Student Report
Name of the University: Aston Business School
Exchange semester: Fall, 2015
I.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
1. Before leaving Norway
Semester in UK starts in October, which is quite late compared to other universities so
we received information from exchange university in June when other universities have
finished almost every procedures regarding exchange programs. However, we were given
clear instructions in all steps that make the process smoothly. As we are international students
(we come from Vietnam), we had to apply for visa for the exchange semester. It costs around
200 GBP for the short term study visa. It is valid for 6 month. There are clear instructions for
visa applications so we did not have any difficulties in obtaining them.
2. Fly to UK
We flew from Oslo to London and then took the coach to Birmingham as there were
not many direct flights from Oslo to Birmingham and it was more expensive to fly directly.
Coach and train are common transportation method in UK.
3. Accommodation and living costs
As we were exchange students, we were not provided accommodation on campus.
However, the university offers a wide range of help regarding finding accommodation. Most
of tenancy contracts required at least 6 months rental while we only stayed in UK for nearly 4
months. As a result, it was quite hard to find accommodation at the first place. In the end, we
luckily rented rooms in a private house in Pershore Road. It was quite far from the city centre
and we had to take bus to Aston University.
We shared room so the rental fee was cheaper compared to Norway. On average, we
spent 2300 NOK per month for housing, which includes water, electricity and gas.
Transportation cost was 2000 NOK per semester so the cost was quite similar to
transportation cost in Norway. Food is relatively cheaper and there is wider range of products,
especially Asian ingredients.
4. Language and cultural experiences
The language spoken is English so we did not have any languages barrier, except for
travelling to Scotland where the accent is much heavier. There is widespread network of
transportation including coach and train so we could travel to many places. UK is such an
inspriring nation with beautiful ancient Oxford, a traditional York and magnificient natural
landscapes in Scotland. We are very thankful for all the wonderful experiences in the UK.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Aston is ranked in the top 20 by Times Higher Education. It is located in the city
centre so it is also very convenient for shopping and living. The campus consists of three
student villages, a library, and sports facilities in addition to the school buildings.
Course registration was done in June – July. We have one week after the semester
starts to change the modules which is 10 October
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
Sep 14
First day of the semester:
Oct 5
Last day of classes:
Dec 4
Examination period:
Dec 14 – Dec 18
Any special events/holidays: No
Other:
The introduction week is from 28 Sep to 2 Oct where we were allocated in groups and
prepare a presentation together. We have to develop an app/ product that is either promoting
corporate social responsibility or sustainability. We gained a lot of fun memories and skills
such as teamwork, presentation and organizing.
As an international student, we received sufficient and relevant information from the
international office both at BI and Aston.
III. ACADEMICS
1. In the classroom
The teaching style was a combination of both practical and theoretical practices which
incorporated a number of practical case studies into lectures. The classroom environment was
quite informal where students were encouraged to ask questions.
The level of difficulty and workload were quite similar to BI. The courses were well
structured with clear outline of contents and expectation at the beginning of each course. One
good point is that the lectures were recorded and made available to students at the web-portal
so that students could have a good review of the lectures.
There were almost no activities outside the classrooms as the semester was so
intensive. However, Aston Student Union usually organised some trips to other cities in the
UK which was quite interesting and convenient for international students like us.
2. Course materials
The course materials were almost similar to BI including PowerPoint presentations in
the lectures, some workshops in the middle of the course, coursework books, online articles,
midterm individual/team coursework, term papers or written exams. Each course usually
required a midterm paper, which could either be done individually or in group, and a final
closed-book written exam in two hours or a term paper with a clear deadline. At Aston there
was a revision week when the lecturers gave instruction on the format of the exams, what they
expected from students and what topics students should focus on. This helped a lot with the
written exams which lasted only one week for all courses (much shorter than at BI and in our
case, we had only one week for individual revision before the exam week for all four
courses).
3. Exams
The exams were based on the course contents provided in course materials as well as
the lectures. The courses were evaluated differently depending on which course you took.
