Upon successful completion of the programme all students will be able to:
· demonstrate an understanding of the publishing management disciplines of editorial, marketing and production;
· demonstrate an understanding of the dynamic nature of publishing and its defining characteristics;
· assess the nature of the role of the author and reader in the publishing process;
· show a knowledge of the social, economic and regulatory frameworks which affect publishing production, circulation and consumption;
· evaluate the impact that information and communications technology is having on content creation and distribution
In addition students completing a dissertation or major project for the MA will be able to:
· undertake a substantial individual supervised study demonstrating clearly defined aims and objectives, data collection, analysis and evaluation and reasoned conclusions (MA);
Disciplinary/Professional Skills
Upon successful completion of the MA/PGDip programme all students will be able to:
· use a range of academic professional skills across a wide range of publishing contexts;
· demonstrate a critically informed competency in the management and operation of a range of publishing technologies, and processes;
· apply an understanding of the publishing industry and the key publishing management functions to the management of a publishing project;
· formulate and evaluate publishing projects working across a variety of group and individual modes of study and to demonstrate flexibility, creativity and the capacity for critical self-reflection.
Transferable skills
Upon successful completion of the programme, students will have developed the following skills:
· Self management: An ability to clarify personal values, appraise their own performance through a process of critical self-reflection, set and organise personal objectives, and work to briefs and deadlines.
· Learning Skills: An ability to identify and appraise personal learning strategies to work independently and co-operatively, using library and ICT skills to access and manage information, and a range of academic skills to research, interpret, analyse, synthesise and summarise this information.
· Communication: An ability to express ideas and opinions in written, oral, and visual forms to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes using appropriate language and media, as well as the ability to listen actively so as to be able to participate in and learn from discussion, and the ability to persuade rationally, through negotiating and asserting one's own values, while respecting other people's values.
· Teamwork: An ability to work productively in a group by taking responsibility, and carrying out agreed tasks; an ability to work within a team in a supportive role; an ability to evaluate and appraise team performance, and take the initiative and lead others.
· Problem solving: An ability to apply knowledge, understanding and experience to identify and deal with a problem; an ability to analyse and think laterally about a problem and its solution; as well as an ability not only to be able to come up with strategic options, but to be able to evaluate the success of different strategies.
· Information and Communications Technology: An ability to use ICT as a communication and learning tool, as well as a tool for accessing and managing information, and for presenting this information and related ideas; and an ability to use specialist software where relevant to the discipline.
Teaching, learning and assessment methods used to enable outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated:
As the international project team worked on the design of the programme, they were increasingly influenced by ideas and practice coming from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), expressed principally in their Code of Practice for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards in Higher Education, by RF Ministry of Education and Science regulations, and by John Biggs’ ideas on constructive alignment.
Our teaching, learning and assessment strategy is designed to support students, and enable them to achieve the programme aims and learning outcomes.
Teaching and Learning
There are a variety of teaching and learning methods which we use across the programme. Most modules use more than one learning and teaching method, and this ensures that students are exposed to a range of different learning opportunities, which helps maintain student motivation and interest.
Some of the key teaching methods we use are:
· lectures designed to provide students with the foundation knowledge and a framework for study that will enable them to achieve the learning outcomes for the module
· seminars and workshops designed to encourage students to engage in discussion with tutors and peers to test their understanding and ability to apply ideas, to develop their transferable skills, and to encourage deeper learning
· computer workshops to give students the opportunity to test, clarify, and apply their ICT skills
· field trips to book fairs and to the industry, for example, printers, publishers, retailers, so that students can see at first hand what they have learned about during lectures and workshops
· group work role play simulating new product development in a real-life publishing context
· individual supervision in support of self-directed outcomes for dissertation or major project
