MAR027-3 Continuing Professional Development Assignment Brief 2026/27 | UoB

Assignment type (including exams)

Clearly indicate if an exam

Size or length of assessment or exam duration Clearly indicate if an exam

Click or tap to enter a date.

Week 6

This portfolio is based on formative assessments, including exercises and psychometric tests undertaken throughout the semester. These materials must be placed in the appendix.

The central focus of the portfolio is your reflection on the KSAAs (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Attitudes) you have developed through lectures, participation in practical sessions, and feedback received from tutors, peers, family, and friends. You may also include insights gained from current or past work experience.

Importantly, the entire portfolio must be linked to a real job advertisement for an entry-level managerial or graduate role relevant to your field. The advertisement must be included in the appendix, either as a working link or a screenshot, to demonstrate the relevance of your self-assessment and reflections to the job market.

There is no single correct structure for your portfolio, but the following framework is recommended:

1. Introduction

State your objectives and provide background information about yourself.
Explain the importance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
Outline how this portfolio will help you develop an Extraordinarily Realistic Self-Image (ERSI).
Briefly introduce the job advertisement you are targeting.

2. Main Body

Provide an in-depth analysis of your self-assessment findings.
Include reflections based on:
Feedback from others (e.g., Johari Window)
Results from psychometric tests and self-assessments (e.g., MBTI, Belbin, etc.)
Link your KSAAs and behaviours to the job requirements stated in the advertisement.
Reflect on your actions during practice sessions, and evaluate them using relevant psychological or management theories and concepts.

Demonstrate how these reflections contribute to building your ERSI.

3. Conclusion

Summarise your key findings and the main outcomes of your reflective analysis.

4. Recommendations (Optional)

Suggest next steps for your personal and professional development, especially in relation to the job you are targeting.

5. References

Ensure all sources, theories, and test instruments are appropriately paraphrased and cited using an academic referencing style (e.g., APA, Harvard).

6. Appendix

Include:

All formative assessment exercises and test results.
The job advertisement (either as a link or a screenshot).
Any other supporting documentation referenced in the portfolio.

Note: You must ensure that all work is original, paraphrased, and properly referenced to maintain academic integrity.

To be completed by the unit coordinator supported by relevant staff facing Academy guidance

The Unit Information Form states the Threshold Expectations that inform both you and markers what is the minimum needed to be demonstrated to pass the assessment. They should, therefore, answer the question "What do I need to do pass?”. During the assessment introductory session, you should be given the opportunity to check your understanding of the threshold statements and what you need to do to surpass them.

The assessment marking criteria listed below show how your work is assessed. The assessment criteria are informed by the unit’s learning outcomes and the assessment task. Carefully reading the assessment criteria should help you understand the aspects that will be used to judge your progress and achievement of the learning outcomes and offer guidance on “how do I achieve a good grade”.

In order to pass Assessment 1 you will need to:

• Demonstrate your understanding of CPD and your justification for self-renewal (CPD)
• Evaluate and provide an account of your current KSAAs (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Attitudes)

“How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in the scheduled sessions” - To be completed by the unit coordinator.

Within the University of Bedfordshire, graduate competencies refer to the skills, knowledge, attributes, and abilities that individuals are expected to possess upon completing their education at the graduate level. Our graduate competencies are the fundamental building blocks in preparing you for the future world of work. They form the foundation for learning outcomes within and beyond your course. They are relevant for every subject, and you can work towards them in different ways, so that you can attain and benefit from them even if you have lots going on outside university. These competencies will be integrated across your course and units.

To submit assignments at the University of Bedfordshire, you will typically use the BREO (Bedfordshire Resources for Education Online) platform. Within BREO, locate the specific assessment you need to submit, and then follow the instructions provided to upload your work.

The University has produced a guide that is designed to help you understand the processes we use to deliver and manage assessment-related processes, what support is available to you and how we agree and approve your results. It also provides you with an explanation of the codes we use when we issue results and transcripts.

When submitting work for assessment, you must ensure that it is all your own work. Failure to do this could result in sanctions, including removal from your course. The Academic Integrity Resource (AIR) has been designed to introduce you to academic integrity and how to demonstrate this during your studies. Remember to use the self-help resources to support your skills in academic writing. You could also Improve your assignment grades by accessing free university support to develop a wide range of relevant and valuable academic skills.

For exams, you should familiarise yourself with the guidance information available here: https://www.beds.ac.uk/exams/

Practice exams can be taken for all exam types before exams week.  Please see section Prepare for your exam.

Generative AI is not to be used in this assessment. Please check  this link, to gain information on ethical use of AI

Self-plagiarism, a student copying material from another assignment they have submitted, is explicitly forbidden in this assignment. Students are not allowed to submit their own previous work or a significant proportion of it (self-plagiarism is not permitted).