DA4043 - Professional Practice 1

Most of your learning on this degree apprenticeship module will be in your workplace. You will gain a theoretical understanding of the topics through live (online or face-to-face) university sessions and online resources such as recorded lectures, videocasts, podcasts, electronic books, journal articles and websites. Your involvement in quantity surveying tasks will enable you to put the theory into context, thereby cementing your understanding. You will agree with your Workplace Mentor a Module Learning Plan (MLP) designed to achieve the Module Learning Outcomes via a series of directed workplace learning activities, such as shadowing a colleague, visiting a site or producing a poster.

The focus of this module is the application and synthesis of work-based learning experiences. The module will be introduced by a workshop session to discuss the module syllabus, the role of the work-based portfolio and assessment requirements. Your MLP will include the development of an action plan identifying how you intend to achieve the competency requirements of the RICS Degree Apprenticeship. You will agree on pre-planned practical surveying tasks suitable to your role and position in the workplace. The choice of task e.g. survey and measurement is important and should be typical of the type of work with which you regularly engage in, albeit as a surveying assistant or part of a team. In this respect, your workplace will be the main learning environment, in effect acting as a framework for professional surveying practice. However, tutor support will be available via drop-in sessions throughout the module study period. Opportunities will also be provided for you to develop your understanding through peer and tutor interaction in discussion groups and research rich debates during live classroom or synchronous online seminars and workshops. You will be encouraged to draw on your own professional experiences to share best practice and contribute to debates.

Due to the nature of the Professional Practice modules, there is typically a greater proportion of work-based learning (estimated at 120 hours) and a smaller amount of scheduled activity than for the technical modules. This is estimated at 4 hours of live ‘Seminars’ (synchronous delivery, most likely all online via Blackboard Collaborate), 4 hours of recorded ‘Lectures’ (asynchronous online delivery via Blackboard and Blackboard Collaborate), and 2 hours ‘Tutorials (1-to-1 support from your Workplace Mentor and Workplace Coach). The remaining hours in the Notional Student Workload for the module are attributed to independent learning, with the estimated ratio of tutor-guided to student independent learning at 1:1, as appropriate for a Level 4 module. This is indicative and will vary between the Professional Practice modules.

Your module tutor(s) will deliver an online module induction session and lead live sessions that enable you to interact with your tutor and peers. They will provide and direct you to essential and recommended online resources available via the University’s eLearning Portal and University Library. Outside of live sessions, they will provide advice and respond to questions via the eLearning Portal.

Your Workplace Mentor will support you in developing your Module Learning Plan. You will be provided with a guidance document that outlines the principles of workplace learning and provides examples of a large and diverse range of potential workplace learning activities. You may also discuss your Module Learning Plan with your Workplace Coach.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
MLO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of study skills including collecting and using appropriate information, referencing academic work and work planning.
MLO2: Demonstrate an ability to personally reflect and measure how your academic study has assisted your role in a professional working environment
MLO3: Produce a response to a brief that requires application and integration of knowledge and skills gained from specific practical surveying tasks carried out in the workplace.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
MLO4: You will research and evaluate data, identify solutions, demonstrate judgement and communicate findings.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
MLO5: You will develop and apply a reflective approach to learning and personal development.

You will be formatively assessed by the completion of the workplace learning activities identified in your Module Learning Plan. You will receive informal, often verbal, formative feedback from your Workplace Mentor, and sometimes from other colleagues and your Workplace Coach. You will also have the opportunity for formative feedback from your module tutor(s), particularly during assessment guidance sessions.

Your summative assessment will provide you with the opportunity to translate your workplace learning into a coherent output that demonstrates that you have achieved the module learning outcomes.

This will be in the form of a visual and verbal presentation with Q&A, plus a supporting file of evidence, demonstrating how each of the RICS competencies has been achieved. For each competency a reflective commentary will be required synthesising work-based learning experiences and where appropriate academic study. The rationale for this is to help assess your initial progress at work and prepare you for the demands of professional training with regards to the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).

The presentation may be made via either a live online session or a pre-recorded submission, with the possibility of face-to-face presentations if practical.

Having been introduced to presentation skills in the Academic Practice module and practiced them in the workplace, you will also have the opportunity to participate in a practice presentation and Q&A session in a small group, and exchange formative feedback on both the presentation content and your presentation skills.

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This module is an integral part of your Degree Apprenticeship, designed in collaboration with employers to meet the requirements of the Chartered Surveyor Apprenticeship Standard and provide a solid skills base for career progression and professional qualification.

The module develops study and professional skills and draws on your first-year studies and work based learning. You will produce a portfolio demonstrating how each of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) competencies has been achieved, with reflective commentary, which will help to assess your initial progress at work and prepare you for the demands of professional training with regards to the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).

You will gain theoretical understanding through university sessions and online resources but as a Degree Apprentice, you will do most of your learning in the context of your quantity surveying role via a series of workplace learning activities agreed with your Workplace Mentor.