PSY-40179 - Module Specification
School of Psychology
Faculty of Natural Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

This module offers you the experience to develop your employability skills in both an applied and a research setting. You will take part in an interview with a member of the module team and work to secure a placement relevant to your interests and specialism prior to the start of the placement. We will encourage you to consider how you can apply your psychological knowledge and expertise to your placement and to reflect on the skills you have developed through your placement. You will be expected to visit your placement on approximately a weekly basis for 30-50 hours during the second semester. While we would strongly encourage you to engage with a work-based placement for the valuable opportunity and insights it can provide, you will have the option to conduct an academic-based placement at Keele University.
In addition, this module provides valuable experience on a live research project working alongside an experienced research mentor or mentors. After completing a skills audit in the first semester you will be assigned to a research project offered across the range of expertise available, with care taken to ensure that the research project develops or extends your research skills in an area that you have identified. Projects will vary from year to year depending on current staff research, and you might take a number of different roles in the research from designing and preparing research materials through to analysing existing datasets. The module will help you to develop a key range of research skills including learning to follow guidance and respond to feedback and effective communication of research in writing.

The aim of the module is to provide an opportunity for students to gain experience in both an applied setting relevant to their specialism and an advanced research setting woring with a directive research mentor. Students will be supported to apply for and gain a placement opportunity, including developing CVs. The module is designed to help students to gain confidence in an applied setting and to develop teir organisational and professional interpersonal skills. It will also provide students with an opportunity to understand how their skills and expertise can be utilised in an applied setting and encourage them to actively reflect on their future aspirations. Students will also gain experience in producing clear and effective written work, which may take different forms including full or partial research reports, systematic literature reviews, grant proposals and ethics applications, or other appropriate means as determined by the research project leader.

Intended Learning Outcomes

carry out research tasks under supervision and respond to guidance and feedback from their research project leader (and other members of the research team if appropriate): 1
articulate evaluative reflections on the research skills they have used: 1
consider alternative approaches and the wider consequences of the research being undertaken: 1
communicate their research experience clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences: 1
critically reflect on their development and on their placement experience from a psychological perspective, and communicate this professionally: 2
enhance employability skills through the development of their CV, the applications process and organisational and interpersonal skills: 2

Study hours

1 hour placement interview
1 hour placement application session
3 hour session on sharing placement experiences
30-50 hours on placement and engagement with group discussion to support students through the placement experience
1 hour session on reflective essay assessment guidance
8 hours on research project assessment support sessions
10-15 hours on research project supervision, dependent on the nature of the project. A clear timetable of activities will be provided by the supervisor
70 hours working on assessments
151 hours independent study.

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment