Virtual open evening

- Hello, everyone, and welcome to our virtual open day. Here with me, we have a panel of guests, and it is your opportunity to ask Cambridge Education Group and LSBU all your focus questions.

So I'd just like to introduce myself. My name is Selima. I am a senior course advisor for Cambridge Education Group. And with me today I have Michael and Leila and also Chelsea. So Michael, would you like to introduce yourself, and then we can just take it from there.

MICHAEL ANTHONISZ: Hi, everyone. My name is Michael Anthonisz. I'm the program director for both the Bachelors in Business and Management and the MSC in Project Management. I've been working in higher education for the last 22 years, both in the UK and internationally, so I've got a lot of experience in developing and managing these programs for UK institutions and international institutions, and I'm very familiar with cultural differences with regard to students and student learning styles.

My background more generally in terms of the teaching that I do is focused predominantly around marketing and international business. Yeah, and I look forward to hearing more of your questions about the programs.

SELIMA RAHMAN: Amazing. And Leila, would you like to introduce yourself to us?

- Hi, everyone. My name is Leila Dale, and my background is mostly in human resources management. I worked in public and private companies, and lately I've been working with ONCAMPUS Hull for University of Hull as a business tutor. I'm help developing some of the courses as well, so I'm very, very excited to now work as a module leader for CG Digital and excited to see you. Thank you.

SELIMA RAHMAN: I thank you, Leila. And Chelsea, both you and I work as course advisors, so would you like to give a bit of an insight into our role as well.

CHELSEA KNOTT: Yeah, absolutely. So I'm Chelsea. I'm one of the course advisors here. What we do essentially is we are your first point of call after you make an inquiry. So we're here to answer any questions that you might have about the programs we offer. We're also here to offer guided support throughout the application process. So any queries about requirements, fees, and funding, course modules, and anything like that, we're here to help with. That's our role.

MICHAEL ANTHONISZ: But the Cambridge Education Group has a long history of providing online materials and online courses for UK institutions. The relationship that we have with LSBU is a new one for us, and it's one that we're quite excited about because it's the first opportunity for us to use our expertise in online learning and development to produce our own programs.

So as I mentioned earlier, the business and management undergraduate program and the MSC in Project Management, both of which will be accredited by the LSBU systems and processes. So it is a new structure for us, but one, as I say, that's quite exciting and allows us to really capitalize on our strengths in the development and production of online materials for students around the world.

Well, the BA in Business and Management, as I said, is an undergraduate program, so it's primarily aimed at students who are looking to gain an undergraduate qualification. So either high school leavers who would normally look to go to university or people that perhaps have left high school and gone immediately into work without or gaining their undergraduate qualification.

The focus is on business and management, so it gives a very broad overview of different aspects of business and management. So it doesn't matter whether you are particularly interested in a specific area of business and management-- whether that's marketing or human resources or finance and accounting-- all of those are covered during the three and 1/2 years of the course and will allow you to focus on the areas that you're particularly interested in.

Equally, it doesn't matter if you're looking to go into a career in the field of business and management, although perhaps how you avoid that in today's world is quite difficult. But it's a great opportunity to gain an insight and perhaps discover which areas of business and management are of most interest to you. As I said earlier-- sorry.

SELIMA RAHMAN: No. It's just--

MICHAEL ANTHONISZ: I just-- as I said earlier, it's a three and a half year program, and it's run on a very flexible basis in terms of the start date and the interaction with the modules. It allows you to continue working whilst you're studying and obviously engage with both the course materials and the other students on the course remotely.

- We've got like, I just want to say, about undergraduates that it's really exciting, the module itself. And we've got like three years, as Michael mentioned it before. And we are starting with basic introduction of business management and some contemporary issues in the business, as well as basic principles of marketing. Then we are gradually moving in the next year to international business-- that is quite exciting as well. And then later, like on the last year, you've got more like in-depth knowledge about the business like strategic business and organizational change and other modules as well.

- So there are a range of different areas you could go into in business management. A lot of the people that are interested in this course want to go into a business management role, but a couple of people also want to launch their own business in the future. So it's really, really flexible, and it's really interdisciplinary in terms of what you can go into. You cover topics such as ethics and sustainable development, so there are a range of different roles that you can go into.

