The Work Based and Integrative Studies (WBIS) framework allows for a highly individualised, negotiated pathway of learning. Students can negotiate a range of awards at undergraduate and postgraduate level including Bachelor of Arts or Science Hons, Masters and MBA.
Through WBIS you can gain academic credit for past personal and professional experiential or accredited learning, and to gain further academic credit through taught workshops (followed up with up to 3 tutorials) and work based projects called Negotiated Experiential Learning Modules (NELMs), as well as learner support workshops to assist you in your studies.
These workshops supplement the extensive learning resources available through University of Chester Moodle virtual learning environment and the e-resources provided by UCM.
For further information, please contact the WBIS Programme leader on wbis@ucm.ac.im to discuss WBIS, how it could meet your needs. Apply online here.
SUPPORT FROM TUTORS
Students are allocated a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) when they enrol onto the WBIS framework.
The PAT will help guide you throughout your learning experience and they should be the first port of call for academic and programme advice. They will assess your Self Review portfolio and will typically act as advisor for any Accreditation of Prior Learning claims you make and, usually, as supervisor for any negotiated experiential learning you undertake.
Taught modules on the programme are the exception, as they may have a different tutor with a highly developed specialism in the particular field concerned, and this academic tutor should be the main point of contact for the taught module (or modules) concerned.
Tutors are available by phone or by e-mail to give advice and offer encouragement. In particular, they will be able to offer formative assessment feedback - check with your tutor. You typically have up to three opportunities to send them drafts of any one piece of work and they will give you sound advice about how to improve your assignments.
Start Dates
There are four start dates for WBIS courses per year so you can select when you begin your studies. Come along to one of our WBIS Open Events for more information:
Modules and Workshops
We have more than 20 Taught Module Workshops to choose from and the ones you undertake must have been agreed through your Approved Studies Learning Agreement (ASLA). Explore the workshops & view more information below:
Available at all levels
- how to make a claim for accredited and non-accredited learning
- the process, the paperwork and the rules
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
Available at all levels
Gaining credit for improving real work practice
These are negotiated modules, ‘work based projects’, that enhance your personal and professional practice at work, typically being focused on either an identifiable work based project, or on other forms of hands-on learning through work with a clear theme and which might cross-cut a variety of work areas. They allow you to claim academic credit for the learning you achieve when doing a project in the workplace and can carry 20, 40 or 60 credits.
During these workshops you will learn:
- Skills and knowledge that you decide to develop experientially, with help from a specialist tutor
- Specialist tools, concepts and terminology relevant to your area of work and learning
- How to deepen and broaden your impact at work through a reflective approach
- How to evidence your learning, using artefacts generated from real work activities
- Taught Module Workshops
- Self-review and negotiation of learning
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
Available at all levels, the natural first module
Can be taken as a workshop, online or supported by online materials. A module that equips you with the practical thinking tools of reflective practitioners to enhance your everyday practices, and which is designed to assist you in planning your overall learning pathway and experience with us.
During this module you will learn about:
- How to plan your learning to maximise personal and professional impact
- How to choose your award title (where applicable) and gain academic credit for your prior learning
- How to recognise and appreciate your professional competence and build your confidence
- How to apply the practical tools of reflective practitioners and examine situations in ways which build your creativity and performance
- How to use writing to break through your own limiting thinking habits
Plus many other useful tips for your academic success.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
Strategy without execution is useless—Execution without strategy is aimless.” - Morris Chang
The module is designed to provide an insight into key issues in the principles and application of business strategy and planning techniques so that the learner is able to improve their personal performance and their contribution to ongoing operations, and to continuous business improvement and innovation, typically in a public service or business environment. It includes:
- Why do we need business strategy and planning?
- Models for strategy development – commercial and public sector perspectives
- Identifying business planning issues – environment, stakeholders, organisational capability
- Developing a framework of aims and objectives
- Formulating and appraising proposals
- Specifying a performance management system
- Performance measurement and the balanced scorecard
- Engaging with bidding processes and stakeholders
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
“The heart and soul of the company is creativity and innovation”. - Bob Iger
The module is designed to provide an opportunity to develop an evaluative approach to the use of creative thinking and problem solving techniques. The learner is encouraged to reflect on the underlying processes of creative thinking and problem solving, identifying barriers and the effectiveness of potential solutions and tools. Through this module the learner is able to enhance their personal performance and their contribution to, and impact on, the work place driving improvement through creativity, innovation and problem solving.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
“Ultimately delivering strategy is about hiring the right people and motivating them to deliver results.”- Helen Murlis and Peggy Schubert
Available at all levels
This module is designed to help develop knowledge of key issues in the management of service delivery, typically in a public service environment, enabling the learner to improve their personal performance, and their contribution to the planning and delivery of services and application of good practice in the context of continual service improvement.
