Module Study Guide
Academic Year 2020–2021
London School of Science and Technology (LSST)
BA3LC30O – Personalised Learning
Level: 3
Credits: 20
Location: Elephant and Castle Campus – London
- Table of contents
Key team contact details 3
1Module overview 4
1.1 Introduction 4
1.2 Module summary content and aims 4
1.3 Learning outcomes to be assessed 5
1.4 Indicative Contact Hours 5
2Assessment and feedback 6
2.1 Summative assessment grid 6
2.2 Assessment brief including criteria mapped to learning outcomes 6
2.3 Learning materials 10
3Things you need to know 11
3.1 Engagement 11
3.2 Need help, just ask 11
3.3 Getting support for your studies 12
3.4 Student support 12
3.5 Module evaluation – have your say! 12
- Key team contact details
| Module Leader | Nosheen Maqbool |
| Subject Area & School/College | London School of Science and Technology (LSST) |
| nosheen.maqbool@lsst.ac | |
| Phone | +44(0) 208 0174257 Extension: 622 |
| Location | Elephant and Castle, London |
| Course Leader | Eniana Gobuzi |
| eniana.gobuzi@lsst.ac | |
| Phone | +44 (0) 208 7953863 Extension: 535 |
| Location | Memo House, Park Royal |
| Academic Support Librarian | Elephant and Castle Library |
| Library.ec@lsst.ac | |
| Phone | +44(0) 2080174257 Extension: 615 |
| Location | Elephant and Castle, London |
| Course Administrator | LSST Registry |
| Registry@lsst.ac | |
| Phone | +44 (0) 208 7953863 Extension: 527 |
| Location | Memo House, Park Royal |
The Course Leader overseeing this module is Eniana Gobuzi, and can be contacted at eniana.gobuzi@lsst.ac
The module leader responsible for this module is Nosheen Maqbool and can be contacted at nosheen.maqbool@lsst.ac
School/College/Dean of College responsible for this module is Dr George Panagiotou and can be contacted at George.panagiotou@lsst.ac
- Module overview
- Introduction
We have introduced UWLFlex – our new, online, flexible learning platform.
UWLFlex has been designed to complement face-to-face learning and build on our reputation for excellence in teaching, learning and student support. We will be able to deliver a University experience that is more collaborative, active, and relevant for an increasingly digital world thus enabling us to provide you with an improved student experience. UWLFlex will provide you with an enhanced range of online tools, to help facilitate your learning whether this takes place primarily on site or online.
- Module summary content and aims
Welcome to the Personalised Learning module. This foundation year module has been developed and enhanced with the benefit of feedback from students in previous years and aims to provide learners with opportunities for academic and personal development. The module will prepare the student for undergraduate studies and provide opportunities to develop the skills required to be a reflective and successful learner. Students will have the opportunity to develop the core academic skills required for successful progression onto Level 4 as well as skills in reflective thinking and writing and learning the importance of planning and goal-setting for personal and academic development. The module consists of a series of lectures and workshops which will use creative and engaging materials for formative and summative assessments. The material covered in this module will help to develop skills in reflective thinking and writing, library use, academic reading, note-taking, academic writing and speaking skills; there will also be an introduction to plagiarism and referencing. The module will additionally focus on the understanding of individual learning needs as well as personal development planning and effective goal-setting. The content includes:
- Note taking
- Reading for purpose
- Research skills
- Referencing Skills
- IT Skills for the Arts
- Media Skills for the Arts
- Digital Skills for the Arts
- Unpicking assignment briefs and marking grids
- From question to plan: how to research an assignment from the very beginning
- Planning an assignment
- Academic writing: sentence structure and appropriate vocabulary
- How to structure an essay
- How to structure a paragraph
- Fine tuning my assignment: proofreading and editing effectively
- Using Blackboard, Lynda.com and other resources effectively to enhance my independent learning needs
- Using Microsoft Excel for study
- Social media for a career: building my online professional profile
- Presentation skills
- Thinking forward: procuring internships to enhance my career options
- Networking for my career and enhancing my CV with extracurricular activities
- Using the British library
Expectations
Specific expectations students can have of tutors:
Questions and queries can be emailed to the tutor or use messages on Blackboard and they will respond within 24 hours during the working week. The tutor will respond to each forum discussion in the first 4 weeks after which they will produce a summary response for each week.
Learning materials on Blackboard will be available at least two weeks in advance. Formative feedback will be provided on assessments.
