TRS5012 - Professional Development and Placement (Volunteering)

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Analyse their career potential;
Successfully complete a professional placement demonstrating appropriate skills and commitment;
Evaluate their theoretical understanding in a practical context; critically reflect on their personal and professional development.

Content:

This module will involve three stages: preparation, work placement and reflection.

Preparation: tutorial and workshops reconsidering students’ employability skills; analyse their career prospects and work through potential work-based scenarios; and undertake the practicalities of gaining and undertaking a professional placement in the field of education, taking account of relevant policy and guidance.

Professional placement: students will be supported in finding themselves a placement and undertake a period of professional placement in an appropriate setting, considering an aspect of university based work set against professional requirements.

Reflection: students will complete a short weekly reflective log reflecting upon the practical skills gained through the professional placement experience and what they have learnt about the application of theoretical understanding in a practical setting.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Tutorial and series of workshops, followed by a 6-week block of professional placement.

Workshops
Hours: 30
Intended Group size: Cohort

E-tutorial support (individual) and small group tutorials
Hours: 1
Intended Group size: Cohort

Placement
Hours: 150 (30 days 5 hours per day)

Guided independent study
Hours: 170

Further details relating to assessment
Component 1: Group activity
The group activity is based around work-based scenario/case study that is relevant to students’ upcoming placement. One mark is awarded for each group.

Component 2: Plan for placement
This is to be presented in narrative form but may include a SWOT or similar self-analysis. This is to ensure that students get to know their placement setting before they arrive, and work out which of their career goals they can work towards through planning for placement.

Component 4: Reflective log
Students will answer a number of short questions at the end of every week of placement. These will relate to their experiences and links between placement and university. These will be completed on Moodle and be submitted as one single file. Students must submit this file in order to obtain 10%. A non-submission will be awarded 0% for this component.

Other relevant matters
In Component 1: Group activity, one mark is to be awarded for each group. Students will sign a group contract each week of the preparation for the group activity to ensure that the group is working equitably and effectively.

The placement performance is assessed by the progress tutor, in liaison with the placement provider. The contents of the portfolio and deadlines are included in the module handbook.

Assessment:

001 Group Activity; 1,250 words; end of semester 45%
002 Plan for Placement; 1,250 words; end of semester 2 45%
003 Placement/Volunteering; 6 weeks; pass/fail 0%
004 Weekly reflective Log; 500 words; end of semester 2 10%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Amanda Jefferson
Level - 5
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 5S2

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