Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Associate Professor Louise Thornthwaite
Contact via louise.thornthwaite@mq.edu.au
E4A Room 653
Wednesday 2.00-3.00pm
Tutor
Jo Attard
Contact via TBA
TBA
TBA
Tutor
Fran Caflisch-Martin
Contact via TBA
TBA
TBA
Rebecca Young
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
6cp at 200 level including (HRM201 or HRM222 or HRM250)
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit explores the role and practice of learning and development (L&D) in organisations with an applied industry component. With industry partners, the unit provides students with the opportunity to apply L&D knowledge and skills to the training and development function as well as training delivery. Through this, students will develop a broad view of the complex and contested issues that confront organisations when constructing systems of learning and knowledge generation. Thus, students will gain an appreciation of the strategic choices available and key practical challenges in L&D. Students learn the concepts and theories relevant to this area, and apply these concepts by actively engaging with a partner organisation on a project of contemporary strategic relevance. In addition, in completing the project students will develop graduate capabilities in professional and personal judgement and initiative and being socially active and responsible.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Presentation & Report | 40% | No | Report due 21 May (wk 11 tute) |
Final Examination | 50% | No | University Examination Period |
Tutorial Participation | 10% | No | weeks 2-10 |
Due: Report due 21 May (wk 11 tute)
Weighting: 40%
This is a PACE subject. A central feature of this course is the group project undertaken according to collaboration with and guidance from our PACE Partner organisations. A set of Guidelines will accompany the Unit on Ilearn which provides details of the Group Project and is assessment. Extensive time is devoted in the tutorial program to training students in groupwork dynamics and skills and monitoring progress. Students also must complete a confidential peer review report in which they score all members of the group.
Note attendance in particular lectures and tutorials is mandatory and attendance will be recorded. Students who miss these lectures and tutorials will fall short of the knowledge base for the Group Project unless they take active measures to prevent this (ilearn copies of lectures, extra reading).
Submission
Presentations will be held in tutorials in weeks 10-12. Details of the presentation format/requirements will be located on Ilearn.
Reports must be submitted in the following three ways:
(a) as a written report submitted to your tutor the tutorial in week 11.
(b) through the Turnitin Link on the Ilearn Site.
(c) by email to the Convenor: louise.thornthwaite@mq.edu.au.
The Covenor will be forwarding the emailed copy of Reports to the relevant PACE Partner Reports by email. The email must be provided in either a Word document or a PdF document so that Convenor does not have software difficulties sending reports to the Partners. Groups which fail to provide an accessible emailed copy will not have their report submitted for the Partner Organisation's consideration.
The Group Projects will be formally assessed by academic staff teaching the Unit. In addition, PACE Partners will read the reports relevant to their Project Brief and decide which Report has addressed their needs best. The student group which Partners judge the best in their category will be expected to provide their presentation (again) in WEEK 13 to the PACE partners and all students during the Final Lecture Period.
Extension
No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for disruption of studies is made and approved. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.
Due: University Examination Period
Weighting: 50%
Examination conditions
A 2 Hour Closed book exam will assess material covered in lectures, tutorials and required readings.
Due: weeks 2-10
Weighting: 10%
Student participation will be assessed on the basis of informed contributions to discussions about set Homework Readings for particular weeks and engagement in group dynamics training and other activities.
To facilitate assessment of contributions to discussion on set readings, students are required to complete a brief homework exercise for three of the weeks in which a set reading is specified for the tutorial. This will be indicated by the words SET READING on the Lecture and Tutorial Guide on ilearn.
One week before the particular set reading/tutorial, questions will be uploaded on ilearn for the relevant week. Students should address these by providing one sheet of A4 paper with the answers. This can be handwritten or typed. The name of the student, student number and tutorial time must be included at the top of the page. When students arrive at the tutorial, they must sign the roll indicating they have done the homework and then engage in the discussion of the set reading/questions. Students must submit the homework page at the end of the tutorial. Two marks will be awarded for the submission of homework which meets these requirements. This will account for six of the ten participation marks. The other four participation marks are based on the quality of contributions made in the other tutorials (prior to week 10 when presentations begin). Please note the tutorial in Week 5 is compulsory because Management Plans for the Group Project will be completed in this hour.
PACE Unit
This unit includes a semester-long group-based project as a participation unit as part of the PACE program. It integrates the materials that have been covered in first and second year Human Resource Management units, applying this material to learning and development problems as presented by the Client Partner. Its objectives are to investigate what kinds of factors influence the learning and development strategies within an organisation to work towards achieving a competitive advantage. The classes are conducted through lectures and industry speakers, as well as tutorials. Students develop a report around the Client Partners’ specified learning and development problem/s. Throughout the unit, the emphasis is on the analysis process: identifying information needs, acquiring the necessary information, interpreting it and using it as the basis for business recommendations back to the Client Partner(s).
