Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SSI2001: Learning from Work Experience in Social Sciences

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to develop students’ personal management skills and experience of learning through work. Students will be encouraged to research and reflect on a range of work-related ‘explorations’ - from the nature of an organisation and their role within it, to the employment practices of induction, health and safety procedures, self-appraisal and continuing professional development, linking this with their own personal development planning. The flexibility of the module allows students to fully explore the links between the skills developed and the discipline of their study. By practising specific skills for employment – including the writing of CVs, application forms and supporting statements – the module aims to prepare students for the world of work beyond university.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate understanding of what your placement organisation does; how it is managed, the culture within the organisation and what influences this. 2. Demonstrate an awareness of the experiential learning process and some ability to reflect on and evaluate learning from the workplace
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Demonstrate an ability to reflect on the relationship between learning law and legal skills developed, with learning and skills developed through your work placement. 4. Demonstrate an ability to systematically research the academic background to and legal or law-related issues arising from your work placement
Personal and Key Skills	5. Identify the skills needed in relation to particular job/career opportunities, and with reference to the work placement in particular; 6. Analyse your own personal management skills, identifying ways to improve through personal development planning; 7. Present yourself effectively in CVs, applications, oral presentations and interviews.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Finding and applying for a work placement: Preparing CVs, applications and personal statements (Careers Adviser)
• Preparing for your work placement (Work Placement Co-ordinator & Careers Adviser)
• Personal development planning and learning from experience (Module Leader)
• Reflective writing and preparing to write critical logs (workshop) (Module Leader and student skills team)
• Work Experience and the study and practice of Law (Law Tutor)
• An introduction to employment policies, practices. Values and professionalism in the workplace (Work Placement Co-ordinator)
• Personal Development and Academic skills review (workshop/tutorial) (Module Leader)
• Preparing for your presentation (Student Skills team)
• Deciding on a topic for the presentation (individual tutorials) (Module Leader)

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
9	101	40

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	7	7 x 1 hour lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	2	2 x 1 hour workshops
Placement	40	Work Placement
Guided Independent Study	101	Independent Study

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Useful materials on many aspects of learning from experience are also available online at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/employability/