Overview

The practical element of the module comprises a block placement (of 7 to 12 months) taken at the beginning or end of the level 6 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 at the place of work and under the supervision of their employer. The onus is always on the student to find their own placement. Disabled students may require reasonable adjustments in acquiring a suitable placement (Code of Practice on Inclusive Provision for Disabled Students, p26. Where students cannot find their own placement and one cannot be found for them, they will switch back to a ‘normal’ degree course. The placement should be related to the student’s degree subject and this relationship must be made clear by the student in their pre-placement forms. The placement must be approved by the module organiser and the University before work begins. All students should be given the opportunity to share disability-related information. The school’s placement co-ordinator may need to offer students the opportunity to talk through the sensitive issues that sharing such information raises and may need to explain to students their responsibility to share any relevant information on an application form. Reasonable adjustments for disabled students must be as recommended in the student’s Personal Learner Support Plan (PLSP), and any additional adjustments identified when planning the placement must be discussed with Disability Services.

The module organiser will monitor progress during the placement, mainly by email or video conference. A risk assessment will be conducted for the identified work placement, as illustrated in the table that follows.

Risk Profile: Low Work Type: Office work or other low hazard environments and activities Action to Reduce Risk: None

Risk Profile: Medium Work Type:Working in proximity to high risk factors (but not directly with them) . Work involving more practical elements with moderate potential for harm, e g. education and service sectors Action to Reduce Risk: Ensure student is aware of the hazards of the placement as part of the briefing process

Risk Profile: High Work Type: Work with hazards that have potential to cause permanent injury or fatalities, including: • Construction site with work at height, dusts, moving machinery, electrical systems . • Operation of machinery with mechanical hazards such as high speed rotating parts, crushing or entanglement risks . • laboratory work with toxic / hazardous materials . • Community work with known high risk groups of clients or locations (drug abusers, homeless, violent patients) . Work with animal bedding or large or dangerous animals . • Activities requiring specific licenses or qualifications (e .g . diving, flying aircraft / UAv) . • Work involving significant hazards in small companies that do not have professional health and safety advice. Action to Reduce Risk: Ensure competency requirements for high risk activities have been agreed and ensure student meets them . Confirm that training & supervision will be provided by the placement provider. Consider pre-placement site visit . Ensure student is aware of the hazards of the placement as part of the briefing process.

Assessment Strategy

Good (B- to B+): The report is logically structured. It contains detailed descriptive text relating to the knowledge acquired by the student. Knowledge directly and indirectly related to the student’s degree subject is described. There is some analysis of the cultural influences on the interpretation and application of subject-specific knowledge but there is little critical evaluation. The report includes substantial content in which the student evaluates the learning experience, mainly as a retrospective description of the placement experience with only some emphasis on how the experiences might shape future learning.

Excellent (A- to A*): The report is logically structured and with threads that create a holistic, coherent whole. It contains detailed and insightful descriptive text relating to the knowledge acquired by the student. Knowledge directly and indirectly related to the student’s degree subject is described with some exploration of the synergies between the various sources of knowledge. There is a well argued, critical analysis of the cultural influences on the interpretation and application of subject-specific knowledge. The report includes substantial content in which the student evaluates the learning experience, both as a retrospective description of the placement experience and as a critical reflection on how the experiences might shape future learning.

Threshold grade D- to C+: There are weaknesses in the way that the report is structured, resulting in repetition and/or lack of clarity. It contains descriptive text relating to the knowledge acquired by the student but with evidence that the descriptions have not been fully developed. Knowledge directly related to the student’s degree subject is described but with little emphasis on any other knowledge acquired. There is little analysis of the cultural influences on the interpretation and application of subject-specific knowledge and there is no evidence of critical evaluation. The report includes content in which the student evaluates the learning experience, mainly as a retrospective description of the placement experience with little emphasis on how the experiences might shape future learning.

Learning Outcomes

• Deal effectively with challenges in employment

• Recognize and apply disciplinary understanding and subject knowledge to business and organisational issues and priorities in terms of both culture and economics

• Respond positively to changing circumstances and new challenges

• Understand and appreciate how businesses and organisations work and ability to act accordingly

• Work with limited or no supervision and retain effectiveness while under pressure