1. Masters in Professional Practice Orientation Programme (MPPOP)
Liz MacDougall
Senior Learning and Language Development Advisor
Abertay University

2. MPPOP – a partnership between Abertay University and Perfect World, China’s third-largest media company
Abertay is the only European institution to feature in the Princeton Review’s top 20 unis for games courses
Course designed to prepare Chinese students for very specific demands of the MProf in Games Development, taught at Abertay
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3. The initial planning process!
Started developing the programme in August 2016
First students began MPPOP in March now a few weeks away from graduating from MProf at Abertay
15 students from this spring’s cohort arrived on Saturday and 22 currently enrolled in Beijing
Lili, one of our first MPPOP students (and currently featured on our website)
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4. Teaching at Pixseed, Perfect World’s digital arts school in Beijing
Programme is delivered in Beijing at Pixseed, PW’s digital arts school
Consists of 12 weeks of ESAP and 6 weeks of subject input, delivered by Games division staff
From this year, two start dates – March for September entry at Abertay; August for January entry at Abertay
The MProf area in the Centre for Excellence at Abertay
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5. Aligning the assessments – considerations
Our students need to be able to demonstrate that they are prepared for postgraduate study in the UK
so the assessments needed to test their ability to
work independently
construct arguments using sources and research
present information coherently and appropriately
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6. They also need to be able to demonstrate that they are prepared for the requirements of the MProf
an industry-focused degree which requires:
collaborative working in multi-national, multi-cultural groups
a high level of cultural as well as linguistic competence
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7. Three main criteria specific to the MProf
professional behaviours
willingness and ability to respond to constructive criticism
ability to reflect on their own development
Very few students have been outside China – many have almost no experience of interacting with non-Chinese English speakers
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8. Finally, they must be able to demonstrate that they meet UKVI English language requirements
The MPPOP takes the place of IELTS – is benchmarked with additional criteria
The requirements of the MProf are too specific for an off-the-shelf test to be of much use
We wanted to focus on the skills required, not on teaching to a test
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9. 4 separate assessments – integrated skills
All allow for a degree of preparation in advance (and some require it!)
Designed to reflect skills required/tasks set on the MProf
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10. Timed Writing Assessment
4 authentic sources e.g. from academic journals, industry blogs, or games-focused media
Provided to students one week in advance of exam
Expected to read and annotate as required
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11. Exam conditions Students are presented with an essay question
90 minutes to write a response
Must use each source at least once, with correct in-text referencing
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12. Interview Students are asked to
talk about their own experience in games development either as undergrads or professionally
reflect on what they’ve learnt on the MPPOP
discuss interesting developments in the games industry
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13. Presentation 7 minutes, plus time for questions
On a topic of the student’s choosing, related to the games industry
Following appropriate academic conventions
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14. Reflective writing 1500 words Aims: to encourage students to
understand and apply the process of reflecting
to produce multiple drafts with the help of peer and tutor feedback
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15. Changes
2017: students chose from three questionsasking them to reflect on their understanding of professional behaviour, being a good team member, or being a good communicator
March: students were asked to reflect on their own development throughout the MPPOP, incorporating feedback from peers and tutors
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16. Has been the most challenging assessment to get right
March 2018 version: too broad – led to very superficial content
Purpose and/or focus seemed unclear to some students
Amount of time spent redrafting was also unrealistic
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17. Portfolio approach
Combination of reflective pieces and specific skills-related writing (e.g. annotated bibliography)
Shorter turnaround time
Will still incorporate peer and tutor feedback
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18. Other concerns
Are we getting the balance right? Between competing demands?
Are we setting the standard high enough? (More of a perennial issue regarding our entry requirements)
Are we adequately preparing these students for a situation that is so different from their previous experience?
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19. Next steps
Will receive external examiner’s report this week – will create a list of action points
Gather feedback from students now on the MProf in term 1 and 2
Try to include more interaction between alumni and current MPPOP-ers e.g. Q&A sessions via Skype – successful/valuable on the most recent course
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20. Thank you for listening!
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