible for determining, developing and updating the content of that module and will also be involved in leading its delivery. Module Leaders work as a team headed by the Head of Programmes. Tutor/Practitioners Tutor/practitioners deliver the content of each module, including managing forum discussions, responding to queries, facilitating live discussions via webinar, interviewing and marking assessments. They have considerable business experience as well as having been trained in facilitation and are able to provide you with examples and approaches taken from contemporary business practice. Some continue to be practising professionals, while others have moved from commercial roles into full-time academic work. You will have a dedicated tutor/practitioner for each module and they will be in regular contact with you throughout the course. In particular you will have tutor contact through:

• Discussion forum participation • Webinars • Feedback on your work • Responses to your questions by phone or email • Your Professional Practice Project, in which there will be significant one-to-one

interaction with your tutor/practitioner to discuss your project You will also be able to contact your tutor on an ad hoc basis as needed by email or other means. IT support If you have a technical problem with the VLE you should contact the technical support team (you will be supplied with their contact details in your welcome pack) or your Talent Coach.

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Whilst we will try to help you with a range of technical IT problems that are affecting your ability to study, our primary expertise is supporting the VLE. Library services BPP students have access to a range of online materials, via Blackboard. The library services offered are to allow you access to additional resources such as online journals, databases and eBooks. You will be advised throughout your modules as and when these resources are required for your studies, and how to access them. Please note that Blackboard is different to the VLE you will normally use in your studies. You will also have access to the physical library resources at your local centre, depending on your location. Your fellow students and student representation You will be encouraged to form links wherever possible with fellow students and will be given opportunities to interact either in person or online. Formal student representation and input into the programme is channelled through the Student/Staff Liaison Committee. This will comprise of the academic and support team and elected student representatives, and it will meet three times a year. Student representatives will be expected to gather feedback from their fellow students and speak on their behalf at the meetings. The programme team will respond formally to all issues raised. In addition, informal meetings may be held with groups of students from time to time.

Responsibilities of students It is expected that you will:

• Make contact with your Student Manager at the beginning of each term and prior to making module choices

• Be aware of the support provided centrally through Learning Support, Student Support, Student Advisors, Examinations Department and Careers

• Familiarise yourselves with the contents of the university handbook

• Familiarise yourselves with the General Academic Regulations (GAR’s), MOPPs and the BSc Programme Handbook.

Confidentiality All student managers have a duty of confidentiality to their tutees. However, it should be noted that not everything can be automatically confidential. There are certain circumstances in which tutors should disclose information. These include, but are not necessarily limited to:

• If questioned by the police regarding a criminal offence alleged against the student

• If a student may be at risk of harming themselves or others • Breaking university rules

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The Role of Student Advisors Student Advisors can offer advice and information on the following

• Academic processes • Accommodation and housing • Counselling services • Finance • Hardship fund • International student support • Local area information • Learning support • Local faith/prayer services • Registering with doctors and dentists • Travel and transport • Welfare

And all other practical issues students face including the handing in and handing out of academic materials.

Student Advisors can be contacted at [email protected]

International Student Advisors They are able to provide advice on a wide range of issues including:

• Preparing to arrive in the UK • Orientation e.g. culture shock, understanding British culture • Funding • Supporting your family • Immigration e.g. Tier 4 visas, Schengen visas and police registration • Supporting tutors with students struggling to settle in

The international Student Advisors can be contacted at [email protected]

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Learning Support

BPP Business School welcomes students with disabilities, dyslexia, visual or hearing impairments, mobility difficulties, mental health issues, epilepsy, or other specific learning difficulties.

The Learning Support Department aims to provide a flexible service that is tailored to your individual needs. If you are a student who has a disability or a specific learning need, please contact the Learning Support Department in order to arrange an appointment at [email protected]. Discussions with the Learning Support Department are strictly confidential.

The Learning Support Department can put in place arrangements such as (but not limited to) extra time for unseen timed assessments and examinations, an amanuensis or scribe, enlarged font examination papers, use of a word processor to input answers. Other support may be available such as (but not limited to) the provision materials in electronic format (for use with Jaws software) extended library loans and additional print credits. Any arrangement will require supporting up to date medical evidence.