By covering areas such as the operational management cycle, process analysis, resource needs, budgets, operational planning, management process and the monitor and control functions, students will be encouraged to grow their knowledge and understanding of delivering results, and reflect upon their ability to influence success.
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships”. - Michael Jordan
Available at all levels.
This module may be studied either through workshop attendance or distance study and is supported by online materials.
The importance of team working has grown over recent years. Whilst there once was an emphasis in organisations on roles being well-defined and having a clear delineation of duties with contemporary advances in working practices employers have placed an increasing interest in high-performance or high-commitment which has led to a focus on team working. This module aims to extend participants’ experience and understanding of team development, group processes, team roles and dynamics. It also explores the concept of different types of teams, the notion of cohesiveness and attributes of highly effective teams. The module will be of interest to anyone who is in a workplace team and or those who are interested in the development of any form of workplace team, not only the traditional team but those with a shorter life span such as project teams or multi-agency teams.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
"It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently”. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Available at all levels
This module can also be studied at distance and is supported by online materials.
Emotions play a part in our everyday lives and how we manage and respond to them in the workplace can have a significant effect.
Although Emotional Intelligence is a relatively young concept, the social phenomenon it purports to represent is probably as old as human societies themselves. Over the last two decades, researchers such as Daniel Goleman have been engaged in a quest to identify, measure and develop human capacity to read and manage emotions for personal or business benefit.
On this module you will learn:
- Whether Emotional Intelligence is an intelligence at all
- The merits of ability based and mixed models (intelligence vs personality traits)
- How Emotional Intelligence affects work performance
- How to measure Emotional Intelligence
This workshop will be interactive so be prepared to participate.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.” - Stephen R Covey
Available at all levels
Equality and diversity is important in the workplace. The focus of this module is the application of equality and diversity concepts and theories to real life situations and issues. Students will be expected to reflect critically on their own experiences in a diverse workplace and engage with issues identified on the courses. It will help advance participant engagement with relevant issues and changes in legislation directly applicable to their working environment. Students will establish an understanding of the purpose and benefits of equality and diversity paradigms as a useful tool to inform and improve organisational performance and learning, promoting inclusive organisational performance and learning.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
Available all levels.
This module is designed to encourage students to reflect upon their pathway of learning on the WBIS programme as a whole, contextualising their learning and personal development. For those choosing this option, it is typically the final module they will undertake before their pathway is complete.
Students are encouraged to consider progress and identify themes arising from their study on WBIS and to consider future personal and professional development opportunities in the light of their learning experiences on the programme. They are also encouraged to think more widely by considering their impact on their workplace and its organisational development over this time. Because of this, facilitation of learning is personalised and one-to-one, with students being encouraged to think critically about their achievements and future opportunities, linking back to when they first entered the programme.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.” - Ayn Rand
Available at all levels.
In this module you will learn:
- Analysis and interpretation of financial statements
- Operating and capital budgeting techniques and their use in planning and control; cash flow forecast, profit versus cash
- Aspects related to organisational finance including product, service costing, absorption costing, overhead allocation, apportionment and absorption
- The underlying principles and concepts of finance and accounting
- The ability to read and interpret simple financial statements
- An introduction to the process of using structured financial data to assist in the process of management decision making.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
"True leadership stems from individuality that is honest and sometimes imperfectly expressed…Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection.”- Sheryl Sandberg
Available at all levels.
Effective performance is unlikely to take place by chance and as such a crucial factor in getting the best out of people will depend upon how well they are managed and led. To this end, this module is designed to support your development and understanding of concepts concerning the functions, and purpose of management and leadership including staff motivation, management roles and approaches, leadership styles, performance management and areas of Human Resource Management such as recruitment and selection.
The module is intended primarily for people working in organisations who have responsibility for managing and or leading others, those who aspire to this type of role or for participants who wish to extend their knowledge of management and leadership.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
"Marketing isn’t magic. There is a science to it."- Dan Zarrella
Available at all levels. Available as a workshop and/or supported by online materials.
This module is designed for business professionals who need to understand the principles of marketing communications but haven’t formally studied the subject or have limited knowledge of the topic. It aims to provide attendees with a practical overview of the main aspects of marketing communications (including the use of digital tools) to help an organisation acquire, convert and retain customers.
Key topics covered include:
- The role and function of marketing within an organisation
- Market segmentation and brand positioning
- The key factors that influence customer behaviour
- Marketing planning
- How to apply and adapt the marketing mix (including the use of digital communication tools such as search engine marketing, mobile marketing, social media, etc.)
