BN3386 KNOWLEDGE AT WORK
1. Module Number:
BN3386
2. Module Title:
Knowledge at Work
3. Number of Aston Credits:
10
4. Total Number of ECTS Credits:
5
5. Contributing School: Aston Business School
6. Percentage of Contribution: 100%
7. Staff Member Responsible for the Module:
Dr Matthew Hall
Operations & Information Management Group
ABS Building, Room 255, Extension 3120
email: m.j.hall@aston.ac.uk
8. Pre/Co-Requisite(s) for the module and any prohibited combinations:
This module is intended primarily for Aston final year students who have completed a work
placement. The module is also open to exchange students who have completed a work
placement or internship. In order to get the most out of this module it is necessary to have
substantial work experience giving you insight into how your placement organisation is
managed and organised. If in any doubt about whether your work experience is sufficient,
please talk to the module lecturer before the start of term.
9. Accreditation/Exemptions from Professional Examinations:
Please be aware that this module may contribute to the professional accreditation of some
ABS Programmes and/or allows students to gain exemptions from further study. Please
check the ABS UG Exams & Assessment module on Blackboard – Accreditation for further
information.
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10. Aims of the Module:
The effective creation, application and sharing of knowledge is a critical success factor for
many individuals and organisations in today’s global economy. Many of you will have spent
your placement year (or internship) working in a knowledge-intensive organisation,
engaged in what the literature calls knowledge work. This module develops your
understanding of what it means to be effective as a knowledge worker, and what it means
for an organisation to be effective in managing knowledge. Drawing upon your own
experience of knowledge at work, the module develops your skills in critical appraisal and
reflective learning. This will enable you to be more effective in the work you go on to after
graduation, and in your overall development as a manager and reflective practitioner.
11. Module Learning Outcomes:
(a) Knowledge and Understanding
 understanding of why knowledge is important in organisations and to individuals in
the workplace
 understanding of what it means to work effectively in a knowledge-intensive
organisation and what characterises knowledge work
 familiarity with the field of ‘knowledge management’ and understanding about how
knowledge can be managed
 understanding of your placement organisation’s effectiveness in managing
knowledge and about how to make improvements
 understanding about the theory of knowledge work and knowledge-intensive
organisations
 understanding about the theory and purpose of reflective learning
(b) Intellectual Skills
 skills in critically appraising the theory of knowledge work and the concept of
knowledge management
 skills in using the theory and learning from case-studies to recommend
improvements in your own and your organisation’s practice
 skills in analysing and critically appraising your placement organisation’s
effectiveness in managing knowledge in order to recommend improvements
 skills in reflective learning, enabling you to reflect upon your placement experience
and apply this learning to your future career
(c) Transferable Skills
 skills in reflective learning and in communicating and presenting your learning by
means of a written portfolio
 skills in critical analysis and appraisal
(d) Professional Skills
 the knowledge and skills developed in this module are applicable to any
organisational work context, and are not specific to a particular professional domain
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12. International Dimensions:
Many organisations require skills and competences which can be applied in a multi-national
working environment and in an increasingly global economy, where there is a greater
challenge for multi-national firms to mobilise knowledge sharing across their geographical
and organisational boundaries. The module makes use of case-studies, many of which are
about distributed work in multi-national organisations.
13. Corporate Connections:
The principal connection to business is through the reflective learning from your placement
organisation. In addition the lecturer draws upon direct experience of knowledge at work in
different types of organisation, and makes use of case-studies of knowledge at work in
actual organisations.
14. Links to Research:
The module draws upon research conducted by the module lecturer into:
 the role of knowledge in organisations and case-studies of knowledge management
 the role of the placement and the relationship between university and work-based
learning
 the role of skills and competences in securing graduate employment
15. Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability:
Effective sharing and use of knowledge is key to the sustainability of collaborative
enterprise in business and society as a whole.
16. Ethical Approval for Research:
There is no primary research involved in this module, and therefore no ethical approval
needed for research.
17. Module Content:
Week 1
Introduction to the module and use of PebblePad
Week 2
What is knowledge? Why ‘knowledge at work’?
