LIDIS4248 Introductory In-the-Field Experiential Project Course Descriptor

Course Overview

This course provides a framework and resources for the student to develop, apply, reflect on, and refine valuable knowledge and skills in an authentic context (such as an internship, research assistantship or community service) relevant to the student’s academic studies and their wider aspirations, interests, and goals. The teaching and assessment structures are designed to complement a wide variety of in-the-field experiences.

In order to take this course, the student needs:

1. To submit confirmation from an authorised representative from a public, private, or third sector organisation that across a specified period, the student will work with the organisation – virtually on-the-ground, or hybrid – for a minimum period of 75 hours to a specified role title and brief; and that they (the sponsor) will (a) provide induction and mentoring (to a specified baseline standard) for the student during this period; (b) attend a brief tri-partite virtual meeting with the student and their tutor at a midpoint and at occasional other points if requested; and (c) complete a brief final feedback report.
2. Approval from the Course Leader, who will assign the student a faculty tutor.

The student on this course is not summatively assessed directly by the sponsoring organisation, but rather by their assigned faculty tutor, based on the summative assignments they submit.

This course is typically not taken before the second semester of the first year or study.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Employability Skills

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessment are used as part of this course, with formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and the VLE.

Summative Assessments

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and detailed guidance to orientate and engage students in their studies.

Directed Study

• 5 scheduled hours:
  • 1.5 tutorial hours
  • 30 min mid-point meeting with faculty tutor and sponsor
  • 3 workshop hours

Independant Study

• 70 private study hours:
  • A preparatory online tutorial on ethical and professional workplace practice
  • Regular assignments designed to support students to reflect on and adapt their practice across the course

Work Related Learning

• 75 in-the-field hours:
  • Working to the agreed brief with the sponsoring organisation

Faculty hold regular Office Hours, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups.

Students are expected to attend and participate in all the teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and private study.

Indicative total learning hours: 150

Further information about the assessments can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours).

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is for a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.*

Garman, K. (2020). The entrepreneurial mindset: Preparing our next generation for the future of work. New Degree Press.

Sullivan, J. (2016) Effective communication in the workplace. Wiley.

Mullaney and Rea (2022) Choosing a research project that matters to you (and the world). University of Chicago Press.

Indicative Topics

This course emphasises learning by doing and encourages students to apply knowledge gained elsewhere in their studies and developed and refined in the real-world context.

General topics covered in the main resources include:

• Problem Solving
• Ethical and professional practice
• Effective communication in a professional environment

Note

The University provides guidance and standards to all proposed in-the-field organisations and requires signed confirmation from them that they will provide in-the-field experiences that meet these standards.

The University commits that, should an external organisation exceptionally fail to deliver an in-the-field learning experience meeting the specified standards, support and alternative learning opportunities would be provided:

• A timely meeting (within no more than 10 days of notification) would be called with the student, course leader, and tutor to agree whether there was any available in-the-field experience (which may or may not include elements of the originally planned experience) that would provide sufficient basis for the student to meet and demonstrate the course LOs within that semester.
• If there was, then the student would be given the opportunity to continue with the course under that arrangement in the normal semester timeframe.
• If there was not, or if the student was not willing to take up the available substitute opportunity, the student would be given the opportunity to (i) switch to an alternative available course and/or to (ii) defer the experiential course to later in the year (including potentially the summer).