Professional Practice (Design) MA: Learning agreements

As this is a work-based learning qualification, you set up an individual learning agreement at the start of the course to direct your studies. This can be very flexible and you can work with the course director to develop an individual approach to study.

One example might be for you to:

• submit a 2,500 word report;
• plan and submit a design portfolio of evidence, plus conduct a presentation;
• complete a work-based learning proposal, action plan and personal development plan;
• submit a research portfolio, learning diary and research proposal; and
• complete a masters-level final project.

The Learning Agreement is an individually-designed programme of study, approved by the Faculty. Each Learning Agreement is unique to the needs of the individual student and their work based learning. The Learning Agreement is made up of a set of learning goals, which clearly state where you are starting from, what you are setting out to achieve on the course, and how you will know when you have succeeded (ie. the anticipated project outcomes).

Your Learning Agreement can consist entirely of individual learning goals, based on your past professional achievement (for which you submit evidence in the form of a portfolio) and current and new professional practice, accompanied at each stage by written commentary and critical reflection.

The Learning Agreement uses your existing qualifications and experience to-date as a foundation for devising an individual study programme. You can gain a proportion of the required 180 masters-level academic credits from recognition of your prior-attainment, through APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning). It may also be possible to gain credit towards this qualification from courses you completed in the past, through APCL (Accreditation of Prior Credited Learning).

Taught modular courses at Kingston University can be included in a Learning Agreement, to gain a proportion of the required academic credits.

The remainder of the Learning Agreement then typically involves a major project, which provides the opportunity to critically investigate a particular work-based issue, and to produce an outcome such as a report, exhibition or other creative work (eg a film) in response.