PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - 2024/5

Module Overview

Personal and professional development is about knowing your self, knowing your self development needs, strengths, weaknesses, interests and where and how to seek development opportunities inside and outside employment and at university. Self-awareness, self-determination, self-image, self-care, resilience, resourcefulness and sustainable ways to navigate turbulent times throughout career(s) are concepts we explore and learn how to utilise in order to successfully manage our careers. Exploration, journaling, introspection, reflection and prospection play a crucial part in this module as well as sharing of experiences and working in teams. Lectures and workshops are designed to deepen understanding about behaviour, attitudes and capabilities individually and as a team. The assessments deepen knowledge, understanding and further personal and professional development that serves students' career paths in the long term. The module works closely with central careers and employability services offered by the university.  

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

RIVERS Christine (SBS)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

In the context of personal and professional development, topics include:

• Self-awareness


• Self-presentation and self-image 


• Self and working in a team


• Self-care and lifestyle 


• Self-determination and motivation


• Self in a digital world with artificial intelligence (AI) 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Team presentation - individual presentation

Assessment Strategy

Summative Assessments
This module consists of two summative course work assessments, one team presentation and one individual reflection. 

Lectures provide theoretical underpinning required for assessments. Workshops are designed to give students space to explore evidence-based knowledge and dive deeper into personal and professional development relevant to their potential future profession. Workshops guide students to prepare assessments and students are highly encouraged to engage and submit formative assessments.  

Team Presentation  - Students are asked to work in small teams, analyse a set of professional profiles in the context of topics discussed throughout the module. This assessment refers to learning outcome 3 and 5.  

Individual Reflection  - Students are asked to reflect on their learning throughout the module including insights gained, knowledge expansion, team work experiences and identify future personal and professional development opportunities, outline an action plan for the future. The reflection is due a week after the team presentation. This assessment refers to learning outcomes 1, 2 and 4. 

Formative Assessments
Workshops are designed to support assessment development and prepare students to complete assessment. Students have the opportunity to submit reflective journal entries after each workshop and use these as part of their summative submission. 

Module aims

• Gain knowledge about research, theories and concepts concerned with personal and professional development.
• Explore personal and professional needs to manage career(s) successfully and sustainably in different environments in the future.
• Develop capabilities to become reflective and self-aware future leaders and managers.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The module is delivered in the format of lectures and workshops. Lectures dive deep into evidence-based knowledge around personal and professional development and draw on various disciplines outside business management including but not limited to: psychology, sociology, communications, anthropology, neuroscience, mindfulness, leadership to name a few. Lectures might invite guest speakers from inside and outside the university to share personal and professional development journeys and give tips around CV creation and online self-representation and branding.  

Workshops give the opportunity to explore concepts further and apply them in a practical way that supports the achievement of learning outcomes. Workshops are interactive and experiential in nature. Workshops provide a space to share and learn from each other. 

 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN1150

Other information

This module focuses strongly on resourcefulness, resilience, employability and sustainability in the context of personal and professional development. 

Resilience and Resourcefulness and the impact of the digital world on working life and wellbeing are key concepts underpinning teaching and learning of the module. 

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2024/5 academic year.