Assignment Brief Academic Year 2020-21

Module code Business Communication Module leader: Godswill Uma

and title:

Assignment 1.PresentationSlides (750 words) Assessment

No. and type: weighting: 100%
2.Reflective Report (750 words)

Submission Monday 15th Target feedback 3 weeks from the date of final
time and date: February2021before 2pm time and date: submission

Assignment task

This assignment involves preparation of an Annotated Presentation slides and a reflective report (both in
one document – 1500 words in total) that demonstrates your engagement, learning and understanding of
Effective Business Communication within the workplace, and using a reflective model in your report (e.g.,
Gibbs Reflective Cycle) to reflect on your learning journey and personal development this semester and
how you may improve effective communication within the workplace.

This assignment has been designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your
achievement of the following module learning outcomes:

LO 1 Define the essential components of effective communication;

LO 2 Prepare an evidence-based presentation slides on Effective Business Communication

LO 3 Defend your presentation in a question-and-answer session;

LO 4 Reflect on any feedback and how you could improve your next presentation.

Task requirements

OVERVIEW:

Following the assignment brief and guide, prepare an evidence-based business presentation(750
words), you will then prepare a reflective report outlining your development and
learningexperiences within Business Communication context.

This reflective report should demonstrate your learning and development across the module and
include reflection on ideas for your learning journey, improvement, and development (750 words).
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2020-21

DESCRIPTION OF THE TASK – WHAT YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO DO?

1. The Presentation (750 words)

Prepare and submit an annotated PowerPoint presentation (10 – 12 slides maximum) on the topic:

“EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE.”

You should research broadly to develop a fully evidenced and referenced PowerPoint
presentation slides with notes. The presentation should make use of visual aids
appropriate to the business context and audience of the topic. You will be asked to ‘defend’
your ideas in a Q&A session with your tutor via formative feedback and tutorial sessions
(LO2& LO3).

In developing the presentation, you should think about:

 your audience (based on the topic given) and appropriate modes of engaging
them.
 the kind of language you use in the presentation.
 clarity in language, speech, and visuals
 the level of detail you provide in visuals and in your notes.
 time management (making sure you get through what you need to in the time
provided)
 what is missing in the work – it is often not possible to cover everything so you
will have to choose what you leave out or only touch on; you might think about
signalling this as something to come back to in the Q&A
 what kinds of questions you might be asked in the Q&A.?

2. Reflective Report(750 words)

Based on your learning and development across the module, prepare a reflective report (750 words)
discussing and defining the key components of effective business communication and reflect on
your learning journey using a reflective model (e.g., Gibbs Reflective cycle), alongside ideas for
improvement and development.

Also using the scripts of your presentation PowerPoint slides, you should reflect on any formative
feedback provided and learning experiences while developing the presentationsides or doing
research for the reflective report (LO1 & LO4).

You should think about the following questions while writing your reflective report:

 What have I learnt about good business communication from the module and from doing
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2020-21

the research for developing your PowerPoint presentation slides?

 What elements of Business Communication is particularly important and why?

 How might you improve your Business Communication style (try to give specific
examples) and how might it help you in future?

The report should be written in a business report format, consisting of a title page, a table of
contents page, the main body of the report using appropriate headings covering main points
discussed,a reference list page, and an appendix page (where you will copy and paste every slide
of your PowerPoint Presentation).

Both part 1 &2 of the assignment brief (PowerPoint Presentation slides and the Report) must be
written and submitted as one single Microsoft Word document. PowerPoint Presentation slides
should be copied into Microsoft word along with the script.

Referencing and research requirements

You must reference all information used in the presentation and the report, using the Harvard
Referencing Guide. You are required to include ONLY ONE reference list page at the end of the
report arranged in alphabetical order irrespective of the sources and ONE Appendix page following
the reference list page.
You can access guidance to Harvard referencing
here:https://libguides.uos.ac.uk/academic/referencing/Harvard

How your work will be assessed

Your work will be assessed on the extent to which it demonstrates your achievement of the stated learning
outcomes for this assignment (see above) and against other key criteria, as defined in the University’s
institutional grading descriptors. If it is appropriate to the format of your assignment and your subject area,
a proportion of your marks will also depend upon your use of academic referencing conventions.

