LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
Programme Specification
PUBLISHING WITH E-BUSINESS
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of
the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be
expected to achieve and demonstrate if full advantage is taken of the learning
opportunities that are provided. More detailed information on the learning outcomes,
content and teaching, learning and assessment methods of each module can be
found in Module Specifications and other programme documentation and online at
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/
The accuracy of the information in this document is reviewed by the University and
may be checked by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
Awarding body/institution
Loughborough University
Teaching institution (if different)
Details of accreditation by a
professional/statutory body
Name of the final award
Programme title
UCAS code
Date at which the programme
specification was written or
revised.
1.
BSc (Hons); also DPS if the four-year version is
taken
Publishing with E-Business
P4G5 (3-year)
P4GM (4-year)
January 2010
Programme Aims
The programme aims to:
 promote an understanding of the professional, managerial and technical
dimensions of work in the publishing industry;
 build a full understanding of electronic commerce, in particular as applied to
the trade in products that are themselves electronic publications;
 equip students with the core skills needed to obtain an entry-level
professional position in the publishing, especially the electronic publishing,
industry;
 foster the learning skills necessary to attain continuing professional
development.
2.
Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external and
internal reference points used to inform programme outcomes






3.
QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Librarianship and Information
Management 2007
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/statements/Librarian
ship07.pdf
QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Communication, Media, Film and
Cultural Studies (2007)
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/statements/CMF08.p
df
Loughborough University, A Strategy for Teaching and Learning in the New
Millennium http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/policy/learning_and_teaching/
Department of Information Science, Learning and Teaching Strategy
https://internal.lboro.ac.uk/sci/ls/dept/L&T%20documents/Learning%20and%2
0Teaching%20Strategy%20revised%20Feb02.doc
Department of Information Science Periodic Programme Review, May 2005
QAA Framework for Higher Education Qualifications
Programme Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
 design principles and production technologies as applied to printed and
electronic publications;
 editorial and marketing roles as applicable to various categories of books,
periodical publications and electronic publications;
 financial, human-resources and general management principles and methods
as applied in the publishing industry;
 the concepts and principles underlying the storage, retrieval and use of
information held in both printed and electronic forms;
 the position of the publishing industry within the overall structure of the media
industries world-wide;
 the principles, techniques and practices of electronic commerce;
 the roles of information, information technology and information products in
modern society;
 media forms and genres;
 the development of media and cultural forms in a local, community, regional,
national, international or global context.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be
achieved and demonstrated:
Lectures, tutorials, seminars, computer-laboratory practical classes and computerassisted learning packages are all used within the programme to provide a variety of
learning experiences. Assessed coursework exercises include essays and reports to
test knowledge and understanding. In some modules there are also examinations to
test the students’ grasp of concepts and principles and their ability to explain these
under time pressure. Theoretical knowledge and critical ability are tested and
developed in a range of core and optional modules throughout the programme;a
project in the final year tests each student’s ability to bring the various skills and
knowledge together into a comprehensive investigation of a specialised topic of the
student’s own choosing. Group work and oral presentations are an integral part of
assessment.
Skills and other attributes
Subject-specific cognitive skills
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

Critically analyse developments in the publishing industry;

Evaluate different information technology applications and their use;

Discuss the principles of management as applied to publishing in a variety of
environments and institutional contexts;

Analyse data and synergise information into value-added formats;

Evaluate publishers’ customers’ needs in a variety of contexts and in relation
to a range of printed and electronic information products;

Plan metadata and other retrieval tools to be assigned to publications.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be
achieved and demonstrated:
Discussion and understanding of principles, developments and concepts is
stimulated through lectures, small group teaching in tutorials and seminars and
guided independent reading which is often further explored in a classroom setting.
Workshops and laboratory-based sessions are used to demonstrate key concepts
and theories.
Cognitive skills such as analytical ability, argument and reasoning are assessed
through coursework and examinations. Examinations enable students to
demonstrate their mastery of subject knowledge and their ability to apply that to a
particular problem or question under time constraints. Coursework assignments
such as essays, case studies and reports allow students to explore a topic in depth
and apply the full range of cognitive skills. Students in their final year are also
required to demonstrate their ability by undertaking an extended piece of
independent research.
Subject-specific practical skills
On completion of the programme, students should be able to:

Demonstrate IT competence with a range of computer applications;

Use desktop publishing and computer graphics software;

Design publications (print and electronic) that will be marketable;

Undertake copyediting tasks confidently and with accuracy;

Apply legal and ethical procedures likely to be encountered in publishing;

Use financial and other management techniques appropriate to the electronic
publishing industry and e-commerce

Present cogent and persuasive arguments in both oral and written form;

Critically assess the effectiveness and value of a wide range of oral and
written communications;

Understand forms of communication, media and culture and appreciate the
processes through which they have come into being, with reference to social,
cultural and technological change;

