Module HAC-3001:
Lleoliad Gwaith - Semester 1

Module Facts

Run by School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences

20 Credits or 10 ECTS Credits

Semester 1

Organiser: Dr Teresa Crew

Overall aims and purpose

This module is optional at Level 6/Year 3 (Semester 1 only), and is open to all single and joint honours students whose degree programmes are wholly within SHiPSS. It is also open to external joint honours students, with the proviso that taking this will still allow them to meet their degree programme requirements. In many cases students will identify and arrange their own placements. In some cases staff will assist in this process, where arrangements already exist with partner agencies. The purpose of the module is to provide the opportunity for work-based learning, by means of placements with a range of agencies. Such experiential and career-oriented learning is consistent with the university’s commitment to employability enhancement. The module complies with the University Code of Practice on Placement Learning (https://www.bangor.ac.uk/regulations/codes/code07.php.en). Some placement providers may have their own service level student placement agreements in place which specify appropriate roles and relationships for students, teaching staff and agencies.
The general aim of the module is to provide students with experience of working in agencies, and to help to prepare them for future work-based contexts. The placement providers (named representative/s) will have a clear role in supervising the work of the students and liaising with academic staff in the School with regard to learning outcomes for students, although they will not be directly involved in the assessment process. The specific aims of the module are to provide School-based preparation and support for the placement through individual and small group tutorials; a programme of independent study and guided reading; and intensive placement learning opportunities.

Course content

The work-based placement agencies include archive record offices in North Wales (for History and Archaeology students), and Victim Support and Citizens Advice Bureau for Social Sciences students. Work-based placements involve a commitment of around 70 hours in total, although some students begin and end their placements outside of the duration of the module. The module is work-based and experiential and so there is relatively little formal teaching contact. However, a number of formal sessions (lecture-style) are incorporated into the curriculum, and some of these are provided by the Bangor Employability Award team.

Each individual student’s experience of the module will therefore be different, mediated by the nature and location of the placement, and their defined roles within this work context. All students will begin their studies with an individual orientation to their placement by means of one-to-one and small group tutorials. They will embark on a guided reading and study programme, facilitated by the module convenor and teaching team. Their grounding will include reading and discussion aimed at understanding the links between academic study and agency work practice. These will then be linked to the specific undertakings of the placement agency, for example in relation to equality and diversity training, or addressing the needs of vulnerable social groups. The module incorporates structures for reflection on the learning process within a work-based context. Recommended reading will include texts on the value and role of such reflection and this will be an integral part of the first assignment. Students are also required to report on one or more aspects of their work-based learning within their chosen agency (second assignment). Topics for this aspect of the module will vary according to the individual placement, and so reading and tutorials will be tailored to specific student needs.

Assessment Criteria

good

C- to B+ For the oral presentation - evidence of a good standard of both oral and written communication abilities, as demonstrated in a PowerPoint presentation (or similar format). For the reflective placement diary - shows a good or very good ability to reflect on the work-based learning experience; provides a thorough commentary on the student’s own experiences of the placement. Demonstrates good or very good awareness of the literature on reflective and experiential learning. For the report on the student’s work with the agency - shows good or very good ability to integrate each of the following elements in providing a competent report: awareness of the nature of the agency’s work; the ability to place this work in a wider theoretical and/or applied context; and commentary and reflection on the student’s own learning process both within the agency and in a wider academic context.

excellent

A- to A* For the oral presentation - evidence of a high level of both written and oral communication abilities, as demonstrated in a PowerPoint presentation (or similar format). For the reflective placement diary – shows excellent ability to reflect on the work-based learning experience; provides an insightful and skilled commentary on the student’s own experiences of the placement. Demonstrates excellent awareness of the literature on reflective and experiential learning. For the report on the student’s work with the agency – shows excellent ability to integrate each of the following elements in providing a coherent and skilled report: awareness of the nature of the agency’s work; the ability to place this work in a wider theoretical and/or applied context; and critical commentary and reflection on the student’s own learning process both within the agency and in a wider academic context.