This unit examines learning, training and development strategy in the context of community engagement as a participation subject. Students will actively participate in a project within the learning and development area of the Client Partner to develop solutions for the problem presented. Students will gain practical knowledge, experience and skills with the community organization and will be challenged to analyse the context and to examine the intersection between theory and practice. Students will contextualize their graduate capabilities, explore and develop their learning and development strategy potential through this community engagement. This unit aims at preparing students for effective, responsible, ethical and active management of the learning and development strategy through community engagement.
Please note. Successful completion of this Uni requires the student to achieve 50% in total in the assessment tasks offered.
Classes
Compulsory: The text for this unit is:
Carberry, R. and Cross, C. (2015) Human Resource Development: A Concise Introduction, Palgrave Macmillan.
There are also many articles on ilearn under each topic section. These provide an indication of the journals available in this area and authors working in this area that are useful for students in completing assignments.
The unit will be delivered via the Macquarie learning management system (iLearn), therefore students are expected to have access to and be familiar with iLearn. For more information go to http://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/studentinfo.htm
Students are expected to have access to and be able to use the internet, electronic mail, word processing and spreadsheet applications.
Unit Web Page
Course material is available on iLearn https://ilearn.mq.edu.au
Given that this unit is all about creating effective learning experiences, we will endeavour to create such an environment in our classes. You are expected to read and research each topic in advance, participate in class and tutorial discussions and to maintain a strong interest in current issues and changes in HR Learning & Development.
Tutorials commence in Week 2. Students are expected to come to tutorials having read the relevant reading(s) for the previous week (see lecture and tutorial schedule). Where specific scholarly articles are provided as set reading for the tutorial, a homework requirement is attached to the participation mark. In those cases, the articles can be found on ilearn, among the documents for that week.
In week 3 you will form groups for the group project. Some of the tutorials focus on content related to the subject's topics, while other tutorials focus on teaching/training students in the skills of groupwork to enhance understanding of how groups work and the capacity of study groups to work effectively. In the week 5 Tutorial, groups will complete their Management Plan which is a fundamental aspect of the Group Project.
Changes Since Last Offering This Unit
This Unit was transformed into a PACE Unit in 2013. The Unit has substantial involvement of industry partner(s). The assessment methods include a group project that involves a project co-designed with our industry partner(s) to address real-life contemporary issues in learning and development. Our industry partners will also be involved in providing resources and guidance in relation to completion of the project. The delivery mode remains the same as in previous years, and includes presentations by industry partners, and presentations by our students to our industry partners. The assessment has been modified - by specifying more clearly the breakdown of individual and group marks for the group project. This is to ensure that individual contributions are given equal weight with group contributions in the assessment of the Group Project, and that all students have the opportunity to engage (through the Group Project) closely and intellectually with one of the theoretical themes of the Unit.
Week |
Thursday classes |
Lecture Topic |
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1 |
26 Feb |
Introduction to HR Learning & Development, what the field encompasses, key concepts and the role of government policy.[ Textbook Ch 1 and 5] |
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2 |
5 March |
Learning: Theories and Principles (Text Ch 4) Tutorials start this week |
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3 |
12 March |
The systematic training model 1: Training Needs Analysis & Design (Text, Ch 7) |
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4 |
19 March |
Presentation by Industry Partner |
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5 |
26 March |
Presentation by Industry Partner |
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6 |
2 April |
The systematic training model 2: Training Design Principles (Text Ch 8) Student opportunity to provide questions to Partner Companies - vetted through Unit Convenor |
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7 |
9 April |
Systematic training model 3: Transfer of Learning and Development (Ch 9 and Ch 10 pp.186-189) |
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16 APRIL - 27 APRIL UNIVERSITY RECESS |
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8 |
30 April |
Systematic Training Model 4: Evaluation of L & D (Ch 10) |
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9 |
7 May |
Employee Development (Ch 9)
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10 |
14 May |
Special Issues in L&D - Leadership Development (Ch 12)
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11 |
21 May |
Careers & Career Management (Ilearn Readings)
Group Case Study Report due |
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12 |
1 June |
Organising and marketing the HRD function (Ch 2 and 3) |
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13 |
8 June |
Presentation of best proposals to Industry Partner who will also address the class, providing a response to the projects received. Exam format also provided. |
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