module specification

This module consists of a short work placement (or work-related activity) lasting over one semester. This usually translates into 12 to 15 full working days (or the part time equivalent of this) in the framework of 150 hours (15-credit module) considering some time for reflection, research and documentation. The work placement is facilitated by the University's Careers and Employability Team. The module enables students to undertake an appropriate short period of professional activity, usually related to their course at level 5 (Intermediate level), with a business or community organisation and to gain credit for their achievements. The activity can be student’s part-time job, a volunteering activity, employment activity, an activity within Londonmet, an activity related to client’s brief or business start-up activity.

The module aims to provide students with the opportunity to:

• gain a useful experience of the working environment.

• undertake a real work-related activity/project appropriate at level 5.

• 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.

• develop and document employability related skills

n/a

There is no standard syllabus for the module and the learning outcomes are developed in the subject-based context of the work-related learning. A “learning agreement” is produced by the student in consultation with his/her work placement line manager at the start of the work-related activity. Allocated Academic Supervisor (or Module Leader) approves the learning agreement that specifies the ways (activities) through which the learning outcomes are achieved and evidenced. 

In general, a typical work-related activity involves following elements:

• Transferable skills (e.g. communication, problem solving, teamwork) - LO1
• Relevant Technical skills and knowledge - LO2
• Reflective learning and critical appraisal - LO3
• LSEP (Legal, Social, Ethical, and Professional) issues associated with the work-related activity - LO4

The module is supported by the Work Related Learning support team in collaboration with University’s Career and Employability Team. The team undertakes pre- and post-placement induction and debriefing sessions and provides on-placement support through email, telephone contact, drop-in sessions and individual appointments.

1. Pre-WRL and Induction

Students attend pre-WRL sessions before the start of the module for a head-start, i.e. to assess suitability of their part-time jobs, placement preferences, CV write-up, job searches, interview skills etc. Within the first two weeks of the module students secure their placement (or switch to another optional module where possible) and undergo formal module introduction and induction sessions before starting their placement. These sessions introduce students to the requirements and demands of Work Based Learning, assists them in the diagnosis of their abilities, and helps them make decisions about suitable work areas.

2. Approval

Each student’s case is evaluated by the WRL support team and the Module Leader. When a Work Related Learning opportunity is gained, i) an on-site employer supervisor is identified ii) student completes a “Learning agreement” form in consultation with allocated academic supervisor, iii) other essential forms such as Health & Safety Checklist, Employee Insurance, Student Contract etc are secured and signed-off by the WRL support team. Students start the placement once all required forms are approved.

The Learning Agreement form identifies and specifies the

• task(s) involved in the placement;

• skills, abilities and 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 Work Related Learning

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.

Where possible, the academic placement supervisor visits the student once at the workplace during the placement. This is to get feedback from the workplace supervisor on the performance of the student. Students may brief his/her academic supervisor a couple of times over the semester through email (or one to one meeting) as an option to a formal visit. This provided an opportunity for a student to ask feedback from the academic supervisor.

4. WRL Portfolio and formal feedback

The student needs to submit a Work Based Learning portfolio (Learning Agreement, Learning Logs, Final Report, Employer’s Feedback) at the end of the placement. These enable the student to summarise the placement experience, reflect on their learning and the experiences gained from the placement and to develop action learning plans for the future.

The Portfolio assessment can be both formative and summative:

The formative process includes Learning Agreement, 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/feedback also includes the regular comments from workplace supervisor and academic supervisor during the placement period.

The format and emphasis of each final report, which may vary between different placements, is drawn up in consultation with the Academic Supervisor who also gives guidance on its content. Assessment by the Academic Supervisor is based on the report's organisation, presentation, clarity and technical content and will stress analytic and reflective skills

The employer or workplace supervisor will provide end-of-placement feedback on the student’s performance and attendance. In the case of student(s) placed on client’s brief, the business client will provide a formal feedback on the individual (or team) performance, measuring understanding of project specifications / communication and presentation of project deliverables (or agreed iterative stages of deliverable) / time-management / project presentation and documentation.

On completion of the module the student should be able to:

LO1: Demonstrate attainment of new transferable skills or application of existing transferable skills

LO2: Learn new technical skills and knowledge or apply the learnt technical skills and knowledge directly relevant to his/her course at level 5

LO3: Reflect upon and critically appraise the work undertaken for personal and professional development and plan for further improvement

LO4: Appreciate and understand key LSEP (Legal, Social, Ethical, and Professional) issues relevant to his/her work-related activity

The assessment on this module is 100% coursework (WRL Portfolio with Evidence).

The key elements of the WRL portfolio are:

i) Learning Agreement – an agreed plan between a student and allocated Academic Supervisor (or Module Leader) articulating how work-related activities will be mapped to the module's learning outcomes and what evidence will be considered for assessment. This is mainly formative/diagnostic in nature.

ii) Learning Logs (a.k.a Reflective reports) - short weekly/fortnightly logs of work-related activities uploaded on University’s VLE (WebLearn) for Academic Supervisor’s feedback and for monitoring of engagement. These activities are linked to module LOs and may contain examples, screenshots etc. [almost all LOs]. This is both formative and summative in nature.

iii)Final Report - a detailed document proving full account and critical appraisal of the work-related activity in its entirety. [LO1 to LO4]. This is summative in nature.

iv) Feedback Report – a report from an employer (e.g. workplace supervisor) outlining his/her opinion about a student's engagement, learning, contribution and achievements [mainly LO1 and LO2]. This is summative in nature.

WRL portfolio (submitted by the set deadline on Evision) is marked by the Academic Supervisor as per the marking scheme available on the module website on University VLE (WebLearn). The marks before publication are internally moderated by the Module Leader also ratified by the External Examiner in line with the University guideline.

Core Text:

Ruth Helyer (2015), The Work-Based Learning Student Handbook (Palgrave Study Skills), Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN-10: 9781137413840

Steve Rook (2016), Work experience, placements and internships, Macmillan Education/Palgrave, ISBN: 1137462027

Frances Trought (2017), Brilliant employability skills: how to stand out from the crowd in the graduate job market, Pearson Education, ISBN: 9781292158914

Andrew Ede (2019), Technology and Society: A World History, Cambridge University Press, ISBN-10: 1108441084

Roger Brownsword (2019), Law, Technology and Society, Routledge, ISBN-10: 0815356463

Other Texts:

John Neugebauer and Jane Evans-Brain (2009), Making the most of your placement, Sage, ISBN: 9781446202586

Andrew Scherer (2011), Brilliant intern : how to get the best internships and make them count, Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0273757210

Jim Hordern, Catherine A. Simon (2017), Placements and work-based learning in education studies: an introduction for students, Taylor and Francis, ISBN: 1317558588

Sarah Bell, Caroline Baillie (2011), Engineers, Society, and Sustainability, Morgan & Claypool, ISBN-10: 1608457893

Journals:

New technology, work, and employment, Wiley Online Library, ISSN: 1468-005X

Work and occupations, Sage Publications, ISSN: 1552-8464

Websites:

University Careers and Employability: https://student.londonmet.ac.uk/jobs-and-employment/career-and-employability-advice/

Social Media Sources:

Linked In- https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

Other:

Lynda - https://www.lynda.com/