module specification

The module gives students who successfully complete its requirements recognition of their extra training and perspective. It provides a framework for formalising the subject-contextualised work-based learning obtained during a year-long placement: it specifies the supervisory and support requirements and assessment procedures. At the start of the placement a learning agreement is produced and approved by the placement coordinator. The learning agreement states the expected learning outcomes, how they will be developed during placement, and the evidence required to demonstrate their attainment.

It is expected student should work in the placement for 300 hours which should be recorded clearly in the learning log. The 300 hours can be completed in 50 working days in a FT mode, or spread over a year in a PT mode.

Students should register with the Placements Organiser to be briefed on the module, undergo induction and placement planning, and to have the placement approved, before they take up a placement. It is essential that students are made aware that both the “placement learning agreement” and “placement employer health and safety checklist” need to be approved before starting the placement.

The module aims to provide students with the opportunity to:

• become more self-aware through reflection on the development of their abilities and attributes;
• develop general and subject-specific knowledge, skills and abilities;
• ensure students understand how an organisation functions, the issues which impact on the organisation, and how the student’s work contributes to its operation
• explore careers options available to them on graduation.
• enhance professional and personal development.
• enhance and extend their learning experience by applying and building on their academic skills and abilities by tackling real life problems in the workplace.
• enhance professional and personal development.

There is no standard syllabus for the module. Each student will have a different learning experience in the workplace. All students will be provided with opportunities to develop the generic Learning Outcomes for this module. These are concerned with the development of abilities, skills and attributes essential to effective functioning in the work environment, in the context of an IT/computing placement. As part of their placement students will also learn new technical, or other subject-related skills but these skills will vary according to the type of employment and the nature of the business in which the employment takes place. Hence, specific technical skills are not given in the Learning Outcomes, but their development will be included, as appropriate, in the learning agreement. LO1,LO2,LO3,LO4

The module is supported by the module leader/academic placement supervisors and the faculty’s employer engagement officer (or placement officer) who undertakes pre- and post-placement induction and debriefing sessions and provides on-placement support though email, telephone contact, drop-in sessions and individual appointments.

The student will develop the learning outcomes in the workplace during the placement.
The placement organisation will appoint an industrial supervisor who will support and guide the student on a day-to-day basis and an academic supervisor will be specified.
The faculty employer engagement officer, module leader, academic supervisor and student services provide student advice, developmental support and administers and monitors all aspects of the placement process. It also offers a programme of talks, given by IT employers, and visits to placement organisations. The roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders are specified fully in the placement documentation provided to them.

Prior to the start of the placement students are inducted into the requirements of the module and the world of work.
1. Induction
Pre-placement induction sessions introduce students to the requirements and demands of work placement, assists them in the diagnosis of their abilities, helps them make decisions about suitable work areas, and ensures they produce an appropriate CV, application form completion, interviews, business behaviour for placement applications. 
2. The approval of the placement
When students have secured a placement they produce a placement learning agreement and placement employer health and safety checklist for approval by the industrial supervisor and the academic supervisor/placement module leader. The learning agreement specifies the learning outcomes in general and subject-specific to be developed during placement, and how these will be evidenced. The placement learning agreement form will identify and specify the
• task(s) involved in the placement;
• skills, abilities an attributes to be developed and demonstrated, together with the associated assessment criteria;
• learning opportunities for the development of the expected outcomes;
• evidence required to demonstrate attainment of the outcomes.
3.The Placement
During the placement, students need to keep a learning log, keep a record of the activities carried out in the placement, reflect on it and reference them to the agreed learning outcomes in the placement learning agreement. The industrial supervisor will formatively assess and comment on the student’s work at regular intervals.
4.Placement visit
Where it is possible, the academic placement supervisor or the faculty employer engagement officer will visit the student during the first half of the placement to determine how the student is settling in and investigate their initial progress. Discussion with the student and Industrial Supervisor will include use of the placement learning log, development of placement outcomes, and student’s experience, to date, of placement. A second visit will be arranged in the second half of the placement to review, with the student and Industrial Supervisor, the student’s personal development and standard of work completed. When visit is not possible, on-line conference or telephone conversation should be put in place to replace the visit. The placement academic supervisor maintains regular email contact with students throughout the period, to ensure smooth operation of the placement and to resolve rapidly any issues that may arise.
5. Employer’s formal feedback, Placement Portfolio and Presentation
The employer will produce an end-of-placement feedback to evaluate the knowledge and skills demonstrated by the student. The student needs to submit a placement report and give a presentation at the end of the placement. These enable the student to summarize the placement experience, reflect on their learning and the experiences gained from the placement and to develop action learning plans for the future.

