Coursework Assignment Brief Postgraduate Academic Year 2020-21 Module Title:Project Management MethodsModule Code:BNV7130Assessment Title:Project Management Methods PortfolioAssessment TypeCWRKWeighting: 100 %School:School of Engineering and the Built EnvironmentModule Co-ordinator:HONG XIAOHand in deadline date:12pm Mid-day on 18th May 2021Return of Feedback date and format20 working days from date of submission (see Moodle for details).Re-assessment hand in deadline date:12pm Mid-day on Monday 26th July 2021 Note: the reassessment work may be different.Support available for students required to submit a re-assessment:Timetabled revisions sessions will be arranged for the period immediately preceding the hand in dateNOTE:At the first assessment attempt, the full range of marks is available. At the re-assessment attempt the mark is capped and the maximum mark that can be achieved is 50%.Assessment SummaryFor this assignment, you need to present a portfolio that covers 3 topics / themes from this module. In the portfolio, you need to demonstrate your understanding of the project management theories and elaborate how you can apply them in practice. You are encouraged to use your own project experience and/or real life project examples to contextualise your research, critically reflect upon the current construction practice, and derive your own innovative solutions. IMPORTANT STATEMENTS Standard Postgraduate Regulations Your studies will be governed by the BCU Academic Regulations on Assessment, Progression and Awards. Copies of regulations can be found at https://www.bcu.ac.uk/student-info/student-contract For courses accredited by professional bodies such as the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) there are some derogations from the standard regulations and these are detailed in your Programme Handbook Cheating and Plagiarism Both cheating and plagiarism are totally unacceptable and the University maintains a strict policy against them. It is YOUR responsibility to be aware of this policy and to act accordingly. Please refer to the Academic Registry Guidance at https://icity.bcu.ac.uk/Academic-Services/Information-for-Students/Assessment/Avoiding-Allegations-of-Cheating The basic principles are: Don’t pass off anyone else’s work as your own, including work from “essay banks”. This is plagiarism and is viewed extremely seriously by the University.Don’t submit a piece of work in whole or in part that has already been submitted for assessment elsewhere. This is called duplication and, like plagiarism, is viewed extremely seriously by the University.Always acknowledge all of the sources that you have used in your coursework assignment or project.If you are using the exact words of another person, always put them in quotation marks.Check that you know whether the coursework is to be produced individually or whether you can work with others.If you are doing group work, be sure about what you are supposed to do on your own.Never make up or falsify data to prove your point.Never allow others to copy your work.Never lend disks, memory sticks or copies of your coursework to any other student in the University; this may lead you being accused of collusion. By submitting coursework, either physically or electronically, you are confirming that it is your own work (or, in the case of a group submission, that it is the result of joint work undertaken by members of the group that you represent) and that you have read and understand the University’s guidance on plagiarism and cheating. You should be aware that coursework may be submitted to an electronic detection system in order to help ascertain if any plagiarised material is present. You may check your own work prior to submission using Turnitin at the Formative Moodle Site. If you have queries about what constitutes plagiarism, please speak to your module tutor or the Centre for Academic Success. Electronic Submission of Work It is your responsibility to ensure that work submitted in electronic format can be opened on a faculty computer and to check that any electronic submissions have been successfully uploaded. If it cannot be opened it will not be marked. Any required file formats will be specified in the assignment brief and failure to comply with these submission requirements will result in work not being marked. You must retain a copy of all electronic work you have submitted and re-submit if requested. Learning Outcomes to be Assessed:1 Comprehensively discuss the complexity and interlink of the operations of managing construction projects.2 Clearly identify and analyse the issues, restraints and challenges in managing construction projects.3 Competently examine and apply theories and methods into managing construction projects.4 Critically evaluate the effectiveness of construction project management methods in practice. Assessment Details: Title: Project Management MethodsStyle: Coursework / PortfolioRationale: As this module covers a very wide range of topics relevant to the whole life cycle of a construction project, portfolio is chosen for its assessment so you can demonstrate your in-depth knowledge and understandings of various aspects of construction project management.Description: For your portfolio, you need to choose 3 different topics / themes covered in the lectures of this module, and critically discuss their application in