FA5032 - Professional Practice

Your learning will begin with a comprehensive briefing to outline the structure of the module, the timeframe, deliverables and inform your understanding of your own responsibilities to foster realistic expectations.
Tutors will work closely with you in seminars, lectures and workshops. Experiential self-development activities such as interview skills workshops will prepare you for third year placements or study abroad, and creative and technical workshops will extend your industry-relevant digital presentation skills.

Practical ‘drive along’ digital sessions will show you how to use industry standard 3D fashion design and visualisation software, and a range of 2D portfolio techniques, to communicate your work and express your creative identity via the assessment deliverables. Generating creative digital assets will engage your curiosity, creative risk-taking, and personal commitment to your learning and development. Content for your Digital Portfolio will be generated from earlier Level 5 modules.

The University’s Graduate Futures Team will provide guidance on commencing your search for an industrial and/or enterprise placement and how to access the support network available to you. You will be asked to attend a mock interview that will provide a safe environment for practicing verbal communication skills.

There will be group discussions about relevant topics such as the ethical use of AI, authenticity in a digital environment and professional network building. You will exchange feedback and learning with your peers in a community of practice.

Your Career Readiness Plan (CRP), as a self-managed, reflective learning tool to develop employability skills, will be used to inform your Professional Practice Toolkit. This module will support your readiness for third year options and enable you to pursue industry experiences that align to your career aspirations.

Your module tutors will be your main source of support for your academic development. You will receive a full briefing and explanation of the learning plan, learning outcomes, work requirements and assessment process by the module tutor. Lectures, seminar discussions, practical workshops and tutorials will equip you for success in the module and facilitate the development of advanced fashion thinking and practice. To benefit from this support and to be successful in this module it is important to engage with all forms of delivery.

Directed Study will be set regularly with specific tasks to underpin your learning and inspire independent enquiry and study.

You will be expected to present work to your peers, tutors and external collaborators and exchange feedback with your peers. You will receive ongoing formative feedback in studio and tutorials and individualised tutorial feedback, to help improve your work.

After summative assessment, you will receive constructive written feedback and a grade indicating your achievement in relation to the learning outcomes. Additionally, you will be offered a feed-forward tutorial with members of the academic team.

You will also be supported by other members of staff and university services including:
• Technicians aligned with your modules to provide technical instruction and demonstration of equipment and software required to complete your project work;
• The Graduate Futures team to support you through the option process and preparations;
• Library staff to guide you in the ongoing development of essential study: IT skills, information retrieval skills and academic writing via Skills Plus;
• Academic Language Skills modules to help students whose first language is not English or who have no experience studying in English in the UK.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:

1. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of copyright laws and fair use principles in the context of fashion design creation, dissemination, and protection

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

1. Select and organise a fashion portfolio and related promotional media for academic or professional assessment and feedback.


Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

1. Experiment and develop craft skills through sketching, prototyping and communication of fashion design concepts.

2. Explain more specific career goals and professional directions based on emerging strengths and interests within the fashion design field.

Formative Assessment process:
You will receive ongoing formative feedback in taught sessions to guide your progression and development.

Summative assessment:
You will submit the following for summative assessment:

Component 1: Professional Practice Toolkit (25%) aligned to Industrial Placement, Enterprise Placement, Study Abroad, Creative Studio: CV. cover letter, interview skills.

Component 2: Digital Portfolio (75%) aligned to Industrial Placement, Enterprise Placement, Study Abroad, Creative Studio: introduction to 3D Fashion Design Software and tech packs

You will be assessed against the following Module Learning Outcomes:

Component 1: KU 1, PVA 2

Component 2: IPSA 1, PVA 1, 2

N/A

N/A

The Professional Practice module will kick start your development as a future fashion professional and prepare you for your third year option modules of Design Placement, Design Study Abroad and Creative Studio.

The module will equip you with the fashion-specific knowledge, professional skill set and personal attributes you need to make informed and successful option applications based on your developing self-awareness of your strengths, aptitudes and potential within the context of your own ambitions. You will be guided by your module tutors and the Graduate Futures team to create a Professional Practice Toolkit of knowledge, skills and digital assets to facilitate successful applications for your chosen options.

You will immerse yourself in the module’s experiential learning placement and creative practice activities that include interview and application techniques, fashion industry and workplace research, and digital fashion workshops that develop creative technical, professional and communication skills valued by placement providers and future employers, to produce a Digital Portfolio that showcases your creative identity and potential.