LO1. Personal Development Plans.
       The student will be able to:
• communicate effectively in a variety of modes and reflect upon their work;
• manage their time efficiently, be punctual, and schedule a variety of tasks to ensure their completion to stated deadlines;
• respond to new challenges in a positive way, demonstrate confidence in his/her abilities (both personal and technical) and work on her/his own initiative.
• produce work to established standards and demonstrate a commitment to high quality outputs and have knowledge of legal, social, ethical, professional aspects in the placement.

LO2. Interpersonal and Social Skills
         The student will be able to:
• work with others as part of a team and take an active and constructive part in a group discussion;
• liaise effectively with other members of the organisation and, where applicable, with individuals external to the organisation, e.g. customers, clients.
• operate effectively as an independent learner in a supervised work environment.

LO3. Technical Development
The student will be able to:
• demonstrate his/her ability to learn new technical/subject-related skills;
• build on existing knowledge and explain the application of the knowledge and techniques acquired in college based studies to the solution of real problems in the workplace;
• reflect upon the application of technology and its implications.
• demonstrate his/her analytical and  advanced problem solving skills.

LO4. Career Preparation and the Workplace
       The student will be able to:
• describe how an organisation functions and the inter-relationships between different functional areas;
• identify some of the career opportunities available to him/her on graduation and produce an up-to-date CV;
• demonstrate an on-going commitment to learning and be able to describe the personal development needs necessary for a changing work environment.

The assessment on this module is 100% coursework and double marked in accordance with the requirements of the relevant accrediting body and the university guidelines.

Work based learning portfolio with evidence: The portfolio include a learning log, which enables students to keep a learning log to record and reflect on their personal and professional development during the placement, helping them to become more self-aware and to improve their performance.  Some employers may provide a means of personal record keeping. The portfolio should keep a record of all the evidence that demonstrate how the student develops his/her PDP, employability, knowledge of the particular area of work - to broaden her/his perspective by reference to the appropriate literature, and to enhance understanding within the wider industrial setting. The format and emphasis of each portfolio, which may vary between different cases, is drawn up in consultation with the module team who also gives guidance on its content. Assessment, by the module team, is based on the portfolio’s organisation, presentation, clarity and technical content and will stress analytic and reflective skills. [LO1][LO2][LO3][LO4]

Assessment can be both formative and summative:

The formative process includes the regular maintenance of a structured learning log. This allows the student to plan and monitor their progress, to reflect on and learn from their experience, and to improve their performance during the placement. Formative assessment also includes the regular employer comments and observations during the placement period.

The summative process includes performance evidence obtained throughout placement (from the learning log) and is not just a snapshot at one point in time e.g. on completion of the project/task(s). The employer will provide an end-of-placement feedback on the student’s performance and attendance.

In addition to informal ongoing feedback and guidance between the student and the placement academic supervisor. Students will be advised to send draft report, learning log and presentation to the academic placement supervisor for feedback.

Formal feedback will be provided during the placement visit and at the end of the placement in the presentation session.

Textbooks:

Core Text:
Durrant A., Rhodes G., Young D., (2011), Getting Started with University-level Work Based Learning, 2nd edition, Libri Publishing, ISBN-10: 1907471219

Other Texts:
Ruth Helyer R., (2010), The Work-Based Learning Student Handbook (Palgrave Study Skills), Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN-10: 0230229565
Fanthome C., (2004), Work Placements: A Survival Guide for Students (Palgrave Study Guides), Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN-10: 1403934347

Websites: University Careers Portal

Other resources appropriate to the placement and determined by the Employer, Supervisor and Subject Tutor.