MICHAEL ANTHONISZ: This is an interesting program in the same way that the undergraduate Business and Management Program is not necessarily targeted towards people who are working in industry, project management isn't necessarily focused on people who want to become project managers, although that is a key consideration for people who want to get qualified in project management.

I think the role of a project manager has evolved into something that has kind of superseded that project management role in that everybody tends to have a degree of project management within their day to day role. So it doesn't matter if you're a project manager or you're aspiring to be a project manager or whether you just want to learn the principles of project management to enable you to engage more fully and more comprehensively in the day to day work.

It's a one-year program, whose focus is on, as I say, all aspects of project management, including how you manage large and small projects, how you lead project management teams, how you manage projects on an international basis, as well as some of the challenges that project managers will face on a day to day basis. So in terms of 21st century business environment and the challenges that present themselves there. So it's all aspects of project management. And as I said earlier, it doesn't matter if you're looking to build huge bridges and structures or whether you're looking to manage an events company and/or even something like a wedding planner, these are a variety of different types of projects, all of which are kind of encapsulated by that notion of the effective management of projects.

So as I said, the course is a year in length. And during that time, you'll undertaking six taught courses, which will be delivered one at a time and again, in a way that is flexible enough for you to be able to continue working and engage in your studies on a part-time basis. And then there's a final project or thesis to the program, where you'll look to try and combine your skills and your expertise gained through the previous weeks and months into a holistic project management thesis.

SELIMA RAHMAN: Yeah, amazing. So just to confirm, it's a two-year part-time program. That's correct, isn't it, Michael?

MICHAEL ANTHONISZ: Yes, sorry. That's correct. Yeah. As I said each, module is delivered in isolation-- so one at a time. What will happen is, as I said, there are five courses that you'll study, and you'll study each one obviously leading up to your final thesis. Each one is eight weeks in length in terms of the duration, and obviously the assessment time is incorporated into that as well.

In terms of the subject areas that you're doing. I think the two that really jump out for me at the moment, two or three that really jump out for me at the moment, the first is about leading project management teams. So it's about developing those leadership skills and recognizing the nuances of perhaps and challenges perhaps of managing people and the projects themselves.

The second one is in project management on a global basis, which, again, is quite interesting because it takes you perhaps out of your home context-- whether that's the economic or the cultural environment and allows you to take into consideration these wider factors when planning and managing specific projects. And as I mentioned earlier, the specific challenges that are faced by everybody in a volatile, uncertain, changeable global environment. So project management in context as well.

- There's a whole range of industries that project management is useful in. We do have a lot of business services like engineering that we've got a lot of applications for. But you can go into utilities, the public sector, possibly events management. It's really, really flexible. It's really broad in what you can actually go into afterwards.

- So one of the modules that we are starting with-- not starting with, but one of the modules in the first year is contemporary business issues, and this is quite like modern and contemporary course itself, module itself. And some of them, we will be looking at new technology and the impact of technology on management itself and leadership.

Also, we we'll look at a little bit historical background, how globalization changed management itself and the other things like zero hour contracts, flexibility, generation change from millennials to Gen Z, who wants more flexibility. So we will be addressing lots and lots of contemporary issues and specifically issues related to in relation to technology and now after pandemic, it's still very, very prominent that work-life management changes itself.

CHELSEA KNOTT: So Canvas is our virtual learning environment, but it's also a lot more than that. So it's not one dimensional. There's a lot of aspects to it. In terms of its use as a virtual learning environment, that is the place where you would access all of your teaching and learning materials.

So if you wanted access to your digital library, that's provided by CoreText, and you will find that via Canvas. You'll also have the opportunity to upload your assignments onto Canvas, and you'll be able to find, like I said, those teaching and learning materials. So any sort of recorded lectures that you couldn't attend in real-time. If you couldn't attend a webinar, that's where you'd find that. So that's kind of its use as a virtual learning platform.

So as I said earlier, the virtual learning environment is just one facet of Canvas. It also acts as a hub of activity. So on Canvas, you'll also find forums there where you can chat with your peers and network with your peers. It's also an opportunity to discuss the content that you're learning. If anything is unclear, you can chat to your peers about that. But you'll also be able to access your tutors via Canvas.