If you are dyslexic or have other specific learning difficulties you will need to have an up to date assessment report from a specialist teacher or an educational psychologist. This report is needed in order to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance. We would encourage you to contact the Learning Support Department to discuss your support requirements.

If you think you might have a specific learning difficulty but have never been assessed then you may wish to look at the Adult Dyslexia Checklist that is available on the British Dyslexia Association website (www.bdadyslexia.org.uk).

Similarly, if you have a disability or a long term condition that has an impact on your day to day life and therefore on your studies, please make an appointment to discuss the services which may be available to you.

It is important that requests for additional learning support are made at the earliest opportunity. It may not be possible to make adjustments that are requested at very short notice.

Contact Learning Support at [email protected]

Academic References Prospective employers generally require applicants to provide the names of two academic referees who will write in support of their application. It is normal practice for student managers or tutors to act as one of the referees. It is standard courtesy and expected that students ask whether the member of academic staff they wish to name as a referee are prepared to act before completing the application.

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http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/


Taking Responsibility for Your Learning You are responsible for managing your work. Online lectures/webinars in each subject will provide a framework for your studies. Your own private study, by yourself or working with friends, is the key to success. You may like to consider setting up an informal study group with two or three other students to help each other get to grips with topics ahead of tutorial.

Attendance Under the General Academic Regulations, you are required to attend BPP and engage in the learning, teaching and assessment activities for your programme. For undergraduate students in the Business School, this means:

• Attending/viewing lectures online • Preparing for, attending and participating in all tutorials (and seminars where

applicable) whether face-to-face or online. Tutors keep a record of attendance/online completion and make an end of term report on your contributions to discussions. If you fail to attend/complete tutorials without satisfactory explanation, this will be noticed.

• Submitting written assignments to your subject tutors on the due date. You should note that references often require details of a student’s attendance patterns and student managers and tutors will provide such details. If you have to miss a tutorial, you must write to or email the relevant subject tutor to apologise and give an explanation. If you know that you will be unable to attend a tutorial on a particular day (e.g. because of a medical appointment), it may be possible to attend another tutorial. You should not assume that this will be possible, but it is advised to ask the tutor concerned. If you miss two consecutive tutorials in a subject, or have a pattern of absences in a subject, this will be seen as a significant problem. Please pre-empt the problem by ensuring you contact the relevant subject tutors and your student manager to explain why you are absent. If you encounter very serious problems which make it difficult for you to attend and participate in the programme, be aware that it may be possible for you to be given permission to interrupt your studies. Attendance is mandatory at all seminars.

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Code of Conduct

As an individual I will:

• Strive for excellence at all times

• Exemplify the highest standards of behaviour and performance

• Remain accountable for my actions

• Take personal responsibility for my development

• Strive to keep up to date with best practice and ongoing developments within my fields of study

• Safeguard any confidentiality I am exposed to and not seek personal advantage from these

• Act reasonably and justifiably in identifying and resolving conflicts of values, including those of an ethical nature

In my relationship with others I will:

• Treat other students on an equitable basis, without discrimination, recognising their specific needs, pressures and problems

• Support other students to understand fully their responsibilities

• Seek to develop the skills and qualities within any teams you are involved with and recognise individual achievements within these

• Foster a culture of openness and transparency, where issues may be addressed in a frank and timely manner

• Encourage and assist other students to develop their skills and progress their education, valuing the contribution which each may make

• Respect matters of faith, conscience and diversity in their widest sense

• Communicate clearly, effectively and openly with all people I encounter within the Business School

For the Business School where it is within my power, authority or influence to do so, I will:

• Uphold its policies and practices

• Identify, support and communicate relevant policies, practices and information as appropriate

• Be accountable for achieving the objectives, projects and tasks that I undertake to deliver

• Safeguard the reputation and assets of the Business School

• Exhaust all available internal remedies for dealing with matters I perceive to be improper before resorting to public disclosure

• Uphold its integrity and good standing, and refrain from conduct which detracts from its reputation

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• Promote its professional image and standing

• Observe the standards of conduct and practice as set out in this Code, as they may be reviewed and reissued from time to time

For the wider community I will:

• Ensure that I am aware of, and comply with, all relevant legislation and regulations

• Be honest, open and truthful in all external communications

• Respect the customs, practices and reasonable ambitions of others, where these may differ from my own.

