Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

1. Students carrying 'Fail' marks but deemed to have progressed by decision/discretion of their academic programme, may undertake the placement year module with the agreement of the module leaders and their academic school, but cannot Resit assessments during the academic year during which they are undertaking their placement. Students undertaking a placement year under these conditions will be advised that they would not be able to register for their final year if they do not pass the subsequent resit following their placement.

2. Students must have identified and confirmed a placement provider for a minimum 9 month placement.

3. Students must have attended or accessed content of the Induction Workshop before their placement commences.

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

The placement module aims to:

- Provide students with the experience of seeking and securing a position with an employer.
- Facilitate independent self-management and proactive interaction in a non-university setting.
- Provide a period of practical work experience that will benefit current academic study and longer term career plans.
- Enable students to ethically apply their knowledge and skills in the work place, reflect upon their development and effectively evidence and articulate their learning in relevant future settings e.g. recruitment processes

Outline Of Syllabus

With Careers Service support, (e.g. vacancy advertising, advice and guidance sessions, CV checking, application and interview support), the majority of students will arrange and confirm a 9-12 month placement by the deadline dates stipulated on the Careers Service placement year webpage. Support will be offered through Newcastle University Careers Service prior to commencing the placement and a placement workshop or placement visit will be offered to all students through the academic year.

Students prepare for placement through engagement with a canvas community to help them be placement and module ready before moving onto learning materials on the canvas module site. Once in the academic year the materials on the module prepare for success through engagement with an a series of preparation activities such as skills audits, job role analysis, familiarisation with the Graduate Skills Framework, personal action planning and reflection.

Students complete a series of online blended learning resources via canvas throughout the placement year, coupled with formative submissions to assess learning. At the end of the academic year a portfolio submission is made which includes a Personal Impact and Development report (PIDR) and a supervisor evaluation .

In the case of fails, the resit task will be set at the start of the August resit period with the deadline at the end of the 2 weeks. A 3000 word essay will be set addressing skills development for an identified career/role, allowing the students time to research and carry out relevant study. The resit task will be instigated if any component is failed.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

At the end of the module student will know how to:
1. Apply personal and professional development strategies to prioritise, plan, and manage their own skills development and learning.
2. Research, select and apply relevant knowledge aimed at enhancing their own skills and effectiveness in specific duties at their placement.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of a work environment, how it functions and their contribution to it.
4. Relate their work based learning to other areas of personal development, including academic performance.

Intended Skill Outcomes

At the end of the module student will be able to:

1. Reflect on and manage own learning and development within the workplace.
2. Use existing and new knowledge to enhance personal performance in a workplace environment, evaluate the impact and communicate this process.
3. Use graduate skills in a professional manner in a workplace environment, evaluate the impact and communicate the personal development that has taken place.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Teaching is provided at the beginning of the module to prepare the student for both a professional approach and skilled behaviour while attending a work placement year. These self-directed e-learning resources will equip the student with tools and material to explore their own skills (linked to the graduate skills framework), development needs and requirements of the workplace. There will be specific activities that will prepare the student to engage with action planning and skills recognition/development. They will also be introduced to ways of utilising labour market intelligence to develop occupational awareness through focusing on behavioural factors that underpin graduate employability and long-term career planning and career management skills. The resources will also allow the student to establish a support network of relevant staff.

Practical activity in the form of a work placement provides the student with a context within which they are expected to practice experiential learning through reflection, analysis and continuous improvement.
Submission of 3 formative blogs throughout the year, in line with the assessment criteria and graduate skills framework, will demonstrate students’ application of their learning at their work placement. These, alongside feedback, will support the submission of the summative portfolio submission.

The provision of a workshop or placement visit during the placement year ensures the student feels supported by the Careers Service, as does feedback from each Blog entry (throughout the year to ensure they are on track).

The aims of the module are drawn from the Newcastle University Graduate Skills Framework. Students will achieve the learning outcomes for the module through full engagement with the activities indicated above.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The assessment is designed to develop and assess application of personal and professional development tools to enhance professional effectiveness in a work environment.

The summative evidence in the portfolio submission should seek to demonstrate effective performance as described in the Newcastle University Graduate Skills Framework provided for the students and the assessment criteria for the module (linked to definitions of employability in Newcastle University and sources such as www.prospects.ac.uk).

Students are expected to engage with material introduced in the canvas community prior to starting at placement and on Canvas once the academic year has begun to then inform their formative submissions which will be assessed against the Assessment Criteria for evidence of graduate skills against the knowledge outcomes to:
1.       Research, select and apply relevant knowledge aimed at enhancing their own skills and effectiveness in specific duties at their placement.
2.       Demonstrate an awareness of placement organisational functions, values, ethos and culture and articulate their contribution to it.

And skill outcomes to:
1.       Reflect on and manage own learning and development within the workplace.
2.       Use existing and new knowledge to enhance personal performance in a workplace environment, evaluate the impact and communicate this process.
3.       Use graduate skills in a professional manner in a workplace environment, evaluate the impact and communicate the personal development that has taken place.

Students that have not completed 90% of placement hours as specified in the mof by the end of the university assessment period and have not had a pec approved by their academic school will be awarded a Fail for module assessmen.
In the case of fails, the resit task will be set at the start of the August resit period with the deadline at the end of the 2 weeks. A 3000 word essay will be set addressing skills development for an identified career/role, allowing the students time to research and carry out relevant study. The resit task will be instigated if any component is failed.

General Notes

N/A