module specification

This module enables postgraduate students to develop and extend practical arts and/or media experience and expertise in a professional environment. Students will work with and be mentored by selected arts and/or media practitioners. The responsibility for finding a suitable work placement is with the student; the University cannot guarantee a work placement, only the opportunity to undertake and gain appropriate academic credit for it. The placement will be co-conducted by the student, the practitioner(s) (who will act as, or nominate a member of staff to act as, the workplace mentor to the students) and the module convenor (who will advise on the suitability of the placement and assess its academic outcomes).

The module is primarily for postgraduate students studying and/or planning to work in arts, media, publishing, marketing, digital, PR, journalism or creative industries areas. It aims to develop students’ knowledge and skills accordingly:

• You will research a sector of professional practice to identify potential work opportunities and appropriate ways to apply for these.
• You will work in a relevant environment and learn from professionals who are experienced in fields related to your programme of study.
• You will consolidate and apply knowledge and skills acquired in your other postgraduate modules and develop new knowledge and skills through practical and professional work.
• You will enhance your understanding of the requirements and constraints of a professional environment and develop your ability to reflect critically on your own skills and potential future role as a professional practitioner.

None
Available for Study Abroad? NO

Students will collaborate with, or assist, practitioners working in an appropriate professional environment.  They will either work on a specific project or work for a specified period of time. Work will take place in a community arts, media or creative industries context. It might involve creative production, production management, administration, organisation, marketing, financing and/or shadowing, or assisting with any of these or any other creative professional practice. Placements will normally build on students’ prior knowledge and skills, including those gained through their other modules. (LO1, LO2, LO4, LO5)

In addition to learning directly from their activities on the placement, students will be expected to read relevant secondary materials and maintain a reflective journal so as to develop their reflective, critical understanding of professional practice in their chosen field. Staff-led tutorials will prepare the student for AWBL, focusing on the student's ability to act, communicate and undertake work in a manner appropriate to the particular professional context in which the placement will occur. There will also be tutorials during the placement to monitor students’ progress, discuss issues arising and advise on assessments. (LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5)

Learning on the module is primarily through the placement itself, together with independent study and a limited amount of tutorials. Students will be responsible for identifying their own AWBL opportunities, and for appraising a potential placement’s suitability for their own professional development goals, with assistance from the module convenor and the University’s Careers and Employability Services where appropriate. Students will be prepared for this by staff-led tutorials.

The initial stage of a placement will involve the student drawing up a tripartite learning contract to be agreed between the module convenor, the student undertaking the AWBL and the workplace mentor. The contract will specify the learning outcomes to be derived from the experience, in relation to those of the module, and specific tasks that the student will undertake within the timeframe of the placement. The convenor and student will together ensure that suitable health and safety requirements are in place before the start of the placement.

During the placement, the student will be supervised by their workplace mentor. Students will have individual tutorials with the module convenor to discuss their progress, and the module convenor may if necessary visit the placement. The module convenor will be available, either physically or virtually, to liaise with the workplace supervisor and/or student during the process as required.

On successful completion of the module students will be able to:

Subject specific skills:
LO1 contribute to the work of a team that includes professional practitioners;

Knowledge and understanding:
LO2 show the association between university studies and the work-place environment;

Cognitive intellectual abilities:
LO3 reflect critically on the facts and processes prevailing in the arts, media, journalism and creative industry sectors and their own experience of them;

Transferable skills:
LO4 learn independently for the purposes of continuing professional development;

Behaviours and values:
LO5 demonstrate professional behaviour and reflective awareness appropriate to a given workplace setting.

Students will produce coursework addressing the module’s learning outcomes through the tasks and criteria as set out in the assessment brief. These will be detailed at the start of each academic year. Coursework typically consists of:

1. Portfolio of evidence, in which the student collates materials produced during the placement together with learning logs recording activities they carried out.

2. 3000-word report in which the student reflects on their achievement of the learning outcomes as specified in the learning contract for the placement, in relation to the learning outcomes of the module.

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