Module SOCI40420: WORK-BASED PROJECT

Department: Applied Social Sciences

SOCI40420: WORK-BASED PROJECT

Prerequisites

• Consolidation Module.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The module, which runs throughout the second year of the programme, provides students with the opportunity to undertake a sustained piece of work designed to improve the services (including multi-agency/multi-disciplinary services) available to children and young people, their families and carers. This might involve identifying gaps in existing services, developing new policy and/or practice responses to meet those gaps, or the evaluation of particular aspects of existing services, with a view to promoting best outcomes for children and young people. It is set at level 4.

Content

• Project work:
• June (Year 1) – Meeting involving the student, line manager, practice mentor and tutor to identify a suitable area of study and outline some elements of the initial project proposal (e.g. aims, methods, sources of data, ethical issues, timescales): October – May (Year Two) – literature review; data collection and analysis; writing-up project report; presentation of project’s findings and recommendations.
• Supported learning sets: Fortnightly meetings, facilitated by tutors and practice mentors, to share knowledge and develop skills in relation to the project tasks, identify problems and solutions, and make informal presentations to peers.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this module students will be expected to be able to demonstrate:
• 1. Mastery of a complex, specialist area of knowledge, including the ability to draw on appropriate evidence from theory, policy, practice and research (KS1);
• 2. The ability to identify needs and gaps in services, and to contribute to the development of services and policies which incorporate models of best practice and optimise the life chances of children and young people (SSS7);
• 3. The ability to promote positive change (as well as planning for and responding to changes) within organisational, inter-organisational and team contexts, realistically evaluating the impact of interventions (SSS5);
• 4. The use of highly specialised professional skills, including the ability to present professional views (both orally and in writing) in formal settings, including situations where outcomes are disputed, and where effective responses to challenge and counter argument are needed (KS2);
• 5. Effective management of their own work and use of supervision to identify and explore issues, develop and implement plans, and improve their own practice (KS3);
• 6. Professional practice that promotes the rights of service users and carers, and embeds service user-focused values in policy and practice (SSS14); and
• 7. Acceptance of personal responsibility in relation to professional codes of conduct, including the ability to address any ethical issues arising in relation to professional practice and research (KS5).

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

• Project Work:
• Enables students to undertake a sustained piece of work designed to contribute to the development of services or policies in their place of employment, which is particularly useful in helping them to develop mastery of a complex, specialist area of knowledge, as well as enhancing their skills in managing their own work and the effective use of supervision. It also enables students to evaluate the impact of interventions and to demonstrate how they are embedding service user-focused values in policy and practice.
• Tutorials:
• Provide students with individual support and guidance in relation to their project work.
• Supported learning sets:
• These locally-based groups, facilitated by practice mentors, provide regular and structured opportunities for students to support each other and share their experiences in relation to their individual work-based projects. They also provide an informal forum for the development of presentation skills.
• Project report/Presentation:
• The project report requires students to demonstrate in-depth understanding of their chosen area of study. They have to present highly specialised professional views in writing, identifying gaps or deficiencies in policy, procedures or services, analysing how best to overcome the problems identified, and justifying the action that they have taken or are making recommendations about for the future. The oral presentation of the project’s findings and recommendations requires students to present their professional views in a formal setting, such as a multi-disciplinary team meeting or a user and/or carer forum, where those views might be disputed or challenged, requiring the student to make effective responses. The presentation is jointly assessed by the student’s practice mentor and tutor. Together, the project report and the presentation of its findings/recommendations ensure that student achievement is assessed in relation to all of the module learning outcomes.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Feedback from line manager, practice mentor, tutor and other students in small group work in supported learning sets.

■ 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