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Faculty of Business, Education and Law

STUDENT HANDBOOK 2012-13

Post Graduate Certificate in Human Resource
Management

Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource
Management

Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource
Development
Author: Kai Beswick
Date of Issue: July 2012
Contents

1. Welcome to the Faculty......................................................................................................................................1
3. Useful Contacts and Resources .......................................................................................................................3
3.1 Academic Contacts ...................................................................................................................................3
3.2 Administrative Contacts ............................................................................................................................3
3.3 Useful Internet Resources ........................................................................................................................4
3.4 The Faculty Office .....................................................................................................................................5
Opening Times ....................................................................................................................................................6
3.5 The Faculty Management Team .............................................................................................................7
4. What are the aims and outcomes of the award? ............................................................................................8
Award Aims and Outcomes ...............................................................................................................................8
5. How is the award structured? .......................................................................................................................... 11
6. How will I learn on this award? ....................................................................................................................... 12
7. The Staffordshire Graduate ............................................................................................................................. 16
8. How do I hand in assignments? ...................................................................................................................... 19
9 Feedback on Your Work .................................................................................................................................. 21
10. External Examiners ..................................................................................................................................... 23
12. Accreditation of Prior Learning .................................................................................................................. 24
13. Award Regulations....................................................................................................................................... 25
14. Award Specific Regulations........................................................................................................................ 27
16. Professional Body Recognition .................................................................................................................. 27
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development ................................................................................. 27
CIPD North Staffordshire / South Cheshire Branch ..................................................................................... 28
17. Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism ...................................................................................................... 29
19. Student Guide .............................................................................................................................................. 30
Appendix A - Glossary of Terms ............................................................................................................................. 31
Appendix C - Curriculum Maps ............................................................................................................................... 38
Appendix D – The Staffordshire Graduate ............................................................................................................ 47
Appendix E – Feedback on assessments ............................................................................................................. 50
1. Welcome to the Faculty

Welcome to the Faculty of Business, Education and Law.

You join us at a really exciting time as we launch our new, innovative and contemporary
programmes.

We use ‘real’ projects and create challenging problems for you to investigate. I am sure
you will enjoy working through these challenges and exercises which will prepare you
for the world of work – a world which is fast changing, demanding and increasingly
competitive.

You will notice that enterprise and entrepreneurship are important to us at the
University; they are integral to the design of all our programmes. This means we need
to have close connections with employers, business practitioners and professional
bodies that help us make our courses relevant, interesting and up to date.

As Staffordshire students and through the “Staffordshire Graduate” programme, we
focus on you. We help you to learn to be independent thinkers, to debate, question and
discuss key issues in your chosen subject. You will be encouraged to be enterprising
and entrepreneurial, to be an effective communicator and successful team worker.

The people you meet in the faculty are friendly and approachable. They are all keen to
help you succeed. Our aim is to nurture and inspire you, to help you grow, to build your
potential through working in a vibrant, thriving, and sustainable international academic
environment. You will enjoy working with academic staff who love their subjects and
who are passionate about helping you to build your knowledge and expertise. They all

1
come from different backgrounds and they will enjoy sharing their research, the work
they do with businesses and in the local community and beyond with you.

The Faculty of Business, Law and Education is international in its perspective and the
people you meet will be able to talk to you about the strong partnerships we have with
other Universities and Colleges both in this country and around the world. There are
many opportunities for you to learn and gain a global perspective; from other students,
the academic staff and by working on international projects. Our job is to help you see
new possibilities and to bring new horizons into view.

Above all, our strongest partnership is with you, our students. You are at the heart of
everything we do and we are committed to giving you the best possible experience we
can. We understand the importance of the commitment you have made to us and we
value the time you spend with us and remember, we are always pleased to hear what
you have to say.

I hope you have a successful, exciting and fulfilling time with us.

Professor Susan K. Foreman, MSc, PhD
Dean of the Faculty of Business, Education and Law

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3. Useful Contacts and Resources

3.1 Academic Contacts

Award leader: Kai Beswick

B246, Brindley
TEL: +44 (0)1782 294638:
Ext: 4638
k.m.beswick@staffs.ac.uk

The award leader is responsible for the overall course and its development.
He/she is there to give you advice and guidance on aspects of the course and its
delivery and any issues you may have related to it. You will also be able to have
specialist advice and guidance from module tutors in their modules.

A full list of staff contacts can be found at

http://www.staffs.ac.uk/directory/

3.2 Administrative Contacts

Award Administrator(s) Elizabeth A Binns

B227, Brindley
TEL: +44 (0)1782 294147
EXT: 4147
e.a.binns@staffs.ac.uk

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Student Guidance Advisor: Lesley Mountford, room B223 Brindley Building, Tel
(0)1782 294073. Email l.s.mountford@staffs.ac.uk

Reception Team: Brindley B227, TEL: (0) 1782294060
Jenny Shemilt
Veronica Wagg
Julia Holbrook
Sharon Shenton

3.3 Useful Internet Resources

The Faculty website can be found at:
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/faculties/business/

Here you will find details of contacts and news regarding the Faculty.

The Faculty uses Blackboard as an online learning environment, and information
on modules on which you are enrolled can be accessed from this. Note: you can
only get access to those modules that you are studying – if you cannot gain
access to material, it may be that you are not correctly enrolled on the module –
make sure you let your module tutor or award administrator know.

Blackboard can be found at: http://blackboard.staffs.ac.uk

4
The library can be accessed from:
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/uniservices/infoservices/library/

You should also use the MyPortal site to manage your personal details such as
changes in address and contact numbers http://myportal.staffs.ac.uk

3.4 The Faculty Office

Faculty Office Reception (Business) is in B227 Brindley Building, Telephone
01782 294060. Email BS4060@staffs.ac.uk

The Office should be your first port of call if you have any queries or problems
relating to the Faculty or if you are unsure of how to deal with other queries. The
contact details of the University Services for students are listed in Section 3. The
Faculty Office comprises a team of staff who are responsible for managing the
wide range of activities and processes necessary to support students and
academic colleagues within the Faculty. You'll get to know some of the staff
quite well as it is here you'll hand in your module registration forms and
assignments.

