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• Postgraduate study:
• Courses
• Apply now
• Fees and funding
• Accommodation
• Open Events
• Work placement
• Study resources
• Student support
• Research
• Campuses
• Choose Kingston
• Disability and mental health support

Professional Placement

• Module code: HU7100
• Year: 2019/0
• Level: 7
• Credits: 60
• Pre-requisites: Successful completion of 120 level 7 taught credits
• Co-requisites: None

Summary

The Professional Placement module is a core module for those students following a Masters programme that incorporates an extended professional placement that follows completion of the taught modules. It provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in an appropriate working environment, and to develop and enhance key employability skills and subject specific skills in their chosen subject. Students may wish to use the placement experience as a platform for the major project or future careers.

It is the responsibility of individual students to locate and secure a suitable placement opportunity; this should not normally involve more than two placements which must be completed over a minimum period of 10 months and within a maximum of 12 months. The placement must be approved by the course leader prior to commencement to ensure its suitability. Students seeking placements will have access to the standard placement preparation activities offered by SEE.

Aims

• To provide experience of working in a professional environment that is relevant to the field of study.
• To allow students to consolidate and apply the range of skills and knowledge acquired in the course of their studies to a work environment and to reflect on and develop these skills and knowledge further.
• To support career development and enhance career prospects through the development of a range of skills that enable students to present themselves effectively, network and make informed decisions about employment and career plans.
• To support the process of reflection and promote self-awareness in learning.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

• Relate academic theory to practice and apply knowledge and skills to a professional context.
• Reflect critically on the experience of the placement and evaluate their own personal and professional development.
• Confidently present a critical understanding of the placement organisation and their experience within it;
• Develop and practice key personal and employability skills and be able to show examples of the application of these skills including: self-awareness, communication, interpersonal, research and information literacy, numeracy and management and leadership skills;
• Maintain an accurate account of work activity and reflect on the experiences gained, critically evaluating their own performance, subject specific knowledge gained, and applying feedback from supervisors and assessors towards achieving improved performance;
• Autonomously evaluate tasks set in the work place and apply effective communication and problem solving initiatives to achieve the best outcome for the employer.

Curriculum content

• Completion of a Placement Portfolio which facilitates reflection on personal and professional development and provides evidence of meeting the module's objectives.
• The type of work experience gained by students will vary according to the organisation which employs them. The following features are desirable: induction to the organisation, job related training, experience in a range of departments/roles, access to work that challenges ability and creativity, provides opportunities to use initiative and take responsibility, affords opportunities to enhance personal and professional skills, and delivers regular assessment or appraisal of progress. As part of the identification of the placement, students may wish to explore the provision of specific project based activities that are of utility to the organisation, that allow students to pursue areas of particular interest that demonstrate the achievement of the module learning outcomes, but which also have the potential for expansion and further investigation in the major project/dissertation.

Teaching and learning strategy

This module is almost entirely reliant on independent activity on the part of the student with the aid of the employer, the programme leader, visiting tutor and personal tutor. 

On placement students will be supervised by a tutor who, if possible, will visit during the placement and meet with the student and the workplace supervisor.  Depending on the location of the placement, these meetings might take place face-to-face or via platforms such as Skype where all consent to its use.     

 Students on a Tier 4 visa must maintain established monitoring activities.

Breakdown of Teaching and Learning Hours

Assessment strategy

The assessment is designed to allow students to reflect on their experience in the workplace and to build a portfolio.  Students will keep a critical diary of the tasks and duties undertaken during their placement.  This will provide a framework for the reflective essay.  They will also assemble and collate samples of work and evidence of achievement produced during their placement which will form part of their final portfolio.

Students are expected to keep a work place learning portfolio containing:

• A 3000 word reflective essay which is supported by evidence of achievement from their time on placement
• An up-to-date CV
• A work placement report

Placement providers will be asked to appraise the students' work and this feedback will be made available to the student.    This module will be assessed on a pass/fail basis.

Mapping of Learning Outcomes to Assessment Strategy (Indicative)

Elements of Assessment

Achieving a pass

It IS a requirement that the element of assessment is passed in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.

Bibliography recommended reading

Bassot, B.  (2015) The reflective practice guide: An interdisciplinary approach to critical reflection.  London: Routledge

Bolton, G. (2010) Reflective Practice: writing and professional development, London: Sage

Fanthome, C. (2005) Making Work Experience Count: How to get the right work experience and improve your career prospects.  London: How to Books Ltd.

Moon, JA.  (2004) A Handbook of reflective and experiential learning: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge

Wilson, K. (2012) Reflective Writing Palgrave Macmillan