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

• Number and length of classes: One 2-hour lecture each week plus one 1-hour tutorial each week. Tutorials commence in Week 2. Within these periods, time for student consultation will be available.
• The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site:
  • Timetable Portal:  http://timetables.mq.edu.au 
• You cannot change your tutorial class without the permission of the Unit Convenor.
• Students should attend lectures and tutorials. Attendance will be taken in the tutorials and the lectures . Warning: You must attend at least 9 of the 11 tutorials. A Doctor’s certificate should be produced for all cases of non-attendance. Special permission must be obtained if you envisage missing any other compulsory classes.
• While students are expected to attend all Lectures, the Lectures in weeks 1, 4, 5 and 13 are compulsory. 

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials 

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.

Technology Used and Required  

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 

Learning and Teaching Activities

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. 

• This Unit includes the exploration of how the ways people learn may differ across the globe;
• Another theme included in this Unit is the role that training and development - and organisational learning - play in buiding sustainable organisations.

• This unit uses research by Macquarie University researchers (references provided in iLearn)
• This unit gives you practice in applying research findings in your assignments 
• This unit gives you opportunities to conduct your own research