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Part G: Appendix 1 - Management Matrix

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Appendix 2 – Staff Contacts

First Name Surname Email Location Initials Nigel Aaron [email protected] Birmingham NA Kamran Ali [email protected] Birmingham KA Kevin Amor [email protected] London City KA Stuart Ansell [email protected] London City SA Emmanuel Asiedu [email protected] London City EA Liz Aylott [email protected] London City LA Francis Braithwaite [email protected] London City FB Tony Bendell [email protected] Birmingham TB Paula Burn [email protected] London City PB Andrew Butt [email protected] London City AB Rebecca Butt [email protected] London City RB Ian Carr [email protected] London City IC Hannah Campbell [email protected] Birmingham HC Tricia Chatterton [email protected] Manchester TC Simon Cheung [email protected] London City SC Chris Constantinou [email protected] London City CC Meirwen Crook [email protected] London City MC Orhan Demirovski [email protected] London City OD Dave Fallon [email protected] Manchester DF Michael Gaffer [email protected] London City MG Robert Goate [email protected] London City RG Becky Green [email protected] Birmingham BGR Elizabeth Greenhalgh [email protected] Manchester EG Alison Greer [email protected] London City AG Bal Grewal [email protected] London BG Lorraine Hayes [email protected] Birmingham LH Rachel Holmes [email protected] London City RH Kieran Hutley [email protected] London City KH Julia Johnson [email protected] Manchester JJ Daniel Jones [email protected] London City DJ Richard Kidals [email protected] London City RK Vicky Knight [email protected] London City VK John Kouraklis [email protected] London City JK James Krivinskas [email protected] London City JKR Tim Lane [email protected] London City TL Liz Larner [email protected] Manchester LL Samantha Lavelle [email protected] London City SL Alice Lee [email protected] London City AHL Alison Lindon [email protected] Birmingham AL Ioannis Mantzaris [email protected] London City IM Pippa Matthews [email protected] Leeds PM Paul McDonald [email protected] London City PMc

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Sarah McIlroy [email protected] London City SMc Sarah McKernan [email protected] Manchester SMK Katharine Medinger [email protected] London City KM Stephen Moreton [email protected] London City SMo Christine Nardiello [email protected] London City CN Jennifer Park [email protected] London City JP Martin Potts [email protected] Birmingham MP Shaine Richardson [email protected] London City SR Liz Roddis [email protected] Birmingham LR Lydia Romero [email protected] London City LRO Laura Rowland [email protected] London City LRR Phil Seaman [email protected] London City PS Jackie Sheldon [email protected] Manchester JS Brian Sturgess [email protected] London City BS Kevin Sharman [email protected] London City KS Nicholas Stratford [email protected] London City NS Jez Swane [email protected] London City JSW Ruth Tennant-Alderman [email protected] London City RTA Margott Terblanche [email protected] London City MT Brian Terry [email protected] London City BT Felicia Tick [email protected] London City FT Sharon Wheatley [email protected] London City SW

Email Format

In writing to members of staff, both names should be used – upper or lowercase followed by @bpp.com, unless stated otherwise. If in doubt, please consult a member of staff.

