SP0754 - Professional Practice

You will develop an action plan of professional development activities to address your individual learning goals. These will include volunteer work in your discipline, where you will apply learnings from your degree to real-world contexts. You will also seek further non-formal, formal, and informal education opportunities, and will be challenged to reflect on your learning from these as part of the module. Alongside this independent pursuit, there will be a series of taught sessions (classroom based and online) where you will learn about the craft skills required for your professional environment.

Module information, assessment requirements and expectations, and important module announcements will be made through the eLP. Material to support your learning will be uploaded in advance of sessions. You will be provided with content verbally and guided through tasks during timetabled sessions. A dedicated assessment session will afford you the opportunity to ask assessment related questions in class. The Module Leader is there to support you with any queries that you may have about the module content, and all staff members provide tutorial time outside of class time. Module tutors will provide you with the necessary information on how to arrange a tutorial, and you will be assigned a professional development supervisor, who will support you in your learning through individual and small-group tutorials. Much of your learning will be informal and experiential in nature as you apply knowledge to real-world contexts; your supervisor will challenge you to use self-reflection skills to learn from these activities. You will have the opportunity to receive formative feedback on your development during the module, primarily during tutorials with your professional development supervisor. You will receive feedback on summative work to help you identify areas of strength and areas for development. There will be the opportunity to discuss your feedback with a member of staff during a tutorial. Further academic skills support is also available from the University Library services.

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:
1. Display and critically apply expert knowledge and evidence to practice, and demonstrate a critical understanding of the strengths and limitations of this process

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Critically analyse and reflect on your philosophy, knowledge, skills, experiences, and development as a practitioner and prospective master of science
3. Demonstrate a critical understanding of professional and ethical issues in practice

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
4. Demonstrate an ability to self-organise, manage, and reflect on your professional development and employability
5. Evidence your professional development through a range of CPD experiences

1. Professional Development portfolio (3000 words, 50%, LO 1,2,3,4,5)

You will prepare a portfolio of work that documents and showcases your development activity over the year. As a minimum the portfolio should include:

- An explanation of your individual philosophy of support
- Evidence of your “philosophy in action” through a documentation of your development activities in a specific context (e.g. a case study of applied practice)
- A critical self-reflection on your activities and experiences, and your development as a practitioner
- A practice log detailing your delivery and CPD activities with evidence to demonstrate you have accrued the required 100 CPD points (not included in word count)

You may choose how you present this information (e.g. written, online) but should consider that this can be an evolving resource that might support future applications for accreditation and/or employment.

You will be given the opportunity to discuss your portfolio with your professional development supervisor before you submit for assessment.

2. Exit interview (50%, 30 min viva voce, LO 1, 2, 3)
You will be required to discuss your portfolio, and explain, defend, and justify your approach to practice and CPD in a 30-minute interview. The interview will probe your documented philosophy of support, your ethical responsibilities as a practitioner, and your application of evidence to practice. You will be required to critically self-reflect on your development, and will be challenged to identify your employability strengths and areas for improvement. It is anticipated this assessment will serve as useful preparation for future graduate job interviews

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The Professional Practice module will enable you to gain real-world experience in your profession, applying the knowledge and skills learned on your degree programme to different professional contexts. You will take control of your own professional development, and seek out formal, non-formal, and informal learning opportunities to help you pursue the areas you want to learn. You will be supported by an academic tutor, who will help you find valuable experiences, and will work with you to use self-reflection to learn from your experiences. The experiences you will have on this module will help you present yourself as a well-rounded, employable graduate, and you will develop lifelong learning skills around time management, independent learning, problem-solving and self-reflection which will enhance your ability as a lifelong learner.