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Educational aims

The MSc in Human Resource Management provides you with a masters-level educational experience in the specialist area of human resource management.

This qualification aims to provide you with an ability to:

• understand the role of the HR professional, the nature of professionalism and approaches to addressing ethical dilemmas, working inclusively, favouring sustainable HR management and diversity
• develop the skills, core behaviours and core knowledge needed to develop business acumen in an uncertain world and address business and change management issues and to work at a strategic level in the organisation
• develop the skills and understanding needed to develop specific organisational strategies in relation to hr issues such as employee relations, employee experience, employee engagement, learning and development, employee resourcing, talent management, engagement with stakeholders and digital work
• develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours to conduct research into business and management issues from a human resource management perspective
• develop the skills to assess the relevance of theory for practice and apply it where appropriate to improve practice
• develop people management skills essential for HR work such as: selection interviewing; appraisal interviewing; disciplinary interviewing; delivering training; making presentations; project management; managing performance, diversity and inclusion, organisational development and design and people analytics.

Learning outcomes

The qualification provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

The qualification will utilise the OU’s virtual learning environment (VLE) and technology-enhanced learning (TEL) design process to deliver the learning and teaching. The delivery will be informed by the key principles of learning and teaching, such as flexibility and different intensities of study.

Online learning spines will be provided for all modules to support you in using specially developed learning resources, case studies and original texts as well as a range of multi–media material. The spines will also direct you to guidance on assessment activities, tutorial activities and to collaborative and peer learning activities.

Tutors will be central to the delivery of learning and teaching, supporting you online in synchronous and asynchronous environments and providing feedback and support for assessment and learning. You will be supported during your induction period in areas including postgraduate study skills, time management and critical engagement.

The assessment strategy will comprise of a good balance of formative and summative assessment. It will utilise a variety of assessment types to enhance student experience and engagement and will be appropriate to the learning outcomes.

The assessment strategy will also emphasise the importance of integrating both continuous and end-of-module assessments so that the learning and feedback from the continuous assessment components prepares you for the end of module assessment, in relation to both the content assessed and the skills needed to complete the final assessment.

There will be a strong emphasis on helping you to understand the criteria which are being assessed, as well as the task or tasks to be completed, and on providing consistent feedback for all assessments, so as to inform improvements to future performance. However, both continuous assessment and end of module assessment will be summative and marked. Only in the dissertation module (B894) continuous assessment is formative but compulsory.