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Appendix 3 - Other Contacts

Nature of query Contact Email Address

Library Queries David Percik [email protected]

General Advice Student Advisors [email protected]

General Advice for International Students

International Office [email protected]

Visa Advice International Advice Office [email protected]

Application Admissions Team [email protected]

Change Group / Mode Student Manager [email protected]

Mitigating Circumstances Office of Regulation & Compliance

[email protected]

Extensions Student Manager [email protected]

Deferrals Student Manager [email protected]

Interruption of Studies Student Advisors [email protected]

Learning Support Learning Support Team [email protected]

Assessment Results Examinations Team [email protected]

Overseas Assessments Examinations Team [email protected]

Fees Student Finance [email protected]

IT Difficulties IT Support Team [email protected]

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Appendix 4 – Course Abbreviations AC Academic Council CPD Continuing Professional Development DoP Director of Programmes HoP Head of Programmes ETC Education and Training Committee EE External Examiner GARs General Academic Regulations IOS Interruption of Studies LIS Library Information Services LS Learning Support MOPPs Manual of Policies and Procedures ML Module Leader OL Online Learning PRM Progress and Review Meetings QAA Quality Assurance Agency HoSM Head of Student Managers SSLC Staff Student Liaison Committee SRA Solicitors Regulation Authority VLE Virtual Learning Environment SM Student Manager

Timetable Abbreviations Cons Consolidation Lect Lecture LT Lecture Theatre Rm L1 Lower ground floor room Rm G3 Ground floor room Sem Seminar Wk 1 Week 1 Wk 2 Week 2

Coding on MSc Results Transcripts R (as a suffix) Resit L (as a suffix) Last sit 26%R % mark on a resit 26%L % mark on a last sit MC Mitigating circumstance granted WH Results withheld: if a candidate is being investigated for an UFP IOS Interruption of Study

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A Absent: used when a candidate has not attended or submitted an assessment

AR Absent: resit attempt AL Absent: last attempt D Deferred DR Deferred: resit attempt DL Deferred: last attempt E Exempt from module granted AP Appeal granted C Condonement

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Definitions

Academic Misconduct Academic misconduct is defined as any act, or attempted act, leading to circumstances whereby a student, or another, might gain an unpermitted or unfair advantage in an examination or an assessment or in the determination of results, whether by advantaging the alleged offender or by advantaging or disadvantaging another or others, or which might otherwise undermine the integrity or reputation of BPP University and its examination and assessment process. Examples of academic misconducts include but are not limited to plagiarism, collusion, fabrication, impersonation, misrepresentation, unauthorised possession or reference, bribery/intimidation, breach of the rubrics of assessment.

Academic Year An academic year is a period of twelve months running from

October to September. Aegrotat Award An aegrotat award may be recommended by a board of examiners

where a student has been unable to provide sufficient evidence for the board to recommend an award but where the board is satisfied that except for illness, or other valid cause, the student would have reached the standard required for the award.

Anonymous Marking The identity of students is not revealed to markers and/or to the

assessment panel or examination board. There may be a point towards the end of the assessment process where anonymity ends.

APL Accreditation of Prior Learning refers to the recognition of prior

certified learning or non-accredited experience, usually designed to allow a candidate entry onto a programme without the traditional admissions qualifications or to permit exemptions from certain programme modules.

Assessment A broad term used to refer to all methods whereby a student's work

may be assessed. Assessment can be Diagnostic, Formative or Summative.

Assessment Criteria Based on the intended learning outcomes for the work being

assessed, the knowledge, understanding and skills markers expect a student to display in the assessment task and which are taken into account in marking the work.

Authenticity Authenticity also applies to the certainty of the submitted work

being that of the student. In such cases an assessment that has a high level of security enhances authenticity, or the assessment instrument matrix has been designed in such a way to ensure that the overall result is based on a diet of assessments which provides reassurance that the student achieved the outcomes.

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Award A qualification or certificated credit conferred upon a student who has achieved the intended learning outcomes and passed the assessments required to meet the academic standards set by an institution for the award. Awards may be divided into modules, units or elements at various levels and with different volumes of study, each of which has attached to it intended learning outcomes and academic standards to be achieved by students in order to receive the final award.

Breach of the Rubrics of the Assessment Breach of the Rubrics of the Assessment:

• commencing a time-constrained examination or assessment before being instructed by an invigilator to do so or continuing with an examination or assessment after being instructed by an invigilator to stop;

• improper annotation of open book material. Bribery/ Intimidation Bribery/ Intimidation is the act of attempting to influence by bribery

or other unfair means an official of BPP with the aim of affecting a student’s results.

