Overview

The Work Placement year may be taken following completion of Year 2 or Year 3 study. Students who are on placement will be away from campus for the whole of the academic year. The minimum period in placement, (at one or more locations), is 7 calendar months (or the equivalent of 1000 hours). Students normally start their placement sometime between June and September and finish between June and September of the following year. The placement should be related to the student's degree, and this relationship must be made clear in the Pre-placement forms. The placement must be approved by the University before work begins. Placements can be undertaken in any part of the UK or abroad.

A series of placement preparation sessions are provided at the start of semester one preceding the placement year. These are designed to preapare students for their placement 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 year of study. 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: Students will have completed and submitted all the necessary paperwork needed to review the placement opportunity. This includes the placement form, risk assessment from the placement provider, and personal risk assessment and health and safety briefing. This will be formally submitted to the Request Centre and reviewed by the University. Placements cannot begin without this formal approval.

Post placement reflective assignments: There are three assignments for this module: you will need to reflect on one skill or activity you have developed on placement in a written assignment, reflect on the whole year experience in poster format and submit a timesheet which equates to the minimum placement hours required. 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 well-structured and clearly written reflective assignments.

Students must pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Learning Outcomes

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

• Evidence the completion of 1000 work-based hours.

• Gain practical insight into how businesses and organisations operate via work-based learning (this can be desk-based research or in the field).

• Recognise and apply disciplinary understanding and subject knowledge in placement activities and explain how these fit with your personal objectives and development in the future i.e. both short- and long-term.

• Reflect on your placement performance and contribution in terms of strengths, weaknesses, personal skills and skill deficiencies together with how your involvement supported the organisation more generally.