Work-based learning (& maybe ‘work-related learning’) Billy Frank, History (Uclan)

Today….in half and hour  Negotiated Learning Outcomes (and the ‘variability’ of module aims)  UCLan Modules  Year 2 Module: ‘Community History Project’  Year 3 Module: Placement (originally ‘Museum/Heritage Placement’  History ‘Realistic Work Environment’ (if time permits)

Negotiated Learning Outcome  Idea that the outcomes of the module may be different from one student to another sometimes challenging  Notion of ‘negotiation’ at first posed problems  Validation questions etc.  Role of external ‘partner’? (Placement Provider)  Health and Safety (more recently)  Risk assessment (even more recently)

Community History Project  2 nd level module  Student teams  Work towards a ‘brief’ set by external organisation (or a member of staff if a particular topic)  Team meets with ‘client’  Works towards a defined goal over a semester  Examples of projects:  Local History Displays, Booklets, video presentations, oral history testimonies, etc.  

Placement Module  Network of placement providers (takes time….and lots of tea drinking)  Establish ‘shared ownership’  University based sessions (more tea) for placement providers  Role of negotiation of placement activities – in line with the ‘current needs of the institution’  Role of the placement provider is crucial  Clear guidelines about what is expected from the outset  Support for student while on placement  ‘Confidential’ report following completion

On successful completion of this module a student will be able to: 1. Formulate a realistic and manageable plan of work through negotiation, for completion in a workplace. This will involve any ‘placement specific outcomes’ identified in the Learning Agreement (see later). 2. Demonstrate a capacity to carry out specified tasks of a professional nature arising from the plan, within a workplace environment, to the satisfaction of the host institution 3. Demonstrate the application of historical knowledge and skills to a task(s) or problems completed in a workplace context. 4. Critically evaluate and reflect on their personal learning experience and skills development gained through the work placement and its applicability to future employment opportunities

PERSONAL AIMS PROJECT AIMS FORMULATED IN TERMS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT FORMULATED IN TERMS OF PROJECT OUTCOME/PRODUCT ‘saleable unique WHAT SKILLS AM I:  USING  DEVELOPING  ACQUIRING ON THIS PLACEMENT I WILL:  OUTLINE PROJECT  FINAL ‘PRODUCT’ Finished Learning Agreement

Assessment Number of Assignment s AssessmentWeighting %Type/Duratio n/ Wordcount Learning Outcomes being assessed 1Preliminary survey of the tasks agreed, setting goals. 20%1000 wordsAbility to define a task in a functional manner. 1 Submission of descriptive records of the work done 40% All 1Confidential reflective essay on the experience 40%3000 wordsAbility to learn from experience in the workplace, both in terms of skills and more general appreciation of the successful management of tasks 1brief report by host institution For information Actual performance

‘Value Added’  Obvious employability focus  Students encouraged to demonstrate how they would highlight the experience in cv, personal statements, etc.  Feedback from graduates  Many have reported the usefulness of the experience  ‘It gave me something to talk about in the interview’  In some interviews graduates were asked about the experience  ‘The display I did is still there’, ‘I was able to show them the web pages I designed for…’

Placements  Manchester Regiment Museum  Ribble Steam Railway Museum, Preston  Lancashire Museums (Preston HQ)  (Lancaster Castle, Queen Street Mill, Clitheroe Castle Museum, Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Rossendale Museum, Gawthorpe Hall, Turton Tower, LMS Head office)  Fusiliers’ Museum, Bury  Various schools  ‘In our lives’ project (Age Concern, Preston)  Queen’s Lancashire Regiment Museum (Preston)  ‘Black History Month’ (PCT Preston)