Calendar Year A calendar year is a period of twelve months running from 1st of

January to 31st of December. Candidate A student of BPP University who is being considered under

regulations or procedures relating to assessment or the granting of an award.

Certificates and Diplomas A certificate or diploma may be awarded at undergraduate or

postgraduate level, either as a planned exit point from a Bachelor's or Master's degree programme, or as a stand alone award. Certificates are usually specified at a lower level and duration of study than diplomas.

The University Unless expressly provided to the contrary, the University means BPP

University of Professional Studies Limited. College Centre College Centre describes the distributed locations at which teaching

programmes are delivered. BPP University Centres are in Abingdon, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, Liverpool, London City, London Holborn, London Waterloo, Manchester, Newcastle and New College Swindon.

Collusion Collusion is the act of aiding, or being aided by, one or more others

in the preparation of an assessment for submission where the assessment brief or invigilation instructions do not expressly permit collaboration. Collaboration within, for example, a moot or a group project that is explicitly permitted by the examination or assessment regulations does not constitute collusion. Unpermitted collusion includes:

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• A student working with another person on an assessment and submitting or otherwise presenting the resulting assessment as an individual student’s own work.

• Un-permitted collaboration in the preparation for submission of a seen assessment or communication with another student within an unseen examination.

Concession A concession is the disregarding of an examination or assessment

result or attempt, and means that a student's results are processed as if the assessment or examination had never been taken by the student. A concession is the acceptance on the part of an authorised body that mitigating circumstances, supported by objective and authoritative evidence, have affected a student’s summative assessment and the voiding of that attempt at the assessment. The granting of a concession will not result in any increase in marks.

Core/Compulsory Module A programme module that a student must both take and pass in

order to progress. Co-requisite Modules Co-requisite modules are two, or more, modules which must be

taken together. Credit A quantified means of expressing units of learning. Credit is awarded

where there has been a verified achievement of stated learning outcomes at a specified level. Credit is quantified so that learning achieved in different programmes and modules can be broadly compared in terms of intellectual demand and relative volume. Modules carry a credit value and there are common credit values for different award programmes across higher education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As a rule of thumb, one credit is deemed to correspond to 10 notional learning hours - these may include direct contact time, self-study and assessment).

Deferral A deferral is the approval for a student to defer sitting an

examination or undertaking a coursework assessment until the next available opportunity. A deferral is different from an extension as the student will not undertake the same coursework task or examination as students undertaking the assessment at the current sitting.

Double/ Second Marking Double/second marking (also referred to as 'internal verification')

occurs where student work is independently assessed by more than one marker. Each marker normally keeps a record of all marks awarded, together with his/her rationale for awarding each mark. In some cases, second markers have the first marker's comments and/or marks/grades. Where this is not the case, the use of marking sheets or similar procedures for written work is sometimes used to ensure that the marks given by the first marker do not influence the second marker's judgement. Markers' notes enable discussions to take place, after initial marking, about the reasons for individual

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decisions if there is a significant difference between the markers' judgements.

Enrolment Enrolment takes place when BPP University records a student’s

formal communication of acceptance of an offer of admission on conditions attaching to the offer.

Examination An examination is an assessment of any duration which is subject to

continuous invigilation. In the case of a skill performance the examination script may include visual material such as a video recording as well as written materials such as a plan.

Excluded Combinations Excluded combinations of modules are pools of two or more

modules from which a student is permitted to choose only one. Exclusion Exclusion means that a student has been required to withdraw from

BPP University either temporarily and for a specified period of time, or permanently.

Exit Award An interim award which is available to a student who is unable to

meet the credit requirements for a higher level award, but who has nevertheless completed a significant period of study and achieved the specified learning outcomes for that interim award.

Extension An extension is the approval for a student to submit a coursework

assessment later than the given deadline. External Examiner An external examiner is an independent senior academic or

professional, who is a specialist in a particular field with extensive expertise and experience, and who has been appointed to a particular BPP programme in order to scrutinise the academic standards of the award and the standards of student performance, the measurement of student achievement, and the rigour and fairness of the assessment process.

