Study Guide

Objective

Student manages the project planning i.e planning, budgeting and resource allocation in practise and can lead a small-scale project. Student can also set a motivating goal for the team and lead the team to reach the goal. Student can expect a professional documentation from his/her team and use this in further business action.

Content

Planning and managing a practical project. Attending the training sessions and reading circles. Making a personal learning portfolio. Develepment discussions with the coach. Reading literature and keeping up with the latest business news.

Materials

Learning materials are indicated throughout the:
- planning and implementation of trainings and reading cricles
- monday team meetings
- learning agreement
Selection of high quality readings is done at the begining of the semester.

Teaching methods

Business Academy is a learning environment which building blocks are:
1. Training Sessions: Each team has training sessions twice a week. The contents and topics come from the team’s own business and learning goals. Training sessions are students’ active learning by innovative methods. The planning, preparing and implementation are students’ responsibility.
The coach supports and enhances the learning in the training sessions, in which knowledge is shared, built and deepened. The requirement level in training sessions grows as the learning progresses.
2. Reading Circles: Every students prepares for the Reading Circle by choosing the topic area as well as a book that boosts both the business and the learning. The book should be read and the relevant tasks should be done before the Reading Circle in which the lessons learnt are discussed and shared. The personal reflections are elaborated further and a common product that summarizes and supports the learning is made.
3. Learning Agreement: The Learning Agreement crystalizes student’s prior experience, current state, goals and ways to measure them. The students tries to actively reach the set goals and develops him/herself towards the chosen career.
4. Project Work/Running Business: The student team sets up a co-operative company and develop the business according to their own plans. Knowledge and skills are put to direct and immediate action. Continuous feedback helps the students to learn and develop further.
5. Markets/Customers: Student-teams operate in open business markets. Genuine customer contacts and co-operations with companies make it possible to apply the theories in action.
6. Networking: Students have excellent opportunities to build relationships and networks with business decision-makers, stakeholders and partners during their BusinessAcademy studies.
7. Coach: The students are supported in finding their best way of learning by their team coach. The basic role of the team coach is to support the team and its individual members to learn and develop themselves, so eventually everyone can find his/her own way. Hence the concept: guided self-organized learning. The team coach has the most important role in the educational program.
8. Team: The team is the most important learning unit. Team-learning gives possibilities to become a versatile business expert. The team starts a company creates its own business and is responsible for theoretical learning process. The coach supports and challenges the team which co-works with other teams.
9. Feedback, Evaluation and Continuous Development: Continuous feedback is part of BusinessAcademy best practices. Each project and learning situation is analyzed by using a four-square model. Based on the feedback and assessment learning is summarized and adjusting actions points and /or development ideas are agreed.
Teaching methods include:
Problem based learning.
Student centered flipped classroom.

International connections

Collaboration with CARPE members, with own campus Erasmus students, with Salo Campus Erasmus students. with the international affairs (e.g. internaitonal week). Working on import and export projects.

Completion alternatives

The student can speciify in its learning agreement the importance of achievements done either uindividually or in the context of a team. Work may be achieved through the organisation team or project sub-teams.
Course is targeted for students working at the BusinessAcademy. The student can specify in its learning agreement the importance of achievements done either individually or in the context of a team. Work may be achieved through the organization team or project sub-teams.

Student workload

On a 5 ECTS workload basis. on average, the workload unfolds as follows:
Lectures, project meetings: 45 h
Study Guidance: 20 h
Self-Learning, project work: 70 h
It includes:
- Lead a project or participate as an active member in a project ideation and execution.
- Participation in trainings and reading circles.
- Making a personal learning portfolio.
- Orientating discussions with the coach.
- Using project tools related to project management.
- Reading competence related books and materials.

Content scheduling

The student is capable of working in the context of a project and is able to plan and implement projects in a purposeful manner. The student is able to use project management tools both for documentation and effective communication, both within the project and towards project stakeholders.
The student masters the main aspects of project planning, budgeting, and resource allocation. In addition, the student is able to set project goals and guide team activities to achieve the goals.
The student learns how to set up and define a client's needs and use appropriate project tools. The student is able to create a realistic project plan, in which the project objectives, duration / scheduling, possible budget, risks and required skills, including the division of work and sizing, are recorded and accountable. The objectives of the project can be defined and measured so that the goals and contractual obligations of the companies are fulfilled´and checked.

Further information

Academic studies in Business Academy model are based on active learning process as individual and as part of a team. The elements of the learning process are intertwined, i.e. both theory and tools are learned by activating methods in training sessions and reading circles. The theories are put in immediate action in each co-operative’s business. The reflections of business, continuous feedback and development enhance deeper learning and bring up new needs for further theoretical learning. Positive cycle and the flow-feeling of doing business yield more knowledge, skills and competences. In Business Academy model learning is both theoretical and practical.

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment methods and criteria

Students receive feedback on their activities from clients, team mates and coaches. He also makes continuous self-assessment and reflection on his activities. The assessment focuses on the student's activities in the team(s) and the projects. Students compile a portfolio of their activities and outputs. The portfolio includes his/her hourly records, book reflexion, and output from activities (documents, reports, pictures, links, videos, etc.). The student confirms his / her skills and learning with his / her portfolio and report.

The semester portfolio is an organized presentation of an individual's: acquired knowledge, developed attitudes, developed skills, and developed competences in the matter of evaluation, Concretely it is everything that has been thought-through, achieved, executed or learnt by the participant in the topic of evaluation.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

The student can:
- acti as a project manager or other responsible role in a large project
- plan, monitor, execute and report on a project with support of the coach
- evaluate their own activities in the project and participate in the joint evaluation of the group

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

The student can:
- apply project tools professionally, both in their own business development and in client projects.
- Manage communication between the project team and the sponsor
- manage project risks, as well as monitor and evaluate for the purpose of quality management

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student :
- proactively develop the project team's expertise
- pursue the project objectives and adjust/pivot
- can work under pressure in demanding situations
- create value for customers