Newcastle University

Aims

To develop students who can independently self-manage, proactively interact and ethically apply their knowledge and skills in a work-related context.

Original Summary:
The Career Development module offers students the opportunity to undertake work-related learning in a variety of different environments, both on and off the University campus. In all cases, students will enhance their employability (see www.ncl.ac.uk/nclplus) and personal enterprise skills as well as contributing towards meeting the aims of the host organisation.

Outline Of Syllabus

The Career Development module offers students the opportunity to undertake work-related learning in a variety of different environments, both on and off the University campus. See www.ncl.ac.uk/careers for more information. Supported by their module leader, students will reflect on and manage their own learning and development. Students will enhance their employability and personal enterprise skills as well as contributing towards meeting the aims of the host organisation.

Students will join the module at the start of semester one and will be able to some extent to balance their work for the module across both semesters, with marks being allocated only in semester two. Students will complete a minimum of 70 hours of direct engagement with the organisation hosting the work-related learning spread over at least 10 weeks. Different host organisations may require other constraints e.g. number of contact visits made.

Students will need to confirm with their academic school which one or more of the different routes are available to them on their particular degree programme:
•       Learning from work opportunities include working for the Careers Service Communications Team or another University service, undertaking a short-term placement in a local business, or demonstrating learning based on current term-time job or other work (which could be unpaid).
•       Tutoring and mentoring opportunities include undertaking a placement in a local school or college, working with learners in a variety of different community learning environments or mentoring other students in the University.
•       Volunteering opportunities include working with a local community group (through SCAN) or working as a volunteer officer in the Union Society.

Students will need to complete appropriate pre-requisites for their particular choice of context e.g. ISA registration and CRB application for student tutoring. This may involve contacting the organisation or unit that is hosting the work-related learning.

The cycle of activities for students is as follows:

Prior to starting the module:
•       read Career Development Module web page at www.ncl.ac.uk/careers;
•       check with own academic school which routes are available;
•       formally register for module with university;
•       complete pre-requisites for particular route e.g. ISA/CRB application for student tutoring.

At the start of the academic year:
•       confirm that all pre-requisites for work-related context have been met;
•       attend an induction training workshop;
•       (student tutoring route only) receive placement allocation;
•       negotiate calendar of activity and duties with host organisation to meet module requirements across both semesters – it is recommended that students complete at least 30 hours of direct engagement in each semester (total hours over year = 70).

During semester one:
•       it is recommended that students complete a minimum of 30 hours of direct engagement with the organisation hosting the work-related learning spread over at least 5 weeks;
•       within the hours of direct engagement, complete additional requirements for specific routes e.g. support campus event for tutoring module;
•       ongoing reflection, critical analysis and development of own competence;
•       ongoing primary and secondary research into issues relevant to the host organisation and to develop own skills;
•       attend personal tutorial to discuss learning agreement, and attend other workshops and seminars.

During semester two:
•       complete the remaining hours of direct engagement with the organisation hosting the work-related learning spread over at least 5 weeks (total hours over year = 70);
•       ongoing reflection, critical analysis and development of own competence;
•       ongoing primary and secondary research into issues relevant to the host organisation;
•       complete formal assessment tasks i.e. review of learning agreement, oral examination (assessed interview);
•       conclusion of contact with host organisation, includi

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Training is provided at the beginning of the module to develop both a professional approach and skilled behaviour while attending a work placement. A series of workshops are then provided to concentrate student focus on the graduate skills that they are required to develop and demonstrate over the course of their placement and articulate during module assessment and to introduce them to theories of personal and professional development. Practical activity in the form of a work placement provides students with a context within which they are expected to practice experiential learning through reflection, critical analysis and continuous improvement. Seminars are used to facilitate discussion of the assessment criteria in relation to students’ individual experiences at their work placement and to help them to prepare for assessment. Tutorials and self directed learning resources are provided throughout the module that enable students to create links between their placement experience and the knowledge and skills they have acquired though attending training, workshops, practicals and seminars. Self-directed learning resources are available from Blackboard which have been designed to be completed pre and post attendance at formal teaching and learning sessions and, in combination with directed learning opportunities, provide students with a comprehensive framework to support their progress through the module.
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 components are designed to develop and reward effective performance as described in the Newcastle University Graduate Skills Framework provided for the students (linked to definitions of employability in Newcastle University and sources such as www.prospects.ac.uk).

The Learning Agreement will be discussed with the module team and placement supervisor and submitted as a formal written document. The critical review of the learning agreement will take place part-way through semester two and will help students to reflect on and analyse their progress against all the learning outcomes. Feedback from this will help students to prepare for their oral examination (assessed interview).

The oral examination is structured like a simulated job interview to give students the experience of articulating their development to prospective employers. The oral examination requires students to demonstrate all knowledge and skill outcomes for this module through their responses to a series of questions that map onto the assessment criteria that is provided for the students. Only students that have completed a minimum of 90% of placement visits will be examined. Students that have not completed 90% of placement visits by the end of the University Examination period and have not had a PEC approved by their academic school, will be considered to have been absent without formal approval from their examination and a mark of 0 (zero) will be returned for this component of module assessment.

The host organisation supervisor evaluation of student competence enables students’ application of all module knowledge and skills outcomes in carrying out their duties at the placement to be assessed in situ and considered as part of the overall module mark.

To complement the Learning Agreement, students are expected to maintain a reflective record of their experience that will build into a formative portfolio of evidence that they will use to help them to prepare for all assessments.