All enquiries should be made via the Reception desk in the first instance. The
Receptionist will assess whether they are able to help you immediately or
whether you need to talk to another member of the team. Hence they may call
on colleagues who can advise on queries concerning:

 Modules
 University regulations

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 Your credit and progression status
 Referral opportunities
 Claims for extenuating circumstances you may have made in relation to
assessment
 Information about your study here: award and module records, local and
home address information, etc
 Any changes to your award or programme of study
 Registration events for level 5 / year 2 and level 6 / year 3 study

It is important that you get to know staff in the Faculty Office as they are
responsible for keeping all the information on your period of study accurate and
up-to-date.

In particular, make sure that you:-

 Check your e-mail account regularly for any information or queries sent to you
by Faculty/School administrators or by academic staff. This means your
university e-mail account – not your personal one!

 Always let the Faculty Office know of any changes in your contact details.
This includes mobile numbers as well as home and term addresses and any
landline telephone numbers. It really is important that we know how to get in
touch with you.

 Always ensure that the Faculty Office is aware of any changes you make to
your academic profile (modules/award) by completing the appropriate module
amendment/award transfer forms.

Opening Times

Term Time: Monday – Thursday 8.45 – 18.00 Friday 8.45 – 16.30

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Non Term Time: Monday – Thursday 8.45 – 17.00 Friday 8.45 – 16.30

Please feel free to call into the Faculty Office between these times. All queries,
no matter how small or large, are welcome as they ensure that your records are
always correct – and this does prevent delays or difficulties in confirming results
at the end of each Academic Year. And if you have a problem which the
Faculty/School Office can’t help you with, it usually knows somebody who can.

3.5 The Faculty Management Team

The Dean of Faculty

Professor Susan Foreman
Room B315 Brindley Building
01782 294029
Email s.foreman@staffs.ac.uk

In this role, the Dean has responsibility for the strategic development, operation
and management of the faculty. The Dean’s personal assistant is to be appointed
at the time of this handbook being produced. Should you need to speak with the
Dean, you should normally make an appointment with her personal assistant but
in the meantime if you speak to the Faculty Office they will be able to help you.
However you may wish to speak to your award leader, module tutor, personal
tutor or student guidance office initially.

Faculty Associate Deans

The Dean is supported in running the Faculty by three Associate Deans and
three Heads of School:

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Robert Curtis: Associate Dean – Learning and Teaching B250 Brindley Building,
Tel 01782 294346 email r.w.curtis@staffs.ac.uk
Paul Byrne; Associate Dean – Partnerships B374 Brindley Building, Tel 01782
294152 email p.j.byrne@staffs.ac.uk

Prof.James O’Kane – Associate Dean – Scholarship, Enterprise and Research
B312 Brindley Building, Tel 01782 294192 email j.f.o'kane@staffs.ac.uk
Paul Williams: Head of School – Business B301 Brindley Building, Tel 01782
294064 email paul.williams@staffs.ac.uk
Ian King: Head of School - Law LW 129 Law Building, Tel 01782 294099 email
i.d.king@staffs.ac.uk
TBA: Head of School- Education

4. What are the aims and outcomes of the award?

Award Aims and Outcomes

This section is more formal and deals with the academic principles of the programme.

The Post Graduate Diploma in either Human Resource Management (HRM) or Human
Resource Development (HRD) has been developed to provide a flexible route for
Human Resource (HR) professionals to gain an accredited qualification from the
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The Award constitutes a flexible progression route which will enable you to access
learning of relevance to your academic and professional context. Once you have

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completed this award, you may apply to the proposed programmes which feed into the
existing MA in Strategic HRM.

Generic aims and outcomes apply to wide range of post graduate awards. They have
been informed and derived from the QAA Master’s Degree Characteristics (March 2010)
and mapped against the benchmark standards.

PROGRAMME AIMS

The Post Graduate Diploma (120 M level credits) has common aims with other Business
School Masters programmes which are:

1. To provide an advanced course of study of Management within a rapidly
changing business environment which will explore contemporary approaches to
the practice of Management and develop individuals of high capability who can
apply their knowledge and skills within contemporary business organisations.
2. To develop participants understanding and ability to apply a range of learning and
research methodologies and strategies which are appropriate to the field of study.
3. To develop critical skills to assess and evaluate the academic literature and other
forms of research output that informs current debates within fields of business
and management.
4. To develop the capacity for independent, critical and creative thinking.
5. To develop the ability to analyse and synthesise differing approaches to the field
of study and to evaluate critically these approaches within the business context.

The overall aims of the Post Graduate Diploma in HRM are to:

 Develop Human Resource professionals’ knowledge, understanding and
competencies in the use of theories and principles underpinning Human
Resource Management practice by informed current scholarship and research,

9
including a critical awareness of contemporary issues and developments in the
subject.
 To support HR professionals in their continuing professional development for
CIPD progression towards their relevant individual membership grade including
chartered level.

The overall aims of the Post Graduate Diploma in HRD are to:

 Develop Human Resource professionals’ knowledge, understanding and
competencies in the use of theories and principles underpinning Human
Resource Development practice by informed current scholarship and research,
including a critical awareness of contemporary issues and developments in the
subject.
 To support HR professionals in their continuing professional development for
CIPD progression towards their relevant individual membership grade including
chartered level.

The overall aims of the Post Graduate Certificate in HRM are to:

 Develop Human Resource professionals’ knowledge, understanding and
competencies in the use of theories and principles Human Resource
Management practice by informed current scholarship and research.
 To support HR professionals in their continuing professional development for
CIPD progression towards the achievement of the knowledge requirements for
the professional levels of membership.

