Professional Development and Practice

Please note

This document only provides information for the academic year selected and does not form part of the student contract

School:

School of Computing and Engineering

Credit Rating:

Level (including FHEQ):

M (FHEQ Level 7)

Graded or Non Graded:

Non Graded

Version Valid From:

2023-09-25

Module Leader:

Andrew Crampton

Version Number

2023.03

Learning Methods

Placement and Year Abroad

Synopsis

This module provides you with the opportunity to reflect on your professional practice during your Masters degree by undertaking a period of development through study or by working with a company, research group or within a teaching environment in the UK or overseas. This module encourages you to reflect on… For more content click the Read More button below.

This module provides you with the opportunity to reflect on your professional practice during your Masters degree by undertaking a period of development through study or by working with a company, research group or within a teaching environment in the UK or overseas. This module encourages you to reflect on your technical, personal and professional development experiences, and to identify your learning from these experiences.

Learning Strategy

The module involves technical, personal and professional development experiential learning with mentor/supervisor support prompted by self-assessment and reflection tasks. The professional/practical skills and transferable skills outlined in the programme specification for the course will be covered within the reflective activity of the module.Students will be expected to select and justify… For more content click the Read More button below.

The module involves technical, personal and professional development experiential learning with mentor/supervisor support prompted by self-assessment and reflection tasks. The professional/practical skills and transferable skills outlined in the programme specification for the course will be covered within the reflective activity of the module.
Students will be expected to select and justify a relevant area of professional recognition (CEng, CITP, CMI). They will then use their appraisal form, and their experiences within their placement, to reflect against all the relevant reflective criteria listed below.

CEng Reflective Criteria
Optimise and/or apply existing and emerging technology (including any leadership/management)
Apply appropriate methods to analysing and solving engineering problems and/or a development lifecycle
Provide technical and commercial informed leadership/management
Demonstrate effective interpersonal skills
Personal commitment to legal, social, ethical, professional and environmental issues
Evidence of continuous professional development

CITP Reflective Criteria
Autonomy (self-initiated work, fully responsible for objectives, significant role in the assignment of tasks and/or responsibilities, and milestones)
Influence (influences stakeholders, builds effective relationships, impactful decision making)
Complexity (extensive range of complex activities in unpredictable contexts, understands wider stakeholder requirements)
Business skills (Advises on appropriate choices, delivers work to time, cost and quality targets, scopes, identifies options for continuous improvement, evaluates risk, creativity, ethical thinking, communicates effectively, demonstrates leadership, awareness of industrial developments, takes initiative to continuously professional develop and mentor colleagues)

CMI Reflective Criteria
Achievements and Contributions
Leadership (clear purpose/direction, developing/supporting others, adapting to diverse situations)
Managing change (developing a creative, innovative and valuing environment, providing opportunities to change/develop, scope, plan and drive change)
Lessons learnt
Future learning

Outline Syllabus

Placements must be approved by the School to ensure that the learning opportunities are sufficient in terms of content, breadth and scope for initiative and responsibility. In general placements will be in course-related jobs (technical or managerial roles) or in course-related projects/activities (research, teaching, study and enterprise). Placements may take place in the UK or overseas.
There are two main components against which the knowledge and abilities of the student will be assessed. These are:
1. Progress against guidelines set in the student appraisal form for technical, transferable, personal and professional development competences.
2. A reflective log, maintained throughout the placement, demonstrating academic engagement with theory and practice in both technical skills and personal and professional development, guided by their choice of relevant professional recognition.
The initial appraisal form is therefore used as a reflection process for developing an exit appraisal helping students reflect on their personal competencies. The supervisor provides the mark for the placement and if a student fails the placement they will be awarded their Masters degree minus the placement recognition.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students will

Systematically understand the technical aspects of the placement environment.

Appraise the personal and professional aspects of the placement environment.

Critically evaluate the work carried out, making use of relevant academic information sources, demonstrating conceptual understanding and reflection.

Produce a log which shows autonomous planning and professional task completion.

Comprehensively collate activities and experiences which enables methodologies to be evaluated and critiques to be developed.

Demonstrate self-direction and originality in dealing with complex and unpredictable situations.

Formative Assessment

Assessment 1: Other

Summative Assessment

Assessment 1: Portfolio

Description:A reflective log, maintained throughout the placement, demonstrating academic engagement with theory and practice in both technical skills and personal and professional development, guided by their choice of relevant professional recognition and informed by the student appraisal form for technical, transferable, personal and professional development competences.

Assessment Weight:100

Assessment Length:120 Hours (Typical Effort)

Module Learning Outcomes:MLO1, MLO2, MLO3, MLO4, MLO5, MLO6

Individual or Group:Individual

Final Assessment Component:Yes

Marked Anonymously:No

Eligible for Tutor Reassessment:No

Assessment Criteria

The reflective activity for the log includes undertaking an initial appraisal. The word count for the reflective log should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words. The content for the reflective log should be based on the appropriate professional recognition as outlined in the reflective log guidance document and should be… For more content click the Read More button below.

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