MSc Management and Implementation of Development Projects / Course details

This Semester 2 unit is primarily delivered as a 3-day Masterclass workshop, which is held on-campus, usually at the beginning of Semester 2. The unit’s core themes are relevant for HR professionals / project leaders / organisational change agents / development practitioners across various sectors. The unit is designed for postgraduates experienced in international practice and also for those about to start their career

The unit aims to broaden perspectives of postgraduates so they can optimise their influence and effectiveness in professional settings. Self-awareness and self-confidence are targeted as key areas of development opportunity in the unit. A wide range of interventions and skills are explored in order to develop and strengthen students’ professional practice.
 

The course unit is intended to maximise learner initiative and student engagement with the support of the conveners. Teaching provision offers special attention to learner involvement and student participation. Diagnostic and application exercises also help structure student motivation and engagement.
A variety of learning activities is offered. These activities include: pre-reading before the workshop, self-report diagnostic questionnaires, case study work in small groups, large group discussions, presentations by students, reviews of practitioner behaviour underpinned by theory, film clips for identifying characteristics and skills relevant to the workplace, lecturer inputs, and handouts. Formative feedback is regularly provided to students during the workshop activities. Constructive summative feedback on the written assessment is provided to students on an individual basis.

Learning hours:

Pre-workshop guided reading, seminar and activity 20 hours 
Workshop incorporating lectures, discussions, and scenario-based case studies 18 hours 
Post-workshop review seminar 2 hours 
Directed reading 50 hours
Private study, including reading and assignment  60 hours 
Total hours 150 hours

Show awareness of common features of contexts of international development

Explain conceptualisations of effective reflective practice

Demonstrate knowledge of personality variables and their relevance to understanding workplace behaviour in international development contexts

Discuss the origins and development of personal values

Demonstrate critical understanding of the dimensions and challenges associated with ethical workplace behaviour especially in international contexts

Explain the design and application of competency frameworks in workplace environments

Summarise approaches to understanding and assessing behaviour in work contexts

Demonstrate an appreciation of practical competence from theoretical and personal perspectives

Show appreciation of the importance of whole-person learning as the underpinning of continuous professional growth

Locate and analyse literature relating to the formation and expression of professional characteristics and skills and from a personal perspective

Select and design valid behavioural interventions, fit for purpose, from both authoritative and facilitative perspectives

Manage personal goals and opinions when they differ from someone else’s

Strive to achieve the greater good through the ethical use of wise political actions

Discipline: to reflect systematically on one’s own and others’ progress through everyday challenges

Confidence: to anticipate and navigate institutional change, both planned and unexpected

3000 word written (open book) individual assessment

Feedback is fundamental within adult learning and for performance improvement. In this unit, both students and convener provide feedback to each other continuously. In Week 1, for instance, the contracting of expectations between learners and unit convener is a real feedback-process in initiating the unit of study as well as an early topic on the syllabus for study (the practitioner-client role-relationship). The implementation of this learning contract is reviewed regularly through feedback during the semester.

Brière, S., Proulx, D., Flores, O. N., & Laporte, M. (2015). Competencies of project managers in international NGOs: Perceptions of practitioners. International Journal of Project Management, 33(1), 116-125.

Eden, S. (2014). Out of the comfort zone: enhancing work-based learning about employability through student reflection on work placements. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 38(2), 266-276.

Ingham-Broomfield, B. (2021). A nurses' guide to using models of reflection. The Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 38(4), 62-67.

Jones, H., Jones, N., Shaxson, L., & Walker, D. (2022). Knowledge, policy and power in international development: A practical framework for improving policy. ODI.

Leslie, H. M., Banks, G., Prinsen, G., Scheyvens, R., & Stewart & Withers, R. (2018). Complexities of development management in the 2020s: Aligning values, skills and competencies in development studies. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 59(2), 235-245.

Slabbert, B., & Hoole, C. (2021). A competency framework for coaches working in coaching development centres. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 47(1), 1-10.

Zaidi, I., & Bellak, B. (2019). Leadership development for international crises management: the whole person approach. Journal of Peacebuilding & Development, 14(3), 256-271.

Zárate-Torres, R., & Correa, J. C. (2023). How good is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for predicting leadership-related behaviors?. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 940961.

Timetable

A pre-workshop briefing is offered voluntarily so that students can make an informed decision to join the course.

The course is scheduled twice, one small group meeting the week before Easter Weekend, another small group meeting the week after Easter Weekend.  (This helps take account also of students being on fieldwork in other courses.)

Each workshop is an intensive, three consecutive day event, from 09.00 hrs to 17.00 hrs. The examination on the morning of the fourth day lasts no longer than three hours.