module specification

The Work Placement is a 15 credit module that runs both Autumn and Spring semester.  This module comprises an opportunity for students to gain valuable work experience and make industry contacts while gaining module credits. It is the student’s responsibility to find a placement with an existing organisation. The placement should amount to approximately 25 days full time work before or during the semester and before the deadline.  Assessment comprises a learning log and a written evaluation of the experience.

The main aims of the module are:
1. to provide students with the opportunity to gain a useful experience of the working environment;
2. to undertake a work-based project appropriate to their academic level;
3. to enhance and extend their learning experience by applying and building on their academic skills
and capabilities by tackling real life problems in the workplace;
4. to become aware of the culture and structure of a working environment and develop new skills.

Pre-placement tutorial sessions introduce students to the requirements and demands of work placement, assist them in the diagnosis of their abilities; help them make decisions about suitable work areas; and ensure they produce a suitable CV for placement applications.
At the start of the placement the student, employer and placement tutor agree a learning and assessment contract identifying and specifying the:

• task(s) involved in the placement;
• learning outcomes 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.

There will be opportunities for regular tutorials throughout the placement.

A debriefing session, on completion of the placement, enables the student to reflect on their learning and the experiences gained from the placement and to develop action learning plans for the future.

The placement will be

• minimum 5 weeks during summer vacation after year 2
• period equivalent to 5 weeks during year 3.

Students will also attend tutorials or workshops to

• prepare their CVs
• support them in the search for a placement
• agree their learning contract
• de-brief and reflect on their experiences.

Extensive online support will be made available through WebLearn.

There will be opportunities for regular tutorials throughout the placement.

At the end of the placement a student will be able to:
a)  demonstrate s/he has operated effectively, both independently and with others, in a structured and routinely supervised work environment;
b) demonstrate s/he has communicated appropriately with colleagues and superiors
c) show s/he took a rational and organised approach, applying previously known or new techniques and/or methodologies, to the task(s) set;
d) describe and evaluate the structure, major activities and responsibilities of the organisation;
e) evaluate critically her/his performance and abilities

Outcomes will be negotiated as part of the learning contract, but should include four to six
outcomes.

The assessment process is 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 employer comments and observations during the placement period.  The module convenor will visit the workplace and interview the employer where considered appropriate and the employer will be asked to provide a short report on the student's performance and attendance. Employer’s comments will not be part of formal summative assessment but will be used as formative input to the assessment process.

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 assessment evidence will normally include:
• the learning log/reflection;
• a written report evaluating the organisation,  the work undertaken and the learning experience.

Schon, Donald A. (1991) The Reflective Practitioner:  How Professionals Think in Action.  London: Ashgate Publishing.
Moon, Jennifer A.  (2006). Learning Journals:  A Handbook for Reflective Practice and Professional Development. London-N-Y, Routledge; 2 edition.
The Design Council (website) http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/

Much of the reading material will be contextual, depending on the placement, and will be discussed in tutorials.