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Module Title |
Work-Based Learning |
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| Module Code |
25-6061-00L |
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Semester of Delivery |
See Module Information Table |
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Mandatory/Elective/Option |
See Module Information Table |
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Level |
6 |
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Credit Points |
20 |
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Assessment Mode Weighting |
CW100 | |
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Pre-requisites |
None | |
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Co-requisites |
None | |
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Class Contact Hours |
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Average Weekly |
1 |
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Directed Learning |
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Average Weekly |
6 |
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Module Leader |
Christine Gilligan |
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Sheffield Business School |
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Module Banding |
A |
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Approval Status |
Validated |
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The purpose of the Work-based learning (WBL) Module is to provide opportunities to combine practical work experience with academic reflection for those students who do not need or who are not able to undertake a year's work placement as part of a sandwich degree. We believe that such experience is an essential part of a vocational award, and thus students not doing a placement should have some experience of he reality of organisational life into which to lock their studies, and make more sense of some of their final year academic modules.
There are 4 main categories of students who will do this module. The rationale for the module is similar for each but it will be operationalised differently for each type:
1. HND full time students - as a mandatory part of their award
2. Degree students who transfer to a full time route (on their original award or the B&F degree) either
because the placement is not compulsory (i.e. Finance programme students )
or
they fail to gain a placement and are allowed to transfer to the full time route
3. Students gaining a placement waiver due to prior experience via an APEL type route.
4. Students on the part time HND route
Students in category 3 and 4 already have the workplace as available raw data for the module. Those in categories 1 and 2 will need to gain experience at some stage of their studies through part time employment (at an appropriate level). We will help students to gain this experience, if they have not obtained it on their own initiative, through various means, such as:
• University part time employment agencies such as NETwork
• Our own part time students in a tandem learning type of approach (as in the University Language Scheme)
• Short term experience work which local organisations ask us to help with.
There are many scenarios which would constitute acceptable Work-Based Learning experiences. It is intended that "work" not be narrowly defined so that a broad range of experiences can be included. Specific work undertaken by students in order to fulfil the assessment criteria in this module will be agreed between students, the WBL Module Leader and the relevant PDR Tutor.
The period of work is 30 days or 6 weeks, full time equivalent. However, this period of work does not have to be a discrete block. Modes of Work-Based Learning could include:
• Blocks of work experience outside the academic calendar, i.e. during University vacations
• Full-time work experience undertaken during a temporary withdrawal from University studies
• Part-time employment which full-time students undertake to support themselves financially
• The normal full-time employment of part-time students.
This module will also be a useful way of enabling staff to respond to local requests from businesses which have a duration of less than a year's placement.
The University has a policy that ultimately it is the student's responsibility to find an acceptable placement. In the same way it will be the student's responsibility to find acceptable work on which to base this module.
This Module is validated at Level 6 for two reasons:
• It is expected that the integrated nature of the project, synthesising as it does academic frameworks from more than one taught Module and applying them to the vocational context, will require Level 6 cognitive skills. Students, at whatever stage of their studies, will be able to perform to this level due to the range of their prior study and due to the 1-2-1 nature of the Professional Development Review
• The Module will be studied by students on Higher National and BA awards in Business and Finance in any stage of their studies. The later the student selects the module, the more they are likely to require level 6 credits.
The aims of this module are to:
1. Provide opportunities for students to integrate their work-based experience with their academic modules
2. Encourage students to reflect holistically on their personal and professional development and make connections between academic study and vocational experience.
3. Provide opportunities to analyse the operations of specific organisations in particlar contexts and gain a fuller understanding of the nature of work.
Learning outcomes form the basis for assessment and identify what you are expected to have learnt through the successful completion of the module.
Upon successful completion of the module, you will be able to:
1. Analyse the business environment within which your organisation operates using current media and other data sources. BTEC outcomes 12 and 18.
2. Identify key strenghts, weaknesses, opportunities and threats relevant to the organisation and consider future planning in light of the current business environment. BTEC outcome 8.
3. Apply theory to practice to critically evaluate systems and procedures encountered within the workplace. BTEC outcome 13.
4. Audit your own personal and professional development within the work based environment. BTEC outcomes 1 and 3.
Infrequent seminars with tutor input to the group, some 1-to-1 reviews, and links to the PDR tutor where appropriate.
