Overview

The Professional Placement year may only be taken at the end of the second (i.e. level 5) year. Students are on placement, and away from campus for the whole of the academic year.

The minimum period in placement (at one or more locations) is seven calendar months (or the equivalent of 1000 hours). More usually students spend 10-12 months with a placement provider. Students normally start sometime in the period June to September of their second year and finish between June and September the following year.

The placement should be related to the student's degree, and this relationship must be made clear in your Pre-placement forms.

The placement must be approved by the Work Placement Coordinator (Dr Rebecca Jones) and the University before work begins.You should be willing to accept a placement in any part of the UK or abroad.

The practical element of the module comprises a block placement (of 7 to 12 months) taken at the end of the level 5 year. Students will register for the programme in the spring of their second year and will be provided with guidance on locating and applying for a placement. They will attend a series of work experience workshops during the spring to prepare them for the job search, creating applications and CVs, and preparing for the workplace environment. The student may begin their work placement at a date to be agreed between the student and employer, but not until the end of teaching for their current semester. The student will spend 7 to 12 months undertaking work-based learning opportunities under the supervision of their placement provider(s).

Assessment Strategy

-threshold - All assessments have been graded as either 'Satisfactory to continue' or a Pass. This demonstrates the progression through planning the placement, carrying out the work, reporting and presenting on the work through reflective assignments. The following statements explain what is expected from students to reach threshold (pass) criterion. Given that this is the only criterion by which the assessments are graded, only threshold is specified here. Below are the details provided to the students:

Pre-placement: In your Pre-placement form, you will have clearly identified and conveyed the potential health and safety risks associated with the placement. You should have also outlined and acknowledged the primary health and safety policies in operation in the employing organisation. As part of this, you should have also evidenced that you have considered the type of placement you seek e.g. is it to try out a particular career, build useful contacts, get some professional context to an academic area of interest, develop particular skills or technical knowledge, and/or gain working knowledge of a specific sector/profession? You will have also succeeded in justifying how the placement is linked to your degree programme, and you will have realistically identified and evidenced which work-related skills you already possess, and which skills might be acquired or practised on the placement. An important aspect of reaching the threshold target to pass the assessment is that you convey the above with a well-structured and clearly written placement form.

Post placement reflective assignments: There are two assignments for this module: you will need to reflect on one skill or activity you have developed on placement, and to reflect on the whole year experience. To reach the required threshold, you will have shown thoughtful engagement of the following: - The job role and how it contributed to the success and effectiveness of the organisation. This may include elements of both teamwork and individual contributions. - Your experiences and observations during the placement, in relation to the goals that were set-out for self-development in the pre-placement document - A synthesis of how the experience will benefit you in the future; specifically how it will affect your thinking about your degree programme and how it will influence the way you seek employment in the future. An important aspect of reaching the threshold target to pass the assessment is that you convey the above with a well-structured and clearly written reflective assignment.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe in detail one area of the organisation's activities (one in which you were directly involved during the placement) and make suggestions for improvements in this area.

• Recognize and apply disciplinary understanding and subject knowledge in placement activities, and reflect on these learning experiences and professional contributions explaining how these fit with your personal objectives and continuous professional development in the future i.e. both short- and long-term.

• Reflect on your placement performance in terms of strengths, weaknesses, personal skills and skills deficiencies.

• Review your own contribution to this area of activity and to the organisation more generally.

• Understand and appreciate how businesses and organisations work, this could include both desk-based and in the field activities.