FB2PLY: Placement Year

Module code: FB2PLY

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

Credits: 120

Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)

When you'll be taught: Full year

Module convenor: Mrs Justine Norris, email: j.f.norris@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

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: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module equips you for the marketplace as you build on your knowledge and skills in a real working environment and gain experiences which increase your employability. You will be able to get an insight into the operation of a company and the opportunity to relate your academic study to the workplace. You will be made aware of the nature and purpose of an organisation, how the department to which you are attached relates to the rest of the organisation, the scientific and technical issues relevant to the company and the economic and commercial considerations within the organisation.

This module offers you an opportunity to develop by providing responsibility commensurate with your level of knowledge, experience, potential and degree of maturity. You will also develop the interpersonal skills as well as your scientific knowledge and technical competence. During the module you will develop reflective practices as a tool for deeper learning, for application in the marketplace.

Module learning outcomes

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

1. Critically evaluate and reflect upon their performance within an organisation
2. Communicate the main elements of their placement to different audiences

Module content

A maxi placement in the food and nutritional sector.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Students will be treated as full time employees within the company and therefore receive any training in line with company policy.

Study hours

At least 3 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.

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.

1. Submission of one learning log for formative feedback (Semester 1, Assessment Week 1)
2. Tutor visit report (Semester 1) – Submitted by the university tutor and is a reflection on how the placement is progressing
3. Company assessment (during the Summer) – Submitted by the line manager during the placement and outlines the student performance across the placement year

Reassessment

Additional costs