The learning outcomes for this module are assessed by coursework. This coursework has two elements:
Individual Presentation (30%)
Individual Assignment (70%)
Individual Presentation
The individual presentation accounts for 30% of the assessment weighting for the overall assignment.
As you are required to contribute to the feedback process for fellow students, it is important that you attend all presentation sessions.
The presentation will take place in semester 1 at a time agreed by your module tutor, but normally between weeks 8 and 10 during a small group session.
You are required to prepare and deliver a short presentation (around 10-15 minutes) that is generally reflective in nature, but in which you:
• give an overview of your organisation and your work environment
• give an overview of your role in the organisation, what you understand your role to be and the importance of your role in the wider organisation
• talk about the process of finding work and what you learnt from the process
• clearly identify how you will meet the learning outcomes for the report. These include identifying an area of interest that you will study in depth in the report, identifying what information you will need to complete the report and how will go about finding this information.
It is important you can clearly identify this last aspect early on in your placement as you will need to focus on this as the basis of your report and start collecting appropriate information. You may want to discuss your ideas and the details of your work with your tutor, either in an individual session or a small group session before the presentation.
Use visual aids where appropriate and prepare a hard copy version to hand in to your tutor.
You must also provide your tutor with a copy of your employment contract or a letter from your employer.
Verbal feedback will be given in class and your marks will be agreed within three weeks of your presentation. You should arrange with your tutor how you would like to receive your marks .
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA (BTEC Students)
Presentation Assessment Criteria
Presentation Assessment Criteria
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Manage own roles and responsibilities |
Undertake personal and career development |
Participate in oral and non verbal communication |
Overview of work place environment |
70%+ |
Successfully negotiated work placement and identified all the outcomes to be achieved in report. Use of information and data collection was clearly thought through |
Clear evidence of awareness of own role and responsibilities within organisation. Clear awareness of reflection on skills development and links with learning from work |
A very good standard of presentation. Good pace and audibility. Excellent use of effective support material. |
Work place environment very clearly developed with good links between organisation and external environment |
60-69 |
Successfully negotiated work placement and recognised most outcomes to be achieved in report. Use of information and data collection generally well considered |
Awareness of own role and responsibilities within organisation. Reflection on skills development and links with learning from work |
Effective presentation, with good pace and audibility. Well prepared support material |
Work place environment clearly developed with clear links between organisation and external environment |
50-59 |
Successfully negotiated work placement. Some outcomes to be achieved in report were clearly defined. Use of information and data collection generally outlined |
Some evidence of awareness of own role and responsibilities within organisation and some awareness of skills development and links with learning from work |
Effective presentation with adequate audibility, pace and body language. Support material was appropriate |
Work place environment satisfactorily developed with adequate links between organisation and external environment |
40-49% |
Successfully negotiated work placement but few outcomes to be achieved in report were clearly defined and use of information and data collection was not fully considered |
Awareness of own role and responsibilities within organisation not clear. Little evidence of awareness of learning from work and skills development |
Performance of presenter was adequate but audibility, pace or body language need development. Basic support material provided |
Work place environment not fully developed. Few links between organisation and external environment |
Below below 40% |
Did not successfully negotiate work placement and/or did not identify clear outcomes to be achieved in report and/or did not consider use of information and data collection |
Little evidence of awareness of own role and responsibilities within organisation. No evidence of reflection on learning from work |
Performance of presenter was poor. Audibility, pace or body language were not good. Inadequate support material |
Details of work place environment lacking or inaccurate. Mainly descriptive with no links between organisation and external environment |
Individual Assignment (70%)
The individual assignment, in the form of a report, accounts for 70% of the assessment weighting for the overall assignment. It is in three sections (details outlined below).
The full report should be handed in to Undergraduate Reception, clearly marked with your tutor's name, by 3 p.m. on Friday 28 th April 200 6 .
The sustainability audit should be handed in during your seminar w/c 6 th February.
The report will not be returned to you so make sure you keep a copy for your records.
The word limit is between 4000 and 5000 words (not including the sustainability audit) . It should be typed in double line spacing and should include charts and diagrams where appropriate and a cover sheet clearly identifying the topic/topics you are discussing. Correct academic referencing must be used throughout.