Fabrication Fabrication is the presentation of data or such other results in

reports intended to be based on empirical work which has either not been undertaken or fully completed and where the data or results have, in whole or part, been deliberately invented or falsified.

Formative Assessment Formative assessment has a developmental purpose and is designed

to help learners learn more effectively by giving them feedback on their performance and on how it can be improved and/or maintained. Reflective practice by students sometimes contributes to formative assessment.

Grade Descriptors Grade descriptors encapsulate a level of achievement in relation to

bands of marks. For individual assignments they indicate how well the assessment criteria have been met; for award classifications they indicate the level of achievement across a programme of study as a whole.

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Impersonation Impersonation is the act of one person assuming the identity of

another with the intent to gain an unfair advantage for the person being impersonated, for example, by undertaking an examination on the other’s behalf. Both parties, the impersonator and the person being impersonated, shall be considered culpable of academic misconduct.

Intermission Intermission is defined as a period of approved absence from the

programme of study where a date for re-entering the programme at an appropriate point has been approved by the programme group director. Reasons for granting intermission may include: • ill-health of a serious or extended nature; • financial hardship where the student is unable to meet his or

her fee payments or otherwise needs to return to employment; • maternity and paternity leave or parental duties of a similarly

demanding kind; • significant compassionate grounds; • changes of a significant nature to the employment commitment

of part-time students.

Intermit To intermit means to voluntarily and temporarily suspend registration by a student with the approval of the school board.

Learning Outcomes The expected outcomes from a process of learning. Statements of

learning outcomes indicate what learners should have gained as a result of their learning on a module or on a programme.

Level A broad indicator to the relative demand, complexity, depth of study

and autonomy or independence of learning. Within the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland there are descriptors for five higher education levels.

Linked Modules Two or more modules formally connected with overall learning

outcomes and co-ordinated assessment leading to a single result status for the connected modules.

Manifestly Unreasonable A decision is “manifestly unreasonable” if it can be demonstrated

unequivocally that an officer of BPP University or a properly constituted College Panel or Board has made an irrational, perverse or logically flawed decision.

Matriculation The process of matriculation involves a student providing evidence

as required both of the qualifications claimed in the student’s application for admission and also of other requirements imposed as a condition of admission being met.

Marking Scheme A detailed framework for assigning marks, where a specific number

of marks is given to individual components of the answer.

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Misrepresentation Misrepresentation can include: • presenting a claim for mitigating circumstances, or supporting

evidence, which is misleading, untrue or false; • exceeding the word limit specified for an assessment and

declaring a lower word count than the assessment contains.

Mitigating Circumstances Mitigating circumstances are defined as unforeseeable and unavoidable circumstances that may be deemed to have a detrimental effect on academic ability and academic performance.

Mode of Study Mode of study describes the way a module or programme is

studied. Approved modes are full-time, part-time day, part-time evening and part-time weekend. A programme comprises the study of an approved sequence of modules each by a specified mode leading to stated learning outcomes and awards whether of BPP University or a validating body for which a student is registered.

Model Answer Model answer is the assessor's explicit view of what an answer to an

assessment task should contain. Model answers are more commonly used where the right answer can be defined precisely.

Moderation Moderation is a process intended to assure that an assessment

outcome is fair and reliable and that assessment criteria have been applied consistently. Forms of moderation include:

• sampling, either by an internal or external examiner • additional marking, for example of borderlines, firsts and fails,

or where there is significant difference between the marks of different markers that cannot be resolved without the opinion of another marker

• review of marks: where there is a significant difference between several assessment marks, within or between parts of a programme, which indicate the marks may need to be reconsidered.

Module A module is a coherent and self-contained unit of learning and

teaching with specified aims and defined learning outcomes. Modules may have different credit weightings in accordance with their content and duration. A module may be taught and assessed within one or more than one provided that the module is set in a single stage and at a single level and, where this is applicable, single sub-level. Marks for completed items of module assessment must be aggregated and a result status determined for the module.