- Low budget marketing campaigns
- Action planning and evaluating marketing campaigns.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
"Growth and comfort do not coexist” - Ginni Rometty
Available at all levels.
Coaching can play a pivotal role in guiding individuals and organisations through a climate of rapid change. The focus of this module is the application of coaching as a learning and development tool to enable change and improve performance of individuals, teams and organisations.
On this workshop you will learn:
- The purpose and role of coaching for individuals and the organisation
- The various contexts in which coaching may be used – improving business performance, professional development, leadership, succession planning, personal development, conflict and change situations
- Psychological aspects of coaching - beliefs, assumptions, meanings, useful ways of thinking, etc
- The coaching process - the coaching relationship; role and responsibilities of the coach; useful frameworks and models used in coaching
- Coaching tools and techniques - goal setting, action planning and reviewing, etc
- Coaching skills - building rapport; giving and receiving feedback; listening and asking questions; body language; facilitating and enabling change
- Evaluation of coaching - evaluating coaching performance and its impact at an individual and organisational level
- Coaching as a management style - coaching teams; supervision and support for coaches.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
Available at all levels.
Maximising the learning from real work activity
A module that equips you with the practical skills to boost personal and professional impact from real work activity, aimed at helping you use the workplace as a site of knowledge generation. During this module you will learn about:
- Different ways of learning from real work activity that suit and stretch your styles and preferences
- Techniques to analyse personal styles, team roles and organisational culture so as to enhance outcomes
- Practical tools to analyse your strengths as a learner and/or project manager and identify areas for development
- How to focus on a problematic situation to maximise learning potential
- How to examine situations in greater depth and scope to enhance future outcomes
- How to use project management ideas to maximise work outcomes and learning success
- How to find and use leading edge theory and research for any situation
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
"Leadership is not a person or a position. It is a complex moral relationship between people based on trust, obligation, commitment, emotion, and a shared vision of the good.” - Joanne B. Ciulla
Available at all levels.
This module enables students to develop an understanding of the factors that influence effective workplace leadership. It investigates key concepts relating to workplace leadership and encourages students to develop (and be aware of) their own individual leadership style.
Overall, the module will support students in building strategies to assist them in developing a personal leadership framework for use in their workplace, including both formal and informal leadership approaches.
It includes:
- Approaches to leadership relating to own work place area
- Concept analysis framework, values, attitudes, self-awareness, personal motivation
- Building leadership tools
- Leadership style and organisational influence
- Influencing skills
- Leading a team
- Leadership and management differences
- Power and leadership.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
"These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.” - Najwa Zebian
Available at all levels.
This module is designed to enable participants to identify stress and stress management issues and to be able to develop strategies that can help them deal effectively with stress in the workplace.
In this module you will learn:
- What are stress and anxiety?
- Psychological, social and environmental sources of stress
- Life stresses
- Personal factors in the experience of stress
- Cognitive, affective and behavioural effects of stress
- Stress triggers in the workplace
- Management strategies and coping styles.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” - Charles Darwin
Available at all levels.
This module is designed to enable you to do that most challenging of things: help enable organisational change. Change is an inescapable part of both social and organisational life, and a recurring theme of contemporary organisational theory is that of managing and coping with change. It seems that organisations, and subsequently the individuals working within them, face an unrelenting stream of pressure from globalisation, social and demographic trends, shift sin government policy and the development of new technology, added to this the impact of challenge through pandemic. This module seeks to develop participants’ knowledge and skills in the process of understanding, creating and coping with change within the workplace while being encouraged to develop the skills necessary for the management and facilitation of transition.
Whilst similar to the module Leading people through change, the emphasis of this module is more concerned with analysing different approaches to achieving organisational change. Whilst it is principally aimed at people in, or aspiring to be in, managerial positions, this module may be of interest to those who wish to develop their understanding of the processes of change and those who wish to undertake research within this area.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
Available at all levels.
Whether it is a financial institution, a multi-national chemical manufacturer, the National Health Service or a University, no organisation exists within a vacuum.
All are likely to be subject to government regulation, the national and local economy, some will have competitors. These factors all constitute what is known as the organisational environment (some refer to it as the business, or even corporate environment). This environment comprises of an array of factors that act upon and influence organisations and the way it works.
The purpose of this module is to help you develop the appropriate skills and understanding so you may review your own organisation by scanning and interpreting its environment and drawing conclusions about the major issues it faces in the immediate future.
