PY0660 - Research Internship

On the research-based placement, you will be working within a higher education or research institution (including internal placements) and will be required to liaise with a research supervisor to set out your roles and responsibilities while on the placement. These may include literature reviewing, preparing documents for ethical scrutiny, participant recruitment, data collection, data entry and analysis, preparing work for dissemination and dissemination of findings. You may also be required to undertake other relevant administration and lab-based work as agreed upon beginning the placement
Training is provided at the beginning of the module to develop a professional approach and skilled behaviour needed while attending an internship. Taught workshops will be used to facilitate your learning and professional development, covering topics such as i) reflective writing, ii) time management; iii) presentation skills; and v) employability

The module tutor will support you by making a variety of resources linked to the taught and experiential elements available on the e-learning portal (e.g. PowerPoint slides, handouts, reading lists, directed assessment related-activities). Technology enabled learning will be implemented through the use of Panopto lecture recording, and online reflective logbooks on Pebble+.

The module tutor will meet with you regularly to discuss progress; this will involve formative review of your reflective logs and trouble-shooting of issues that arise through the placement process. These appraisals are used to facilitate reflection and discussion of your individual experiences as well as ensuring appropriate standards are achieved and maintained.

Your internship supervisor will also provide clear expectations for the internship through the learning contract, meet with you regularly to discuss progress and specific tasks, and provide formative feedback mid-way through the module in line with goals and objectives outlined in the learning contract.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
• MK1: You should identify personal and professional development in relation to your experience within the workplace in line with theories of personal and professional development, expressing this in an oral presentation
• MK2: You should show understanding of how the skills you learn elsewhere in the degree can be useful when applied to research work

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
• MIP1: You will develop awareness of methodological and ethical issues in psychological research
• MIP2: You will take charge of your own career development learning, through critical self-evaluation and reflection on the relevance of the module for career enhancement and future learning.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
• MPV1: You will need to become an effective and fluent communicator, who can convey information in the most appropriate format and media

Formative Assessment
Formative assessments will comprise regular supervision and structured mid-module feedback from supervisors, discussion of your reflective logbooks with the module tutor, as well as group discussion of in-class activities (MK1; MIP2)

Summative Assessment
The first assessment is an oral presentation, requiring you to outline your internship and express the relevant skills you have developed. This is worth 90% of the module (MK1; MK2; MIP1; MPV1)
The second assessment is a self-reflective account in which you will be asked to consider how this module has impacted on your employability and future career (MIP2; MK2). This will be worth 10% of the module mark (500 words)

Feedback
For formative assessment of logbooks, the module tutor will provide you with feedback on the electronic workbook in tutorials. For class activities peer feedback provided through discussion in taught session.
Following the presentation, you will get immediate oral feedback and a subsequent written record of your feedback and final mark.You will be required to arrange a tutorial with your personal guidance tutor for formal feedback on your reflection.

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This module gives you an employment opportunity in which you will gain at least 70 hours of experience, working as a research intern (or equivalent) in a psychology (or psychology-related) research department. The research-based placements will involve working within a higher education or research organization and fulfilling roles commensurate with a research assistant. These placements will involve working within a research team or lab which may focus on one of a range disciplines within psychology.

The work placement provides you with the opportunity to practice experiential learning through reflection, critical analysis and continuous improvement. At the start of the module, you will develop a learning contract with your internship supervisor to set collaborative goals, objectives and outline your roles and responsibilities for the internship. Supervisors will also give structured mid-module feedback on your performance, and discussion based on this will also give you the opportunity to discuss your experience of the internship, your progress in line with the learning contract, and your progress towards fulfilling the required 70 hours of placement. Logbooks are used to record the sessions and aid reflection and continuous improvement. Regular feedback on your logbooks and discussion with the module tutor will be used to facilitate reflection and discussion of your individual experiences as well as ensuring you are able to maximise your professional development.

On this module you will gain experience and knowledge of working as a psychological research intern, for a minimum of 70 hours. You will develop transferable skills, such as knowledge of confidentiality, data protection, communication, problem-solving, group work, time-management, self-management, and record keeping.

In addition to these transferable skills, you will develop your psychological literacy; this is your understanding of how psychological knowledge learned elsewhere on the course can be applied to real-world problems