Description

Professional Development Experience

Description - summary of the module content

Module description

The Professional Development Experience module provides promising second and final year geography students with the opportunity to become involved in cutting-edge research in close collaboration with a member of staff in an area of interest.

During the internship, you will take responsibility for one or more aspects of a research project. The tasks that you work on vary from project to project, but may initially include literature searches, data entry and general research administration. As you gain experience you may have the opportunity to progress to more advanced tasks such as data collection, data analysis, literature searches, and so on. This module is especially recommended if you are considering a career in research (industry or academic).

Acceptance into this module is competitive and you are expected to meet a high academic standard (achieved upper second or first class end of year average grade) as well as demonstrate a strong enthusiasm for the area of research.

The research project you may be involved with may run throughout the year or in a discrete block of time.

This module does not contribute towards degree progression or award.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aim of the module is to improve your research skills (such as research design, data collection, data processing or project management), your knowledge of a cutting-edge area of research and your employability (a clearer sense of the nature of a career in research; the development of skills and knowledge relevant to a career in research and evidence of these achievements).

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Design / conduct at an advanced level an empirical study and analyse / interpret findings in line with your project responsibilities
• 2. Describe theories, research and experimental techniques in the area of your project
• 3. Explain in depth how your specific project is associated with a career in research and illustrate the pathway to pursuing this career

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Acquire a critical understanding of knowledge at the forefront of an area of the discipline
• 5. Think critically about the limits of knowledge and methodologies for obtaining this knowledge
• 6. Evaluate critically and analyse empirical evidence

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Take responsibility for an important part of a research project and demonstrate professionalism in your delivery on your tasks
• 8. Act autonomously with minimal supervision or direction, within agreed guidelines
• 9. Manage time effectively to meet deadlines

Syllabus plan

Syllabus plan

The module follows an apprenticeship model of research training. Regular meetings are held with the supervisor throughout the module. Each member of staff contributing to the module offers a set of research project topics. As far as possible, students will be matched with staff who are conducting research within their area of interest. The supervisor will ensure that any necessary training is delivered in a timely fashion and that the intern receives an induction on their first day. Supervisors will meet regularly with the interns throughout the internship to ensure that you are adequately supported and that you have the opportunity to gain valuable skills and experiences. Supervisors will schedule a review session that will coincide with the midway point of the internship to discuss the progress of the internship.

Learning and teaching

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Assessment

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Re-assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

The internship participation assessment is neither deferrable nor referable because of its practical nature. Where you have been referred/deferred in the reflective diary you will have the opportunity to re-attempt it.

The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for 100% of the mark and will be capped at 40%.

Resources

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE page: http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=6542
• The Career Zone: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/careers/

CVs and Making Applications

• CV Creator – www.ex.ac.uk/employability/cvcreator
• International and academic CVs: www.prospects.ac.uk;
• click on ‘Jobs and Work’then ‘Applications and Interviews’ – useful power word list
• www.selectsimulator.com– practice online application form
• www.futuremorph.org– very useful Science Council careers site

Interviews

• www.prospects.ac.uk– interview tips under the ‘Jobs and Work’ section
• www.bemyinterviewer.co.uk - online advice for answering hard questions

Work Experience

• www.futuremorph.org - Setting aims and goals

Teaching

• www.exeter.ac.uk/employability/careerplanning/sector/teaching/

Module has an active ELE page

Key words search

Employability, careers, job application, work experience, internship