This assignment will be marked according to the grading descriptors for Level 3
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2020-21

Submission details

This assignment should be submitted electronically via Moodle (module tutors will discuss this process with
you during class time).

 Please ensure that your work has been saved in an appropriate file format (Microsoft Word, Excel
or PowerPoint, or PDF are the most widely used; Google Docs is also accepted). Your file must
also contain at least 20 words of text, consist of fewer than 400 pages and be less than 40MB in
size.

 You can submit your work as many times as you like before the submission date. If you do submit
your work more than once, your earlier submission will be replaced by the most recent version.

 Once you have submitted your work, you will receive a digital receipt as proof of submission, which
will be sent to your forwarded e-mail address (provided you have set this up). Please keep this
receipt for future reference, along with the original electronic copy of your assignment

 You are reminded of the University’s regulations on academic misconduct, which can be viewed on
the University website: https://www.uos.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Academic-Misconduct-Policy.pdf. In
submitting your assignment, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood these
regulations.

Submission date and time: 15thFebruary 2021 before 2pm

This assignment should be submitted before 14:00 UK time on Monday 15th February 2021.

You should submit all work for summative assessments by the above deadline. Work submitted up to three
working days after the deadline will be accepted and marked, but the mark will be capped at the pass mark
(40%) unless there is a valid reason for the late submission (i.e. having been granted an extension to the
deadline or a deferral under the terms of the Extenuating Circumstances Policy). Work submitted more
than three working days after the deadline without a valid reason will not be accepted and will be recorded
as 0% RN (refer, no work submitted).

For more information, please refer to:

http://studenthandbook.uos.ac.uk/index.php/studentguides/assessment-the-basics-undergraduate
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2020-21

MARKING CRITERIA
Level 3 (Foundation Year)
Provision at Level 3 (often forming part of a Foundation Year course) is designed to prepare students
for higher education. At the end of Level 3, students will be expected to demonstrate the acquisition of
foundation level skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to embark on a higher education
programme of study at Level 4. In accordance with the national Qualifications and Credit Framework
(QCF), this includes the ability to identify and use relevant understanding, methods and skills to
complete tasks and address problems that, while well defined, have a measure of complexity. It
includes taking responsibility for initiating and completing tasks and procedures as well as exercising
autonomy and judgement within limited parameters. It also reflects awareness of different
perspectives or approaches within an area of study or work.
Assessment category
Introductory Cognitive and intellectual Reading and Presentation
knowledge and skills referencing , style and
understanding of structure
the basic Work that
underlying significantly
concepts and exceeds the
principles of the specified
subject(s) word limit
may be
penalized
Excellent work Insightful and accurate Insightful and Exemplary
showing flawless interpretation and evaluation of effective use of a presentation of
understanding of the information and ideas, based carefully selected work that is
90%-100%

basic underlying on an excellent application of range of relevant fluent and

concepts and the most appropriate skills, reading. flawless
principles of the methods and procedures. Consistently throughout.
subject(s), resulting in Work shows full awareness of accurate
students being fully the nature of the area of study application of
prepared for study at and different perspectives or referencing.
Level 4. approaches within it
High quality work Excellent interpretation and Consistent and Highly effective
showing fluent evaluation of information and balanced presentation of
understanding of the ideas, employing highly engagement with a work that is
basic underlying appropriate skills, methods refined selection of coherently
80%-89%

concepts and and procedures. Work shows many types of structured and
principles of the strong awareness of the nature relevant reading. clearly
subject(s), resulting in of the area of study and Consistently expressed
students being fully different perspectives or accurate throughout.
prepared for study at approaches within it application of
Level 4. referencing.
70% – 79%

