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CSC-30024 - Module Specification
School of Computer Science and Mathematics
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2024/25 Last Updated: 21 December 2024

CSC-30024 - Work Placement Year
Coordinator: Mark Turner Tel: +44 1782 7 33652
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 6
Credits: 0
Study Hours: 1200
School Office: 01782 733075

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

Successful completion of Level 5 studies

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

In a competitive job market, employers are increasingly looking beyond degree results and towards academically successful graduates who also understand how the professional work place functions and who have well-developed employability skills. This can be key to a graduate securing employment and studies suggest a favourable link between graduates who have undertaken a placement and greater success securing graduate employment.
During this Placement Year module, students will undertake a long-term (minimum of 30 weeks equivalent of full-time work) work-based learning internship with a company or organisation, where they will be supported in developing effective professional practices through training in generic and specific employability skills and through developing independent reflective learning practices to enhance their continuing professional development in the context of their own working environment. Students will also gain a much greater understanding of professional practice within the computing employment sector and be able to use their placement experiences to develop their CVs, better understand the place of academic theory and knowledge in real-world situations and improve their employability upon graduation.

Aims
The aim of this module is to provide students with the opportunity to carry out a long-term work-based learning experience (minimum 30 weeks equivalent of full-time work) in the computing sector between Years 2 and 3 (Levels 5 and 6) of their degree programme. The module will be underpinned by employability skills training (in conjunction with the Careers service as part of their preparation during year 2), reflective assessment, employer and tutor evaluation and support from academic tutors.

Intended Learning Outcomes

evaluate their own employability skills (via a SWOT Analysis): 1,3
create Intended Learning Outcomes for their placement in order to develop the skills areas which they have identified as being weak or needing further enhancement: 1,2,3
develop, through practice in the work place, the work-related skills identified through their SWOT analysis and Intended Learning Outcomes: 1,2,3
apply academic theory learnt as part of the taught degree to real situations in the work place: 1,2,3
reflect on their work placement activities and experiences and evaluate their impact on their employability skills: 1,2,3
explain how the professional computing sector operates and identify the skills required to pursue careers within the sector: 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 would normally begin in week 2 of the autumn semester of the placement year. The placements can continue for up to 12 months, providing the necessary assessments are submitted and passed for progression into the final year (Level 6).
10 hours are given for scheduled learning and teaching activities throughout the placement (including talks, meetings etc) and 140 hours are provided for guided independent study.

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Portfolio weighted 20%
Mid-Placement Portfolio
The Mid-Placement Portfolio will be submitted 6-8 weeks into the placement and comprises two elements: 1. A SWOT analysis and Action Plan (80%). The student will use their placement experience to reflect on their employability skills and consider the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) to the development of these skills. The SWOT Analysis will be used to create an Action Plan of Intended Learning Outcomes and planned activities aimed at strengthening their employability skills during the remainder of their placement and in the context of Continuing Professional Development. 2. An evaluation of the student¿s performance on placement by the Work Placement teaching team based on information provided by the Work Placement Host (20%).

2: Assignment weighted 10%
Placement Year Presentation
Students will give a presentation (approximately 10-20 minutes) based on their activities and experience whilst on placement and reflect on how their placement experience has developed their employability skills and better prepared them for working in the computing sector.

3: Portfolio weighted 70%
Final Placement Portfolio
The Final Placement Portfolio will be submitted at the end of the Placement and again, comprises two elements: 1. A reflective diary (~5k words) on the student¿s placement experience, documenting key activities and reflecting on skills gained from those activities and how they contribute to the work-based learning experience and development of employability skills (80%) 2. An evaluation of the student¿s performance on placement by the Work Placement teaching team based on information provided by the Work Placement Host (20%).

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. 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/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 21 December 2024