So again, if there's something that's not clear, talk to your tutors. Use the forums. They're there to be used, and they're there to foster kind of a collaborative space for all of our students to get to know one another and make sure that they're fully understanding the content. And adding on from the time difference question, you have 24/7 access to Canvas. So any time of day, you're able to go on, log on, see what's been said in a forum, see if your tutors have responded to you, and that's kind of the second aspect of Canvas that works as a virtual hub and kind of a support network from your peers and your tutors too.

MICHAEL ANTHONISZ: I'll start at the highest level. That would begin with the program leader or me in this instance in terms of having a wider overview of the program and the courses and being able to assist students in any issues that they have in terms of managing the program and its requirements on a wider level. So over the course, so I'll be a constant through the course.

As the course progresses, whether it's the MSC or the bachelor's program, students will engage with different modules who will have two academic representatives on them. You'll have the module leader, who is key to the design and the development of the materials that are being delivered and will engage with the assessment processes. So again, is very knowledgeable on the specific requirements and expectations of the module.

And then you'll have the module tutors as well, who students will probably see on a more regular basis because they'll be the ones that are running the webinars and responding to students' contributions to the discussion boards and marking students' work. But yes, so they will have a greater familiarity with the students and the students' engagement. So I think on those three levels-- a day to day level, at a module level, and then a program level, there are three different opportunities for support in the field of the academic content of the program.

CHELSEA KNOTT: So our student advisor team is there for all students after they're fully enrolled on the course. So if you encounter any difficulties that are non-academic, they are who you go to. So for example, if there were some extenuating circumstances preventing you from submitting something on time, you talk to them. If you needed to take time out because of maybe a business trip and you couldn't attend your webinars or submit some work, they're who you talk to as well.

Now, you will get acquainted with our student advisor team in your first week. So your welcome week, they will be running workshops. Because for a lot of people, it might be their first time studying online. So they run workshops showing you how Canvas works, and, really, they're just a point of call for anything kind of on the non-academic side of things and more in terms of pastoral care.

They also provide you with regular check-ins in your first kind of weeks of entering university to make sure you're engaging with the work, you're keeping up with it. So throughout the whole process, you are fully supported by our dedicated student advisor team so you're not left alone.

- Now, that is the job of myself and Chelsea as course advisors. We are here to help you through this entire application process. Some of you may recognize us as we've been in contact with you, but our job is basically to help you through this entire application journey.

So we will help you with your personal statement, help you gather your transcripts, get in touch with admissions, ensure that this whole journey for you is going as seamlessly as possible. And Michael, maybe you can also give some insight into what the entry requirements are, because I know as many applications have come through, we've had lots of people ask about the requirements and how that can impact their ability to pick the correct course for them as well.

- Yeah, I think probably the most holistic way of addressing that is to say that all of the applications will be considered on a merit basis. So we'll be looking at past qualifications. I'm thinking particularly for the MSC program here to ensure that the minimum standards are met. And that relates to the expectations for a British degree or British masters program. So we will look to compare any qualifications that students have attained in their home country or another country, and we'll compare and contrast those with the requirements of ourselves and LSBU and look to provide specific tailored response to each individual application.

CHELSEA KNOTT: So our admissions team are quite quick. Typically, we say about 48 hours to hear back from the admissions team, so you don't have to wait very long.

SELIMA RAHMAN: Yeah, absolutely. So it really is a win-win situation for anybody that is interested in applying. We don't have an application fee, and you get your answer back really quickly from admissions, which is another fantastic reason why to apply.

MICHAEL ANTHONISZ: Probably the principles of project management will be applied, whether it's in construction or events or any other major projects. I suspect that those principles, whether it's sustainable development, leading projects, management of resources will be very similar in the MSC in Project Management that we offer, as they are in an MSC in Construction Management.

Perhaps the biggest difference would be that any engagement that you have with industry or other sectors here would be specific-- would not be specific to the construction sector. So I would suggest that there will be a lot of overlap, but I suppose it depends whether or not you're looking to move away from construction and into something more generic or indeed, more specific but not construction.

- Yeah, so if you've got any questions at all, feel free to reach out to any of the course advisors. So we will also be in touch with everyone that's attended today, and it's really a fantastic opportunity for you to put in an application. The application deadline is July-- sorry, August the-- no, I got that right, July the 18th with our welcome week coming up soon as well. So please get in touch, and we'll be more than happy to help answer any of those questions with you today as well.