Analyse, interpret and show critical judgement in the understanding and
evaluation of forms of communication.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be
achieved and demonstrated:
Computer-laboratory practical classes in several modules teach the use of computer
applications, including specialised software for publishing. Copy-editing and
publication design skills are taught and tested in core publishing modules, and
financial management at an elementary level is included and tested in one of those
modules. An introduction to study of communication and media is provided in core
first-year modules.
Practical work using various specialised software packages (such as desktop
publishing systems) tests acquisition of subject-specific IT skills, assessed class tests
measure the acquisition of copy-editing skills, items of graphical coursework test the
acquisition of graphic design principles, and business plans test the students’
financial management abilities.
Critical assessment, analysis and presentation of arguments are key elements in
written coursework, built upon and developed throughout the programme by means
of case studies, essays, oral presentations, small group and individual work.
Generic skills
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

Plan and undertake independent research for a project in a defined project
area;

Manage a range of data and present them effectively in a suitable format;

Communicate effectively the results of their studies and research in writing
(reports and essays) and verbally;

Work effectively in small teams;

Act independently in time management and planning work;

Handle financial accounts at a basic level;

Use a variety of IT packages and applications confidently
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be
achieved and demonstrated:
Computer laboratory practical classes help students to maintain and upgrade their IT
skills; modules organised around groupwork activities improve interpersonal skills.
The final year project requires management of data, time and IT skills, as well as
research and written presentation skills. Core specialist e-business modules include
financial planning and management elements, including basic financial accounting.
Practical coursework using various packages tests acquisition of IT skills; case
studies and group projects test interpersonal and communication skills, and other
coursework exercises test skills in organisation of material and its demonstration in
oral presentation and on visual aids.
4.
Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules, credits
and awards
The programme lasts three years full-time; in addition students may take an optional
professional placement between the second and third years. The programme is
divided into units of study called modules, which may be rated as 10 (single), 20
(double) or 30 (project). Students take modules amounting to 120 credits in each of
the three years of the programme, normally with 60 credits in each of the two
semesters. Each of the two 15-week semesters consists of 11 weeks of teaching,
followed by revision time and examinations.
In Year 1 (Part A) students take 120 credits of compulsory modules in the areas of
publishing, e-business and information science, which provide a foundation on which
the second and third years build.
Year 2 (Part B) further develops students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in
specialist and other core areas and provides the opportunity to choose a 10 credit
optional module.
Students are encouraged to spend an optional year on professional placement
between the second and final year. Apart from an additional award, students gain
real work experience, are often placed in positions of responsibility and can be
offered sponsorship and/or future employment. The year in industry can also bring a
more professional attitude to the remaining year of study, particularly the final year
project. During the placement year students are supported by an academic
supervisor in addition to their employment supervisor/manager; successful
completion of the placement and the programme leads to the award of the Diploma in
Professional Studies in addition to the degree.
The final year (Part C) includes 60 credits of compulsory modules in more advanced
areas of publishing, e-business and information science, and provides a range of
optional modules from which students can choose to follow their particular interests.
The 30-credit final year project provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate
their research, analysis and presentation skills in a subject area of their own choice.
Full details can be found in the Programme Regulations at
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/lps/progreg/year/1011/docs/Publishing%20wit
h%20e-Business%20BSc.docx
5. Criteria for admission to the programme
See the online prospectus at
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/prospectus/ug/courses/index.htm
6. Information about programme assessment strategy
In each year of the programme students must pass modules totalling a minimum of
100 credits; in addition students are also required to achieve a minimum of 30% in
every module. Modules are assessed by coursework, examination or a combination
of both. Any student who fails to meet these requirements has the automatic right of
reassessment on one occasion only in any module or modules which are causing
them to fail. Students may choose to be reassessed in the University’s Special
Assessment Period or during the following year. Results from all modules
undertaken in Parts B and C count towards the final degree grade, in the ratio
40%:60%.
7. What makes the programme distinctive?


It is designed to prepare students for professional careers in the technical and
business publishing industries, as well as in the information industries
generally;
it is interdisciplinary, covering elements of management, information
technology and electronic commerce, as well as material specific to the
publishing industry;


8.
it is forward-looking, covering many topics that will gain in importance as the
industry moves towards a greater emphasis on online publishing as the
twenty-first century progresses – trends likely to be especially strong in the
technical and business sectors of publishing;
it uses many different approaches to teaching, learning and assessment,
offering opportunities for students of many different cognitive styles to shine.
Particular support for learning:
Information on learning support is held at
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/templateshop/notes/lps/index.htm
9.
Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standards
of learning:
The University’s formal quality management and reporting procedures are laid out in
its Academic Quality Procedures Handbook, available online at
www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/policy/aqp/index.htm
March 2010