MODULE HANDBOOK

August 2022

Module title: Professional Competencies

Module code: PWSU PC
Level: Pre-University
School: BUV
Location of Delivery: BUV Ecopark Campus

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1. Introduction

This is a foundation module intended to provide students with an introduction to a range of

necessary study and personal skills, including ideation and creativity, effective study, stress
and health management, teamwork and collaboration, personal branding, and career
development.

Students will explore how professionals in different career sphere function, and how they
interact with the environment. The unit will also require the student to consider some of the
ways and skills to be successful in different communities and organisations. In this module
students also get familiarised with specific skills such as critical thinking and creative
problem solving, exercise sound reasoning to analyse issues, make decisions, and solve
problems, communication, teamwork and collaboration, leadership, professionalism, global
perspective, technology and Information Management, career management.

This foundation course will benefit the student in terms of the subsequent study of specialised
subjects. It is helpful to view this introductory unit as an opportunity to develop a solid
framework of knowledge, as well as a critical academic approach.

2. Module Tutors

This module is delivered by Ms Sana Dorry - based in the Faculty Office on the 3rd floor.
You can reach your module leader by appointment or via email as follows:
sana.d@buv.edu.vn

3. Module Learning Outcomes

1. Use techniques for study, analysis, and reflection at university and elsewhere
2. Work collaboratively within groups and teams and develop personal relationships
3. Apply techniques to manage time, deadlines, and stress effectively
4. Demonstrate knowledge of career planning, development, and employability

4. How will I learn on this module?

The learning strategy requires students to commit to 60 learning hours, of which 30 hours
will consist of contact time and 30 independent learning hours. The independent study will
require students to further develop and practise these skills using a combination of formative
and summative assessment exercises/quizzes independently and as part of a small group.

A combination of lectures and tutorials/workshops will provide students with the opportunity
to develop a range of business and interpersonal skills. The module will be delivered in 2-
hours of lecture and 4 hours workshops that includes group work, practical exercises, and
in-class Assessments/ Quizzes and knowledge checks.

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Week Class Content Workshops Assessment
Schedule
Quiz 1: conducted in
1 Lecture 1 class on CANVAS
Introduction to the module Career Exploration
Learning styles, Critical thinking Professional Etiquette Release final
assessment to students
(50%)
Technology Literacy Quiz 2: conducted in
2 Lecture 2 Learning Strategies class on CANVAS
Knowing yourself, Build your brand
Presentation Skills

Critical and Analytic Thinking Quiz 3: conducted in

3 Lecture 3 Academic skills, Personal profiling & Design Thinking Process class on CANVAS

Teamwork & Collaboration Quiz 4: conducted in

4 Lecture 4 Talent management, Work competencies Social Intelligence class on CANVAS

Time and workload Management Quiz 5: conducted in

Lecture 5 Importance of teamwork, Effective negotiating Emotional Intelligence class on CANVAS
5 skills, Assertiveness
Deadline: Group
Presentation video
submission (50%)

6 Final Exam Week

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5. Attendance and Absence

Your attendance is required at all teaching sessions for this module. Your attendance will be
monitored and if you start missing classes this will be recorded and you will be contacted to
discuss your absence. The university reserves the right to intermit or withdraw your
registration if your contributed absence (unless authorised by the University) in the view of
your faculty, compromises your ability to progress/complete your award satisfactorily and/or
meet the learning outcomes of the module(s) you are registered on.

6. Learning Resources

You will need to use a range of resources available in the library and online. You will receive
this information on Canvas.

 The key text for this module is:

Cottrell, S (2019) The Study Skills Handbook. Red Globe Press: London

 Additional suggested reading:

Peggy Klaus, (2008) “The Hard Truth About Soft Skills: Workplace Lessons Smart People
Wish They’d Learned Sooner” Harper Business
Cottrell, S., (2011) “Critical Thinking Skills” Palgrave, Basingstoke
Trought, F., (2012) “Brilliant Employability Skills” Pearsons, Harlow

7. How I will be assessed in this module?

This module is assessed through two elements:

Group Presentation 50%

In class CANVAS Quiz 50%
(Please note that your weekly Quizzes will be held last 30 minutes of each lecture, and they
are solely based on the lecture topics of the week. You will not be tested on your workshops on
these in class quizzes).

Total 100%

To pass a module you must achieve at least 40% in the module overall.
If you fail to satisfy the assessment criteria of the module, you will be awarded a fail. If you
have failed to submit any assessment for the module, you will be given N (Fail due to non-
submission) for the element(s) of the module and you will only be allowed a further attempt at
that element(s) of the module at the discretion of the appropriate Board.

It is therefore essential that you attempt and make a submission for all pieces of assessment.

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 Support and guidance relating to assessment is available through your course team as well as
from university support services. Please see your Student Handbook and your Module Leader
or Programme Leader for information on what to do if you can’t hand in work due to
circumstances beyond your control.