Detailed learning outcomes for all modules are given in the module descriptors
available on the University website. These module outcomes reflect the CIPD’s
requirement for members to be actively engaged with their professional learning
through continuing professional development activities.

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5. How is the award structured?

Year 1 (60 credits Level 7)

Teaching Block 1 Teaching Block 2

Option 1
Core
15 credits Level 7
Resourcing and Talent Management
Leading, Managing and Developing
15 credits Level 7
People
Core Core
Developing Skills for Business Human Resource Management in
Leadership Context
15 credits Level 7 15 credits Level 7

(To progress to year 2 at least 45 Level 7 award specific credits must be achieved)

Year 2 (60 Level 7 credits)

Post Graduate HRM (75 credits Level 7 of core modules and 45 credits of option
modules, 30 credits which must be HRM specific)

Post Graduate HRD (75 credits Level 7 of core modules and 45 credits Level 7 of option
modules; 30 credits which must be HRD specific). See Appendix 1 for CIPD Rules of
Combination.

Teaching Block 1 Teaching Block 2

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Option 3 15 Credits Level 7
Option 2 15 Credits Level 7

Core
Investigating a Business Issue from a HR Perspective
30 credits Level 7

The modules that may be offered as options are listed within appendix 2. These will be
determined by student numbers and the viability of running them. Priority will be given
to those identified by employers as being critical.

6. How will I learn on this award?

Teaching and Learning and Assessment Strategy

Teaching and Learning

Methods used to deliver this curriculum are designed to provide you with a critical
view of the’ best’ or ‘good’ practice, set into the context of the latest theories, models
and frameworks. They are designed to develop the academic critical analysis skills
and the practical HR skills needed to be an effective HR professional. The methods of
teaching and learning used will vary according to the nature of the subject.

The course will be offered in the traditional afternoon and evening on campus delivery
for local students. This will normally be on a Wednesday, the traditional day for
professional students to attend University part time. Additionally, when appropriate,

12
there will the option to deliver in ‘blocks’ where students will cover an entire module
over a short period of time, this being a week in most cases. These concentrated
learning sessions will be facilitated by an appropriate tutor and will follow the
principles below.

1 Face-to-face sessions
Face to face sessions will focus on student-centred approaches, capitalising on
existing knowledge and experience from different organisations. Opportunities will be
offered to enable students to evaluate and compare practice across different
businesses and sectors. The methods of teaching and learning used will vary
according to the nature of the subject matter ranging from tutor led lectures to
interactive and group based activities, to residential and real play. Specific
information is provided within the Student Handbook and Module handbooks.
Students will be expected to engage actively in all sessions. This will facilitate the
analysis and application of concepts and principles and develop HR skill sets.

2 Work-Based Learning
Students will be expected to engage in work-based projects and research, to examine
the principles and concepts explored in the light of current work based practice.
Reflection will be a key part of the work-based learning, to enable students to develop
the connection between learning from the academic and work-based environment.
The aim is to draw learning experiences from the various environments in which HR
professionals are studying and working. In particular, studying whilst working, and
supporting HR professionals through a range of materials and methods, allows an
approach to teaching and learning that suits a variety of learning styles.
This is part of their continuing professional development, a requirement of the CIPD
and will assist them in becoming a ‘thinking performer’.

3 Independent Study
Students will be expected to engage in independent study in order to consolidate and

13
build upon learning from the contact sessions. This will take the form of undertaking
follow-up tasks, reflecting on own practice, reading relevant literature, and engaging
with online materials through the universities virtual learning environment (VLE),
Blackboard. Students will be expected to keep up to date with current CIPD research
through People Management magazine and the CIPD website.

4 Electronic Support
Face to face sessions will be supplemented by online materials using the university’s
VLE. Blackboard will be used to provide access to further resources to support and
build on face-to-face sessions, and to provide flexible access to materials, reading
lists and other materials, such as web addresses. Further details are included in the
Student Handbook. At the same time, the face-to-face sessions and VLE-based
materials will be developed with a view to capitalising on students diverse
professional experiences, thereby creating a rich learning environment. Students will
preferably need access to broadband to access many of the on-line learning
resources. Alternatively, students may use the computer facilities provided on
campus and download material to their own safe area on the University server or a
personal memory stick / card (data traveller).

5 Individual Support
The significance of individual support for your success is well established. You are all
assigned a personal tutor who you may contact for guidance on any area. Further
details are provided in the Student Handbook and at induction with the Student
Guidance Advisor.

Assessment
The assessment strategy is a combination of formative tasks which form part of the

14
learning and summative assignments completed towards the end of each module.

Formative Feedback
Each module is delivered by a series of teaching sessions supported by online
learning materials. Learning at face to face sessions and through online materials will
be supportive by the use of a series of formative tasks, to reinforce the learning
process. For example these may take the form of completing a case study exercise or
preparing for a presentation. Feedback from such formative tasks will normally be
via the group activities and specific individual reflection on a particular subject area or
skill being assessed.

Formative tasks do not form part of the formal assessment the module. This will be
determined by the ‘summative assessment’.

Summative Assessment
Confirmation of the specific assessment requirements will be provided at the
beginning of each module. Specific details of the assessments and grading criteria
are provided in the module handbooks.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Entry Requirements

Students are expected to be in employment, with some HR responsibility, either as a
specialist or as a line management function. Individual applicants who are not in
employment will be provided advice and guidance by the Award Leader the
appropriateness of course and how students may approach the modules that require
some work place investigation and application.

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What qualifications would I need to join this programme?

The entry requirements for the award are normally:

Candidates would normally be expected to have at least two years relevant HR
practical experience and or a first degree.

Candidates who have completed the CIPD’s Certificate in Personnel Practice (CPP)
or Certificate in Training Practice (CTP) or new qualification equivalent (Certificate in
HR Practice) are encouraged to continue their professional development. If they
possess relevant work experience as well as the qualification, they may be asked to
complete a piece of work to demonstrate their ability to work at post graduate level.

