MLMWEP: Work Placement or Extended Project

Module code: MLMWEP

Module provider: Languages and Cultures; School of Humanities

Credits: 80

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Full year

Module convenor: Professor Federico Faloppa, email: f.faloppa@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

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

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module aims to provide students with an opportunity for career development through reflective learning. Students will either a) self-organise a placement (240 hours) to undertake in an NGO or organization of their choice or b) undertake a detailed examination of an NGO, organization, or role of their choice. Students will then construct a written assessment that provides the opportunity for critical reflection on their placement or an extended project, to be beneficial for their own career development in the graduate sector. Students will in fact also be encouraged to reflect on the transferable skills they have acquired during their studies and to identify skills they plan to develop in relation to future employment.

Early in the year, a session will provide dynamic advice on how to secure a placement, and a list of partners organisations to contact for finding a placement. Students will work collectively to self-organise a series of relevant speakers from NGOs, national and international organisations, and will conduct research on the language-related aspects that most interests them (for instance, language policy in international NGOs, language and healthcare, language teaching through NGOs in refugee and migrant settings, etc.). Students will develop their approach to the written assessment supported by workshop discussion, and tutor and peer feedback, and in doing so will also develop their pitching and presentation skills.

Module learning outcomes

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

1. Critically assess the work of an organisation working with migrants and refugees;
2. Apply their own skills and performance in a working context; or create a profile of the requisite skills and performance necessary in a particular working context;
3. Appraise their skills and experience and identify their training needs in relation to their career plans;
4. Develop skills in research, writing and presentation in documenting and reflecting on their experience or research;
5. Develop practical, organisational and reflective skills;
6. Develop skills and competencies which are central to the degree: teamwork; oral communication and group co-operation; critical and contextual analysis and coherent argument; presentation of written work.

Module content

Students take this module in Semester 2 and Summer, with preliminary sessions in Semester 1. Semester 2 may include a combination of speakers from NGOs and national/international organisations organized by the students, workshop and feedback sessions on students’ developing approach to the module, and a series of tasks to develop students’ self-presentation and careers planning in an NGO context, including designing a communication campaign, a personal/organisational website with landing page, biography and downloadable creative CV, and a blog reflection on their placement experience (as applicable). Placement experience can take place in either Semester 2 or in the Summer, or in the associated vacation periods.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Students will learn through self-directed study, a program of speakers from NGOs and national/international organisations, placement experience, and classes that build confidence in identifying and securing placements, and that will provide tutor and peer feedback on students’ developing approach to their written assessment. Students will undertake other tasks outside of class time, focusing on honing their self-presentation skills and career planning in an NGO context.

Study hours

At least 15 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 50% 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.

Students will write a related blog post (600 words) on their experience, and prepare a 1) short biographical note (250 words) 2) and a downloadable CV. 

Reassessment

Additional costs