The module is intended primarily for people working in organisations who have managerial or leadership responsibilities, who aspire to this type of role or for participants who wish to extend their knowledge of these critical factors.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
“I’m an observer. I read about life. I research life. I find a corner in a room and melt into it. I can become invisible. It’s an art, and I am a wonderful practitioner.”- Christine Feehan
Available at levels 6 & 7
Taking a research approach to influencing change
An interactive, thought provoking module where you learn practical processes to design robust and persuasive practitioner research.
You will learn:
- Ideas that will change the way you see everything and anything
- How to get a strategic focus quickly and how to plan your research project
- How to get and keep ‘the golden thread of validity’ in your research
- A range of tools used by successful practitioner researchers
- How research can twist and manipulate what you (supposedly) think or do – and how to avoid it
- A practitioner research process to design a research proposal
- How to check you are being ethical.
Plus many other useful tips to influence change within your organisation or profession.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
This module is designed to address the urgent need for sustainable business practices in today’s world. Our goal is to empower students with the tools, techniques and critical thinking skills necessary to drive meaningful change in their organizations. Through this course, we’re not just teaching about sustainability – we’re fostering leaders who can implement it.
Available at Level 7.
On this Level 7, 20-credit course you will gain the skills and knowledge to lead sustainable initiatives within your workplaces and beyond. You will be challenged to critically examine your workplaces through the lens of sustainability, analysing how company policies impact management and strategic decisions.
During this module you will engage with core concepts and frameworks to help you build sustainable development into your professional goals and decision making. You will develop practical solutions that provide tangible organisational benefits to you, your organisations and the biosphere. By analysing various definitions, frameworks and models of sustainability, you will learn to navigate the complex landscape of environmental management and identify effective strategies to mitigate risks and capitalise on opportunities.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”. - John Quincy Adams
Available at level 7 for DESC masters cohort only.
The Education system on the Isle of Man places emphasis on the appropriate application of current educational research to practice. The module has been designed specifically to explore and critique educational leadership theory, research and practice as it relates to the Manx context; and to promote endogenous growth of educational leaders across all phases of provision. Connecting research, policy & practice in support of student learning and positive development to create productive educational systems is a challenge for all educational leaders and this is the primary focus of this module.
To book onto a Taught Module Workshop please complete a UCM Part-Time Enrolment form and email it to wbis@ucm.ac.im
Note: All workshops are subject to minimum numbers and should be booked at least 14 days in advance. In the event of insufficient numbers your application may be deferred to the next available workshop.
Assignments are submitted through Turnitin on the University of Chester virtual learning environment, Moodle. There is guidance on how to do this in the WBIS handbook and on Moodle. Your PAT and Module Tutor will help you with this. Always keep a copy of what you have submitted.
If you have any difficulties during submission you should send an email to lis.helpdesk@chester.ac.uk to record your attempt and to resolve the problem.
Submission dates are agreed through negotiation with your module tutor. However, to help students to be self-directed and organise their studies, we offer four generic submission dates. Dates must accord with University of Chester regulations.
We find that your studies are likely to be most effective if you plan a progress rate of 60 credits per year. Overall, depending on what award you are studying towards and how much credit you claim for any prior learning, you will have a registration period of up to 7 years for an undergraduate programme or up to 6 years for a postgraduate to complete your studies.
Submission dates for 2023/24 - by midnight
- 28th October 2024
- 3rd February 2025
- 20th April 2025
EXTENSIONS TO AGREED SUBMISSION DATES
Submission dates are agreed between yourself and the module tutor. If you are experiencing any difficulties at all, please keep your module tutor informed, regardless of how small the difficulty might be.
Request for an extension to an agreed submission can be made to the module tutor, providing it remains within 6 months of the date you started the 20 credit module (and pro rata for 40 and 60 credit modules). Extensions beyond this time frame require a formal request to the University of Chester Mitigating Circumstances process. Please speak to your module tutor, and check the WBIS programme handbook for further information.
NON-SUBMISSIONS AND FAILS
If a student fails to submit their assignment by the agreed date and has not been in communication with the module leader, they will receive an email requiring them to submit their work by the next submission date. If this submission date is not met, the student may fail the module.
A student who misses three negotiated deadlines across their programme of study, may be asked to attend a progression interview with their tutor or the programme manager. This will involve a consideration of how progress on the programme can be helped or, in extreme cases, whether continued participation on the programme is viable.
RELEASE OF MARKS
A provisional mark and feedback will be made available within four working weeks of submission. Please be aware holidays within the academic calendar are not counted as working weeks. All marks are provisional until approved by the WBIS Subject Assessment Board in either September, December, March or June.
Please view our fees policy.