ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
‘Creative, expressive and reflective writing are well suited for helping individuals to explore and construct their career identities.’ (Lengelle & Meijers, 2014, p 54)
Students are required to capture the learning from each session in short pieces of reflective writing. Questions are provided at the end of each online session that will guide these reflections. These will then be utilised to create a final Personal Career Research Report which will be submitted for assessment. This report will detail aspects of self-awareness, such as personality, interests, values and motivation together with reflections on current knowledge, skills and attributes that will be of interest to potential employers. It will also identify some possible future careers and what has been learnt about successfully securing and retaining the graduate employment opportunities of their choice. The report should detail the full process of developing self-awareness, opportunity awareness, decision making and transition into the workplace (the four key areas of Career Development Learning). Students are given support in face-to-face workshops which will allow them to gain the most benefit from the online learning provision.
Assignment: You are required to submit a Personal Career Research Report (4000 words).
General guidelines on how to structure the report.
1. Title page (give your report a suitable title). Previous titles have included: Report on My Future Career Planning; A Detailed Investigation into my Person Profile and How I Can Achieve my Perfect Career; and My Career in Accountancy.
You should also include the date and a word count.
2. Contents page. List contents with the page numbers.
3. Introduction. There should be a paragraph that explains the report and what you are aiming to cover.
4. Findings. This is the main part of your report and should detail your learning throughout the module. You may use sub-headings as appropriate. As you have worked your way through this module you have been directed to complete activities, reflect on these and then write a short piece of reflective writing each week. You should utilise this reflective writing to complete the main part of the report. You may also need to refer to items filed in your PebblePad Asset Store. Approximately 1000 of the total word count should be included in relation to the research carried out for session 6.
5. Conclusions. Ensure that you draw all the threads of your reflections together and say what career related decisions you have been able to make.
6. Action Plan. You should also include details of what you plan to do next as a result of your learning on this module.
7. Reference List.
8. Appendices (if applicable).
Purpose of the assignment
This assignment is designed to give you the best opportunity to successfully enter your chosen career. If you are undecided about what you want to do, it will give you the opportunity to explore in some detail two or more possible careers for yourself. If you start the module completely decided about what you want to do, it will give you the opportunity to become an expert in this career so that you are well prepared for applications and interviews. It will also allow you to research a ‘Plan B’ in some detail, should your initial career plans not be achievable for one reason or another. Because we are all unique, your assignment will be different to everyone else’s but it must be something that is useful to you.
Content
You will complete all the interactive exercises online and then write about what the results mean for you. For example, if you discover you have a high Artistic score on the Holland test (session 2), you may want to explore some creative related careers. You will also need to include what you have learnt about securing graduate roles, including how to design and tailor a CV and complete application forms to a standard that will give you the best chance of gaining an interview. The questions provided at the end of each session should act as prompts to help you reflect on the activities and identify what you have learnt about yourself, the opportunities available to you and how to make the most of these.
Style
The assignment is designed to be of value and help to you. It is all about you, your self-discovery, your hopes, your needs and your plans for the future. As such it is personal to you and can be written in the first person (e.g. ‘I feel that’, or ‘I believe that’ or ‘I now need to’).
Referencing
Harvard referencing is preferred but it is acceptable to use other styles if these are more familiar to you. It is important that you are consistent throughout with the referencing style of your choice. The references used in each session are provided on the final slide if you need to include these in your report. You may also need to reference internet resources, books, and personal communications with professional contacts if these are included in your report.
Submitting your Assignment
Assignments should be submitted via e-Learn and feedback will also be provided through this medium. Please note that the ‘Turnitin’ system is used in this process. You will need to use a unique proxy identifier, generated by Turnitin, when submitting your work.
Assignment Marking Criteria – Personal Career Research Report
You must demonstrate in your assignment that you have engaged in all the online exercises and that you have reflected on what you have learnt about yourself and how to secure a graduate role. You also need to demonstrate that you have considered the implications of your learning for your career planning. You need to use what you have learnt about yourself and relevant occupations to justify the goals you identify in your action plan.
MARKING CRITERIA
Self-awareness (20) The extent to which the learner shows developing self-awareness through a process of analysis, synthesis and evaluation, based on a range of online activities.
Opportunity awareness (20)
The extent to which the learner shows an appreciation and understanding of relevant and appropriate occupation(s) that are realistic options for them.
Career Research, Decision Making and Action Planning (20)
The extent to which the learner shows ability to make sound career / life decisions and plan for the future, based upon self and opportunity awareness.
Transition Skills (30) The extent to which the learner demonstrates their knowledge and understanding of graduate recruitment processes, including building and tailoring CVs, completing application forms, use of social media, interview techniques and assessment centres.
Presentation (10) Overall presentation of assignment including structure, flow, written style and tone, spelling, grammar, etc. Appropriate word length. Correct, appropriate and relevant referencing, including reference list.
1st An extremely well researched, highly reflective and evaluative report. Excellent evidence of engagement with all the module materials and activities. Detailed examination of self through analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained through module activities, possibly resulting in new understanding. Excellent evidence of research into possible opportunities with accurate, realistic conclusions made. Excellent evidence of knowledge and understanding of graduate recruitment processes. Very clear identification of career goals together with detailed plans to achieve them. Excellent presentation of the report. Additional relevant work not specified will be rewarded.
2:1 A well-researched, reflective and evaluative report. Good evidence of engagement with the module materials and activities. Good evidence of examination of self through analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained through module activities. Good evidence of research into possible opportunities with accurate, realistic conclusions made. Good evidence of knowledge and understanding of graduate recruitment processes. Identification of career goals together with plans to achieve them. Good presentation of the report.
2:2 Some evidence of reflection and evaluation in the report. Some evidence of engagement with the module materials and activities. Some evidence of examination of self through analysis of knowledge gained through module activities. Some evidence of research into possible opportunities with mostly accurate, realistic conclusions made. Some evidence of knowledge and understanding of graduate recruitment processes. Some attempt made at identifying career goals and detailing plans to achieve them. Satisfactory presentation of the report.
3rd Limited evidence of reflection and evaluation in the report. Writing may be mostly descriptive. Limited evidence of engagement with the module materials and activities, resulting in limited development of self-awareness in relation to future career plans. Limited evidence of research into possible opportunities which may result in some inaccurate or unrealistic conclusions made. Limited evidence of knowledge and understanding of graduate recruitment processes. Limited attempt made at identifying career goals or making plans to achieve them. Poor presentation of the report.
Fail Insufficient evidence of having engaged with the module materials and activities. Insufficient evidence of having done any research or engaged with the assignment. Insufficient evidence of knowledge or understanding of graduate recruitment processes. Insufficient evidence of career goals or plans for the future. Very poor presentation.
0% Fail Non submission
The grading bands used by the University are set out below
Band Numerical equivalent
Exceptional 1st 96
High 1st 89
Mid 1st 81
Low 1st 74
High 2.1 68
Mid 2.1 65
Low 2.1 62
High 2.2 58
Mid 2.2 55
Low 2.2 52
High 3rd 48
Mid 3rd 45
Low 3rd 42
Marginal Fail 35*
Mid Fail 30*
Low Fail 25
Fail 10
Non- submission 0
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