Commendable work Effective interpretation and Consistent Well-formed

showing detailed evaluation of information and engagement with a presentation of
understanding of the ideas, showing effective use of wide range of work that is
basic underlying appropriate skills, methods relevant reading. coherently
concepts and and procedures. Work shows Consistently structured and
principles of the well established awareness of accurate clearly
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2020-21

subject(s), resulting in the nature of the area of study application of expressed

students being highly and different perspectives or referencing. throughout.
prepared for study at approaches within it.
Level 4.
Work of solid quality Good interpretation and Engagement with a Competent
showing competent evaluation of information and wide range of presentation of
and consistent ideas, using appropriate skills, relevant reading. work in terms
understanding of the methods and procedures. Sound application of structure and
basic underlying Work shows sound awareness of referencing, with clarity of
concepts and of the nature of the area of no inaccuracies or expression.
principles of the study and different inconsistencies.
subject(s), resulting in perspectives or approaches
students being well within it.
prepared for study at
Level 4.
60% – 69%
Pass mark, demonstrating achievement of all associated learning outcomes
Assignment Brief
Introductory
Level 3 knowledge
Adequate work showing
understanding of the
basic underlying
concepts and principles
50% – 59%
of the subject(s),
resulting in students
being prepared for study
at Level 4, but lacking
depth and breadth.
Pass mark
Simple factual approach
showing understanding
of the basic underlying
concepts and principles
40% – 49%
of the subject(s),
resulting in students
being largely prepared
for study at Level 4.
Narrow or misguided
selection of material, with
elements missing or
inaccurate.
Failfail Marginal
Work shows limited but
35% – 39%
fragmentary
understanding of the
basic underlying
concepts and principles
Unsatisfactory work
showing weak and
flawed understanding of
the basic underlying
20% – 34%
concepts and principles
of the subject(s), for
example through serious
inaccuracies, inclusion of
a significant amount of
irrelevant material and/or
absence of appropriate
information.
< 20%
Highly unsatisfactory
work showing major gaps
in understanding of the
basic underlying
concepts and principles
of the subject(s).
Inclusion of largely
irrelevant material,
Academic Year 2020-21
Cognitive and Reading and Presentation,
intellectual skills referencing style and
structure
Adequate interpretation Engagement with Work is structured
and evaluation of an appropriate in a largely
information and ideas, range of reading coherent manner
largely using appropriate beyond essential and is for the most
skills, methods and texts. Referencing part clearly
procedures. Work shows may show minor expressed.
awareness of the nature of inaccuracies or
the area of study and an inconsistencies.
emerging awareness of
different perspectives or
approaches within it.
A limited interpretation and Evidence of Ordered
evaluation of information reading, largely presentation in
and ideas, showing confined to which relevant
emerging awareness of essential texts, ideas / concepts
the nature of the area of but mainly reliant are reasonably
study and different on taught expressed.
perspectives or elements.
approaches within it, Referencing may
although not always show inaccuracies
logical or coherent and and/or
with inaccuracies. inconsistencies.
Weak and at times flawed Poor engagement Work is loosely,
interpretation and with essential and at times
evaluation of information texts and no incoherently,
and ideas, resulting in evidence of wider structured, with
largely descriptive work reading. Heavily information and
Very weak interpretation Limited evidence Work is poorly
and evaluation of of reading and/or presented in a
information and ideas, reliance on disjointed and
resulting in descriptive inappropriate incoherent manner.
work that is often illogical, sources. Limited Information and
invalid or irrelevant. Little engagement with ideas are very
awareness of the nature of taught elements. poorly expressed,
the area of study and no Very poor use of with weak English
appreciation of different referencing. and/or
perspectives or inappropriate style.
approaches within it.
Work is largely irrelevant No evidence of Work is extremely
or inaccurate, reading or disorganised, with
characterised by engagement with much of the
descriptive text and taught elements. content confusingly
unsubstantiated Absent or expressed. Very
generalisations. Minimal or incoherent poor English and/or
no use of evidence to back referencing. very inappropriate
up views, showing style.
Assignment Brief Academic Year 2020-21

absence of appropriate complete lack of

information and awareness of the nature of
significant inaccuracies. the area of study and
different perspectives or
approaches within it.