The module will include support sessions developing skills such as academic writing, referencing, and avoiding academic misconduct, as well as understanding and starting their personal development and career/life plan planning. The module will give students the opportunity to carry out a self-assessment of current and future personal skills, attend a provided series of workshops on developing academic skills and guide and mentor them through the process of initialising early career plans.

The Future directions assessment is a written self-assessment that has 3 parts –

Students will be required to do a skills analysis in order to identify their current opportunities, interests and potential barriers. strengths and skills, their interests and any potential barriers to skill development they feel may exist.

Students will identify 3 possible future careers/life plans and produce an action plan for how to achieve them.

Students will identify and source volunteering opportunities/LinkedIn Learning courses/other relevant short courses that may help them proceed in one of the identified career/life plan pathways.

The FDA will assess LOs 1-3

Formative assessment will also be included in the module. Students will be asked to carry out a series of tasks that relate to analysing their skill set and researching life plans and personal development opportunities.

Large group, tutor group and Individual tutorial sessions (48 hours). Students will be assigned an academic mentor at the beginning of the academic year and the tutorial sessions will be delivered by the academic mentor. Students will receive at least 3 one-to-one tutorials a year with their academic mentor in order to give them personalised support. These sessions will also include an assessment review at the end of the academic year where mentors will help students develop action plans to help improve assessments and identify life/career plans.

Recognise your academic and personal skills including associated skills development opportunities and possible barriers.
Learning, Reflection

Identify three life plans /future career directions
Enquiry, Communication

Identify possible personal development opportunities (e.g., volunteering, short courses, skill development plans etc) based on career plans.
Problem-solving

Students will be given a copy of the ‘HEA Psychology Network Employability Guide for Psychology’ which will support their PDP and career planning (Lantz, C. (2011). Psychology Student Employability Guide. The Higher Education Academy Psychology Network)

Library access to relevant textbooks, journals, ebooks

Internet access to relevant websites and online databases

Blackboard VLE

MSTeams

BPS Careers webpages https://careers.bps.org.uk/

Cottrell, S. (2016). Skills for Success: Personal development and employability. Red Globe Press.

Freeman, F. & Stone, A. (2006). Study Skills for Psychology: Succeeding in Your Degree. UK, Sage.

Kaplan, R. (2012). How to use your degree to secure a job: Kaplan’s guide to core skills and employability. Kaplan Publishing UK.

Legget, R., Waldeck, D. and Burrell, A. (2021). How to make the most of your psychology degree: Study skills, employability and professional development. The Open University Press.

None

This module will be the start of your PDP and career planning process as you proceed through your degree and it will act as one of the main support mechanisms in Level 4. Personal development sessions will start by helping you assess your current skills, identify skills for further development and track your development throughout your academic journey. You will also learn academic skills such as referencing, reflection, avoiding academic misconduct and structuring your writing. Your skills analysis will then be used to enable you to plan future careers/life plan pathways that fit your skills set and interests.