All candidates will be interviewed to assess their suitability and will be provided with
appropriate information, advice and guidance.

All applicants will be expected to have attained a level 2 qualification in Maths and
English, e.g. Key Skills Level 2 or Adult Numeracy Level 2, Adult Literacy Level 2.

An English language qualification of IELTS 7.0 or equivalent is required by all
candidates.

7. The Staffordshire Graduate

16
The Staffordshire Graduate represents a set of qualities that the University
passionately believes is necessary for success in the 21st century. The
Staffordshire Graduate is a reflective and critical learner with a global
perspective, prepared to contribute in the world of work.

The Staffordshire Graduate will:

Discipline Expertise:

• Have an understanding of the forefront of knowledge in their chosen field

Professionalism:

• Be prepared to be work-ready and employable and understand the
importance of being enterprising and entrepreneurial

Global Citizenship:

• Have an understanding of global issues and of their place in a globalised
economy

Communication and Teamwork:

• Be an effective communicator and presenter and able to interact
appropriately with a range of colleagues
• Have developed the skills of independence of thought and (when
appropriate) social interaction through teamwork

Reflective and Critical Learner:

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• Have the ability to carry out inquiry-based learning and critical analysis
• Be a problem solver and creator of opportunities

Lifelong Learning:

• Be technologically, digitally and information literate
• Be able to apply Staffordshire Graduate attributes to a range of life
experiences to facilitate life-long learning and life-long
success.

All students will have many opportunities to develop and achieve these attributes.
These will include learning opportunities within their chosen awards and co-
curricular activities such as work experience, volunteering and the development
of employability, enterprise and entrepreneurial skills.

Employability, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

Being employable…

... Involves the development of a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes
that makes graduates more likely to gain employment, have the capability of
being effective in the workplace and be successful in their chosen occupation to
the benefit of themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.

Being Enterprising …

…involves a set of skills and attitudes that can enable a culture of identifying
opportunities, creativity, risk taking and innovation. It can involve many activities
– for instance organising an event, planning an overseas trip or involvement in a
social enterprise. Equally it can be about finding new solutions to old problems in

18
your workplace, conducting a piece of research in a resourceful way, starting a
new society or being involved in a community project. Employers value
enterprising people!

Being Entrepreneurial…

…very often involves using enterprise skills to create new businesses and bring
them to market. There is considerable support for those wishing to do so while at
University. However, being entrepreneurial is not just about business skills or
starting new ventures; it is a way of thinking and behaving relevant to all parts of
society and the economy in terms of mindsets, behaviours, skills and capabilities
to come up with new ways of doing things well and the flexibility to change career
direction.

8. How do I hand in assignments?

You will always be required to hand in written assignments to the Faculty Office
in The Brindley Building, unless you are to submit via the Blackboard module
site. Instructions for the submission of assignments will be included in the
relevant assessment brief.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit assignments on time and at the
appropriate place.

The Faculty Office is open to take your assignments at the following times:

Term Time: Monday – Thursday 8.45 – 18.00 Friday 8.45 – 16.30

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Non Term Time: Monday – Thursday 8.45 – 17.00 Friday 8.45 – 16.30

ASSIGNMENTS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED DURING THESE HOURS. NB
ASSIGNMENTS WILL HAVE A DEADLINE TIME ON THE DUE DATE.

Written assignments to be submitted to the Faculty Office should have stapled to
them an assignment receipt form, available from the Office.

Please ensure that you fill in all sections, particularly the module title and tutor's
name before coming into the Office to have it stamped; space is at a premium
and the Office is very busy on assignment submission days, so do plan to submit
your work in plenty of time.
Note that some assignments are marked anonymously, and that you are asked to
fold and stick down the right hand flap of the assignment receipt form to conceal
your name before handing in your work to the Faculty Office. This is an important
tool in helping to safeguard the integrity of the assessment process. Anonymous
marking, however, is usually confined to conventional essay type assessments,
as with other kinds of assessment (for example, a presentation report or
dissertation) the tutor would normally be aware of the author’s identity.

If you have a problem with dyslexia, make sure that you ask for one of the yellow
labels (available from your Award Leader/Personal Tutor or if at the last minute
the Faculty/School Office) to attach to your work to signal to the tutor that the
assignment needs to be marked on content and understanding rather than on
syntactical and grammatical competence.

The form you will complete is in duplicate. It is most important that you use a biro
so that both copies are marked. Having completed it go into the Office where a

20
member of staff will date stamp and sign both copies of the form and return one
copy of it to you.

KEEP THIS SAFE! IT IS A RECEIPT, WHICH YOU CAN PRODUCE TO SHOW
THAT YOU HAVE SUBMITTED YOUR ASSIGNMENT.

We would normally expect you to hand in your work in person, but recognise that
this may not always be possible. If you are unable to hand in your written
assignments in person, you can submit them via the post, using recorded
delivery. This is important as should your work not arrive, we need to be able to
find out what happened to it. All work which is submitted in this way will be dated
according to the postmark.

YOU SHOULD ALSO NOTE THAT NO WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED WHICH
HAS BEEN SENT BY FAX OR E-MAIL.

Finally, it hardly needs to be said that it is always, of course, good practice to
keep a hard or (backed up) electronic copy of any assignment you submit.
Should the assignment you submitted get lost then you will have the receipt to
prove that you handed it in and a copy to replace what has been lost.

9 Feedback on Your Work

Seven principles of good feedback

Good feedback should:

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1. Be an interactive process involving student-tutor and student-student
dialogue;
2. Facilitate the development of self assessment and reflection;
3. Clarify for students and staff, through dialogue, what good or bad
performance actually is in the assignment or task;
4. Be developmental, progressive and transferable to new learning contexts;
5. Be ongoing and embedded in the learning process;
6. Motivate, build esteem and confidence to support sustainable lifelong
learning;
7. Support the development of learning groups and communities.

