PYM0RP: Research Placement

Module code: PYM0RP

Module provider: Psychology; School of Psych and Clin Lang Sci

Credits: 40

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Full year

Module convenor: Dr Julia Vogt, email: j.vogt@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

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

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: Mini placement

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 23 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The module provides students with an opportunity to work with an established researcher, or team of researchers, in psychology or language sciences. The principal researcher will generally be a member of academic staff in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences at the University of Reading. Exceptionally, with the agreement of the Programme Director, the placement may be conducted elsewhere.  Allocation to any placement is the decision of the Module Convenor.

Students will be exposed to practical issues in research which will be in an area of clinical relevance for students on MSc Theory & Practice in Clinical Psychology. They will work on practical problems and write a report about their activities, the skills they have acquired and what they have learned about the research field in which they have been embedded. Students will gain an appreciation of research as a career. Students will likely develop other transferable skills, the precise nature of which depend on the placement undertaken.

The aims of the module are that the student should further their understanding of research in a particular domain of psychology.

Module learning outcomes

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

1. Show understanding of practical considerations pertaining to their placement
2. Have reflected on feedback received from their placement supervisor(s) and generated an effective response (or plan of how to respond)
3. Demonstrate application of skills relevant to research in applied psychology
4. Describe how their understanding and skills have changed as a result of the placement and how these might be applied to a future career

Module content

The module will continue across semesters 1 & 2 and the summer.

Placement activities will depend on individual supervisors, who will set specific tasks, and will include relevant training.

Exceptionally, students may identify and arrange their own placements. All such arrangements will be at the discretion of the Programme Director and Module Convenor.

Assessment requirements mean placements must be completed by the end of July, unless specific arrangements (approved by the Module Convenor) are made to the contrary. It is rarely possible to assign students to a new placement and it is not possible to extend a student’s enrolment in order to facilitate more hours spent on placement.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching will be by hands-on instruction by supervisors. Drop-in teaching sessions are provided by the School. Students should spend 320 hours working with their supervisor (i.e., time on placement activities). This allowance includes orientation and training time, which will vary from placement to placement. Combined with hours allocated to report writing and documentation (Learning Agreement and Interim Report), a total of 400 hours should be allocated to the placement module. The exact number of placement hours in each term will be arranged as required by the supervisor in discussion with the student, although it is anticipated that most of the placement hours will be undertaken between April and July.  At the placement supervisor’s discretion, these hours can be undertaken remotely.

As part of the placement, students will be asked to complete a Learning Agreement with their supervisor. As part of the assessment for the module, supervisors will be asked to provide an Exit Report describing the extent to which students have achieved the aims of the placement (e.g., skill/competency development, targets achieved, hours completed, and comment on student’s reflection on the placement).

Study hours

At least 4 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.

Reassessment

Additional costs