AP2ID4-Mini Work Placement and Professional Development for International Development Students

Module Provider: School of Agriculture, Policy and Development
Number of credits: 10 [5 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Autumn / Spring / Summer module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites: Pre-requisites: Part 1 BSc International Development (3 & 4 years)
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2019/0

Module Convenor: Ms Rebecca Jerrome

Email: r.m.jerrome@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

NOTE: This is not open to students outside of the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development. The module is intended only for students studying on BSc International Development

This module provides a means of promoting and recognising short-term work placements within the field of International Development, which are independently organised by students and approved by the University. Its main aims are to (i) enhance employability through acquisition of relevant experience and (ii) promote personal and professional development (PPD) and increased self-awareness by providing a framework for critical self-reflection in the context of the work based learning experience. The module will also give students an insight into the concepts of life-long learning and continuing professional development. Placements must be completed by the end of the Easter Vacation of Part 2.

Students may undertake the work placement in the Summer Term at the end of Part 1, ONLY with prior consent of the module convenor. They must still attend any scheduled sessions in the Autumn Term of Part 2.

 

Aims:

This module provides a means of promoting and recognising short-term work placements within the field of International Development, which are independently organised by students and approved by the University. Its main aims are to (i) enhance employability through acquisition of relevant experience and (ii) promote personal and professional development (PPD) and increased self-awareness by providing a framework for critical self-reflection in the context of the work based learning experience. The module will also give students an insight into the concepts of life-long learning and continuing professional development. Placements must be completed by the end of the Easter Vacation of Part 2.

Students may undertake the work placement in the Summer Term at the end of Part 1, ONLY with prior consent of the module convenor. They must still attend any scheduled sessions in the Autumn Term of Part 2.

Assessable learning outcomes:

1. Students should be able to:

• Organise and undertake a mini work-placement in a relevant organisation


• Critically reflect on the personal and professional learning opportunities afforded to them during the work-placement

2. Through career planning:

• identify, assess and articulate their skills, interests, values and personality traits in the context of career decision making. 


• develop careers information retrieval, research and decision making skills, using a variety of sources including the Internet. 


• be able to write an effective application (a CV and covering letter) informed by their understanding of the recruitment and selection processes.

Additional outcomes:

The module also aims to encourage the development of the following skills:

• Working with other people


• An understanding of the requirements of the workplace 

Students will also develop:

• Business awareness through understanding broad trends in the graduate labour market and the personal attributes and achievements that employers require;


• IT and information handling skills by using the Internet; 


• Personal Development Planning (PDP) abilities through the reflective exercises and forward-looking nature of career planning, which will significantly contribute to PDP activities. 

Outline content:

1. 
   

   WPE: The module is designed to give the students some work placement experience in a field of their choice, which may help in application for employment or further study. You will select a work placement in consultation with the module convenor and the Careers Advisor. It should be with a recognised organisation appropriate to your specialisation and be able to provide you with some opportunity for independent problem solving and team working. Although the area of work undertaken on the placement should be related to your degree, the day to day content will be set by the employer. The placement must be approved, in advance of commencement, by the Module Convenor. Except in agreed exceptions, it will not be possible to approve placements retrospectively. The placement must be for a minimum of 35 hours in total, either in a single block or one day a week, between the end of the Part 1 examinations and the end of the Easter Vacation of Part 2.Longer placements are allowed/encouraged but are not a necessity for completion of the module. The assessment part of the module will help students to reflect on what they have achieved and experienced.

   
   


2. 
   

   This module components consists of three elements that relate to the stages in effective career planning, self-awareness (Finding Your Profile), opportunity awareness and decision making (Finding the Fit), and transition skills (Effective Applications). 

   
   

 

Key requirements:

1. Work placements must amount to the equivalent of one week of work (minimum 35 hours). Other arrangements for accrual of time may be discussed with and approved in advance by the module convenor on a case by case basis (i.e. weekly day/part day sessions over a period of time). Longer summer placements are allowed/encouraged but are not a necessity for completion of the module.


2. All placements must be within a company or organisation explicitly connected with your degree programme.


3. Placements must be undertaken between the end of the Part 1 examinations and the end of the Easter Vacation of Part 2.


4. All placements must be discussed with and approved by the University in advance of the placement commencement date. Placements will not be approved retrospectively. Placements which involve doing a job the student already does or has done in the past will not be approved – students are encouraged to seek new opportunities.


5. All placement providers must satisfy health and safety requirements, hold relevant insurance and be willing to provide evidence of student attendance along with a basic testimonial of the student’s performance. Health and Safety documentation and a Work Placement Agreement must be completed and signed off before the placement can commence.


6. In order for placements to be recognised within this module, it is the responsibility of the student to have all required paperwork completed and submitted to the module convenor prior to commencing their placement, failure to do so will result in penalty in the final module mark, failure of the module or if there is time, another placement being fulfilled.


7. Students will be expected to attend a session in the Spring Term of Part 2 to feedback on their experience to staff and Part 1 students. 

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Each of the three elements in effective career planning are introduced in lecture sessions in the Spring Term of Part 1, supplemented by practical exercises and self-directed learning using on-line materials available on the Internet at: http://www.rdg.ac.uk/Careers/cms.

Sessions will include:

• Concepts of experiential, life-long learning and professional development


• Finding and securing placements


• Reflective thinking and writing in the context of self-development

These will help students to prepare for placement(s) and develop the skills needed for effective self-evaluation and reflection during and after the placement.

Work based learning during a mini work placement:

A micro work-placement will be independently organised and undertaken by the student. Students are encouraged to apply for a challenging placement aligned to their personal career interests which will afford them quality development opportunities. This placement must be approved by the University and all associated paperwork must be completed BEFORE any placement commences

Contact hours per term will be dependent upon the timing of the student’s individual placement. Accordingly, hours below are indicative only.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Seminars	6
Tutorials	1
Work-based learning	25	25	30
Guided independent study:	10		3
Total hours by term	42	25	33
Total hours for module	100

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written assignment including essay	100

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

1. WPE:

• A 1000 word reflective account critically exploring the work based learning experience (80%).


• An experiential learning log completed during the WPE (20%)

2. Career planning portfolio (Pass/fail) to be submitted by the end of the Autumn Term (Part 2).  You are required to submit an e-portfolio demonstrating your professional practice via the following documentation:

• Action Plan


• Mind-map of skills


• A LinkedIn profile


• Reflection of your attendance at two careers events (plus a Careers Fair)


• A CV which includes your workplace experience


• A testimonial from your employer

All of the above must be included in order to obtain a pass mark.

The submission for the WPE assignment and the portfolio is the second week of the Summer Term of Part 2.

Formative assessment methods:

There are regular opportunities for discussion in class sessions, including peer and staff feedback on CVs. In addition students will work through examples of reflective writing in preparation for the summative assessment.

Penalties for late submission:
The Module Convener will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day[1] (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;

where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

A mark of 40% overall. 

Reassessment arrangements:

By submission of coursework.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1. Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: Students will need to provide any necessary clothing, footwear or PPE if undertaking a practical based placement, unless these are provided by the employer.


2. Travel, accommodation and subsistence: Students will have to pay for any such costs associated with undertaking their placement.

Last updated: 8 April 2019