Specific expectations tutors will have of students:
Attendance
Active participation in all learning activities
Be professional in behaviour and communication
Prepare before attending classes
If absent, inform the tutor by email in advance as a courtesy
Every week will involve preparation activities. These ensure you grasp the subject knowledge and it prepares you for the assessments. You are expected to complete these each week before the webinar. After the webinar there will be activities to help you consolidate the learning for that week. It is expected you participate and complete these before the next week.
- Learning outcomes to be assessed
LO1: To take account of individual student’s strengths and weaknesses as new university students and identify and address their learning needs.
LO2: To take appropriate action to become effective learners, appropriate to foundation level
LO3: To implement a relevant study plan for each student.
LO4: To prepare for transition to level 4 and beyond.
- Indicative Contact Hours Teaching Contact Hours 48 hours Independent Study Hours 156 hours Total Learning Hours 200 hours
- Assessment and feedback
- Summative assessment grid
| Type of Assessment | Word Count or equivalent | Threshold (if Professional Body-PSRB applies) | Weighting | Pass Mark | Indicative Submission week | Method of Submission & Date of Feedback (refer to BB) |
| Portfolio of Written Assessment with one audio or video post of 3 to 5 minutes | 1500 (+/- 10%) words | N/A | 100% | 40% | Week 14 | Submitted on Turnitin Feedback within 15 working days of due date |
- Assessment brief including criteria mapped to learning outcomes
There is one summative assessment of 1500 words in total comprising three parts:
• Part A – Reflective Profile (30%)
• Part B – Personal Learning and Development Plan (40%)
• Part C – Personal Development Interview (30%)
Students will formatively submit the reflective profile (Part A) and the personal learning and development plan (PDP) in week 10 (Part B); there will be opportunities to obtain feedback on these. You will then have a personal development interview with your tutor(s) in weeks 12/13 in which you will discuss your personal development using your completed PDP. You will then need to submit both the completed reflective profile and PDP via Blackboard by the end of week 14. The grade for this assessment will be based on fulfilling all three parts of the assessment.
Formative assessment will take place in week 10.
Summative assessment will take place in weeks 12, 13 and 14.
You must achieve a minimum mark of 40% to pass the module and achieve 20 academic credits at Level 3. Your module mark is obtained by aggregating the individual marks for the three parts of the assessment taking into account the weighting for each element.
Assessment 1 Part A – Reflective Profile (30%)
Starting from week one, you will discover aspects about yourself and what this means for learning and professional development. These reflective tests each week will make up a reflective profile. Students will be provided with a reflective profile template, made available on Blackboard, on which to record their results and reflection. The completed reflective profile will be submitted, via Blackboard, for formative feedback during week 10. This feedback will provide you with the opportunity to improve your work before final submission in week 14. The insight gained from the reflective profile will inform assessment 2 and 3.
Weighting: 30%
Learning Outcomes Assessed:
• LO1 to take account of your strengths and weaknesses as a foundation level learner and
address your learning needs
• LO2 to take appropriate action to become an effective learner, appropriate to foundation level
Date/time/method of submission: Formative submission in Week 10 and week 14 via Blackboard.
Timing and methods of feedback: within 15 working days via Blackboard
Word count or equivalent: 500 (plus/minus 10%)
| Assessment criteria | Marks |
| Appropriate text | 10% |
| Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of topics covered | 10% |
| Assessment of own strengths/weaknesses and addressing learning needs | 25% |
| Ability to plan/provide suggestions for self-improvement | 25% |
| Ability to organise and structure text | 10% |
| Ability to use style appropriate language | 10% |
| Ideas are appropriately concluded | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Assessment 1 Part B and C – Personal Learning and Development Plan (PDP)
This assessment will take place in weeks 12, 13 and 14. Students will formatively submit, via Blackboard, a written Personal and Academic Development Plan in week 10 informed by assessment 1 and their experience thus far, on which there will be an opportunity to obtain feedback. They will then have a recorded personal development Interview with their tutor(s) in weeks 12/13; this will be a discussion of their academic and personal development. Students must bring their completed PDP to this interview and refer to this during the discussion. The reflective journal and PDP must be submitted, via Blackboard, at the end of week 14.