• An overview of your organisation, the business environment in which it operates and your role within the organisation. You are not required to give details of every activity that takes place, but rather an overview of the organisation, the role of your department/section in the organisation, and include the responsibilities you see yourself as having.
• Discuss the external environment and the impact of this on the operation of the organisation
• Comment on the systems, attitudes, links to customers/suppliers/ external organisations, and other matters, in a way that demonstrates your understanding of the organisation, its objectives, problems and responses to external forces and competitors.
Your report must include some critical analysis, and this could take the form of a SWOT and/or PEST analysis, looking at the management systems in place, competitors/similar companies carrying out similar operations, suppliers and trading partners, and any other areas you have identified. It is important to use appropriate models to evaluate the internal and external environment and to highlight issues that you feel that are important in your particular work place. It is also expected that you will be able to make some links between your academic studies to date and the practical applications you find in the workplace.
As part of this section you are also required to submit:
a short sustainability audit. (You can focus on sustainability as the aspect of the company you study in depth if this is an area that you are interested in, but if you have chosen sustainability as your main topic your sustainability report will have to be more detailed . You should still hand in a brief sustainability audit w/c February 6 th . Please discuss your options with your tutor )
The sustainability audit must be around 1000 words and will count as 10% of the mark for Section 1
What you are required to do is to look at your workplace and do a brief sustainability audit of good practice in terms of reducing harmful outputs e.g. recycling facilities and waste reduction policies, energy efficiency measures, ways of curbing pollution (e.g. use of environmentally friendly detergents) transport policy, etc. and suggest ways/areas that you think these could be improved. Most organisations have an environmental policy in place and you could use this as the basis of your audit. The Hallam University environmental policy can be found on: www.shu.ac.uk/services/facilities/sustainability/policy.htm
Further details about the Sustainability Audit are available on the blackboard site.
The Sustainability Audit must be handed in to your tutor in the seminar w/c 6 th February and will be returned to you w/c 13th March with feedback.
If for any reason you are unable to attend the session w/c 6 th February and therefore unable to hand in this piece of work you must either request an extension from your year tutor or submit an extenuating circumstances request which will be considered at the Examination and Awards Board. Your tutor will not mark this piece of work unless the above procedures have been followed.
Please refer to the Assessment Criteria at the back of this guide for details of how we will mark this piece of work. This piece of work must be re submited as part of your full report on April 28 th .
Section 2 - (30%)
This section will focus on one particular aspect of the company/workplace that you identified in your presentation and should be an in depth analysis. Areas could include customer service, human resource management, financial management, product development, organisational structure, communications systems, sustainability, etc. and should reflect your area of interest or involvement.
It is expected you will use reference sources, such as the internet, newspapers and journals, etc. to gather information and you must make clear links between theory and practice using the knowledge you have learnt during your studies to date at university. You are also required to consider the future planning requirements of the organisation in light of your findings.
Note: if you ask for information about sensitive areas of the company that cannot be revealed because of confidentiality or because you don't have access to this information because of your position, make this clear in your report. Under no circumstances must you use information that is not available to the general public without receiving explicit approval from the organisation.
Section 3 - (40%)
This section will be reflective in nature. You will reflect on your performance in the job: the skills areas you already had, the skills areas you have developed: the areas you have enjoyed/not enjoyed, would like to pursue further: do you like working as part of a team, or planning and developing ideas on your own: what have you learnt from this work experience (this can include positive and negative aspects): what would you change in future situations? You will also reflect on your role/responsibilities and how they fitted in with the wider organisation - what could have been done better/more effectively?
You could start with an assessment of your skills e.g. computer/technology, accounting/finance, marketing, communication, presentation, problem solving, customer care, time management, and comment on how they have developed through your work experience. You should also include an overall assessment of your work experience and how you feel it has contributed to your career development.
(A report on your performance from your employer can be included in this section if the employer is willing to provide it.)
