Introductory description

To provide bespoke academic skill development and support for Foundation Year students on the BSc (with Foundation Year) in Accounting and Finance or Management.

To enable supportive learning transition between A level and BTEC qualifications and the requirements of Undergraduate study.

To familiarise students with the role(s) of the University and to develop an understanding of how they can engage meaningfully with University life in order to make the most of their experiences of HE.

To provide qualitative skills development in the following areas: active reading; critical analysis and reflexivity; communication and presentation skills; meaningful engagement with the my.wbs as an online learning platform; team-working; effective note-taking in lectures; engaging with group discussions and asking questions during seminars; engaging with case studies and management research; responsible use of AI tools; receiving, acting upon and giving constructive feedback.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The module will equip Foundation Year students with key academic skills required for successful completion of WBS undergraduate degree programmes, with a focus on qualitative skill development. The module invites students to consider the University as a distinctive community of practice, relating this to their own emerging academic identity.. During interactive lectures they will engage with key debates in higher education, explore a short management case study and consider some of the key communication skills required when working in a team.

A central thread running through the module will be effective and ethical academic practice, including responsible use of AI tools, how to avoid plagiarism and how to identify a ‘good’ literature source. Students will be encouraged to become active readers, and to engage critically with key debates in higher education. They will also practise oral presentation and discussion skills, as well as giving and receiving feedback. These sessions are intended to help establish approaches that enable the cohort to engage with substantive material in this and other FY modules, as well as preparing them for undergraduate study

Indicative content includes:

The role(s) of the University and developing an academic identity
Teaching, learning and assessment methods in HE
Becoming an active reader
Receiving, using and giving meaningful feedback
Effective group work
Presentation skills - Engaging your audience
Communicating with clarity
Research skills: Using the library and literature searching
Finding your argument: using and evaluating evidence
The writing process: creating and planning
The writing process: Reviewing and editing
Academic integrity, referencing and plagiarism
Using AI tools responsibly
Engaging with management case studies
Engaging with management research
Reflective writing

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Critically reflect on the role(s) of Higher Education Institutions and their own academic identity.
• Identify the components of effective academic writing and be able to complete different forms of verbal and written assessment.
• Engage with and evaluate a range of teaching, learning and assessment methods.
• Plan and Structuring Work.
• Manage time.
• Think critically.
• Evaluate and apply evidence.
• Solve problems.

Indicative reading list

Bassot, B (2020) The Reflective Journal (3rd Ed) London: Macmillan

Collini (2017) Speaking of Universities London: Verso

Holmes et al. Eds (2023) The Ethics of artificial Intelligence in Education: Practices, Challenges and Debates. New York: Routledge

M. Molesworth, R. Scullion, & E. Nixon (2011), The Marketisation of Higher Education and the Student as Consumer. London: Routledge

Northedge, A. (2005) The Good Study Guide. Milton Keynes: The Open University.

Wallbank, A. (2022) Academic Writing and Dyslexia (2nd edition). London: Taylor Francis

Subject specific skills

Skills developed are primarily intended to support academic progress in other modules on the FY and in subsequent years of their chosen degree programmes. However, students will develop their ability to critically reflect upon the role(s) of the University.

Transferable skills

Produce critical assignments that demonstrate structural integrity, a sense of purpose and clear use of language.
Read critically for study, questioning sources and comparing different viewpoints on a topic.
Engage critically with sources, showing an ability to summarise, synthesise and evaluate materials as well as
acknowledge the original authors
Communicate effectively across different forms of delivery, both verbal and written.