PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - 2027/8

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 students will learn about many topics and obtain business acumen. Topics may include but are not limited to

• Introduction to PPD and why we need CPD.
• Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence.
• Teamwork and Performance Management. 
• Presentation Process, Content and Public Speaking. 
• Impression Management, Self-Image and Presentation. 
• Decision Making and Leadership Skills.
• Data Management Skills: Sensemaking, Presentation, and Challenging.
• Communication, Negotiation and Delegation.
• Employee Wellbeing, Remote Working, Digital Skills and AI.
• Career Planning and CPD Road Map in line with CIPD.  

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

The alternative assessment for the group project/ presentation is to submit an individual reflection on the group presentations observed and any notes taken during seminars. A detailed assessment brief will be provided in advance to support students who are required to do the alternative assessment in line with Code of Practice alternative assessment section. 

Assessment Strategy

Summative Assessments
This module consists of two summative coursework assessments, group presentation/ project and one individual reflection. 

Lectures provide theoretical underpinning required for assessments. Seminars 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. Seminars guide students to prepare for assessments.

Assessment 1 is a Reflective Group Coursework (Project) - The first assessment consists of a formative and a summative assessment compnent. Students will be asked to present on a specific topic during seminars. The presentation itself is not assessed and students will receive specific feedback about their performance. Once all students in the seminar have presented, students will need to reflect critically on two aspects and take in-class feedback into account: 1. their own group performance and skills development and 2. their peers group performance and skills development. Group reflections need to be underpinned with theories and concepts discussed in lectures and seminars.  The assessment enables students to become familiar with group/ team work dynamics and frameworks regularly used in the context of management and leadership. This assessment refers to learning outcome 1,2 and 3.  This assessment refer to learning outcomes 1, 2 and 3. 

Assessment 2 is an Individual Coursework - Students are asked to reflect on their learning and development throughout the module underpinned with evidence and create a CPD road map. This assessment refers to learning outcomes 1, 4 and 5. 

Formative Assessments
Lectures and seminars are designed to support assessment development and prepare students to complete assessments successfully. Students can discuss coursework draft outlines if they wish in advance. Each week students will also have the opportunity to engage in short quizzes to test their knowledge and understanding. 

Module aims

• Gain knowledge about research, theories and concepts concerned with personal and professional development.
• Explore their own 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 seminars. 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.  

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

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 2027/8 academic year.