Faculty of Technology, Engineering and the Environment

Module Guide
Undergraduate Programme Academic Year 2011/2012
Module: Web-site: School: Module Co-ordinator: Module Tutors: Contact Information: Brief Descriptions of the Items of Assessment: You will be expected to complete ALL Assessments.

Professional Context of Technology UG1

http://moodle.bcu.ac.uk/tee/course/view.php?id=1295 the first time enrolment key is: pcot1112 Computing, Telecommunications and Networks [CTN] Will Simpson Will Simpson, Karim Visram, Fiaz Afsar Mobile 07815 738292; email will.simpson@bcu.ac.uk 1. two group presentations on industry research followed by an individual SWOT analysis report on a company 2. reflections theory and accounts presented through Mahara Information is for guidance only. See ECMS My Course on the intranet for details. See ECMS My Course on the intranet for details

Assessment Weighting:

Individual assignments. The work you submit shall be your own and not the product of collaboration with anyone else. Plagiarism will be penalised. In-course assessments shall be submitted through the Coursework Collection System, to the module co-ordinator, in class sessions or electronically. Contents of Guide: Syllabus and supporting information

Introduction: This module is the first in a series dealing with issues in business management. NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE IS EXPECTED. Module description: To provide an introduction to industry and business concepts within a context relating to your degree area and enable the development of core professional skills. Aims: To develop students understanding of business, within a technological context and identifying issues relating to products, customers, markets and industries. To develop students ability to plan and reflect upon their work, in groups and individually; to research and perform basic analyses; and to report results in a structured & timely manner, through written and oral communications. Learning outcomes On completion of the module, the student should be able to: demonstrate an understanding of change in the business macro-environment; in the technology sectors business context in particular, and its effect on a particular course related business; explain the basic principles of market-led business; locate and collect data on the course related business environment, particularly relating to markets, and specifically as affecting pertinent businesses and products; investigate their own personal attributes, knowledge and skills in order better to work effectively as an individual and efficiently in a small group; plan a programme of work for efficient and timely completion, communicate the results accurately and reliably in a structured academic manner appropriate to the audience, express themselves coherently in reports and presentations using a variety of media. Outline syllabus: Context of Business: Introduction to industry & business; the macro-environment (PEST) and change, structure and culture of organisations ; Professionalism and professional bodies Learning, Study Methods and Skills: Learning; deep and surface, lifelong, Psychometrics; Reflective practice; Effective communication; Presentation skills, formal report writing; Personal Development Planning fundamentals - concepts and practicalities; Collaboration and groupwork Research and methodology: Reading and writing academic papers, referencing and collusion/plagiarism; Basics of research; Planning, Secondary & primary, Data collection; Structured analysis, eg SWOT Teaching and Learning: A student-centred approach is used for module delivery: information resources are provided within an activity based learning framework delivered through Moodle. Students are encouraged to develop independent learning using the website as a means of assisting the learning process and are expected to interact with the website, develop study and reflective skills and to work collaboratively to support each other in learning tasks. Tutorials, provided for direction and learning support, will be based in appropriate computer areas and a breakout classroom for surgeries, seminars, led sessions, consultations, meetings and student support. Attendance at tutorials each week is required to support the amount of group work on this module. Assessment: The assessment in this module is 100% coursework. 1

Assess. Weight 1 70% 2 Learning Outcomes 1 2 3 4 Assessment Criteria 30%

Type CWK CWK

1.1 1.2 2

30% 40% 30%

Indicative Deliverables Coursework Research presentations Coursework Analysis report Coursework Reflective account Assessment 2 Deliverable 1

Assessment 1 Deliverable 1 Deliverable 2

Assessment criteria will be specified on the Assignment Brief and will state what the student is expected to do in order to demonstrate that the learning outcome(s) have been achieved.

NOTE:
1. Coursework will be submitted ELECTRONICALLY through Moodle for marking. 2. Marks and feedback will be provided through Moodle.

Learning Resources
Recommended Reading Baase, S. (2009). A Gift of Fire. New Jersey: Pearson Education. Griffin, J. (1998). How to Say it at Work. New York: Prentice Hall. Spinello, R. (2006). Cyberethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace. London: Jones and Bartlett. Brown, M. (2002) Project Management; in a Week, 3rd ed., Hodder & Stoughton. Cameron, S. (2002), The Business Students Handbook: Learning skills for study and employment, 2nd ed., Financial Times Prentice Hall. Cather, H. (2001) Business skills for engineers and technologists, Butterworth-Heinemann. Lancaster, G. (2002) Essentials of Marketing, 4th ed. McGraw-Hill. Quality newspapers, e.g., Financial Times, Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, and journals relevant ot the course of study, e.g., Computer Weekly, IT Now. Web sites Colby, J. & Hollyhead, A. et al., (2003). Essential - The how-to of university study and life. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from Birmingham City University: http://essential.tbs.bcu.ac.uk/. Anon, (2009). Information Commissioner's Office - ICO. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from http://www.ico.gov.uk/. Anon, (2009). The British Computer Society : BCS. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from http://www.bcs.org/. Anon, (2009). Association for Computing Machinery. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from http://www.acm.org/.

Teaching Schedule for: Professional Context of Technology UG1

Wk No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Date (Mon) 26-Sep-11 03-Oct-11 10-Oct-11 17-Oct-11 24-Oct-11 31-Oct-11 07-Nov-11 14-Nov-11 21-Nov-11 28-Nov-11 05-Dec-11 12-Dec-11 weekly Topic area Introduction to the module & its technologies Reflective practice models Developing groupwork Introducing secondary research National and international industry Industry and its companies Industry information gathering Preparing for a presentation Reading Week - Group presentations Developing primary research: questionnaire design and basic data analysis developing reflections in Mahara Completing a first reflective account Christmas Vacation (3 weeks) Products, customers and markets The PEST model & the competitive environment Change in the external environment Industry PEST information gathering Preparing for a presentation Reading Week - Group presentations What happens inside a business People and culture in Organisations Internal change & SWOT Preparing for report writing Gathering company information Report preparation Assignment * Due In

2.1 reflections theory

1.1 GROUP industry PRESENTATION

2.2 mid-year reflective account

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

09-Jan-12 16-Jan-12 23-Jan-12 30-Jan-12 06-Feb-12 13-Feb-12 20-Feb-12 27-Feb-12 05-Mar-12 12-Mar-12 19-Mar-12 26-Mar-12

1.2 GROUP pest PRESENTATION

1.3 INDIVIDUAL REPORT: company SWOT analysis 2.3 end of year reflective account

25 26 27

23-Apr-12 30-Apr-12 07-May-12

Easter Vacation (3 weeks) Preparing a reflective account in Mahara THIS MODULE HAS ENDED

* Assignment Due week indication above is for guidance only. See ECMS My Course on the intranet for details.