TRS4332 - Professional Development and Placement

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Present information effectively for professional contexts such as a CV, covering letter and interview process.
Reflect on personal strengths and weaknesses and prepare an action plan for the future.
Apply knowledge and skills in the workplace and perform to a satisfactory standard during their 6-week placement.

Content:

The preparation course will prepare students for writing effective CVs and covering letters and encourage self-reflection through CPD diaries. Various academic skills such as referencing, essay-and report writing will also be taught. The Personal Development Plan will build on an assessment of strengths and weaknesses and plans for improvement based on the departmental employability criteria.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The module comprises a 2-week intensive preparation block that precedes a 5-week placement. The teaching will involve lectures, seminars, and workshops. There will be 10 1hr sessions to help prepare students to apply for advertised placmeent posts.

Seminars and workshops
Hours: 10
Intended group size: 80

Hours: 1

Individual meetings with EPO as required
Hours: 1

Placement
Hours: 5 week placement

Guided Independent Study
Hours: 13

Further details relating to assessment
The portfolio comprises CV building, planning, placement applications, employability skills. These portfolio elements are weighted at 3,000-word equivalent.
The reflective accounts will take the form of a weekly diary, submitted via Moodle and equivalent to 200 words per week over the 5-week placement period. These should be produced weekly, but to avoid multiplication of deadlines the set of reflective accounts will be deemed to have a single deadline, at the end of the 5-week placement.
Directed activities: These consist of regular tasks that must be completed and submitted for inspection at timetabled sessions each week. The assessment will be on a pass/ fail basis with a pass requiring at least 75% of all weekly tasks successfully completed. A pass mark will lead to the full award of 10% towards the final mark. A fail in directed activities will contribute 0% to the final mark. An overall pass mark and passing the placement are required for progression to Level 5. Numeric marks will only be given for the portfolio and report but an overall numeric mark will be returned for the module.

Other relevant matters
Students with special needs will be advised to seek support from the Dyslexia & Disability Support Co-ordinator. Normally a student will be ineligible to undertake the placement without completion of the pre-placement programme and the required communication of placement details to the Employer Partnership Office.
The practical element is normally of 5 weeks' duration. If a full 5-week placement is not possible an alternative project, which meets the module learning outcomes and involves an equivalent workload, will be agreed between the student, the supervisor and the Employer Partnership Office.
There is an opportunity of volunteering within work placement experience - taking a work placement (L4) as a volunteer in charity or not-for-profit organisation.
In order to be eligible for resit in this module students will also be required to submit their registration and Placement information details by the advertised deadlines.

Assessment:

001 Portfolio 3000 words end of teaching block 70%
002 Directed Activities During teaching block 10%
003 Placement 7 weeks including 2 weeks preparation May - June 0%
004 Relective Accounts 1000 word equivalent 20%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Dr. Anna Piela
Level - 4
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 4S2

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