See appendix E for more information.

The University’s Academic Board has been considering the outcomes of the last
National Student Survey and discussing how it can provide quicker assessment
feedback to students. This guidance refers to summative (actual) rather than
formative (practice) assessments. In relation to this, the following has been
agreed:

Coursework and other assessments, excluding examinations

You will normally receive feedback on all your assessments, other than
examinations, within 20 working days following the date of submission of your
assessment or actual date of the assessment (in the case of class tests). For
some assessments the feedback period will be less than 20 working days.
However, it may be the case that the 20 day rule for some assessments cannot
be met for justified reasons (for example, modules on which a large number of
students are enrolled). However, it is anticipated that this will apply to only a
small number of modules on your award and, in those cases, the feedback return

22
period will not exceed 25 days. The anticipated feedback return times for all
assessments will be published in your Module Handbooks or assignment brief.

In order to ensure that feedback is provided within 20 days, in most cases, the
marks for your work will be provisional and will be subject to final ratification by
the appropriate Assessment Board in due course.

Formal University examinations

Feedback for examinations will always be provided and should be available as
soon as possible after the relevant examination. Where appropriate, feedback on
examinations at the end of the last teaching block in the final year should be
provided in the form of generic, group feedback through the University VLE. At
the latest, feedback should be provided at least four weeks before the next
examination period.

The University hopes that you will also play your part by ensuring that you collect
feedback from the relevant sources as soon as it is available.

10. External Examiners

As with all universities in the UK, Staffordshire employs external examiners who are
specialist in the area you are studying. The majority are drawn from other universities or
colleges in the country, although some will also come from industry or other relevant
professions. External examiners look at the assignments that are set for you and the
work you produce. They are asked to confirm that the standards are appropriate for the
level at which you are studying. They attend assessment and award boards and write
an annual report for the University which is used as part of the process, (which includes

23
student representatives) of monitoring the quality and standards of your award. You are
entitled to see these reports and if you wish to do so you should contact your Faculty
office.

External examiner(s) who are responsible for your award are:
Please see attached spreadsheet – for UG Business you need to put all subject
ones in – don’t put telephone numbers below and if they are retired or do not
work in a HE institution you should put ‘independent advisor’ instead of institution
Name: Charles Leather Barrow
Position: Senior Lecturer
Institution: Wolverhampton University

NB:
It is not appropriate for you to make direct contact with external examiners, in
particular regarding your individual performance in assessments. There are other
mechanisms you can use if you are unhappy with your results or other aspects of
your award, such as the appeal and complaints procedures.

External examiners have been informed that if they are contacted directly by
students they should decline to comment and refer the student back to the
University.

12. Accreditation of Prior Learning

The Accreditation of Prior Learning is the term used when a student uses his or
her previous experiences to gain admission to a programme of study; admission
to a module; admission at an intermediate stage in a programme (advanced
standing); or to gain exemption from part of a programme of study. These

24
previous experiences may be work-based learning, general learning experiences
(experiential) or certificated qualifications.

You should normally apply for exemptions or admission with advanced standing
through the AP(E)L scheme when you apply for a place on the award, or
immediately upon registration for your modules. You will not be allowed to apply
for AP(E)L in a module once you have submitted any assessment for that
module. If you apply for exemptions or admission with advanced standing
through the AP(E)L scheme you may be required to undergo some assessment
to determine the relevance of your experiences/qualifications.

The APL and AP(E)L forms can be obtained from the Faculty Office. The APL
and AP(E)L Board usually meets in early October. Its purpose is to consider all
the APL and AP(E)L applications received from students and uphold or reject
these applications dependant on the evidence provided.

13. Award Regulations

Your award is regulated by the Regulations for Postgraduate awards.

These can be accessed at:
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/current/regulations/academic/index.php

Module Failure - what happens if I fail a module? Edit all below if not UG and put in any
award specific regulations in next section

If you have failed to satisfy the assessment criteria of the module, you will be
awarded a fail grade (Grade Points 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 or 0). If you have failed to
submit any assessment for the module, you will be given a Grade Point N (Fail

25
due to non-submission) for the element(s) of that module and you will only be
allowed a further attempt at that element(s) of the module at the discretion of the
appropriate Board.

If I fail a module, can I resit it?

(i) If you made an attempt at your assessments at the first attempt:
You will only be guaranteed an opportunity to attempt referrals once IF,
and only if, you have made an attempt at the assessment(s) on the first
occasion unless a claim for Extenuating Circumstances has been
successful.

(ii) If you did not make an attempt at your assessments at the first attempt:
If you do not submit work or attend assessments at the first attempt, that
guarantee of a referral is lost and the appropriate Board will decide whether
or not to allow you a referral. In making its decision, the Board may take
account of your engagement with that module.

If the Board does allow you a referral(s) and you do not take the referral(s)
at the time notified to you by your Faculty/School, no further referral
opportunity will be given to you and you may fail the award.

When can I take my resit(s)?

In all cases, if you are allowed a referral(s), the referral(s) must be taken at the
next resit opportunity. For most students, this will be in August 2013 but will
depend on the nature of the award and the timing of your assessments.

It is your responsibility to make sure that you know when you are required to
resit.

26
14. Award Specific Regulations

AWARD SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Special Requirements

Core modules cannot be compensated.

Compensation on option modules can only be considered at Grade Point 6.

The following modules may not be waived by accreditation of prior (or experiential
learning (APEL)

Human Resource Management In Context
Managing, Leading and Developing People

Except in the case where students have completed the relevant modules as
prescribed by the CIPD in their transition arrangements, via CIPD examinations.

Students must join the CIPD at the commencement of their studies. The Award
Administrator will manage the application process.

