CH3MCP: MChem Industrial Placement

Module code: CH3MCP

Module provider: Chemistry; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 80

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Full year

Module convenor: Dr Adam Bromley, email: a.p.bromley@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Dr James Cooper, email: james.cooper@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s): IN THE SAME YEAR AS TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE CH3CC1 AND TAKE CH3CC2 (Compulsory)

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: Maxi placement

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The MChem Industrial Placement module will provide students with experience of conducting research and practical chemistry in an industrial setting. This experience will develop a range of transferable skills relevant to a wide range of careers, including (but not limited to): working within a team, designing independent workflows, time management and engaging with relevant scientific literature.  

During this module, the student will establish themselves as an active researcher at their industrial host and will develop their skills as an independent researcher, with support from an assigned supervisor at their industrial host company. At the end of the module, the student will provide a report on their industrial placement and will communicate their results via an oral presentation. These assessments will provide students taking this course with valuable transferable skills in communication, presentation and analysis of (scientific) information, which will be valuable for their transition to working as professionals after graduation. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Apply fundamental concepts in chemistry and practical skills to an industrial setting and solve research problems relevant to industrial companies.
2. Engage with the scientific literature to plan reactions.
3. Evaluate their performance, and reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, throughout the placement via regular meetings with their industrial supervisor and scheduled meetings with their academic placement tutor.
4. Discuss their research with colleagues in industry and explain their research to people in related fields (e.g. their academic placement tutor) through written and verbal media.
5. Summarise the progress of their research, construct plans for future research and manage workflows across timescales of weeks and months.

Module content

The student will conduct chemical research at a host company in industry. The student will be expected to work to company guidelines, follow health and safety protocols and conduct research in a professional manner. During each semester, an assigned academic placement tutor will conduct on on-site visit or an online meeting, where the student will provide an update on their progress. At the end of the module, the student will give an assessed presentation that describes the research they have conducted on placement. The student will also submit a report on the research they have conducted during the placement.  

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Students will conduct practical chemistry on-site at an industrial placement host. The student will be assigned a supervisor at the host company who will act as their line manager for the duration of the placement and will supervise their research project. An academic placement supervisor from the Department of Chemistry will also be assigned and they will meet the student and the industrial placement supervisor at during each semester to evaluate progress with the placement. 

Whilst on placement, the student will learn how to conduct chemical research in an industrial setting with guidance from their industrial placement supervisor and (if appropriate) other members of their team at the host site. Guidance on writing the summary report and the presentation should be provided by the industrial supervisor, with high-level input from the academic placement tutor (one round of feedback) if required. 

The student will conduct research at an industrial company, with a focus on chemical research (e.g., synthesis, cosmetics, pharmaceutical development, formulation). The hours will vary depending on company policy. The student will meet with their academic tutor once per semester, where they will give an update on their progress and reflect on their performance, strengths and weaknesses during the placement up until that point. 

Study hours

At least 18 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Please note that, as the module is an industrial placement, it cannot be repeated and the assessment of the placement by the industrial host cannot be reassessed. Reassessment of the written report and oral presentation is possible, as detailed in the reassessment section.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• 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 (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/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.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students will receive formative feedback on their presentation from their academic placement supervisor during the site visit during each semester. Students are encouraged to get formative feedback on their presentation from colleagues at their industrial placement. 

Reassessment

Additional costs