Pathway Programme A programme whose successful completion enables students to gain

access onto degree programmes. Plagiarism Plagiarism: is derived from the Latin term “plagiarius” meaning

kidnapper, and is defined in the OED as “the wrongful appropriation

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or purloining, and publication as one’s own, of the ideas, or expression of the ideas (literary, artistic, musical, mechanical, etc.) of another.” and includes: • copying the work of another without proper acknowledgement; • copying from text books without proper acknowledgement; • downloading and incorporating material from the internet

within one’s work without proper acknowledgement; • paraphrasing or imitating the work of another without proper

acknowledgement. Proper acknowledgement requires the identification of material being used, and explicit attribution to the author and the source using referencing acceptable to the subject discipline.

Poor Academic Practice Poor Academic Practice is defined as the inadvertent breach of

academic practice or conventions which is below the level of infringement, where no distinguishable advantage may be or has been accrued to the student, and where there is no discernible intention to deceive.

Pre-requisite Modules A pre-requisite module is a specified module that must be taken

before a student may take a second specified module which deals with related material but usually at a higher level.

Programme Programme, or programme of studies, is used to describe an

approved curriculum, studied through formally designated modules, leading to stated learning outcomes and awards, whether of BPP University or of another awarding body, for which a student is registered.

Programme Specifications Programme specifications set out detailed information about a

programme at the core of which is a concise description of the intended outcomes of learning from a higher education programme and the means by which these outcomes are to be achieved and demonstrated.

Prohibited combination Prohibited combination is used to describe two modules which may

not both be included in the same approved programme. Registration The process of registering an applicant who has been enrolled and

matriculated as a student of BPP University, in a named School and on a named programme and, if appropriate, pathway of study, and specified modules.

Repeat To study for another time a whole stage, module or component part

of a module. Resubmit Resubmission applies to programmes where the examiners may

require a dissertation or project to be corrected or improved and to be re-examined.

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Retake To take for a second or third time one or more items of coursework assessment or an examination, for a mark capped at the pass mark, without having to repeat the associated study.

Sampling Sampling is most commonly used in the process of moderation (see

above). It normally involves internal or external examiners scrutinising a sample of work from a student cohort. Sampling may be based on the desirability of checking borderline marks of any kind, or to test that assessment criteria have been applied consistently across the assessment of students in the cohort.

School Board For the purpose of these Regulations the use of the term is deemed

to also mean a student progress sub-board of the school board where one has been established.

Seen Examination A ‘seen’ examination is one where the examination questions are

released to the students in advance of the examination date. Students then have the opportunity to prepare their answers before writing them under formal invigilated examination conditions.

Stage A stage is a sub-division of a programme where a programme has a

credit value of more than 120 credit points. The completion of a stage is an identified step in student progress towards the completion of a programme.

Stream A pathway through a degree indicates a specialisation and attracts a

suffix in the degree title. Student A student is a person registered on an approved programme of

study. Summative Assessment Summative assessment is used to indicate the extent of a learner's

success in meeting the assessment criteria used to gauge the intended learning outcomes of a module or programme.

Taught Degree A taught degree includes any degree that is not awarded solely or

largely on the basis of independent or supervised research. Taught degrees include all bachelor's degrees and those master's degrees where the first two s at least comprise a programme of study and where any dissertation component does not count for more than 33% of the marks counting towards the award.

Unauthorised Possession or Reference Unauthorised Possession or Reference includes:

• being in possession of any prohibited material or item within an examination or assessment room unless expressly permitted by the examination and assessment regulations;

• using unauthorised material or item in an examination or unseen assessment;

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• consulting or trying to consult any books, notes or similar material or item while temporarily outside the examination room during the period of the examination;

• gaining access to a copy of an examination paper or assessment material(s) in advance of its authorised release

Unseen Examination An ‘unseen’ examination is one where the students have had no

sight of the examination paper content prior to the start of the examination itself.

Validity Validity in assessment refers to the extent to which an assessment

instrument, an examination, essay or oral presentation for example, accurately measures the achievement by students of the intended outcomes of a programme of study or other learning experience.

