| Module Identifier | IPM7530 | |||||||||||
| Module Title | DEVOLUTION AT WORK | |||||||||||
| Academic Year | 2005/2006 | |||||||||||
| Co-ordinator | Ms Elin Royles | |||||||||||
| Semester | Semester 2 | |||||||||||
| Other staff | Ms Anwen M Elias, Dr Richard W Jones | |||||||||||
| Assessment |
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Brief Description
This module aims to enhance students understanding and study of Welsh politics in other modules on the course, particularly GWM / IPM 1630 Datganoli a Chynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru (Devolution and the National Assembly for Wales) by offering practical work experience in one of a number of organisations that are involved in Welsh politics on a daily basis.
Content
This module aims to provide students with practical insights into the working of the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh politics post-devolution. It provides a unique opportunity to develop and enhance written and oral transferable skills. Students will work for an organisation that is directly involved in Welsh politics and will have the opportunity to undertake activities, tasks, projects, office or other business that the organisation requires, subject to the overall supervision of the nature of the work by the Module Convener (the Module Convener will keep in weekly contact with the students via e-mail, will be in contact with the student¿s Line Manager at the placement and will make one visit to the placement location). The following have already provisionally agreed to provide placements: The Welsh Assembly Government, The Assembly Parliamentary Services, Welsh Local Government Association, BBC Political Affairs Unit, Morgan Allen Moore, and Grayling Public Relations.
Students will be expected to keep a reflective log during the placement period and to record assignments and appointments, meetings and receptions attended and one of the assessments will be based on this.
| Problem_solving | Independent project work and problem solving will be one of the central goals of the module; the submission of assessed work and assignments at the workplace will require that the student develops independent research skills as well as problem solving skills. The need to research and undertake tasks in the workplace will also enable the student to develop independent project skills. The ability of students to solve problems will be developed and assessed by asking them to: adopt differing points of view; organize data and estimate an answer to the problem; consider extreme cases; reason logically; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems. | ||
| Research skills | The submission of assessed work and assignments at the workplace will reflect the independent research skills of the student. The need to locate appropriate research resources and write up the results will also facilitate research skills. Research preparation will also enable the student to develop independent project skills. | ||
| Communication | Students will learn how to present their ideas both verbally and in writing and how to assert themselves to advantage. They will understand the importance of information and clear communication and how to exploit these. They will know how to use the many sources of information available and how to use the most appropriate form of communication to the best advantage. They will learn to be clear and direct in their communication and to be direct about aims and objectives. They will learn to consider only that which is relevant to the topic, focus and objectives of their argument or discussion. The emphasis throughout the module will be on student participation and communication. Students will be expected to submit their work in word-processed format and the presentation of work should reflect effective expression of ideas and good use of language skills in order to ensure clarity, coherence and effective communication. | ||
| Improving own Learning and Performance | The module aims to promote self-management but within a context of assistance from both the convener and Line Manager in the workplace. Based on the work placement, students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and to exercise their own initiative, including searching for sources, compiling reading lists, and deciding (under guidance) the direction of their assessed work. The need to meet deadlines with written work will focus students¿ attention on the need to manage their time and opportunity resources well. | ||
| Team work | Students will be obliged to work in teams in the workplace. | ||
| Information Technology | Students will be expected to submit their work in word-processed format. Also, students will be encouraged to search for sources of information on the web, as well as seeking sources through electronic information sources (such as BIDS and OCLC). | ||
| Application of Number | Dependent on the assignments that the students will undertake in the workplace it is possible that they will make use of statistical information and develop practical experience of some analysis of numerical data and will therefore develop basic interpretative skills. | ||
| Personal Development and Career planning | The placements will help to develop students¿ verbal and presentation skills. The range of experiences, in addition to completing the assessed work, planning an essay, framing the parameters of the projects, honing and developing the projects and seeing through to completion, will contribute towards their portfolio of transferable skills. | ||
| Subject Specific Skills | Students have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of subject specific skills that help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas on the module. These subject specific skills include: ¿ Collect and understand a wide range of data relating to the module ¿ Ability to evaluate competing perspectives ¿ Demonstrate subject specific research techniques ¿ Apply a range of methodologies to complex political problems | ||
This module is at CQFW Level 7