Group Project

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

Total 200 hours

Completion of MGMT90128 Project Management. or, if in the 150pt accelerated program, enrolment in MGMT90128 Project Management.

Must be enrolled in the Executive Master of Arts program.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

The Group Project is a group research project, undertaken for an external organisation, with the aim of investigating and proposing a solution to a real problem or challenge for the organisation. The Group Project provides an opportunity for students to work in teams, to apply and extend their knowledge acquired in the EMA coursework modules, and to further their experiential learning in a specific professional context. Integral to this learning experience are team work. understanding the needs of the organisation. and engaging with the organisation to define the problem to be solved, the scope of the project, and the nature of the final product. Students in the Group Project will be supervised by the Subject Director in collaboration with a Designated Supervisor at the external host organisation. The student teams will have the opportunity to be co-located with the external organisation, to extend their professional networks, and to acquire appropriate professional work experience. Students will deliver the results of their project to the organisation in both written format and in a formal presentation. Students will also have the opportunity to reflect on their experience.

Consistent with the overarching objectives of the EMA, students who will complete the Group Project will:

·Help to define and solve a real problem identified by an external organisation.

·Apply and extend knowledge obtained through prior completion of EMA subjects in a professional setting.

·Learn to work effectively as part of a small team in a professional setting.

·Develop project planning and management skills.

Effectively communicate results to client groups and an academic audience.

Three assessment tasks totalling 10,000 words.

1. A 7,000 word group project that is developed in consultation with the external organisation that hosts the project. It will be assessed and graded jointly by the organisation and the Subject Coordinator. It is worth 70 per cent of the final result and each student will be awarded the same mark and result for the project. Due at the end of the semester.

2. A formal oral group presentation of the Group Project, equivalent to 1,500 words, and worth 15 per cent of the final result. This presentation will occur at a formal event, involving the host organisations for the group projects and academic staff and students in the EMA program. This is a group assignment and each student in the group will be awarded the same result for this task.

3. A 1,500 word reflective essay, due at the completion of the subject. This is an individual assignment and it will require students to reflect critically and personally on their experience of the Group Project. It is worth 15 per cent of the final result and it will be assessed by the Subject Coordinator.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Advanced communication skills (written and verbal) appropriate to professional contexts.

·Project management skills, including scoping projects, developing timelines and meeting deadlines.

·Team work and task management.

·Research and critical thinking in application to a real world problem.

Interpersonal skills, including the capacity to work effectively in teams and to develop relationships with clients.