16. Professional Body Recognition

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

27
The CIPD is the UK’s leading professional body involved in the development and
management of people. The chartered status gives HR practitioners the opportunity to
be of the same standing as chartered engineers, surveyors and other chartered
professions.

With a membership of 138,000, including students from a range of employment sectors,
it is the second largest professional body that has chartered status, after ACCA. This is
supported by the research conducted by Chapman et al the estimated benefit of having
a professional qualification equates to an additional £81,000 over a working life and
professional membership is worth £71,000 based on 2008 data.

Therefore as a HR practitioner it is imperative to have experience, academic
qualifications and the relevant level of membership within the CIPD to progress a
successful career. This can be supported by your learning at the University and through
the CIPD at local and national level.

The CIPD also provides a range of services for their members, details of which will be
covered within your induction. It is essential that you become very familiar with the
CIPD website www.cipd.co.uk in particularly the reports, surveys and library material,
including the on line journals.

CIPD North Staffordshire / South Cheshire Branch

You are strongly encouraged to support the Branch's activities; for example, by
attending meetings addressed by Human Resource practitioners. The Branch
Chairperson invites students on the University's CIPD Programme to select/elect a

28
student representative, to be a member of the Branch Committee – www.cipd.co.uk.
Details of the events planned by the local Branch will be available from your Award
Leader as you will be encouraged to attend events that link into your studies and work
priorities.

The Branch Chair is also invited to attend the CIPD student conference which is held
each year as a way of bringing the local Branch and the auniversity closer together.

CIPD and the University Course

The course has been designed to reflect the requirements of the CIPD under the new
qualification framework. The learning outcomes and content match excatly the CIPD’s
framework with the assessment being set internally by the University. You can be
assured that the course meets the requirements of the professional institute and is
approved by them.

17. Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism

The University and Faculty take the issues of academic dishonesty, plagiarism or
cheating very seriously. If you are caught breaking the University’s rules, you can
expect to be punished – this might mean failing an assignment, failing a module
or even failing your award and being asked to leave the University.

It is vitally important that you understand the rules regarding plagiarism. These
can be found at:
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/images/academic_dishonesty_tcm68-12681.pdf

29
There are several resources available to help you in writing and preparing
assignments so that you do not break the rules. You might want to look at the
following resources.
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/uniservices/infoservices/studyskills/

If in doubt, make sure you ask your tutor before you submit work, or arrange to
see someone in the Study Skills Centre (located in the library).

19. Student Guide

This Award Handbook is supported by information on the Faculty induction
website and other resources provided by Central Services.

Faculty webpages http://www.staffs.ac.uk/business

a2z4u http://www.staffs.ac.uk/a2z4u

My Portal http://myportal.staffs.ac.uk

If you are still unable to locate the information you need, please ask at the
Faculty Office Reception

30
Appendix A - Glossary of Terms

Module A unit of study with a defined learning outcomes,
curriculum and assessment.
The module definition is to found in the module
specification for the module.
Each module has a number of Credits, associated with it.
A 15 Credit module notionally requires 150 hours of
learning activity to complete. This learning activity being
divided between time for class contact hours with staff,
independent study and assessment. The number of
allocated learning hours rises in proportion to the number
of Credits attributed to a module at the rate of 10 hour per
credit. All modules are multiples of the basic unit of 15
Credits. So for example, a 30 credit module will have a
learning time of 300 hours.
Core module This is a module that you must take and pass to qualify for
a given award title or range of titles.
Award Option This is a module chosen from a list of Award Option
modules. Award Option modules are studied in conjunction
with the core modules and from the prescribed set of
modules for a particular named award

Co-requisites Co-requisites are those modules that you must take as a
package. All the Level 4 core modules can be considered
to be co-requisites. We have defined co-requisites to make
sure that there is sufficient shape and coherence in your
programme of study to make it a rewarding and interesting
experience. A corequisite is therefore a module which

31
must be studied in addition to and normally at the same
time as a particular module.
Pre- A pre-requisite is defined as a specific requirement that
requisites you must meet before you can take a module. This will
normally mean studying for a module at an earlier level in
the Award.
Please refer to the Undergraduate Modular Framework
Regulations for a more detailed description of this term in
particular the distinction between the terms pre-requisites’
and ‘Special Admissions Requirements’.
Disqualified Disqualified combinations are those modules which you
Combinations cannot study together. This is normally because the
content of the modules overlaps in some way, such that by
taking both you would not cover the equivalent of two-
modules learning.
Grade Point On completion of the assessment of a module, you will be
assigned a grade for that module in the range 0 to 15. In
considering your performance at the end of a Level,
grades will be averaged to produce grade point average
for the Level (weighted by the size of the module). Grade
points run from 0 to 15, with 0-3 being fail grades for
undergraduate module, and 0-6 being fail grades for
postgraduate modules.
Level This indicates the academic level at which study is to be
undertaken –module level 4 year 1, module level 5 year 2
and module level 6 year 3. Normally it corresponds to one
year of study for full-time students. However, students may
take modules from different levels at the same time,
provided that they meet the requirements for their award.
Teaching A period of study into which the year is divided, that may

32
block include induction learning, assessment and academic
counseling.

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Appendix B - Learning Outcomes of the Award

PROGRAMME OUTCOMES

Learning Outcomes for the Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management

Knowledge & Understanding
Demonstrate a critical understanding of professional HRM effectiveness in the
business context underpinned by contemporary research, theory and practice.

Learning
Exhibit capacity for independence in formulating realistic, well-informed views based
on current theory and practice.

Enquiry
Critically evaluate own HRM practice and engagement in professional development,
demonstrating advanced scholarship in linking contemporary theory with professional
HRM practice.

Analysis
Analyse and critically evaluate the impact of current research, challenges and
opportunities on own practice.

Problem Solving
Evaluate contemporary issues in order to inform decision making and make informed
judgments in proposing creative and workable HRM strategies.
Communicate effectively, efficiently and appropriately through the presentation of
information, arguments and ideas targeted to specific audiences.

