Portfolio of Learning Assessment and Workshop Activities

Assessment Task

The purpose of this form of assessment is to encourage students to take responsibility of their own learning such that they can analyse business situations; evaluate ideas and concepts; think critically; and challenge and make judgements about those concepts. It also provides students with a record of the learning achieved on the module.

Workshop and extended activities have been designed to make real some of the ideas, theoretical frameworks and concepts presented in the workshops and in the directed reading from the designated text – Gilligan and Wilson. Workshops present an opportunity for students to explore (by application to cases and to the activities of real companies) some of the strategic marketing concepts, and so get us thinking in real business terms.

The Assessment Task

You are required to complete a portfolio of learning that demonstrates an organised personal log/record of workshop activities, related e-tivities and additional reading and research. Your portfolio should contain evidence of your active participation in the learning process. To do this the portfolio is to provide evidence of:

• Understanding of key concepts and frameworks
• The ability to correctly and appropriately apply selected concepts and frameworks to real business cases
• Independent study to include additional reading and research around the topics

You are required to select and submit for assessment six mini reports as a single word document. This is your portfolio of learning. Each report is to be based upon learning applied to case studies used within the workshops. Copies of these can also be found on NILE. Appendix 1 provides you with a template to use for each portfolio entry.

As a rough guide, you can expect to capture sufficient material for each of the six portfolio entries within two sides of A4. You are encouraged to use bullet points, tables, charts and models where appropriate. Overall wordcount 2200 words.

Do not include copies of the case materials themselves.

General guidance:

When submitting your overall portfolio, use the following structure:

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:

1. a) Select, explain, and apply key aspects of marketing theory and practice which have some complexity and depth
2. b) Make connections between key underlying principles within marketing theory and practice
3. c) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the construct of key marketing principles
4. d) Communicate ideas effectively by selecting from a range of tools and strategies to convey meaning and purpose
5. e) Reflect on lessons learned to ensure positive impact on continuous personal & professional development, and productivity in the workplace

Your grade will depend on the extent to which you meet these learning outcomes in the way relevant for this assessment. Please see the grading rubric on NILE for further details of the criteria against which you will be assessed.

Assessment Support

Specific support sessions for this assessment will be provided by the module team and notified through NILE. You can also access individual support and guidance for your assessments from Library and Learning Services.  Visit the Skills Hub to access this support and to discover the online support also available for assessments and academic skills.

General Guidance

Unless this is a group assessment, the work you produce must be your own, with work taken from any other source properly referenced and attributed. For the avoidance of doubt this means that it is an infringement of academic integrity and, therefore, academic misconduct to ask someone else to carry out all or some of the work for you, whether paid or unpaid, or to use the work of another student whether current or previously submitted.

For further guidance on what constitutes plagiarism, contract cheating or collusion, or any other infringement of academic integrity, please read the University’s Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy.  Also useful resources to help with understanding academic integrity are available from UNPAC .

N.B. The penalties for academic misconduct are severe and can include failing the assessment, failing the module and expulsion from the university.

Assessment Submission

To submit your work, please go to the ‘Submit your work’ area on the NILE site and use the relevant submission point to upload your report. The deadline for this is 11.59pm (UK local time) on the date of submission. Please note that essays and text based reports should be submitted as word documents and not PDFs or Mac files.

Written work submitted to TURNITIN will be subject to anti-plagiarism detection software.  Turnitin checks student work for possible textual matches against internet available resources and its own proprietary database. Work

When you upload your work correctly to TURNITIN you will receive a receipt which is your record and proof of submission.  If your assessment is not submitted to TURNITIN, rather than a receipt, you will see a green banner at the top of the screen that denotes successful submission.

N.B Work emailed directly to your tutor will not be marked.

Late submission of work

For first sits, if an item of assessment is submitted late and an extension has not been granted, the following will apply:

• Within one week of the original deadline – work will be marked and returned with full feedback, and awarded a maximum bare pass grade.
• More than one week from original deadline – grade achievable LG (L indicating late).

For resits there are no allowances for work submitted late and it will be treated as a non-submission.

Please see the Assessment and Feedback Policy for full information on the processes related to assessment, grading and feedback, including anonymous grading.  You will also find the generic grading criteria for achievement at  University Grading Criteria.  Also explained there are the meanings of the various G grades at the bottom of the grading scale including LG mentioned above.

Extensions

The University of Northampton’s general policy with regard to extensions is to be supportive of students who have genuine difficulties, but not against pressures of work that could have reasonably been anticipated.

For full details please refer to the Extensions Policy.  Extensions are only available for first sits – they are not available for resits.

Mitigating Circumstances

For guidance on Mitigating circumstances please go to Mitigating Circumstances where you will find detailed guidance on the policy as well as guidance and the form for making an application.

Please note, however, that an application to defer an assessment on the grounds of mitigating circumstances should normally be made in advance of the submission deadline or examination date.

Feedback and Grades

These can be accessed through clicking on the Feedback and Grades tab on NILE. Feedback will be provided by a rubric with summary comments.

Workshop activity & outcomes:

1.an overview of the case study

2.a brief summary of the group task.

3.A record of the main points of the workshop activity and discussion arising and findings / conclusions drawn.

4.Reflection of the task (was there sufficient information? did the group offer different perspectives for example)

Key learning:

Provide detail of the main points you have learned (providing analysis and conclusions relating to the key themes), including reference to additional reading and/or research to support your learning.

You may want to consider how your independent learning supports or challenges your findings from the workshop, or perhaps it extends your learning further.