You will need access to the following texts:

Placement specific books, articles, reports and references as recommended by your academic tutor and placement supervisor; core texts for the modules on the Award where relevant and appropriate.

Experiential learning
Students will spend 50 days in an advice giving agency to develop their knowledge and skills in advice work under professional supervision - 270 hours

Whole group sessions
Students will attend two 'call back' days. These will provide an opportunity to discuss placement issues with other students and tutors, to reflect on and discuss placement experiences and learning, and when there will be academic guidance and group discussion about the requirements of the placement assignment (2 x 3 hrs = 6 hrs)
Students may also attend agency training sessions.

Individual or small group sessions

- Placement meetings to discuss the learning opportunities and provide guidance in completing the portfolio (3 x 2 hours = 6 hours).
- Placement supervision to discuss with the supervisor the work they are undertaking, to check its accuracy and to ensure that the work meets all the agency requirements (approximately 20 x 1hr ? 20hrs)
- Tutorials with a personal tutor to discuss placement issues and their practice assignment (4 x 1 hr = 4 hours)

Total contact hours = 36 hours

Guided and independent study

This involves students undertaking research and reading around placement issues to enable students to become familiar with relevant policy and practice literature. Students will receive individual guidance and advice on appropriate and relevant texts to study. Students are expected to read relevant texts from their level one and level two modules to develop their knowledge and understanding of the key themes of the indicative content. These texts will help students develop a critical awareness of the relevance of these issues to their placement work, and to develop their skills as reflective practitioners.

Independent study also includes:

- production of 7 reflective diary entries
- production of contextualising statements for 5 examples of practice
- selection of the topic for assignment and developing its structure and content.

Total independent study 414 hrs

Total learning hours 450

- The knowledge and practical experience of advice work
- Team working in an advice agency
- Knowledge and skills in reflective practice
- An appreciation and understanding of the social context of advice work

1 Seven reflective diary entries, each of 500 words, marked by university tutors as a single piece of work, (total 3500 words). Learning outcomes 1, 5, 11 & 12 - 35%

2 Five examples of practice with contextualising statements. Students must include five examples but they will be given one overall mark. The word length for each contextualising statement should be 700 words (total 3500 words)
Learning outcomes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 12 - 35%

3 A 3,000 word assignment on a placement related topic
Learning outcomes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12 - 30%

In order to pass the module students must achieve a minimum of GP3 in each element and an average GP4 overall.

- An appropriately negotiated placement in an advice work agency
- Supervision and support from the agency supervisor
- Appropriate agency reference material and training resources
- Access to core texts for Award modules
- Academic tutorial support
- Recall days
- Module Handbook and Placement pack
- Computing facilities to access material on the internet / blackboard