34
Reflection
Demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge through the critical assessment
of own practice.

Communication
Communicate their conclusions clearly to HR specialist and non-specialist audiences,
for example line management, staff and other organisational stakeholders.

Application
Demonstrate the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring
the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility self-direction and originality in
tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing
tasks at a professional HRM specialist or equivalent level.

35
Learning Outcomes for the Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Development

Knowledge & Understanding
Demonstrate a critical understanding of professional HRD effectiveness in the
business context underpinned by contemporary research, theory and practice.

Learning
Exhibit capacity for independence in formulating realistic, well-informed views based
on current theory and practice.

Enquiry
Critically evaluate own HRD practice and engagement in professional development,
demonstrating advanced scholarship in linking contemporary theory with professional
HRD practice.

Analysis
Analyse and critically evaluate the impact of current research, challenges and
opportunities on own practice.

Problem Solving
Evaluate contemporary issues in order to inform decision making and make informed
judgments in proposing creative and workable HRD strategies.
Communicate effectively, efficiently and appropriately through the presentation of
information, arguments and ideas targeted to specific audiences.

Reflection
Demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge through the critical assessment
of own practice.

Communication

36
Communicate their conclusions clearly to HR specialist and non-specialist audiences,
for example line management and staff and other organisational stakeholders.

37
Appendix C - Curriculum Maps

List of modules for Advanced level Award and Advanced level Certificate in Human
Resources

Modules Credit value (FHEQ)

HRM in context 15

Leading, managing and developing people 15

Developing skills for business leadership 15

Investigating a business issue from an HR perspective 15

Organisational design and development 15

Resourcing and talent management 15

Performance management 15

Reward management 15

Managing employment relations 15

Employment law 15

Employee engagement 15

38
Learning and talent development 15

Designing, delivering and evaluating learning and 15
development provision

Leadership and management development 15

Knowledge management and organisational learning 15

Understanding and implementing coaching and mentoring 15

Rules of combination for CIPD awarded qualifications:

Advanced level Award in Human Resources = 15 credits (FHEQ)
 Choose 1 module

Advanced level Certificate in Human Resources = 60 credits (FHEQ)
 Choose any 4 modules. Modules chosen must form a coherent programme.

NB: Titles for Advanced level Award and Certificate, and rules of combination for
Advanced level Certificate have been revised since the autumn centre workshops to
provide greater flexibility for centres and learners.

39
List of modules for Advanced level Diploma in Human Resources Management

Core modules Credit value
(FHEQ)
HRM in context 15

Leading, managing and developing people 15

Developing skills for business leadership 15

Investigating a business issue from an HR perspective 15

Group A: Optional modules Credit value
(FHEQ)
Organisational design and development 15

Leadership and management development 15

Resourcing and talent management 15

Performance management 15

Reward management 15

Managing employment relations 15

Employment law 15

40
Employee engagement 15

Group B: Optional modules Credit value
(FHEQ)
Learning and talent development 15

Designing, delivering and evaluating learning and development 15
provision

Knowledge management and organisational learning 15

Understanding and implementing coaching and mentoring 15

Rules of combination for CIPD awarded qualifications:

Advanced level Diploma in Human Resources Management = 120 credits (FHEQ)

 Choose 8 modules – 4 core modules and 4 optional modules

 Optional choice must include at least 3 modules from group A. Maximum of 1
module permitted from group B.

List of modules for Advanced level Diploma in Human Resources Development

Core modules Credit value
(FHEQ)
HRM in context 15

41
Leading, managing and developing people 15

Developing skills for business leadership 15

Investigating a business issue from an HR perspective 15

Group A: Optional modules Credit value
(FHEQ)
Learning and talent development 15

Designing, delivering and evaluating learning and development 15
provision

Leadership and management development 15

Knowledge management and organisational learning 15

Understanding and implementing coaching and mentoring 15

Organisational design and development 15

Group B: Optional modules Credit value
(FHEQ)
Resourcing and talent management 15

42
Performance management 15

Reward management 15

Managing employment relations 15

Employment law 15

Employee engagement 15

Rules of combination for CIPD awarded qualifications:

Advanced level Diploma in Human Resources Development = 120 credits (FHEQ)

 Choose 8 modules – 4 core modules and 4 optional modules

 Optional choice must include at least 3 modules from group A. Maximum of 1
module permitted from group B.

Requirements for CIPD approved qualifications:

Core modules Credit value
(FHEQ)
HRM in context 15

Leading, managing and developing people 15

Developing skills for business leadership 15

Investigating a business issue from an HR perspective 15

43
Optional modules Credit value
(FHEQ)
Organisational design and development 15

Resourcing and talent management 15

Performance management 15

Reward management 15

Managing employment relations 15

Employment law 15

Employee engagement 15

Learning and talent development 15

Designing, delivering and evaluating learning and development 15
provision

Leadership and management development 15

Knowledge management and organisational learning 15

Understanding and implementing coaching and mentoring 15

Advanced level Award in Human Resources

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 Map to learning outcomes of 1 module

Advanced level Certificate in Human Resources

 Map to learning outcomes of any 4 modules. Modules chosen must form a coherent
programme.

Advanced level Diploma in HRM/HRD

 Map to learning outcomes of 4 core modules and a minimum of 2 optional modules.
Modules chosen must form a coherent programme.

Option Modules for PGD HRM

1. Managing Employee Relations
2. Employment Law
3. Performance Management
4. Resourcing and Talent Management
5. Organisational Design and Organisation Development *
6. Reward Management
7. Employee Engagement

Option Modules for PGD HRD

1. Management and Leadership Development
2. Understanding and Implementing Coaching and Mentoring
3. Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning
4. Learning and Talent Development

45
5. Organisational Design and Organisation Development *
6. Designing, Delivering and Evaluating Learning and Development Provision

* sits in either qualification

46
Appendix D – The Staffordshire Graduate

The Staffordshire Graduate represents a set of qualities that the University passionately
believes is necessary for success in the 21st century. The Staffordshire Graduate is a
reflective and critical learner with a global perspective, prepared to contribute in the
world of work.

