FACULTY OF BUSINESS, LAW & TOURISM

Module: Essential Study and Employment Skills

Module code: UGB160

Module leader: Joel Arnott

Due date: 12th January 2021

Latest submission time: 11.59pm via Canvas

Assessment weighting: 100%

TITLE: Skills Audit & Personal Development Planning Report

This is an individual piece of work

PREPARATION FOR THE ASSIGNMENT (FORMATIVE, NO MARKS AWARDED)

This assignment requires you, as an individual, to write a report which examines your skills
development and reflects upon an extended group exercise in order to plan for improvement.

You are required to participate in the formative group task first.

You will receive feedback from your tutor at various stages, but no mark will be awarded for the group
exercise.

The purpose of the group exercise is to provide you the opportunity to develop your skills (termed a
‘formative’ task in education, it carries no marks but develops your skills).

The group exercise involves participating as a team in the Take £25 Challenge which is a local
initiative aimed at students to engage them in fundraising activities for the Children’s Foundation in
Newcastle upon Tyne
- http://www.thechildrensfoundation.co.uk/

Students must work in teams to identify fundraising ideas, set targets, plan & prepare, and undertake
these activities over a number of weeks prior to and during the time that Take £25 is open, and then
evaluate and reflect upon the team project.

The evaluation of team performance over the project will take the form of a formative in-class
presentation using PowerPoint.

This preparatory group exercise has stages; you will work on these in class workshops over a number
of weeks (as advised by your tutor and the module scheme of work) and in module self-study time.

The summative assessment requires you to write a report examining your development &
reflecting upon your own experiences from your formative class work and team task.

You must undertake an audit of your skills development and personal development planning
in the form of an individual report – details below.
Task

Using the key models and concepts from the module, you must:
• Identify and examine key study and employment skills for business students, referring to suitable
sources
• self-evaluate and reflect upon your individual development
• identify areas for improvement and research ways in which you can address these areas
• research relevant opportunities and support to develop your study and employment skills
• stipulate how you will develop your skills through extra-curricular activities

You must write an individual report (3000 words +/- 10%) which consists of key 2 areas:

Audit and Evaluation of Key Skills (1,600 words approx.) -

• Please note – these are NOT suggested sub-headings (see advised structure below)
• Assess and reflect upon your individual development so far
• Identify, demonstrate and rate your overall skills development through the formative team activity (Take
£25)
o Include a one-page table in the body to provide an overview of your skills development:
▪ List the key skills, provide examples from the task, and evaluate that skill
▪ the content in the table must be refined, concise & bullet-pointed information – this
must be referred to in the body.

• Examine & evaluate the development of your individual skills through the formative exercise, focusing
on TWO key skills
o You will decide upon the key skills that you will examine
o it is expected that these will include teamwork, communications, research, planning, decision-
making, problem solving, organisation, time-management, for example

o Include a one-page table in the body for EACH key skill to demonstrate & detail your skills
development / audit:
▪ breakdown each chosen skill with reference to supporting reading, provide examples
from the task, and evaluate that skill
▪ the content in the table must be refined, concise & bullet-pointed information – these
must be referred to in the body.

• Within your examination of your skills you must:

o Demonstrate your individual development with specific examples and evidence
o Consider your individual contribution and the overall team performance
o Refer to qualitative and quantitative evidence to support the above, e.g. feedback from peers,
team targets (stats)
• You must use and reference key concepts, models and terms from relevant academic reading.
o Support your work using extracts from and references to suitable academic reading
Personal Development Research & Planning (1,100 words approx.) -
• PLEASE NOTE that these are NOT sub-section headings – see the suggested structure

• Determine the areas that you need to develop with regard to these skills
o arising from the skills audit / evaluation overview
o drawn from a wider consideration of your study and employment skills
o provide an overview (in a concise table)
• Explore and consider the opportunities to learn and develop whilst at University
o Research a number of developmental / learning opportunities
o Your research must be demonstrated and sourced
o Provide an overview (in a concise table)
• Discuss the areas for development and focus on TWO-THREE avenues for improvement that you
intend to pursue
o Support your work with evidence from your searches, enquiries, applications, etc. relating to
developing your skills / seeking experience
• Include short tables in the body to map the chosen developmental opportunities examined against the
key skills to be developed
o the content in the table must be refined, concise & bullet-pointed information
o These must be referred to in the body of the report

• In the Appendices, you must provide a Personal Development Plan for the next 12-18 months AND
include an up-to-date, annotated CV
o CV must be annotated to highlight areas that are currently being developed and areas
warranting development
o PDP must provide key details and be supported with sourced research
▪ both of these must be referred to in the body of the report

• You must use and reference key concepts, models and terms from relevant academic reading
o Underpin your work using extracts from and references to suitable academic reading

