The focus of this module is practising the key skills of the HR professional. You’ll develop an awareness of your personal strengths and weaknesses and what these mean for working in teams, and communication skills, including listening skills and presentation skills. You’ll also develop interviewing skills using recruitment and selection and performance management scenarios. You’ll gain an understanding of the application of various research methods in the workplace and identify the practical skills associated with workplace research. You’ll become familiar with the conducting of grievance and discipline interviews and negotiation skills using a variety of different scenarios. You’ll also gain skills associated with HR consultancy and change management, as well as coaching and mentoring.
During the online school, you'll have the opportunity to practise and receive feedback on the skills introduced in the human resource management (HRM) modules you've studied. The learning objectives and outcomes are related to professional skill development and are complementary to the learning outcomes of these five HRM modules. The online school involves synchronous contact time over a 2.5-day period.
This module is part of the Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management (E84) and MSc in Human Resource Management (F68) qualifications that are both approved by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) for professional membership status.
The online school will be facilitated by a Group Tutor and involves synchronous contact time for 2.5 days. As part of the daily engagement, the sessions will combine tutor-led input, group discussions and students working together in smaller teams to prepare for specific tasks. The school will run on either of the first two weekends in September.
Course work includes:
There are no formal assessment activities or submissions required for this module. The module is the online school where the key skills of the HR professional are developed and practised. However, you will be evaluated in terms of your participation in the online school, and you will have to achieve a Satisfactory Participation mark to pass the module.
There will be a module website where guidance, teaching and support material will be available. This will include an outline of the online school, the timings and the learning outcomes for each session.
Human resource management residential school starts once a year – in May.
This page describes the module that will start in May 2026, when you can access the module website and the preparatory reading material before the online school takes place in early September.
We expect the module to start for the last time in May 2028.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
The module is only available to students studying for the Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management (E84) or the MSc in Human Resource Management (F68). If you are on either of these programmes, you should have successfully completed B863 and B864 and ideally have completed any of the option modules B865, B866, and B867. However, you may have studied a combination of the later modules from the new MSc in Human Resource Management (F93), for example B812 and either B813 or B814, instead.
If you wish to complete the Postgraduate Diploma, you should look towards taking this module towards the end of your studies.
If you wish to complete the MSc in Human Resource Management, you are advised to take this module towards the end of the option modules and before embarking on the final module, Dissertation (HRM) (B890).
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
You will be required to engage in some preparatory reading. This material will be made available via the module website.
Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Other alternative formats of the module materials may be available in the future.
| Start | End | Register by | England fee |
|---|
| 02 May 2026 | 31 Oct 2026 | 16 Apr 2026 | £950 |
| 01 May 2027 | 31 Oct 2027 | 15 Apr 2027 | Not yet available* |
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If your income is not more than £25,000 or you receive a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to support your study costs. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in England.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to help with your tuition fees. To find out more, see Postgraduate tuition fee loans in Northern Ireland.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to help with your tuition fees. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in Scotland.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to support your study costs. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in Wales.
The Open University Student Budget Accounts Ltd (OUSBA) offers a convenient 'pay as you go' option to pay your OU fees, which is a secure, quick and easy way to pay. Please note that The Open University works exclusively with OUSBA and is not able to offer you credit facilities from any other provider. All credit is subject to status and proof that you can afford the repayments.
You pay the OU through OUSBA in one of the following ways:
Joint loan applications
If you feel you would be unable to obtain an OUSBA loan on your own due to credit history or affordability issues, OUSBA offers the option to apply for a joint loan application with a third party. For example, your husband, wife, partner, parent, sibling or friend. In such cases, OUSBA will be required to carry out additional affordability checks separately and/or collectively for both joint applicants who will be jointly and severally liable for loan repayments.
As additional affordability checks are required when processing joint loan applications, unfortunately, an instant decision cannot be given. On average, the processing time for a joint loan application is five working days from receipt of the required documentation.
Read more about Open University Student Budget Accounts (OUSBA).
Studying with The Open University can boost your employability. OU courses are recognised and respected by employers for their excellence and the commitment they take to complete. They also value the skills that students learn and can apply in the workplace.
Over 30,000 employers have used the OU to develop staff so far. If the module you’ve chosen is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could approach your employer to see if they will sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees.
You can pay part or all of your tuition fees upfront with a debit or credit card when you register for each module.
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may wish to pay part of your tuition fee with a debit card and pay the remainder in instalments through an Open University Student Budget Account (OUSBA).
We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may get support from your employer to pay part of your tuition fee and pay the remainder by credit or debit card.
For more information about combining payment options, contact an adviser.
Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2026. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
