Work Placement

Module title	Work Placement
Module code	POC1029
Academic year	2024/5
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Alyson Mercer ()

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	10	10	10

Number students taking module (anticipated)	20

Module description

No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.

For this module you will complete 40 hours of voluntary work experience with an employer of your choice. The aim of this module is for you to gain employment experience, skills for finding and securing the perfect job, and to see how your academic learning translates into a post-university environment. Consequently your assessment will be a portfolio detailed below, including a report which enables the practical application of your academic knowledge. This might be a piece of work relevant to your employer, or it may be something that interests you.

We will have a series of workshop sessions to help you with the skills required to finding/ selecting your work placement, including CV writing, interview training, and practical sessions talking about day to day issues within your placements, and to share and discuss your experiences with your peers and tutor.

You will arrange your placements yourselves, using the assistance of the Employability resources on campus, and may undertake your placement at any point up until the end of April. This will allow you to undertake work experience in other parts of the UK/ world if you so choose.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will help you to gain experience in a graduate level working environment, building contacts, skills, and knowledges to help you start out on your career post university, or try out a field that you think that you might be interested in but need to understand more.

From workshops through to assessment, the module encourages you to think critically about the work that you are doing, considering your personal learning journey over the course of your studies. You will develop your personal management skills and experience, practicing specific skills for employment.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

1. Demonstrate an understanding of what your placement organisation does, how it is managed, the culture within the organisation and what influences this;
2. Demonstrate an awareness of the experiential learning process and some ability to reflect on and evaluate learning from the workplace

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

3. Reflect on the relationship between learning politics, the politics skills you have developed, and how these apply to your work placement.
4. Systematically research the academic background to issues 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, and with reference to the work placement in particular;
6. Analyse your own personal management skills, identifying ways to improve through personal development planning;
7. Present yourself effectively in CVs, applications, oral presentations and interviews.
8. Demonstrate a capacity for independent working.

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:

1. Introduction to the module.

2. CV training.

3. Researching the perfect placement and interview training.

4. Workshop 1. Work Placements in Practice and experiential learning.

5. Workshop 2. Work Placements in Practice.

6. Workshop 3. The strong portfolio.

7. Workshop 4. Applying academic learning to the workplace.

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

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
14	96	40

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	14	7 x 2 hour Seminars
Work Placement	40	40 hours voluntary work placement
Guided Independent Study	96	Independent study including preparation for placements and workshops; portfolio compilation

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Draft portfolio	Sample of 3,000 words	1-8	Verbal and written comments on review

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Portfolio	100	Including: 3000 word report based on placement, CV targeted towards placement Reflective piece covering personal learning Feedback sheet from supervisor Contact sheet evidencing 40 hours placement activity. Placement agreement, agreeing role and input from student	1-8	Verbal and written comments on review
	0
	0
	0
	0
	0

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

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Portfolio	Including: 3000 word report based on placement, CV targeted towards placement Reflective piece covering personal learning Feedback sheet from supervisor Contact sheet evidencing 40 hours placement activity. Placement agreement, agreeing role and input from student	1-8	August/September Re-assessment Period

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Cottrell, S. (2003), Skills for Success: The Personal Development Planning Handbook. Palgrave Study Guides. London

Fanthorne, C. (2004), Work Placements – A Survival Guide for Students. Palgrave Study Guides. Macmillan, London.

Kolb, D. (1984), ‘Experiential Learning: Experience as a source of Learning and Development.’ PHI, New Jersey.

Longson, S. (1999), Making Work Experience Count. How to Books.

Moon, J. (1999), Learning Journals: A handbook for academics, students and professional development. Kogan Page. London.

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

Key words search

Work Placement, Employability.

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	4
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	23/01/2018