construction project management. Based on broad reading and research, you need to critically evaluate the current construction practice, identify the challenges / problems, and explore possible solutions and the implications to the industry and practitioners to demonstrate your understanding of the complexity in construction project management. You may choose to focus on the UK or offer a more international flavour if you wish. And you are encouraged to use your own or real-life projects / experience as case studies for your discussion and analysis. The work presented should assume an informed audience, i.e. somebody already familiar with the lecture material that has been presented. There is no need for detailed explanations of basic definitions and concepts.Additional information: Portfolio is a relatively flexible assessment format which can suit your individual learning style and requirements. Instead of submitting one big piece of work, you need to build up a file by completing a series of smaller pieces (in this case, 3) throughout the module. You can use the following formats in your portfolio (one format for all 3 topics or different formats for different topics): an essay; a critique of a journal paper; a project review / report; a critical discussion on a piece of news; a reflective journal of the progress of your understanding on one subject / topic; an audio recording; a video clip. Your portfolio can use the following structure: introduction topic 1 – (description and discussion of your chosen topic) topic 2 – as above topic 3 – as above conclusion list of references used (not included in word count)For advice on writing style, referencing and academic skills, please make use of the Centre for Academic Success: https://icity.bcu.ac.uk/celt/centre-for-academic-successWorkload:Your portfolio (excluding the references) should be up to (or equivalent to if you choose audio / video format) 3000 words (±10%).A typical student would be expected to take 40 hours to pass this assessment.Transferable skills:Time management Academic writing Referencing Marking Criteria:Table of Assessment Criteria and Associated Grading CriteriaLearning Outcomes 1Comprehensively discuss the complexity and interlink of the operations of managing construction projects. 2Clearly identify and analyse the issues, restraints and challenges in managing construction projects. 3Competently examine and apply theories and methods into managing construction projects. 4Critically evaluate the effectiveness of construction project management methods in practice. Assessment Criteria Contents Analysis English Referencing Weighting: 40% 40% 10% 10% Grading Criteria0 – 39% E/F All or the majority of the topics are irrelevant to the module. Inadequate depth and incorrect or irrelevant material. Entirely or mainly descriptive. Failing to properly address the questions posed in the assignment brief. Poorly structured and written, with many errors in grammar, spelling. Not presented professionally. Referencing style inconsistent and sparse. Harvard approach not correctly used. 40 – 49% D Not all the topics are relevant to the module. Very basic coverage of material relevant to topics but descriptive nature and with errors, inaccuracies or misunderstanding. Some limited development of ideas present. Heavily dependent on an uncritical acceptance and recital of received opinion. Attempts to develop ideas, but with points not fully explained or justified. Basic structure in place including an introduction and conclusion but lacking clarity or logic in flow or argument. Some errors in grammar, spelling or style. Some attempt to reference but with errors and/or inappropriate sources. 50 – 59% C All the topics are covered in the module. Sound knowledge and reasonable conceptual understanding of the topics throughout. Evidence of wider reading and an attempt to apply these ideas, but still in an essentially limited way. Some evidence of critical thinking. Competently written, but limited and restricted in scope, lacking flair and original thought. A few errors in grammar and spelling. A reasonable range of references cited, largely in appropriate Harvard format. 60 – 69% B 3 distinctive topics covered in the module. Good coverage of relevant and appropriate material showing evidence of independence of thought. Sensible debate with most points developed and justified. Clear evidence of critical thinking. Effective presentation with few significant errors in grammar, spelling, layout or style. Sound range of sources used with largely correct Harvard referencing. 70 – 79% A 3 distinctive topics covered in the module. Comprehensive coverage of directly relevant material. Highly effective approach based on thorough research, an ability to synthesise material, and evidence of wider reading. Discursive approach, which engages in a full and reasoned debate around the theme of the question. All important points justified. A clearly critical and original perspective fully developed. Communicated effectively with appropriate language, impeccable presentation, and polished and reader-friendly style/layout. Relevant material included with a good range of appropriate and relevant sources, using Harvard referencing consistently and correctly. 