Normally, 25% – 40% of the final grade was from midterm paper and the remaining was from
final term paper/written exams. There were also some pass/fail report, portfolio or
presentation. Class attendance was not compulsory but was encouraged.
4. Library and technology
The library facilities are good. The library building contains four floors with different
areas for different purposes. The computer area is in the ground floor where there are a
number of computers for student. One plus point is that students can rent laptop and use in the
library, which is quite convenient if there are not enough computers. Floor 1 and Floor 2 are
for group discussion while Floor 3 is for individual study. Printing facilities are located on
each floor. There are thousands books of various subjects which can be borrowed on a daily
or weekly basis. There is also a small canteen on the ground floor of the library where
students can buy food and drink.
5. Description of courses
Course code & name
Master/
Exam form
Prerequisites
Bachelor
BHM348 Employee
Master
Approved
Comments
as
Individual
None
Elective
A pass/fail
relations and
assignment
workshop
counselling
(2000 words,
was
30%)
required
2-hour written
exam (unseen
exam, closed
book,70%)
BHM356 Workplace
Master
design and health
Individual
None
Elective
A pass/fail
assignment
group
(3000 words,
presentation
40%)
was
2-hour written
required
exam (unseen
exam, closed
book, 60%)
BHM354 Strategic
Master
Individual
None
Elective
A pass/fail
and international
assignment
workshop
HRM
(1500 words,
and
25%)
portfolio
2-hour written
was
exam (seen
required
exam, closed
book, 75%)
BHM357 People and
World Organisations
Master
Group
None
Elective
No pass/fail
assignment
workshop or
(3000 words,
presentation
30%)
in this
2-hour written
course
exam (unseen
exam, closed
book, 70%)
Course code &
Master/
Exam
name
Bachelor
form
BNM830-Multi-
Master
6000 words-
Prerequisites
Approved
Comments
as
None
Elective
The module content is good. The
Organisational
Individual
course is related well to both
Enterprises &
work 100%
practice and theoretical
Systems
frawmworks, which has been
developed by the teach professors.
This course work is quite tough but
the professors are willing to help.
The course requies a goods skills to
reflect theory and real world.
BNM805-
Master
25%-weekly
None
Elective
This course gives a general
Foundations in
online quiz
background of business system.
Business Systems
tests
The professor tries his best to
Presentation
encourage us update about the new
seminar-No
technologies in the course work.
grade
The seminar is a good way to
75%-
discuss and learn from each other’s
Individual
knowledge.
reprot
Half of the class has background in
IT; however, it is not a problem to
study this course. Because the
module assessment is flexible and
depends on the different point of
view to approach business system.
BFM234-
Master
Individual
None
Elective
I appreciate the teaching approach
Accounting For
work 100%
of Professors in running a Business
Non Financial
Simulation
Simulation Game in the class.
Managers
Game
Beside tutorials, most of the time
we are dealing with the simulation
game, which is interesting and
well-prepared. This is the first time
the profs organizes this learning
method. And I really like it.
The individual coursework has a
strong link with the business game
and course content.
BNM803-
Master
50% Group
None
Elective
This module is nothing but a real
Developing
work
world case study. We are divided
Business Systems
Individual
in groups of 5 people to work as a
Workshop
work 50%
consultant group for re-designing a
business system of a given
company. It focuses both on
knowledge development and
professions, personal growth.
There is work to do every week
with the team, it requires
management skills.
We are equipped with priprate estudio with access 24/7 and other
facilities.
This is the coolest module I have
ever had.
IV. SUMMARY
We did have great experience at Aston – a university with students from all over the
world. Academic study at Aston was good with knowledgeable professors and active
classmates. Our social life was colorized by many events and activities in Birmingham
including Birmingham Weekender, Bonfire Fireworks, Christmas Market and so on.
Birmingham is located not far away from London and many other beautiful and interesting
places such as Shakespeare’s birthplace, Oxford, Manchester, etc. Overall, we highly
recommended an exchange semester at Aston to experience a different academic and living
style from Norway.