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Professional Practice Innovation

Department:

Management, leadership and Marketing

Title:

Adoption of innovative learning and teaching methods to reduce student anxiety, and enhance engagement and performance

Summary:

This case study outlines the development of an innovative module called ‘Managing Studies and Research Methods Module’.The aims of this module are:  * To develop research, project management and consultancy skills to enable students to conduct a consultancy project related to management;  * To equip students with a set of timeless management competencies; and * To enhance and further develop knowledge, intellectual, professional and transferable skills that will help prepare students for a career in management Summary:

3 This module sits on the MBA programme at Ulster. A full time Postgraduate course. The module requires students to develop an applied management project including a reflective portfolio (10,000 words) at the end of the module. This includes working in partnership with a company to solve a real need underpinned by the latest management thinking. However, before they complete this project, they must first develop a  project  proposal of  2,500  words outlining  their  idea. The  group  comprises a  range  of international students, typically from a wide range of countries. The last cohort included students from India, Pakistan, Russia,  Saudi Arabia,  Egypt,  Nigeria, Liberia  and  a handful  of  local students.  This  is their  first  module at Ulster  and  unlike other modules  where  the coursework  ‘title’  is provided,  they  must provide their  own title  and idea.  I  inherited this  module  with poor feedback  (46%  satisfaction) and  performance  (25% fail rate)  and poor  completion  (28% not  completing  on time)  -  highlighting that  this  module needed redesigned to achieve its aims.