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Teaching

You are taught through a combination of interactive workshops, lectures, seminars, practical sessions, etc to facilitate learning and skill development surrounding key digital business components. Interactive workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion and small group activities. Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures, and are focused on developing subject-specific digital skills and applied individual and group project work. As this is a ‘digital-focused’ programme, there will be a particular teaching focus within each level of learning where modules are geared towards 'digital components', regarding the use of digital technologies, which are drawn from the latest web-based platforms, digital apps/software and latest industry trends. In addition, guest lecturers and visiting speakers may be asked to deliver content based on their specific expertise. 

Meetings (both individual and group) with personal academic tutors are scheduled throughout the academic year. Some of these may be online and some may 20240724 Page 6 of 19 be face-to-face. There is an opportunity to undertake a year-long placement in the third year of the course, supervised by a work-based mentor and a University tutor.

Contact time

In a typical week students will have at least 12 contact hours of timetabled teaching(including lectures and seminars/workshops) which will mostly be face-to-face, with some elements of online delivery based on pedagogic needs of each module. At Level 6,if students choose a Research or Consultancy project, they will have guided supervision time (as opposed to contact time in the format of lectures/seminars) with a Project Supervisor. 

Typically class contact time will be structured around a mix of seminars and lectures:

• Lectures: delivery of core concepts to a larger group of students
• Seminars: the opportunity to engage in group discussion of module concepts, to practise group facilitation, presentation, communication and listening skills, and for application of learning within practical activities such as applying digital tools within business contexts
• Guest lectures: Visiting speakers and opportunities to visit other settings are usually regular features of the course. 

Typically, this is a mix of either a 1-hour lecture and a 2-hour seminar, or a 1.5-hour lecture, and a 1.5-hour seminar, or 2 x 1.5 hour combined lecture/seminar. 

Independent self study

In addition to the contact time, full-time students are expected to undertake around 24 hours of personal self-study per week, plus additional preparation for assessments and examinations. Typically, this will involve meeting with individual tutors to discuss progress and feedback, completing online activities, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online. In addition to this, students will spend time sharing ideas with fellow students, taking part in extra-curricular learning activities, and engaging with external employers.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources as well as our network of employers and entrepreneurs.

Duration

• 3 years full-time
• 4-6 years part-time
• 4 years full-time including one year placement.

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that whilst we try to be as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week; and some classes can be scheduled in the evenings.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course.

The team includes senior academics, professional practitioners with industry experience and business leaders and employers.

Teaching is informed by research and consultancy and many of the lecturers on the course have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. 

Staff profiles can be viewed on the Worcester Business School Staff Profile Page. 

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments. Each module has one or more formal or ‘summative’ assessment which is graded and counts towards the overall module grade. 

Assessment methods include reports, practical artefact portfolios, reflective portfolios, exams, and presentations.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken, but a typical formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is: 

Year 1

• 1x 4000-word Reflective Portfolio
• 1x 2500-word Report and 15min Group Poster Presentation
• 1x 2hr Examination
• 1 x 2000-word report and Practical [Digital] Artefact
• 1 x practical Artefact and Group Project (Presentation and Poster)

Year 2

• 1 x 2000-word Reflective Portfolio and 2000 word written assignment
• 1 x 1000- word (equiv.) Individual Presentation and 3000-word Marketing Communications Plan
• 1 x Portfolio with E-commerce artefact and written piece
• 1 x Portfolio with Social Commerce artefact and written piece
• 1 x 3000-word individual report
• 1 x 3000-word case study

Year 3

• 1 x 1500-word Portfolio and Social Media Campaign and 2500-word report
• 2 x Practical Portfolios (Artefacts)
• 1 x 3000-word Report
• 1 x 1500-word Report and 1500- word (equiv.) Presentation
• 1 x 1500-word Report and 1500-word Risk Assessment 

Programme Specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please