80 – 100% A+ 3 distinctive but well-linked topics covered in the module. Outstanding context which addresses the question in an exemplary manner, with a logical, clear and coherent structure which marshals a wide range of evidence Excellent skills of evaluation, synthesis and critical analysis are demonstrated. Creative presentation of the content. Worthy of publication with little or no editing; and/or match the best quality work from professional practise. Appropriate and sufficient academic materials used in correct Harvard style throughout with a full and correctly presented reference list. Submission Details: Format:Your need to submit your portfolio as one document (in Word or PDF format) on Moodle electronically. If your portfolio includes audio / video elements, please contact the module tutor for alternative submission arrangement.Regulations:The minimum pass mark for a module is 50% Re-sit marks are capped at 50% Full academic regulations are available for download using the link provided above in the IMPORTANT STATEMENTS sectionLate Penalties If you submit an assessment late at the first attempt then you will be subject to one of the following penalties: if the submission is made between 1 and 24 hours after the published deadline the original mark awarded will be reduced by 5%. For example, a mark of 60% will be reduced by 3% so that the mark that the student will receive is 57%. ; if the submission is made between 24 hours and one week (5 working days) after the published deadline the original mark awarded will be reduced by 10%. For example, a mark of 60% will be reduced by 6% so that the mark the student will receive is 54%. if the submission is made after 5 days following the deadline, your work will be deemed as a fail and returned to you unmarked.The reduction in the mark will not be applied in the following two cases: the mark is below the pass mark for the assessment. In this case the mark achieved by the student will stand where a deduction will reduce the mark from a pass to a fail. In this case the mark awarded will be the threshold (i.e. 50%)Please note: If you submit a re-assessment late then it will be deemed as a fail and returned to you unmarked. Feedback: Formative feedback will be provided through: • verbal feedback in lectures by the tutor • your Action Learning Set by your peers • written feedback through Moodle’s discussion forum by the tutor and peers • written feedback on your interim submissions on Moodle by the tutor • verbal feedback during the coursework surgery session by the tutor Summative feedback will be provided through: written feedback on your final submission on Moodle by the tutor Marks and Feedback on your work will normally be provided within 20 working days of its submission deadline. Where to get help: You will have two interim submission opportunities (Week 7 and 10) for formative feedback on your draft. A coursework surgery session will be available at the last teaching week. Students can get additional support from the library support for searching for information and finding academic sources. See their iCity page for more information: http://libanswers.bcu.ac.uk/ The Centre for Academic Success offers 1:1 advice and feedback on academic writing, referencing, study skills and maths/statistics/computing. See their iCity page for more information: https://icity.bcu.ac.uk/celt/centre-for-academic-success Additional assignment advice can be found here: https://libguides.bcu.ac.uk/MA Fit to Submit: Are you ready to submit your assignment – review this assignment brief and consider whether you have met the criteria. Use any checklists provided to ensure that you have done everything needed. Assignment Tip Sheet Assignment Checklist Run through this simple tick list before submitting your work! Report Well prepared materials make your work look more professional and easy to understand. ItemActionDone?1I have used the spellchecker and proofread the report correcting errors several times.2I have checked that all material is directly related to the assignment tasks.3I have checked that all the required information has been included in the report.4The report is professionally presented using consistent headings, fonts and layout.5All tables and images are numbered and captioned.6I have used the report structure specified in the assignment. Referencing and Originality Your work will be subjected to checks to ensure it is not derivative of other works. Works found to be derivative may leave you subject to penalties, including in extreme cases, expulsion from the University. ItemActionDone?1All images and tables are fully referenced2I have not copied any material from anywhere else. All sentences have been paraphrased into my own words.3All references appear in the references section at the end of the presentation.4All references are cited in the text in the form of (author, year). See https://www.bcu.ac.uk/library/services-and-support/referencing for more details.5If I have used quotes, these are fully referenced, appear in quotation marks and form only a small part of my report. Content Is your work complete? Have you included all the required elements? ItemActionDone?1I have included 3 different topics in my portfolio.2All the 3 topics I have chosen are covered in this module.3I have had a concise introduction.4I have had a meaningful conclusion based on my research.5My work within the 3000 words limit (excluding references) or equivalent (if use audio / video format).