threshold

For the oral presentation - evidence of a satisfactory level of both written and oral communication abilities, as demonstrated in a PowerPoint presentation (or similar format). For the reflective placement diary - shows satisfactory ability to reflect on the work-based learning experience; provides a satisfactory commentary on the student’s own experiences of the placement. Demonstrates a basic awareness of the literature on reflective and experiential learning. For the report on the student’s work with the agency - shows satisfactory ability to integrate at least two of the following elements in providing a basic report: awareness of the nature of the agency’s work; the ability to place this work in a wider theoretical and/or applied context; and basic commentary and reflection on the student’s own learning process both within the agency and in a wider academic context.

Learning outcomes

  1. Identify and implement a range of professional and academic skills which are relevant to the workplace.

  2. Develop and critically reflect on the acquisition of a range of work-based skills.

  3. Report on and critically evaluate one or more aspects of the student’s own work within the agency.

  4. Understand the links between academic studies and the work practices of agencies. Be able to apply this understanding to the workplace.

  5. Establish effective working relationships with staff and client groups within the agency.

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
COURSEWORK Reflective placement diary

A written assignment of 1,500 words. This is linked to the first assignment, which is an oral presentation of the student's work with their chosen agency. Both the oral presentation and the diary reflect on the work-based learning experience.

 60
ORAL Oral presentation

An oral presentation of 10 minutes plus 5 minutes of discussion time. Presentation may be supported by PowerPoint or poster displays.

 40

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Work-based learning

Work-based placement – work-based learning under the joint supervision of the agency and the School. A learning agreement (between student, university and agency) will be in place to cover all aspects of this work-based learning.

 70
Private study

Independent study: reading related to chosen topic and agency; preparation and completion of the two assignments.

 115
Lecture

Lectures on the value of work-based learning; benefits of such learning in terms of student employability.

 5
Workshop

Seminars or workshops in which students engage in reflective learning practice, and develop report-writing and presentation skills.

 5
Tutorial

Tutorials will be held in small groups and one-to-one to prepare students for the placement; also held during the placement to support the process; and at the end of the placement to reflect on the learning process.

 5

Transferable skills

  • Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
  • Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
  • Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
  • Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
  • Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
  • Safety-Consciousness - Having an awareness of your immediate environment, and confidence in adhering to health and safety regulations
  • Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
  • Teamwork - Able to constructively cooperate with others on a common task, and/or be part of a day-to-day working team
  • Mentoring - Able to support, help, guide, inspire and/or coach others
  • Caring - Showing concern for others; caring for children, people with disabilities and/or the elderly
  • Management - Able to utilise, coordinate and control resources (human, physical and/or financial)
  • Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
  • Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others
  • Leadership - Able to lead and manage, develop action plans and objectives, offer guidance and direction to others, and cope with the related pressures such authority can result in

Subject specific skills

  • the ability to formulate and investigate sociologically informed questions
  • the capacity to analyse, assess and communicate empirical sociological information
  • the ability to undertake and present scholarly work
  • the ability to understand the ethical implications of sociological enquiry
  • the ability to recognise the relevance of sociological knowledge to social, public and civic policy.
  • how to develop a reflective approach and a critical awareness of the values of local cultures and local politics, and of the student's own values, biography and social identity, and how to bring these skills to bear in an informed response to crime and victimisation
  • the social and historical development of the main institutions involved in crime control in different locations
  • how to use empirical evidence - both quantitative and qualitative - about the distribution of crime, deviance, offending and victimisation of all kinds to explore
  • trends in crime, harm and victimisation
  • relationships of crime, deviance and offending, and victimisation to social divisions such as: age, gender, sexuality, social class, race, ethnicity and religious faith

Resources

Courses including this module

Compulsory in courses:

Optional in courses: