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MBA Student Guide
Advancing Professional Practice (APP)
Placement Professional Practice (PPP)
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Advancing Professional Practice (APP) and
Placement Professional Practice (PPP)
Student Guide
Introduction
The MBA programmes at the University of Bedfordshire Business School (UBBS)
provide you not only with a valuable qualification but a genuine opportunity to
challenge yourself to discover your strengths and talents. As a result you will be
equipped to progress confidently to your post-graduation career path, whether that
is further study or employment.
This guide is being given to you in welcome week to help you understand how the
Advancing Professional Practice (APP) or Placement Professional Practice (PPP)
programme is integrated into your course, how it builds on your welcome week
activities, how it helps you get the most out of your investment to study at Masters
level and how it supports you to progress towards your final project units. APP is
taken by students on the 12-month MBA including all pathways. PPP is for the 22-
month placement only. All students participate in combined APP/PPP sessions 1-4.
What is ‘Advancing Professional Practice’?
APP/PPP is a structured personal and professional development programme that
supports you to reflect on your progress between each block of study. It will
challenge you to consider your personal and academic progress and reflect on how
your contact with the world of work in each block of study is shaping your ideas
about yourself and your future career directions.
During welcome week you will be introduced to the learning experience in the MBA
programmes in UBBS; in particular you will be introduced to the guided learning
design of the course and our expectations of you as learners to come to class ready
to engage in debate and discussion. The step-up from Undergraduate to Masters
level study will also be explained to you. Through the APP/PPP programme you
have an opportunity to reflect on how you’re progressing and whether you are
achieving the assessment grades that you are aiming for. You can reassess your
employability skills matrix and identify the sources of evidence for this which you
can then draw on in future interviews with employers.
The APP/PPP programme is also when you will meet your next unit coordinator and
students that you will be studying alongside in the next block. In this session you
will receive your timetable and study guide for the next unit and be introduced to the
learning experience and assessments thereby enabling you to start with confidence
in week 1 of each block. Hence, all of the activities in the APP/PPP programme
enable you to identify targeted actions for the next block of study to ensure that you
meet your personal development objectives. A diagrammatic representation of the
APP/PPP programme is on the next page which shows how it fits into the gap
between each block of study.
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Why is ‘Advancing Professional Practice’ part of your course?
Employers expect students with a Masters qualification to have developed a higher
level of autonomy, self-awareness, emotional intelligence and ability to use relevant
information to identify and plan relevant personal development goals. Indeed this is
part of the benchmarks statements that are used in approving a course to be
appropriate for a Masters level qualification.
We also want to help you to get the most out of your decision to embark on a
Masters course with us. This is why we have designed the Advancing Professional
Practice programme to run between each block of study; this is a fairly unique
approach to personal development which you will not find in other Masters courses.
It is very easy to resolve to do an action linked with personal development; however,
if progress checks are not built in along the way, the good intentions can often not be
fulfilled. Likewise, sometimes we are often not aware of the progress that we are
making until we make the time to stop and think about it.
This is why we have designed APP/PPP to take place every 8 weeks in the gap
between each block of study. Your mind will be relatively free to focus on your
personal achievement goals and to set yourself realistic targets that can be achieved
in the next 6-week teaching block.
How does the Advancing Professional Practice Programme link with the final
project units?
The ‘Advancing Professional Practice’ programme is designed to prepare you for the
learning experience in the final project units, and placement for students on the 22-
month MBA. The MBA seeks to support the interdependence of management
education and management practice and the final 60 credits present challenges
demanding independent application of theory in practice to support decision making.
The key to success in the final independent research stage is the time you spend in
advance thinking about what interests you, what questions you would like to explore,
and different research methods for completing the exploration. We introduce you to
these ideas and concepts during the APP/PPP programme, at a time when you are
not focussing on a unit of study, to ensure that you are already familiar with them
when you start the final units.
