Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SSI3017: Learning from Work Experience in the Social Sciences

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to develop your personal management skills and experience of learning through work. You will be encouraged to research and reflect on a range of work-related ‘explorations’ - from the nature of an organisation and your role within it, to employment practices, self-appraisal and continuing professional development, linking this with your own personal development planning. The module allows you to fully explore the links between the skills developed and the knowledge and understanding gained from your degree discipline. By practising specific skills for employment the module aims to prepare you for the world of work beyond university and increase knowledge and understanding of a range of professions.

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 detailed knowledge and understanding of what your placement organisation does; how it is managed, the culture of the organisation and what might influence this. 2. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the experiential learning process and ability to critically reflect on and evaluate learning from work experience, and to do so through the application and use of relevant theoretical frameworks
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Critically and systematically reflect on the relationship between the learning and skills developed in your discipline, with the learning, skills and personal attributes developed through your work placement. 4. Systematically research the academic background to a key issue arising from your work placement and critically evaluate the issue in relation to the professional and scholarly literature
Personal and Key Skills	5. Identify the specific skills needed in relation to particular job/career opportunities, and demonstrate an ability to present these knowledgeably with reference to the work placement; 6. Critically reflect on and analyse your own personal management skills, identifying ways to improve through personal development planning; 7. Demonstrate ability to communicate and present yourself effectively in CVs, applications and interviews, and communicate information and ideas clearly and critically.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

Preparing for your work placement
Personal development planning
Learning from experience
Reflection, reflective writing and preparing to write critical logs
An introduction to employment policies and practices.
Values and professionalism in the workplace
Personal Development and Academic skills review
Preparing for work after university
Preparing for assessment

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
10	100	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 Activity	10	10 x 1 hour workshops
Placement	40	40 hours work placement
Guided Independent Study	10	Reflective journal kept during work experience
Guided Independent Study	20	Preparation of tasks related to teaching and learning sessions
Guided Independent Study	20	Planning and preparation for work placement and work placement activities
Guided Independent Study	50	Completion of activities for assessment

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/

Other Learning Resources

Suggested journal resources include:

Journal of Education and Work
Work, Employment and Society
Gender, Work and Organisation
Reflective Practice
Work and Occupations