Study Guide

Objectives (course unit)

The course aims to provide students with necessary knowledge related to a project. International Business students carry out a part of their studies as project studies. The projects are defined in advance for the credit count, costs and duration. The projects are commissioned e.g. by local companies or by Tampere University of Applied Sciences. The team projects come from actual companies and the students themselves.

After completing the course, the student will be able to:
• work more professionally in real projects, and participate in carrying out systematically managed projects, from project approval and planning to control and implementation.
• apply and further develop existing disciplinary knowledge in real life cases and projects.
• use individual communication, negotiation and group work skills more effectively and efficiently.
• enhance use of different sources of information, learning environments, project management software tools, and IT in general.

Content (course unit)

The contents include the followings:
• How can universities and local companies work together?
• What different projects are relevant for university of applied sciences (UAS) students?
• What kind of co-operation will benefit both the student(s) and the client?
• What can a UAS student learn and benefit from participation in a real project?
• How is project management interrelated to the strategic and general management of an organization?
• What are the benefits of applying systematic project management methods and related IT tools for different projects?
• How are projects planned, implemented, controlled and reported successfully?
• What kind of proposed generalizations can be made based on successful project outcomes?

Prerequisites (course unit)

None.

Further information (course unit)

See further instructions and required forms at www.wiki.tamk.fi (use "Business Related Project Studies" as a search key there).

Assessment criteria, pass/fail (course unit)

The Project Studies is an administrative solution to get the students’ various individual business-related project studies and credits registered, as a part of their bachelor’s degree studies. The student can take initiative of the project he/she wants to include to the project studies.
The student is able to plan and implement his/her own project. He/she can reach the pre-set objectives and report the results in writing. He/she is able and willing to receive feedback from the commissioner and supervisor, and analyze the project outcome in conjunction with them.

Location and time

Project schedule is determined in Project Contract and/or Project Plan, case by case.

Exam schedules

No written exam.

Assessment methods and criteria

All the required project documentation is prepared according to this Implementation information and the more detailed project-specific instructions from the responsible TAMK instructor of this course.

As soon as the project final report is approved by the course instructor, he/she records the student's ECTS credits together with the Pass/Fail mark onto Pakki.

Assessment scale

Pass/Fail

Teaching methods

To learn to act individually, a completely student-driven implementation in which the role of the TAMK instructor is limited only to inform the student about the required project management documentation, approve the student's documents delivered to him/her as well as take care of the grading on the scale pass/fail.

In addition to the grade (S), the student will get the title of his/her performed 1-5 cr project visible on his/her TAMK BBA degree certificate material, when graduating.

The required project documentation:
1. Project Contract (also called Project Draft)
2. Project Plan
3. Project Final Report (including either an integrated or a separate report on the student's actual daily project working hours).

Learning materials

Not assigned by TAMK (utilization of earlier project management course material is recommendable).

The student(s) collect their case-specific project learning material independently.

Student workload

There is a strict requirement for the project students to also report to TAMK their actual project working hours on a daily basis, as part of their project final report.

Even if the pre-defined size of the project is 5 ECTS credits, the actual final number of ECTS credits to be registered for the student based on the daily report will be 1 - 5 ECTS credits.

A student can propose several individual projects to be part of their free-choice degree studies.

Content scheduling

Project-specifically.

Completion alternatives

No.

Practical training and working life cooperation

Each project has it's own client, external to - or, at least, separate from the degree studies of - the TAMK Bachelor's Degree Programme in International Business.

International connections

Possible, project by project.

Further information

Pasi Kuusijärvi, M.Sc. (Econ. & Bus. Adm.), AmO, HHJ PJ
Senior Lecturer, Accounting and Financial Management

Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK)
Tampere, Finland

pasi.kuusijarvi@tuni.fi
Tel. +358 40 846 3052
www.tuni.fi