APP/PPP is designed to enable you to gain an insight into areas where you may
need to invest some time enhancing your skills before you start the final unit which
you can then include in your action plans. As a result of engaging in the
‘programme, you will be in a position to write a strong project proposal which is the
first assessment in the final unit, removing any unnecessary apprehension and
allowing students to focus on the research.
Why do I need to attend?
If you fail to attend you will miss vital information relating to your next unit of study
which could compromise your performance on the next unit. Likewise, you will miss
out on vital information and opportunities designed to help you prepare for your final
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unit. We know that the best pieces of work in the final unit are produced by students
who have invested time early to think about what they really want to explore and
have identified a good method for doing so. This is what the APP/PPP programme
supports you to do.
Crucially, the APP/PPP programme is all about you; we can provide you with the
tools and opportunities to improve; however, your reflections and actions are unique
to you. Lost opportunities are very hard to recover. Whilst you may still achieve
your MBA you will never know what else you could have achieved if you had chosen
to fully engage in the embedded personal and professional development programme
in your course. The consequence is a ‘lost opportunity’ cost; you will never know
what you could have achieved or the impact of this on your future career choices if
you don’t take full advantage of all the opportunities available to you in your course.
The structure of the Advancing Professional Practice Programme
The table on the next page shows you when each session of the APP/PPP
programme takes place and what is covered in each session. You will see that the
personal development element is common across all sessions as the common
format is important for you to identify and evidence your progress. As you move
through the programme we are expecting you to take more ownership of the
personal development aspect of the programme; as a result, there will be less time
spent on this. You will however have opportunities to discuss any concerns and get
advice about how to access support aligned with an action that you have identified.
How will I be informed about Advancing Professional Practice?
You will receive information about each APP/PP session in advance from your
course coordinator. This will contain the programme for the Advancing Professional
Practice session with details of the location and times of delivery. It will also contain
preparation material for you to get the most out of the session.
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| APP (including PPP) to Be More Schedule………. |
Guided Learning | Core Activities |
| Welcome Week: APP 1. Be More Prepared |
Electronic Portfolio of Activities | • Good Academic Practice (AIR) • Introduce the idea of critical thinking • Employability Matrix • Action Plan for Academic and Professional Development |
| APP 2. Be More Reflective | Structure of the session 1. Employability 2. OAAR 3. Critical Thinking 4. Practical in class |
Reflecting on progress of goals identified in Welcome Week based on experience of the learning environment and feedback in the first block. Modify goals and identify key actions for development in the next block of study. Encourage self-reflection and awareness of others’ perceptions in support of professional and academic skill development. Develop critical thinking Learn how to read between the lines, hear what was not said, see what was not shown, see things from other’s perspectives Two sections: 1. Be self-reflective through the Career DNA Bank and start to understand how to identify and evidence what you offer. What do you think this says about you and how the others see the same story and what they think it says about that person? Making sense of what you read, hear and see, thus linking to the 2nd half: (Group work interactive and fun). 2. Academic side of critical thinking what it is and why it is important |
| APP 3. Be More Decisive | Structure of the session: 1. Brands looking at the purchasing decision made communication 2. Influenced by brand; Influenced by theory 3. Questions to ask yourselves a. Who you are b. How you do it c. Why you are saying / doing it 4. Create knowledge; build evidence |
Exploring how personal branding and values influence decision making. Consideration of the need for research to support academic and professional decision-making. Students will consider how the final project might fit with their personal academic and career goals and begin to identify the key academic skills necessary for success. This will include an exploration of advanced information seeking skills. What are your career goals, how can you achieve them, how to start looking at research? Two sections: 1. Personal Branding: What it is and why it is important. Use everyday brands that all of them buy and use. Look at the purchasing decisions you have made and how this might relate to you as a person. You probably did more research than you thought! Others followed the crowd. Linking market research to your own values you wish to portray and demonstrate the importance. 2. Values of research and the introduction of how you will have to use it for their TIP project (EBMgt) |