Weighting: 70%
Learning Outcomes assessed:
LO1 to take account of your strengths and weaknesses as a foundation level learner and address your learning needs
LO2 to take appropriate action to become an effective learner, appropriate to foundation level
LO3 to implement a relevant study plan, agreed by your tutor
LO4 to prepare a personalised learning plan for level 4
Date/time/method of submission:
Week 10 – Formative submission of PDP via Blackboard for feedback.
Weeks – 12/13 Summative interview with tutor(s) in seminars
Week 14 – Summative submission of Reflective Journal and PDP via Blackboard
Timing and methods of feedback: within 15 working days via Blackboard
Word count or equivalent: 1000 approx.
Part B – Personal Learning and Development Plan (40%)
Students will be required to write a personal learning and development plan; this plan is a process of self-analysis, personal reflection and honest appraisal of your current strengths and areas that need to be improved and developed with time, informed by assessment 1 tasks and your experience thus far. This should enable you to evaluate the value of the skills developed throughout this module and others during the semester, and to focus on the development of skills required for level 4. A PDP has three stages:
Stage 1 – Analysis. (400 words)
The first stage is designed to analyse your strengths and weaknesses and consider your learning needs. You will be able to draw from the skills developed during your first semester at university as well as activities that you are involved in outside of university. These should be supplemented by the perceived opportunities that will have been derived from your experience and any possible threats to your continued success.
Stage 2 – Setting Goals. (300 words)
This involves setting new and clearly definable goals for yourself that are realistic, achievable and measurable
Stage 3 – Personal Objectives. (300 words)
This involves setting out your personal objectives which could look ahead to the long term, and your objectives after completion of your university studies.
A template to use for your plan will be uploaded to Blackboard. This will be made available as a word document. There also will be opportunities, in seminars, to discuss this in class and obtain feedback from your tutor.
| Assessment criteria | Marks |
| Use of SMART framework | 10% |
| Ability to clearly define goals | 15% |
| Able to show steps required to attain goals | 15% |
| Setting deadlines for goals and prioritising | 5% |
| Evaluating own strengths/weaknesses | 15% |
| Awareness of learning needs | 15% |
| Long term personal development | 15% |
| Organisation/structure of PDP | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Part C – Interview with tutor(s) (30%)
You will need to bring your completed PDP; you will also need to prepare a 3-5-minute presentation based on these to a pre-arranged interview (no slides are required). The tutor(s) will listen to the presentation and ask questions about the reflective profile and plan. This interview will be recorded. There will be opportunities to discuss the interview process and obtain feedback in class.
| Assessment criteria | Marks |
| Demonstrate an understanding of the value of learning and development planning | 40% |
| Oral communication in a formal context | 25% |
| Ability to organise ideas coherently when speaking | 25% |
| Understanding of the ideas discussed Responding to questions Introducing and concluding presentation | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
The marking scheme for this assignment will use the following criteria to determine grades:
Marking scheme:
| 100-80% The work produced is exceptional in most/all aspects, substantially exceeding expectations for this level. | 79- 70% The work produced is of excellent quality, exceeding expectations for this level in many aspects. | 69-60% The work produced meets all of the intended learning outcomes and exceeds the threshold expectations for this level in several of them | 59-50% The work produced meets all of the intended learning outcomes and exceeds the threshold expectations for this level in some of them. | 49-40% The work produced meets all of the intended learning outcomes at, but rarely exceeding the threshold expectations for this level | 39-30% The work produced fails to meet all of the intended learning outcomes and is marginally inadequate for this level | 29-0% The work produced fails to meet all of the intended learning outcomes and is inadequate for this level. |
For guidance on online submission of assignments, including how to submit and how to access online feedback, please refer to the UWL Blackboard student-help pages at: uwl.ac.uk/blackboardhelp
- Learning materials
The reading list for this module is available on Blackboard in the module area and online by searching uwl.rl.talis.com. This shows real-time availability of books in the library and provides direct links to online resources, recommended by your lecturer.
Remember to log into Blackboard daily to receive all the latest news and support available at your module sites!
Subject guides (subject-guides-libguides) are also available to help you find relevant information for assignments, with contact details of the Academic Support Librarian for your School.
- Things you need to know
- Engagement
Teaching at UWL during the academic year 2020-21 will be conducted using the UWLFlex model and may involve a range of on site and online teaching and learning activities. Whether you are engaging with teaching and learning activities on site or via the UWL Virtual Learning Environment, we expect the same level of commitment and engagement from you. If you are unable to attend scheduled on site or online activities or complete activities in the time frames set out, you should let your tutors know. You should aim to stick to assessment deadlines; if you are concerned that you will not be able to complete your assessments on time, you should talk to your tutors. Your engagement, whether online or on site, will be tracked and if we see that you are not engaging, we will get in contact with you. However, we encourage you to let us know if you are struggling so we can work with you to find solutions and get you back on track as soon as possible. Give yourself the best possible chance to succeed by engaging with the full range of learning and teaching activities available to you.
