Overview
Work-Based Learning is a compulsory module within the Foundation Degree programme and an optional module within the Professional Diploma. Its purpose is to provide an integrated approach to study, where you are given the opportunity to reflect upon your academic learning and gain relevant practical experience by applying this learning in your workplace.
You are required to have attempted at least 1 compulsory module prior to embarking upon your work-based learning. In order to maximise the benefits of work-based learning, you are encouraged to undertake this module at the same time as, rather than at the end of, your academic studies.
In addition to providing an opportunity to enhance your technical, subject-specific knowledge and skills, this module offers you the opportunity to develop a broad set of intellectual, practical and transferable skills to assist you in your career progression and add value to your organisation.
Summary:
- applies your academic learning to your workplace
- develops practical and transferable skills
- assists in career progression and adds value to your organisation
Course details
Cost
The cost of this module is £535.00.
Next course start date
1 May 2011
Course duration
300 hours
Credits
This module is worth 30 credits
Entry criteria
Students should undertake at least 1 compulsory module before embarking upon their work-based learning.
Studying for this module
The overall study time for the module is 300 hours over 6-12 months. You will be guided through your studies by the Work-Based Learning Guide and be supported by your work based learning tutor.
Learning support
You will be provided with a set of templates to complete during your studies and a guide on how to achieve this.
Assessment
The assessment for this module is based on your performance against the subject-specific and generic skills learning outcomes. Sources of evidence will be employer observations and your own reflective personal journal. This module is not scored; it is graded as a pass or fail.
Planning your Work-based Learning
This module is about taking theory/models, and your understanding gained from formal learning, and applying them to your work. It is about connecting your workplace objectives and activities to the module learning objectives (learning outcomes). It is not about creating more targets but rather focusing on those you already have from a different perspective.
This integrated approach is the reason that you need to have undertaken some formal study before you before you start your work-based learning. It should not be the first module that you study, although if you have progressed from a previous ifs award this may be possible.
It can be completed in 6 or 12 months. To get the most out of it you need to have time to continually reflect on your learning and performance, and review what is happening to, and around, you.
This is what one of our students said on completing it:
| “To be honest, in the beginning … I was sceptical about this work based learning. The reason was that, I could not imagine how I could reflect on my mundane workplace activities and provide a report on these even though in truth this is something that [] most of us do, but never document. Most of the time we do reflect [on] what has gone right or wrong in a day’s work, but we do it subconsciously. Now that I have consciously done it, I can appreciate the importance that this part of the studies has … to reflect on what I did and how to improve or change what was done. [Work-based Learning] made me focus more on what I was doing and the quality needed to do a good job. Looking at … what I have learnt, I think that this work based learning is a good tool to help students reflect on their work based experience.” |
The themes for this module are Risk, Change and Complexity. These three issues are inter-related and all very apparent in the financial services sector and this module helps to focus on how they impact on the every day activities we undertake and how they are managed.
If you intend to study one module at a time your study might look like this:
| Session 1 | Financial Services: the Commercial Environment |
| Session 2 | Organisational Management for Financial Services |
| Session 3 | Option module or Work-based Learning |
| Sessopn 4 | Work-based Learning or other Option module |
Or
| Session 1 | Financial Services: the Commercial Environment | |
| Session 2 | Organisational Management for Financial Services | Work-based Learning |
| Session 3 | Option module | |
Whereas studying two modules per session you would need to do:
| Session 1 | Financial Services: the Commercial Environment | Organisational Management for Financial Services |
| Session 2 | Option module | Work-based Learning |
Of course you can always start one at a time and then increase to two or vice versa. Whichever you choose you normally cannot do Work-based Learning in the first session.