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| APP 4. Be More Research Focused | 1. Understanding research to: a. assess and see the gap b. to find the knowledge to fill the gap 2. Understand the right questions to ask a. Breakdown the OAAR stories from previous session b. asking the right questions 3. Round up ensuring everyone has a topic |
The research process both in terms of identifying a good research question and the methods by which this may be answered are explored with students assessing their own strengths and weaknesses in relation to successfully completing a research project or to using research in consulting practice. At the end of this session students will be expected to identify their research topic, and start formulating their research question in preparation for their research in the final unit. They will make a series of provisional choices related to their research and reflect on those choices. Being able to identify the right questions to ask? To enable the right research to be done and why this essential for TIP Two sections: 1. Using what you have done already to understand how to analyse the data to extrapolate the correct and useful information, e.g. decipher what abilities competencies were used. Ask the right question in order to find the real value and how this relates to others. 2. To demonstrate what is meant by research and how it is needed to be done and what is required for the TIP project |
| At this stage you will have participated in all 4 taught units and participation in the APP/PPP sessions 1-4 will have prepared you for the final stages of your course. | ||
| APP 5. Be More Successful | BSS063-6 Management Practice and BSS056-6 Theory into Practice |
Integration of management education and management practice. Planning the research methods and process, in the context of the professional ambitions and trajectory of the student. This stage will include hands-on training in research techniques. |
| APP6. Be More Ready for life after graduation |
Students will complete this unit by reflecting on how, through their M-level learning experience, they have developed both professionally and academically, and used the experience of this unit to shape their own engagement with the final M-level unit and future career aspirations. |
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| PPP5: Be More Successful | BSS066-6 Management Practice (Placement) BSS068-6 MBA Business Placement Dissertation |
Integration of management education and management practice. Planning the research methods and process, in the context of the professional ambitions and trajectory of the student. This stage will include hands-on training in research techniques for your participation in the work placement. |
| PPP6: Be more ready for life after graduation |
Reflections on how, through your M-level learning experience, you have developed both professionally and academically, and used the experience to shape your engagement with the final M-level units, work placement experience and future career aspirations. |
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APP/PPP 1 Welcome Week:
Be More Prepared
Rate your employability skills
IT
application
Commercial
awareness
Teamwork
Self-management
Critical
thinking
Problem
solving
People
management
Verbal
communication
Creativity
Written
communication
0 1 2 3 4 5
Presentation
skills
Networking
10
What are your top 3 skill development priorities for your first
block?
1 2
3
How?
How?
How?
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APP /PPP 2: Be More Reflective
Update your employability skills rating
IT
application
Commercial
awareness
Teamwork
Self-management
Critical
thinking
Problem
solving
People
management
Verbal
communication
Creativity
Written
communication
0 1 2 3 4 5
Presentation
skills
Networking
12
What are your top 3 skill development priorities for your second block?
1 2
3
How?
How?
How?
13
APP /PPP 3: Be More Decisive
Update your employability skills rating
IT
application
Commercial
awareness
Teamwork
Self-management
Critical
thinking
Problem
solving
People
management
Verbal
communication
Creativity
Written
communication
0 1 2 3 4 5
Presentation
skills
Networking
14
What are your top 3 skill development priorities for your third block?
1 2
3
How?
How?
How?
15
APP/PPP 4: Be More Research Focused
Update your employability skills rating
IT
application
Commercial
awareness
Teamwork
Self-management
Critical
thinking
Problem
solving
People
management
Verbal
communication
Creativity
Written
communication
0 1 2 3 4 5
Presentation
skills
Networking
16
What are your top 3 skill development priorities for your fourth block?
1 2
3
How?
How?
How?
17
APP/PPP 5: Be more successful
Update your employability skills rating
IT
application
Commercial
awareness
Teamwork
Self-management
Critical
thinking
Problem
solving
People
management
Verbal
communication
Creativity
Written
communication
0 1 2 3 4 5
Presentation
skills
Networking
18
What are your top 3 skill development priorities for your final unit?
1 2
3
How?
How?
How?
