AC7036 - Practice Project

During this project you will learn as a participant and active learner, which will be achieved through seminars, independent learning, and individual learning activities with your supervisor, and by operating as a project coordinator and leader. The seminars will cover the theories and concepts of practice development that will enable you to undertake a robust analysis of your service environment and the supporting literature. You will work with a named academic supervisor for the duration of your project, undertaking supervision work which will be focused on your project and should follow the stage of the project development, implementation or evaluation. Your supervisor will facilitate the articulation of your decisions, ideas, plans and methodologies. This critical dialogue will assist in developing and conceptualising your understanding and plans, including the theoretical, methodological and practical aspects of your project.
You will be encouraged to attend support seminars that involve a small group of individuals form a variety of programmes, and modules that are all immersed in dissertation work. During these seminars you will have opportunity to share and discuss your plans, your project, your challenges and your successes in way that offers support to you, and your peers. This sharing of understanding and experiences will form an integral part of your learning, particularly for the way networks can be developed and sustained as a personal and professional support mechanism.
The module aims to enable you to develop as an effective and successful service innovator in your own professional practice and also to focus on your own development as a service leader and decision maker.

You will be allocated a named academic supervisor for the duration of the module. Supervisors bring a wide range of expertise to help your learning, and will use a variety of approaches to help you conceptualise, focus, plan and implement your project and your dissertation: this will include, but will not be restricted to, feedback on your ideas, proposals, and plans. While selected for their professional and academic expertise and experience, consideration is also given to your project subject and where possible every effort is made to match this with the interest area of the supervisor. In addition the module leader can be contacted to offer module guidance when necessary. The University Library offers an extensive collection of material, both hard copy and electronic, access to international databases and training in information retrieval, in addition to study space and IT equipment. Study skills help sheets can be found on the Library’s Skills Plus site. In addition the University Student Support and Wellbeing Services offer information, guidance and support.

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:
By the end of the module you will have

1. Utilised relevant philosophical and theoretical underpinnings to implement a practice change / initiative demonstrating critical awareness and evaluation of the needs of the service user, the service and the practice context.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
By the end of the module you will have

2. Demonstrated the ability to collaborate and negotiate with service users (where appropriate), stakeholders and colleagues and take into account multiple perspectives when planning change.
3. Constructed and successfully managed the implementation of a practice change / initiative.
4. Produced a project report which critically analyses and reflects on the complex processes of implementing change in the real world of practice.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
By the end of the module you will have

5. Demonstrated your ability be self-aware and reflexive when working with multiprofessional groups to facilitate and lead change.

Formative:
A proposal, to be discussed with stakeholders and academic supervisor, must be completed and approved prior to undertaking the project. At this formative stage issues of obtaining permission will be identified and action taken as appropriate.
Continuous formative feedback on your progress will be offered as part of the supervision process
MLO’s 1,2,3,4,5

Summative:
You will produce a dissertation (maximum 15,000 words) in which you will start by articulating a critical analysis of the work place and the evidence based published literature to support your practice development project. You will reflect on a proposed practice issue or service development and evaluation strategy covering:
An outline of the practice issue/need to be addressed.
Influences on the issue or need, drawing on evidence, policy, and theory (for example how far experience is inequitable, or to what extent prioritising reflects clinical, social or economic need)
A proposed service development to address the identified issue or need
Aims for the evaluation of the proposed service development
Rationale for and critique of proposed evaluation framework / methodology.(MLO’s 1,2,3,4,5)

Must have completed 120 credits at level 7

None

This module seeks to bring together action, reflection, theory and practice. It provides an opportunity for practitioners/students to engage in practice development using a relevant framework. Students will negotiate and collaborate with relevant stakeholders and colleagues to design a framework for the project, which will include evaluating the impact of any resulting change. Whilst undertaking the project students will engage in reflective practice, conceptualisation, literature evaluation, relevant data collection and project planning and change management. A reflexive analysis is expected in the project write-up. Explicit support and permission must be obtained from the organisation within which the project will be located so that any necessary resources can be accessed and in order to provide an open environment for relevant context specific recommendations arising from the process. Students will work within the appropriate research governance and ethical principles for their professional discipline. Assessment of the module is by a final project report (15,000 words) in which the project is presented in an appropriate academic style, supported from the current literature base and accurately referenced.