Module ECON2996: Business Placement

Department: Business School (Economics and Finance)

ECON2996: Business Placement

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• The module aims to develop the employability skills of students through an approved placement of not less than 40 weeks.
• The module aims to:
• Enable students to gain experience and skills in researching, applying for and successfully obtaining employment
• Enable students to gain experience of employment in an approved organisation
• Inform students in the development of their career plans
• Enhance their understanding of the applicability of their academic studies to the workplace
• Enhance their awareness and understanding of business ethics in the workplace and the importance of ethical and professional behaviour in the workforce.
• Improve the opportunities for students to successfully enter the graduate market by increasing employability skills and relevant work experience and embedding key aspects of the Durham Award application as a natural outcome of the Placement Portfolio.

Content

• Apply for and obtain a business placement. Complete the business placement meeting both employer and Business School requirements.

Learning Outcomes

• This module will develop relevant subject knowledge by enabling the application of prior knowledge to practice. By its nature, it is impossible to specify which particular subject knowledge will be developed, but this will be the subject of the partnership agreement between the student, the host organisation and the placement tutor.

• This module will develop relevant subject skills by enabling the application of prior skills in practice. By its nature, it is impossible to specify which particular subject skills will be developed, but this will be the subject of the partnership agreement between the student, the host organisation and the placement tutor.

• This module develops:
• Effective oral and written communication skills in a range of traditional and electronic media.
• Effective self-management in terms of time, planning and behaviour, motivation, self-starting, individual initiative and enterprise.
• Learning to learn and developing an appetite for reflective, adaptive and collaborative learning.
• The interpersonal skills for effective listening, negotiating, persuasion and presentation.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module learning takes place at the Placement organisation and any formal training will be delivered by the host. Learning takes place through the work placement and related tasks as directed in the placement portfolio. Preparation for the placement is supported by a programme of workshops delivered by the Placement Tutor, CEEC and employers. Students will be encouraged to attend STAR workshops and Be Enterprising modules. The student learning whilst on placement is supported through a partnership between the host organisation and the placement tutor together with the online Placement Student Forum.
• Formative assessment is by means of a video diary and placement visit together with any appraisals carried out by the placement host. This will enable students to reflect upon their progress towards the placement learning outcomes to date and to develop strategies to ensure the benefit of the placement for the student is maximised.
• Summative assessment is by means of a placement portfolio.
• The summative assessment strategy embeds the key competencies of the Durham Award and supports the student in developing their application for this Award in respect of work experience.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

You are required to maintain a Placement Portfolio during the year and your progress with this will be discussed at the Placement Visit after (approx) 20 weeks of work. This formative discussion will be supported by a 5 minute video diary.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University