Report Assessment Criteria
Sustainability Audit - Assessment Criteria - Degree Students
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Use Information Sources |
Use a range of thought processes - application and analysis |
Communicate in Writing |
70%+ |
Researched, identified and selected wide variety of facts, principles and concepts of sustainability relevant to the organisation |
Applied knowledge of issues relating to sustainability to organisation in a comprehensive and innovative way enabling realistic judgements about organisational performance |
Summarised and clearly presented all essential aspects of topic in report format with relevant information presented in a coherent and clear structure. Sophisticated use of English. Fully and correctly referenced |
60-69 |
Researched, identified and selected a variety of facts, principles and concepts of sustainability relevant to the organisation |
Applied knowledge of issues relating to sustainability to organisation in a comprehensive way enabling realistic judgements about organisational performance |
Summarised and presented essential aspects of topic in report format with relevant information presented in a coherent and clear structure. Fluent English with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. Fully and correctly referenced. |
50-59 |
Researched, identified and selected key basic facts, principles and concepts of sustainability relevant to the organisation |
Applied knowledge of issues relating to sustainability to organisation in a way that enabled adequate judgements to be made about organisational performance |
Summarised and presented some aspects of topic in report format with consistent structure. Consistent approach to referencing with most sources correctly referenced. English generally accurate. |
40-49 |
Researched, identified and selected some basic facts, principles and concepts of sustainability relevant to the organisation, but many areas were not sufficiently covered |
Applied knowledge of issues relating to sustainability to organisation in a way that enabled some judgements to be made about organisational performance but many areas needed further development |
Summarised and presented basic aspects of topic in report format recognising relevant information but structure was not clear. English was understandable but use of spelling/grammar/punctuation needs improvement. Referencing generally incorrect or inadequate |
Below below 40% |
Did not adequately research, identify and select basic facts, principles and concepts of sustainability relevant to the organisation. |
Did not apply knowledge of issues relating to sustainability to organisation in a way that enabled adequate judgements to be made about organisational performance |
Did not summarise and present sufficient aspects of topic. Important information was missing and structure was unclear. No referencing and poor use of English, spelling. grammar and punctuation. |
Report Assessment Criteria - Degree Students
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Manage own roles and responsibilities |
Undertake personal and career development |
Receive and respond to a variety of information |
Communicate in writing |
Use information sources |
Use a range of thought processes
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70%+ |
Clearly identified own role and responsibilities within work place. Very clearly defined business environment with good development of area of interest |
Reflected on personal strengths and weaknesses and showed very clear evidence of development |
Organisational strengths and weaknesses and future planning considerations very clearly identified.
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An excellent standard of written English. Well structured. Academic referencing is correct |
Very good standard of research drawing on a wide range of sources |
Very good standard of analysis and evaluation, with good links between theory and practice. |
60-69% |
Clearly identified own role and responsibilities within work place. Good development of business environment and area of interest
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Reflected on personal strengths and weaknesses and showed evidence of development |
Organisational strengths and weaknesses generally well identified but limited future planning consideration.
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Clearly written to a good standard. Well structured. Most sources are correctly referenced |
Good standard of research with effective use of relevant source materials
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Good standard of analysis and evaluation in most areas with clear links between theory and practice. |
50-59% |
Identified own role and responsibilities within work place. Some development of business environment and area of interest |
Some reflection on personal strengths and weaknesses with some evidence of development |
Some identification of organisational strengths and weaknesses but future planning needs more development.
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Clearly written but some areas are not fully explained. Well structured but not all sources are correctly referenced |
Adequate standard of research with evidence of use of source material |
Adequate standard of analysis and evaluation with some links between theory and practice |
40-49% |
Awareness of own role and responsibilities within work place but business environment and area of interest not fully developed |
Basic reflection on personal strengths and weaknesses but little evidence of development |
Basic organisational strengths and weaknesses identified. Future planning not discussed. |
Basic standard of English with some grammar and spelling mistakes. Structure can be unclear at times. Referencing is incorrect or inaccurate |
Very basic research done. Little use of source material |
Analysis and evaluation weak. Few links between theory and practice. |
Below 40% |
Little evidence of understand-ing of own role within workplace. Business environment and/or area of interest need development |
Little or no reflection on personal strengths and weaknesses and no evidence of development |
No discussion of organisational strengths and weak nesses. Future planning not discussed.
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Poorly written with errors in grammar or spelling. Meaning is not clear, structure is weak. No attempt at referencing |
Inadequate evidence of research. Few sources consulted |
Little evidence of analysis and evaluation or links between theory and practice |