• VERY IMPORTANT – Tables and Appendices are not in the word count but MUST be
used effectively to demonstrate your evidence and evaluation.
o You must refer to these in the body of your report
o Tables must include concise, refined and bullet-pointed information (NOT extensive
passages of content/text)
o Tables must NOT be longer than a single page (if over a page, only the first page will be
considered by the marker)
o Appendices must be important and concise (NOT extensive content taken from the body)
Note - You MUST:

• Underpin your work using extracts from and references to suitable academic reading
• Refer to suitable extracts from key reading (core academic texts and academic articles)
• Refer to secondary sources and research

• Use the Harvard Referencing system – use Cite them Right

• Include short tables in the body:

▪ to detail your skills development and audit
▪ to map the developmental opportunities examined against the relevant skills
▪ the content in the table must be refined, concise & bullet-pointed information these must be
referred to in the body of the report

• Include Appendices to your report containing:

▪ Relevant evidence of the team task specific to your discussion, e.g. team agreement,
minutes, Gantt chart, examples of work showing your personal contribution
▪ research into opportunities to develop
▪ annotated CV and PDP form
▪ other evidence, e.g. Reflection(s) using Gibbs’ Model
• these must be referred to in the body of the report

Support will be given in the workshops and on Canvas

Referencing

• As part of the report process you are expected to cite core textbooks, journal articles AND internet-
sourced information
• These must ALL be correctly referenced within the main body of the report and listed in full at the
end of the report under ‘References List’
o Divide into two categories –
o Academic references
o Non-academic references
• You must use and Cite Them Right and the HARVARD referencing system
Structure & format –
Your report MUST be written in a recognised academic format, including the following:

(Front/Cover page)
• Module Code and Module Title
• Title of Assignment
• Module Leader’s Name
• ** Your Tutor’s Name (this person will mark your work) **
• Your Name (Family name underlined or in capital letters)
• Your Student Number
• Date of Submission

• Contents Page (listing key sections and relevant page numbers)

1.0 Introduction
2.0 Audit and Evaluation of Key Skills
Provide an overview of your skills development in the team task
- use sections and sub-sections, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, etc.
2.1 Teamwork Skills (for example)
2.2 Communication Skills (for example)
3.0 Personal Development Research and Planning
Identify key skills for development and research/explain the development opportunities
Provide an overview of the opportunities to be pursued, and examine two-three of them
- use sections and sub-sections, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, etc.
3.1 Volunteering (for example)
3.2 Internships (for example)
4.0 Conclusion

REFERENCES List (using Cite them right and HARVARD system)

- two categories:
- Academic references
- Non-Academic references

APPENDICES – Including:
• specific evidence from the formative team task
• annotated CV
• PDP form
• Further key evidence

Format –
Make your assignment easy to read – some guidelines
• Make all general typeface 11pt Arial, Calibri, Tahoma
• You should use line spacing of 1.5
• All pages should be numbered
• All diagrams, tables and appendices MUST be labelled, numbered, titled and sourced (as
appropriate)

Please note –
• correct spelling, punctuation and grammar are also expected
• grammar/spell check and proofread your work
Learning Outcomes
The following learning outcomes will be tested in this assessment:

Knowledge
K1. An understanding of essential skills for Higher Education study and the skills that must be developed
for their future employability.

K2. An understanding of evaluation and reflection techniques and personal / professional development
planning.

K3. Knowledge of the opportunities available for developing themselves, their study and employability skills
while at university and the importance of developing a CV.

Skills
S1. Application of evaluation and reflection methods to examine demonstrated and developed higher level
skills and behaviours in order to identify areas for development.

S2. Application of research and information skills into the opportunities for self- development and
enhancement.

S3. Application of personal / professional development planning to specify stated areas for improvement.

Submission details

YOU MUST SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY BY THE DEADLINE through UGB160 module page on Canvas
for checking with ‘Turnitin’
a. Accessible in the Assessment section
b. Students may submit drafts prior to submission and generate reports.
• The last submission prior to the deadline is deemed to be the final submission for
assessment purposes

Plagiarism / Infringement Statement

All Assessments are subject to the University’s Policy on 'Cheating, Collusion and Plagiarism'. Students
found guilty of this are subject to suitable penalties.

This is an INDIVIDUAL piece of work - If there is evidence that the work is not wholly attributable
to you, the University's policy on 'Cheating, Collusion and Plagiarism' will be applied

Please refer to the Academic Misconduct information in the Student Handbook (on Canvas).
Extenuating Circumstances
If you are affected by any extenuating circumstances and cannot submit your work, for example illness or
severe personal difficulties, you must inform your programme leader, personal tutor, module leader or
module tutor immediately.

IMPORTANT – ‘FIT TO SUBMIT’:

Any student who presents themselves at an examination and takes that examination, or who submits a
piece of coursework, or attends and takes part in a presentation, practical session, or any other form of
assessment cannot then put in a later request for extenuating circumstances.