The Staffordshire Graduate will:

Discipline Expertise:

• Have an understanding of the forefront of knowledge in their chosen field

Professionalism:

• Be prepared to be work-ready and employable and understand the
importance of being enterprising and entrepreneurial

Global Citizenship:

• Have an understanding of global issues and of their place in a globalised
economy

Communication and Teamwork:

47
Reflective and Critical Learner:

• Have the ability to carry out inquiry-based learning and critical analysis
• Be a problem solver and creator of opportunities

Lifelong Learning:

Employability, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

Being employable…

... involves the development of a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes
that makes graduates more likely to gain employment, have the capability of
being effective in the workplace and be successful in their chosen occupation to
the benefit of themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy.

Being Enterprising …

…involves a set of skills and attitudes that can enable a culture of identifying
opportunities, creativity, risk taking and innovation. It can involve many activities

48
– for instance organising an event, planning an overseas trip or involvement in a
social enterprise. Equally it can be about finding new solutions to old problems in
your workplace, conducting a piece of research in a resourceful way, starting a
new society or being involved in a community project. Employers value
enterprising people!

Being Entrepreneurial…

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Appendix E – Feedback on assessments

Our principles - good feedback should: Because of the principles, you; the student; can
expect:
1. Be an interactive process involving student-tutor and   To work with a set of agreed assessment rules
student-student dialogue  To agree with staff and other students on why
you will get feedback
There should be an agreed point of reference and  To debate with other students
common starting point between students and staff as  To learn from other students
to what constitutes the purpose and use of feedback  To see other students learn from you
as part of a learning process. The content of this  To debate with lecturers and other staff
originates from the knowledge and professional  To learn from lecturers and other staff
expectations of the subject discipline. Determining  University staff to learn from you
the common starting point is an iterative process  Every conversation about your studies to be a
emerging out of interactive dialogue between staff, type of feedback you can learn from (we are an
students and their peers, where all participants Academic Community)
challenge and are open to each other’s views.  To get feedback throughout your course
 To also get specific and timely formal written

50
feedback from lecturers on your marked
assessments


2. Facilitate the development of self assessment and
reflection  To ask yourself new questions about your
learning
The feedback should generate a series of questions  To ask yourself new questions about your
for the student which makes them think about their subject
learning now, and what they need to do to develop  To improve your understanding of your own
their learning in the future. This will enable them to thoughts
understand the purpose of the feedback in each  To improve your ability to see the worth of other
specific context; create the capacity to developing people’s work and thoughts
evaluative judgement; the ability to review their own  To improve your ability to evaluate your own
performance against professional and academic work and the work of others
criteria; and to think about learning strategies they  To become better at working in order to meet

51
need to develop in the future; specific goals or targets
 To get better at working out what types of
feedback you need and working out when you
need feedback

3. Clarify for students and staff, through dialogue, what   To get better at seeing where your work is good
good or bad performance actually is in the and where it needs improvement
assignment or task. [1]  To get better at seeing where other people’s
work is good and where it needs improvement
This involves identifying and justifying the strengths  To get better at giving people help to improve
and achievements of the assignment, artefact or task their work
under discussion. This should also then lead to  To get better at accepting and using help from
outlining how changes and improvements may be other people to improve your own work
made, through reference to discussion around what  To discuss how ideas like “good” and “bad”
constitutes the criteria for good performance and how relate to marking criteria
the outcomes of the task have been met. Students  To get and give feedback wherever you can: not
need to be aware that feedback is a process that can just in tutorials or seminars
take place at any time or place, and isn’t restricted to
formal learning situations.



52
4. Be developmental, progressive and transferable to  Your feedback to be relevant to your course
new learning contexts  Your feedback to be relevant to the way your
wider subject area is developing
The dialogue and understanding that emerges from  Your feedback to give you useful ideas for ways
the feedback should be applicable both to the current of doing future learning
debate and also contain elements that are able to be  Your feedback to help you get a deeper
translated to a range of current and future learning understanding of your subject
situations. As the student progresses through their  Your feedback to help you develop your overall
learning journey they should be developing a more thinking
sustained and sophisticated approach to their
learning, culminating in the expression of the
graduate attributes appropriate to their level and
subject specialism

5. Be ongoing and embedded in the learning process   To give and receive feedback frequently
 To learn to recognise when it would be useful
Feedback isn’t simply an activity that takes place after for you to get feedback
assessment – it isn’t something that is simply done to  To learn to recognise what type of feedback it
students! Feedback that is effective and timely would be useful for you to get
occurs when students know when they need it,  To learn how to ask for appropriate feedback
recognise what they want it for, and know how to ask  To recognise that there are many appropriate
for it in a way that is appropriate to their needs.. It is ways of giving feedback

53
multi faceted both in terms of content and format.

6. Motivate, build esteem and confidence to support  To get, and give, praise for things that have
sustainable lifelong learning been done well
 To get ideas that will help you improve your
Feedback needs to point out what has been done future learning and work
well, both in terms of the task process and the  To give ideas that will help other people to
product. Feedback needs to offer ‘do-able’ actions for improve their future learning and work
future learning/work, so that students are able to  To get a lot of chances to receive and give
improve. Modules/awards need to engage students feedback in a variety of ways
with multiple feedback opportunities,

7. Support the development of learning groups and   To be part of an improving learning community
communities  To be personally responsible for helping that
community get even better
Good feedback – as outlined in Points 1- 6 - should  To see other people also taking personal
create the environment whereby effective and responsibility for helping the community to get
productive learning is taking place, leading to the even better
emergence of a flourishing learning community.