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Appendix 5 – Diagram of Achievements

Stage One (Postgraduate Certificate)

MSc Professional HR

(180 Credits )

Module Credit Rating Work for Assessment Requirement for Award

Classification Weighting

Competitive Intelligence in Human Resources

15 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. Presentation and Summary of literature review with bibliography (500 – 750 words)

2. Peer and lecturer review process

Summative

Research Project Proposal

Prepare a 2,500 word research proposal on a Human Resources

theme of your choice [100% of Module Grade]

Compulsory 8.3% of Masters 12.5% of PGDip 25% of PG Cert

Emerging Themes in Human Resources

15 Credits

Level 7

Summative

Assignment based: Exploring linkage and impact of emerging themes in HR [100% of Module Grade] Assignment based task, set by the tutor. Max 2,500 words (excluding appendices).


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Managerial Finance

15 Credits

Level 7

Summative

1. The examination will include finance-based, numerical questions with a critical evaluation of methods and output.

[100% of Module Grade]


HR Strategy – Application & Implementation

15 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. Completion of a previous examination paper

Summative

1. A 3 hour controlled assignment during which you answer a mandatory unseen question based on a case study. [100% of Module Grade]


Students who successfully complete 60 credits at stage 1 and wish to leave the programme may be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Professional HR

Stage Two (Postgraduate Diploma)



Leadership, Management & Entrepreneurial-ism

15 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. 2,000 word report on leadership

Summative

1. A 3 hour unseen exam based on a pre-seen case study [100% of Module Grade]

Compulsory 8.3% of Masters

25% of PGDip

Organisational Stakeholder Behaviour

15 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. Learning Portfolio (3000 words)

2. Mock examination

Summative

1. 3 hour exam based on pre-


25% of PGDip

75

seen case study [100% of module grade]

Reward & Motivation

15 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. 1,500 word written assignment

Summative

1. 3 hour unseen assessment [100% of module grade]


25% of PGDip

Plus 15 Credits of any one of the following two modules listed: Talent Management

15 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. Group presentation.

Summative

1. 2,500 word report on a Case study or organisation [100% of Module Grade]

Elective 8.3% of Masters

25% of PGDip

Employment Law & Practice

15 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. 1,500 word practice essay

2. Smaller tasks

Summative

1. 2,500 word report [100% of Module Grade]

Elective 8.3% of Masters

25% of PGDip

Students who successfully complete 120 credits (60 credits at stage 1 and 60 credits at stage 2) and wish to leave the programme may be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional HR

For MSc Professional HR – 30 Credits from a specific module stream indicated below plus Leading Innovations in HR Module (30 credits)

Performance & Talent Management stream:

76



Resourcing & Assessing Talent

15 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. Case Study

Summative

1. 2,500 word written assignment [100% of Module Grade]

Elective 8.3% of MSc

Organisational Performance

15 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. 1000 word outline

Summative

1. 2,500 written assignment (proposal for introducing a 360-degree feedback programme) [100% of Module Grade]


Employment Law & Practice stream:



Compliance & Risk Management

15 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. Practice Essay (1,000 words)

Summative

1. Written assignment (1,500 words) [40% of Module Grade]

2. Written assignment (2,500 words) [60% of Module Grade]


Business & Contract Law

15 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. Practice Essay: Case study and questions on weeks 1 - 4

Summative

1. 3 hour unseen exam based on a pre-seen case study [100% of


77

Module Grade]

Leading Innovations in Human Resources

Leading Innovations in Human Resources

30 Credits

Level 7

Formative

1. Revised Project Proposal: Individuals have the opportunity to submit a revised outline of their project proposal (produced for ‘’Competitive Intelligence in HR’’).

Summative

1. A 8,000 to 10,000 word seen assignment related to leading innovations in HR [100% of Module Grade]

Compulsory 16.66% of MSc

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Documents

BPP University - Amazon S3 · Induction Week (Term 1 Only) 18 January 2016 Teaching Week 1 25 January 2016 Teaching Week 2 01 February 2016 Teaching Week 3 08 February 2016 ... (APL)