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MAN-20197 - Module Specification
Keele Business School
Faculty of Business, Law, Humanities & Social Sciences

For academic year: 2026/27 Last Updated: 17 March 2026

MAN-20197 - Developing the HR Professional
Coordinator: Aikaterini Koskina Room: DW1.08 Tel: +44 1782 7 33428
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office: 01782 733094

Programme/Approved Electives for 2026/27

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

n/a

Barred Combinations

n/a

Description for 2026/27

This module assists in developing and applying essential skills required for success as an effective HR professional. The module explores the knowledge, skills, and behaviours associated with the HR profession, provides insights on different parties within the employment relationship, and enables students to apply theories and concepts critically to enhance HR practice. Emphasis is also on cultivating students’ ability as a reflective practitioner, dedicated to ongoing learning through reflecting on their own experiences, as well as on business and external contexts and their implications for professional practice.

Aims
The module aims to develop students’ understanding of the HR profession, by articulating the HR specialist knowledge and critical core behaviours needed by HR professionals.

Intended Learning Outcomes

assess the role of the HR professional in the effective management of people: 2
evaluate the specialist knowledge and critical core behaviours needed by HR professionals: 2
explain current issues HR professionals need to embrace in their practice: 2
reflect on own knowledge and skills in relation to the HR profession: 1

Study hours

Workshops (interactive lectures) – 48 hours
Independent learning - 126 hours
Assessment preparation – 126 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Creative Brief weighted 30%
Individual creative brief
Students are expected to produce an individual creative brief where they reflect on own knowledge and skills in relation to the HR profession. The creative brief can be a personal development blog consisting of weekly entries (3-4 entries of about a paragraph each to be included in the brief and link to blog) or video diary entries (3-4 entries of about 5 minutes each) over the course of the module alongside an individual reflection (1,000 words) on the experience of creating the blog or video diary and how student thinking has evolved over the module in relation to the HR profession. The blog or the video diary entries might be shared with other students.

2: Portfolio weighted 70%
Individual portfolio
The portfolio tasks reflect the specialist knowledge and skills expected of a contemporary HR professional in practice in line with the topics of the module. Examples of potential tasks: an elevator pitch to a senior leader; dissemination of CPD learning to peers in a mini podcast; a blog post demonstrating thought-leadership on an HR issue; intranet-style communication to the workforce on an organisational issue. The expected length of the portfolio is 3,000 words.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 17 March 2026