They will be deeming themselves 'Fit to Sit' if they thereby engage in the assessment and no allowance
will be made for any difficulties, they later wish to claim affected their results.

For information or to discuss an issue you are having, please contact the programme leader or
personal tutor in the first instance.

Please refer to the Extenuating Circumstances guidance in the Student Handbook (on Canvas).
Assessment Criteria - The following criteria will be applied

Categories
Grade Relevance Knowledge Analysis Argument and Structure Critical Evaluation Presentation Reference to Literature
86 – The work examined is exemplary and provides clear evidence of a complete grasp of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to the Level of the
100% qualification. There is also unequivocal evidence showing that all the learning outcomes and responsibilities appropriate to that Level are fully satisfied. At this level it is
expected that the work will be exemplary in all the categories cited above. It will demonstrate a particularly compelling evaluation, originality, and elegance of argument,
interpretation or discourse.

76-85% The work examined is excellent and demonstrates comprehensive knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to the Level of the qualification. There is also
excellent evidence showing that all the learning outcomes and responsibilities appropriate to that level are fully satisfied. At this level it is expected that the work will be
excellent in the majority of the categories cited above or by demonstrating particularly compelling evaluation and elegance of argument, interpretation or discourse and
there may be some evidence of originality

The work examined is of a high standard and there is evidence of comprehensive knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to the Level of the qualification.
70 – There is also clearly articulated t evidence demonstrating that all the learning outcomes and responsibilities appropriate to that level are satisfied At this level it is
75% expected that the standard of the work will be high in the majority of the categories cited above or by demonstrating particularly compelling evaluation and elegance of
argument, interpretation or discourse.
Directly relevant to A substantial Good analysis, Generally coherent and May contain some Well written, with Critical appraisal of up-to-
60 – the requirements knowledge of clear and orderly logically structured, using distinctive or standard spelling date and/or appropriate
Pass

69% of the assessment relevant material, an appropriate mode of independent thinking; and grammar, in a literature. Recognition of
showing a clear argument and/or may begin to readable style with different perspectives.
grasp of themes, theoretical mode(s) formulate an acceptable format Very good use of source
questions and independent position material. Uses a range of
issues therein in relation to theory sources
and/or practice.

Some attempt to Adequate Some analytical Some attempt to construct Sound work which Competently Uses a variety of literature
50 – address the knowledge of a fair treatment, but a coherent argument, but expresses a coherent written, with only which includes some
59% requirements of range of relevant may be prone to may suffer loss of focus position only in broad minor lapses from recent texts and/or
the assessment: material, with description, or to and consistency, with terms and in uncritical standard grammar, appropriate literature,
may drift away intermittent narrative, which issues at stake stated only conformity to one or with acceptable though not necessarily
from this in less evidence of an lacks clear vaguely, or theoretical more standard views format including a substantive
focused passages appreciation of its analytical mode(s) couched in of the topic amount beyond library
significance purpose simplistic terms texts. Competent use of
source material.
 40 – Some correlation Basic Largely A basic argument is Some evidence of a A simple basic style Some up-to-date and/or
49% with the understanding of descriptive or evident, but mainly view starting to be but with significant appropriate literature
requirements of the subject but narrative, with supported by assertion formed but mainly deficiencies in used. Goes beyond the
the assessment addressing a little evidence of and there may be a lack derivative. expression or material tutor has
but there are limited range of analysis of clarity and coherence format that may provided. Limited use of
instances of material pose obstacles for sources to support a point.
irrelevance the reader

35 – Relevance to the A limited Heavy Little evidence of coherent Almost wholly Numerous Barely adequate use of
39% requirements of understanding of a dependence on argument: lacks derivative: the writer’s deficiencies in literature. Over reliance
the assessment narrow range of description, development and may be contribution rarely expression and on material provided by
may be very material and/or on repetitive or thin goes beyond presentation; the the tutor.
intermittent, and paraphrase, is simplifying writer may achieve
may be reduced to common paraphrase clarity (if at all) only
its vaguest and by using a
least challenging simplistic or
terms repetitious style

The evidence provided shows that the majority of the learning outcomes and responsibilities appropriate to that Level are satisfied – for compensation consideration.
Fail

30 – The work examined provides insufficient evidence of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to the Level of the qualification. The evidence provided
34% shows that some of the learning outcomes and responsibilities appropriate to that Level are satisfied. The work will be weak in some of the indicators.

15-29% The work examined is unacceptable and provides little evidence of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to the Level of the qualification. The evidence
shows that few of the learning outcomes and responsibilities appropriate to that Level are satisfied. The work will be weak in several of the indicators.

0-14% The work examined is unacceptable and provides almost no evidence of the knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to the Level of the qualification. The
evidence fails to show that any of the learning outcomes and responsibilities appropriate to that Level have been satisfied. The work will be weak in the majority or all of
the indicators.