8. Submission and Feedback

Feedback on your performance is provided in a variety of ways – all the way through a
module you will be receiving informal feedback on your performance, in your discussions
with teaching staff in tutorials for instance. Feedback should help you to self-assess your work
as you progress through the module and help you to understand your subject better.

Feedback is not just the marks at the end of the module – it could be regular verbal advice
about your work, perhaps as you develop a portfolio of work; comments made by tutors or
fellow students in group discussions; or the written comments on your work.

You can expect to receive formal feedback on your assessed work no later than 20 working
days after it has been submitted.

For this module, your feedback will be available in the following way:
- You will receive feedback through Canvas & Turnitin
- You will be able to meet your ML or email for personal feedback

9. Academic Integrity

The school of Pre-University prepares students to join University programmes. For

Staffordshire University and BUV Programmes, the regulations are very strict. If even the
smallest amount of plagiarism is present in your work, at a minimum, you will fail that
assessment. It also means that if you receive three instances of academic misconduct in
total during your studies at BUV, you will fail your award and your studies at the
university will likely be terminated.

When submitting an assignment, you MUST leave yourself enough time to check the
levels of similarity using Turnitin, and change your assignment if you realise that you
have accidentally plagiarised. Speak to your module leader if you are concerned about
any similarity you spot in your work. Please note, that just because Turnitin does not
show any similarity in the initial check of your work, that does not mean you have not
committed plagiarism.

This module requires that you demonstrate what you have learnt and that you have met the
learning outcomes of the module. To do this you are required to complete the module
assessment. The University expects this to be, for individual assessments, your own work and
so must comply with the University’s regulations on academic misconduct. Academic
misconduct includes things like cheating in examinations, making-up data and plagiarism.

According to Staffordshire University guidelines, plagiarism is defined as a student

submitting the work of others as his/her own for the purpose of satisfying formal assessment
requirements. Thus plagiarism is the use of the ideas, words and/or artefacts of others without
due acknowledgement.

BUV follows Staffordshire University policy on academic misconduct and takes suspected
cases of academic misconduct, including plagiarism very seriously. The penalties are severe
and can in some cases result in a student not being allowed to continue their studies.

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 Plagiarism can happen in any type of assessment where you are given the questions or tasks
in advance.

You will have committed academic misconduct if you commit any of the following:
 Plagiarism
 Self-Plagiarism
 Collusion
 False Declaration
 Fabrication or Falsification of Data
 Bribery or Intimidation
 Contract Cheating
 Examination Misconduct

Please see here for a detailed explanation of these terms or click the individual links above.

If Academic Misconduct is proven by the university, then typical punishments include:

 The grade for your assessment, being reduced to zero with the right to resubmit.
 The grade for the whole module or supermodule being reduced to zero with the right to
resubmit.
 Failure of the entire level of which you are currently studying with a requirement to re-
start the level at the next opportunity
 Failure of the award and/or termination of your studies at the University. Your ability to
reapply and enrol again at the university may also be restricted, normally for two whole
academic years.

BUV encourages you to refer to appropriate academic sources, as long as you reference these
correctly, and do not use too much material from the original source.

You must use the Harvard referencing system for all your assignments, unless you are told
otherwise by your Module Leader. If you do not know how to do this, please follow the
guidelines given at this web-site address:
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/support_depts/infoservices/learning_support/refzone/harvard/

BUV employs Turnitin to assess all submissions for potential academic misconduct. This
software highlights to the examiners in detail where material may have either been copied
directly or paraphrased from a source with correct citation.

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10. How can I give my views on this module?

You are welcome to discuss your views on the module at any time – please speak to your
module tutor. Views may also be expressed through Staff Student Liaison Meetings. You
will have the opportunity to provide formal feedback on this module, by completing a module
feedback survey. In addition you will have a chance to comment on your overall experience
by undertaking one of the student surveys this year; these are really important to us – they let
us know how well we are doing, and we really appreciate your input. You can also use the
email address feedback@buv.edu.vn at any time to give feedback about any aspect of your
experience at BUV.

These are some of the things that last year’s students liked about the module:

- Practical and useful for university life

- Lots of new knowledge on academic topics

and this is what we have changed after last year’s feedback comments:

- We have improved the content to make it more up-to-date

- We have changed the format of the presentation

11. Ethics

All students and staff are expected to adhere to the University’s Ethical Review Policy. There
may also be additional Professional Body ethical requirements. It is the responsibility of all
students and staff to ensure that ethics are fully considered as appropriate, and codes of
conduct followed. Any student wishing to seek further advice on ethical issues in relation to
their work should contact their module tutor in the first instance.

12. Module External Examiner

External examiners help the university to ensure that the standards of your course and
modules are comparable to those provided by other universities or colleges in the UK. More
information on the role performed by external examiners can be found at:
www.staffs.ac.uk/externalexaminers/