All students should refer to the Attendance and Engagement Monitoring Policy particularly if your course is accredited by a professional body, or if you are an International student on a Tier-4 visa, or a student on an Apprenticeship course which have additional requirements.
- Need help, just ask
The University recognises that there are times when you may encounter difficulties during your course of study and provisions are made to help you. If you are struggling with meeting deadlines please talk to us, whether it’s your course/module leader, personal tutor or any member of staff, speak to them so they can get you the support you need to succeed. You can extend your deadline if you have a good reason why you are not able to submit a piece of coursework on time, apply online for an extension before your deadline. An extension will allow you an extra 10 working days. If an extension is not sufficient and circumstances beyond your control are preventing you from completing your assessment, then you can, apply online for mitigation.
Please remember late submission without extension or mitigation will result in penalties depending on how late it is, see University Academic Regulations.
You are reminded that the University applies penalties to students who commit an academic offence, in which case the Academic Offences Regulations will be used to deal with any cases of academic misconduct including examination offences, plagiarism and other means of cheating to obtain an advantage.
You are encouraged to seek advice from the Students’ Union Advice Service; UWLSU support you with all aspects of your academic experience by providing advice and guidance to ensure you are fully informed of the academic regulations set out by the University as well as advocate for student views.
You are expected to behave in line with UWL expectations, irrespective of whether your interactions with staff and other students are in person or online. As you will be engaging with others online and a range of online materials, it is important to consider how to stay safe online and ensure your communications are secure and appropriate. If you have any questions about how to manage your online UWL activities, please contact your module leader.
If you have an issue about the module, you should speak to your Module Leader or Course Leader informally in the first instance. Your Course Representative can also raise your concerns at Course Committees, which take place each semester. If you are unable to resolve it informally, you should refer to the Complaints Procedure which is outlined in the student handbook and consult the Students’ Union about it. The University aims to ensure that issues are resolved informally as quickly as possible to have minimum impact on your studies.
- Getting support for your studies
Throughout your course of study, you will have access to a wide variety of sources of support depending on your individual circumstances and needs. Your first point of call for getting general academic support is your Personal Tutor. As well as approaching your Module Leader with any questions specifically related to your module and your Course Leader with questions on your Course, do contact your Personal Tutor or Apprenticeship Support Link Tutor for academic advice in relation to your studies and your academic development.
Apart from the University-wide support framework, which encompasses the Module Leaders, Course Leader, the Subject Librarian, and your Course Administrator, you will also have at your disposal the UWL Engagement Team. The Engagement Team offers One-to-One Academic Support opportunities and Academic Skills Workshops throughout the year, helping you to develop skills relevant to your degree. Workshops include for instance Essay Planning and Writing; Critical Thinking; Reflective Writing; Group Work and Presentation Skills. Maths Support and English Language Support opportunities are available too. For more information email or to register for weekly updates email Academic.Support@uwl.ac.uk or you can visit our website to find out more about the support offered by the Engagement Team, such as Peer Mentoring or online academic skills resources at: uwl.ac.uk/current-students/support-current-students/academic-support
- Student support
In addition to the support listed in the previous section, there is also more help offered by UWL Student Support Services. These are located in The Street at St Mary’s Road, Ealing campus, but offer drop-in sessions at all UWL sites. They offer a wide range of support and advice services consisting of Student Advice, and Funding & Immigration advice; Careers; Counselling; Disability/Mental Health; Inter-faith Advisor; Placement & Employment; Volunteering; Student Welfare; and Scholarships and Bursaries.
Contact Student Services (general) for more information at studentservices@uwl.ac.uk or call 020 8231 2345.
- Module evaluation – have your say!
Towards the end of the module you will be invited to provide some anonymous feedback to the Module Leader through an online survey. This is your opportunity to give some direct feedback about the module through a series of questions and free text. Your constructive feedback will help the Module Leader and teaching team to understand the module experience from your perspective and helps inform the development of the module. At the end of the survey period, a response to the survey will be available on Blackboard so that you can see exactly how your voice has been heard.