Week 3
Communicating knowledge and the role of information
Week 4
Knowledge work and knowledge-intensive organisations
Week 5
Skills for effectiveness in knowledge-intensive organisations
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Week 6
What is knowledge management?
Week 7
The importance of knowledge sharing and collaboration
Week 8
Managing knowledge work
Week 9
The use of information and communication technologies (ICT)
Week 10
Revision session
18. Methods of Delivery:
Scheduled Study
Lectures (presentations on the weekly topics)
Seminars (class-based discussions on the weekly topics)
Hours
10
10
Independent Study
Reading and note taking from weekly essential readings and 25
additional books on the reading list
Drafting and redrafting blogs (4 x 500-750 words) and 3000 word 50
critical appraisal
Webfolio development
5
Total
100
19. Learning and teaching rationale behind chosen delivery methods:
Your learning is achieved through your participation in weekly classes, weekly readings,
four reflective blogs completed over the course of the term, and the submission of a final
webfolio which demonstrates your learning on the module as a whole.
The weekly classes are based around a particular theme for which there is a compulsory
reading provided. These are chapters taken from the reading list, which you are
encouraged to read in advance of the class. You also need to prepare for a class-based
discussion, which may require you to read a case-study in advance. The use of casestudies enables you to learn lessons from the experiences of other organisations in order to
apply to your placement experience. The weekly classes and readings provide you with
theoretical concepts and case-study examples to apply to the analysis of knowledge at
work in your placement organisation.
The main objective of your learning is to critically reflect upon your work placement or
internship experience, in order to appraise your own experience of knowledge at work.
During the term you are required to complete four blogs, in which you reflect upon
knowledge at work in your placement organisation according to the themes covered in the
weekly content. For each blog entry you are given questions to discuss, and you are
encouraged to draw upon concepts and insights from the weekly lectures and essential
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readings. The purpose of the blogs is to encourage you to keep up with your weekly study,
and to provide you with material upon which to base the critical appraisal elements of your
webfolio. The blogs also provide the opportunity to receive formative feedback on your
reflective writing from the module lecturer.
The assessment for the module is by an individual webfolio submitted on PebblePad. The
webfolio consists of your four reflective blogs and a critical appraisal of your placement
organisation’s effectiveness in managing knowledge. Further details are given in the section
on feedback and assessment below.
All slides, lecture notes, and readings (where available electronically) will be available via
Blackboard. The system for recording and demonstrating your learning on this module is
the online personal learning environment, PebblePad. You use PebblePad to publish your
blog and submit your final webfolio, and to gain feedback on initial drafts of your work.
20. Assessment Methods and Rationale:
The method of assessment is 100% individual coursework. You are required to submit a
webfolio on PebblePad which is comprised of the following components:
Component
Weighting
4 x blogs in which you reflect upon knowledge at work in your 40%
placement organisation according to the blog questions provided.
500 – 750 words for each blog.
Critical appraisal of your placement organisation’s effectiveness 50%
in managing knowledge, drawing upon evidence from the work
performed within your team or division, with recommendations for
improvement. Maximum 3000 words.
Presentation of webfolio
10%
Your webfolio comprises your reflective blogs and your critical
appraisal. You may also include in your webfolio any other
sources of evidence necessary to support your blogs and critical
appraisal.
The assessment is designed to enable to reflect upon and provide an in-depth critical
analysis of your experience of knowledge at work in your placement. The use of PebblePad
enables you to submit your work for feedback and assessment online, and no hard copy
submission is required. A detailed assessment document, including criteria for assessment
of the different components, is issued separately.
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21. Feedback Methods and Rationale:
The module is designed so that you can draft your work and gain formative feedback in
order to help improve your final submission. An essential part of the learning process is to
draft and redraft your work based on the formative feedback given by the module lecturer.
Drafts of the four blogs are due in weeks 3, 5, 7 and 9, and you will be given formative
feedback on each of the blogs if you submit your draft by the due date. You are also
encouraged to submit a draft of your critical appraisal for formative feedback in advance of
the final webfolio submission. The date to submit your draft will be given at the beginning of
term.
Feedback on your final performance in the module is available by making an individual
appointment with the module leader after the results have been announced. General
feedback on performance in the module as a whole will be posted on Blackboard.
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