| Unit name | Independent Placement |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODLM0088 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Fricker |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
In this unit, you will analyse the process of undertaking a professional task outside the University. Your placement can involve any task related to cross-cultural communication and language use, including roles in policy, the third sector, publishing, marketing, the language industry, and public institutions. You will be responsible for finding and organising this work, but support will be available from the Careers Service and the unit director.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The unit will give you the opportunity to apply your skills in a real-world environment. You will draw on the concepts and methods learned during the programme to meet the specific requirements of your placement.
An overview of content
The placement can take several different shapes to be discussed with the unit director. Examples include:
Those wishing to take this unit should start seeking relevant opportunities as soon as possible in TB1 upon starting the programme. The placement can be paid or unpaid subject to any visa restrictions.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
By working in a real-world environment, you will be on the way to become a more experienced professional in your field. You will also deal more confidently with the challenges of professional contexts that often require interpersonal skills, cultural humility, problem-solving and emotional awareness.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, you will be able to:
1. Apply relevant concepts and methodologies to real-world professional experience;
2. Confidently evaluate the world of work as well as your own position in it;
3. Critically analyse pathways to future professional action.
By default, we expect each placement to involve a minimum of 40 working hours, but different arrangements can be agreed with the unit director. You can undertake your placement hours at any point up to the assessment deadline.
It is possible, therefore, to do your placement in TB1 and work on your assessment in TB2. You should contact the Careers Service for assistance in the first instance. If you wish to take this unit but have been unable to identify a suitable placement by a deadline to be announced each year, you should select a different TB2 optional unit. You should therefore start the process of seeking relevant opportunities as soon as possible upon starting the programme. You will only proceed to this unit in TB2 if your placement has been confirmed. Should a placement offer be withdrawn at a very late stage, you are welcome to take Supervised Individual Study unit instead and analyse the sector in which you had been hoping to do your placement via different methods.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
The nature of specific professional tasks will depend on each placement. You should expect to hold a minimum of three meetings with the unit director to discuss your plans and placement experience. No direct input is required from your placement line manager. The unit is based on your own analysis of the placement experience.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
A 4000-word reflective learning log, essay or case study, as discussed with the unit tutor, analysing the opportunities and threats impacting on the organisation in which your work took place, as well as the ways you and/or others can meet them (100%) [ILOs 1–3]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required.
Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MODLM0088).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
