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ENG-30090 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2023/24 Last Updated: 13 February 2024

ENG-30090 - Work Placement Year
Coordinator: Rachel Adcock Tel: +44 1782 7 33144
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 6
Credits: 0
Study Hours: 1200
School Office: 01782 733147

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2023/24


Aims
The aim of this module is to provide students with the opportunity to carry out a long-term, placement-based learning experience (minimum 30 weeks equivalent of full-time work) between Years 2 and 3 (Levels 5 and 6) of their degree programme.
This module will prepare students to undertake the placement year by assisting them in locating, applying for, and securing a placement. It will also provide employability skills training which will enable students to evaluate their skills needs and the skills they develop through their placement. Through assessments requiring written and oral critical reflection, students will also further develop their reflection and communication skills. They will also leave the module with a greater sense of the range of career opportunities available to Humanities students.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Understand the variety of ways in which skills developed during the study of Humanities subjects can be deployed in non-academic contexts: 1,2,3
Assess their own strengths and weaknesses in an employment context through a SWOT analysis, design learning outcomes, and reflect on their progress throughout the module: 1,2,3
Articulate their placement experiences effectively and reflect on their enhanced skill set in front of an audience, utilising visual aids: 3
Understand the aims and priorities, as well as the strengths and possible limitations, of an external organisation and design and complete activities/projects/materials that recognise and support these: 1,2,3
Reflect on and critically evaluate their learning from the work placement, showing evidence that they have researched their sector and evaluated the effectiveness of their activities with this in mind: 1,2,3

Study hours

The placement year is the equivalent of 120 credits and the student will be expected to be on placement for a MINIMUM of 30 weeks equivalent of full-time work (this is roughly equivalent to a standard university teaching period), therefore a minimum of 1050 hours should be spent on placement. The placements can continue for up to 12 months, providing the necessary assessments are submitted and passed for progression into the final year (FHEQ Level 6).
Students will also receive 10 hours of workshops (2-hr blocks).
The 140 hours of Independent Study will be broken down as follows:
- 30 hours locating and securing placement (including constructing effective application materials)
- 25 hours completing initial placement portfolio (assessment 1)
- 20 hours completing reflective diary entries throughout the placement
- 15 hours completing the presentation
- 5 hours participating in the presentation session at the end of the module
- 45 hours completing the final portfolio

School Rules

The criteria to be applied are:
- A good University attendance record and be in 'good academic standing'.
- Passed all Year-1 and Year-2 Semester 1 modules
- Students undertaking work placements will be expected to complete a Health and Safety checklist prior to commencing their work experience and will be required to satisfy the Health and Safety regulations of the company or organisation at which they are based.
- (International students only) Due to visa requirements, it is not possible for international students who require a Tier 4 Visa to apply for direct entry onto the 4-year with Work Placement Year degree programme. Students wishing to transfer onto this programme should discuss this with student support, the academic tutor for the work placement year, and the Programme Lead. Students should be aware that there are visa implications for this transfer, and it is the student's responsibility to complete any and all necessary processes to be eligible for this programme. There may be additional costs, including applying for a new/extension Visa from the UK for international students associated with a transfer to the work placement programme.
- Students cannot register on both the Work Placement Year and the International Year, but it is possible to transfer between both.

Description of Module Assessment

1: Portfolio weighted 60%
Final Portfolio
The Final Placement Portfolio (of 3,000 words) comprises: - A selection of outputs (where appropriate) and a commentary explaining what the student's role was and what they have completed on placement (the commentary element should be 1,000 words) - Reflective diary entries completed while on placement documenting key activities and reflecting on the key skills learnt from those activities (approx. 1,000 words) - A critically reflective essay exploring one or several particularly fruitful learning experiences from their placement and how the experience, as a whole, fits into their longer-term career plans (1,000 words)

2: Portfolio weighted 20%
SWOT Analysis and Intended Learning Outcomes
The Initial Placement Portfolio will be submitted at the beginning of the placement. It will comprise a personal SWOT analysis and Intended Learning Outcomes. The word count should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words. Students will use their initial placement experience to reflect on their employability skills and consider their own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) in terms of their assessment of sector skill demands. The SWOT analysis will be used to create their Intended Placement Outcomes and planned activities aimed at strengthening the student's employability skills during the remainder of their placement and in the context of Continuing Professional Development. The action plan will be negotiated and agreed by the student, module convenor, and employer.

3: Presentation weighted 20%
Presentation
Two thirds of the way through the academic year (June/July), students will complete a 15-20 minute presentation where they critically reflect on the activities/projects they have completed on placement so far, and on the skills they learnt/developed. The presentation will be presented to other students on the module - so that the whole cohort will increase their knowledge of careers available to Humanities students - and to the module convenor(s). This will also help to build connections between students for when they return to Keele for Level 6.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 13 February 2024