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Learning from Work Experience in Social Sciences

Module description

This module is designed to help you gain a relevant work placement and to use your work experience as an opportunity for personal and academic development. The module will give you the tools to reflect critically upon your placement. You will also be encouraged to continue to reflect on the skills that you develop during your placement and to consider how these relate to your degree studies. You will be expected to search for your own work placement, although you can request support in this process from the module Employability and Placements Advisor. The module emphasises the importance of learning from the whole experience of work, including a focus on how people learn from work, and more generic workplace skills and knowledge (including, for example, understanding organisational structures and practices, personal development planning, and lifelong learning through reflection and critical analysis).

Module aims - intentions of the module

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. demonstrate understanding of what your placement organisation does; how it is managed, the culture of the organisation and what might influence this.
• 2. demonstrate understanding of the experiential learning process and some ability to reflect on and evaluate learning from work experience.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. critically reflect on the relationship between the learning and skills developed in your discipline, with learning and skills developed through your work placement.
• 4. systematically research the academic background to a key issue arising from your work placement.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. identify the skills needed in relation to particular job/career opportunities.
• 6. analyse your own personal management skills, identifying ways to improve through personal development planning.
• 7. demonstrate the ability to communicate and present yourself effectively, for example, in written work, CVs, applications, presentations and interviews.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Preparing for your work placement
• Personal development planning
• Learning from experience
• Reflection and reflective writing
• Values and professionalism in the workplace
• Personal development and academic skills review
• Preparing for work after university
• Preparing for assessment

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Bolton, G. and Delderfeld, R. (2018) Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development, 5th edn., Los Angeles: Sage.
• Cascio, W. (2000). Managing a Virtual Workplace. The Academy of Management Executive (1993-2005), 14(3), 81-90.
• Cottrell, S. (2015), Skills for Success: The Personal Development Planning Handbook. Palgrave Study Guides. London
• Edgell, S., Gottfried, H. and Granter, E. (eds.) (2016) The SAGE Handbook of the Sociology of Work and Employment, London: Sage.
• Fanthorne, C. (2004), Work Placements – A Survival Guide for Students. Palgrave Study Guides. Macmillan, London. Hatton, N. and Smith, D. (1995) Facilitating reflection: issues and research, Forum of education, 50, (1) 49-65.
• Illeris, K. (2009) Contemporary theories of learning. London: Routledge.
• Kolb, D. (2014) Experiential Learning: Experience as a Source of Learning and Development. New Jersey: Pearson Education.
• Mehta, K. & Shah, V. (2019). Global Business: Virtual Workplaces and Collaborations. International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology, 9(4).
• Moon, J. (2006), Learning Journals: A handbook for reflective practice and professional development. Abingdon: Routledge.
• Neugebauer, J. and Evans-Brain, J. (2016) Employability: Making the most of your career development. London: Sage Publications.
• Noon, M., Blyton, P. and Morrell K. (2013) The Realities of Work: Experiencing Work and Employment in Contemporary Society, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Schon, D. (1991). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. Aldershot: Ashgate.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

Useful materials on many aspects of learning from experience are also available online at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/employability/

ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=8795

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Suggested journal resources include:

• Journal of Education and Work
• Work, Employment and Society
• Gender, Work and Organisation
• Reflective Practice

Key words search

Work experience, learning, employability, placement, reflection.