Curriculum Information

Document Version

QAA Benchmarks

Educational Aim

Learning Outcomes

Course Structure

Level 3 Modules

Level 4 Modules

Level 5 Modules

Level 6 Modules

Teaching and Assessment

Learning and Teaching Methods

Employer Engagement

Employer Engagement will be achieved by:

Visiting Speakers

Students will be given opportunities to listen to visiting speakers in taught sessions. This will facilitate their understanding of the workplace as well as focussing on particular pertinent issues pertaining to professional practice. While these are available across the course outside of the taught delivery (e.g. through guest speakers for the student Psychology Society), the Level 6 module Using Psychology will make use of visiting speakers in taught sessions.

Volunteering

Students may opt to volunteer for longer than the hours required for Professional Practice and Employability in their allocated placement setting, and will be encouraged to volunteer to support a range of activities in different settings that will enhance their skill set. A range of options, including volunteering, internships and short courses are available via Psychology Plus.

Fieldtrips

Students will undertake relevant fieldtrips to places such as Bristol Zoo in order to study primates from an evolutionary psychology perspective.

Work Placements

Work-based learning will be a critical aspect of the course, and a key to future employability. The course will contain specific opportunities for students to apply and understand psychological theory in the workplace. There will be learning opportunities across the course but these will be mostly focussed and directed through the level 5 Professional Practice and Employability module.

Students will be required to complete 70 hours of placement experience that is directly aligned to a key theme within the course. The placement will allow students to experience working weeks within the settings that allow them to apply and understand psychological theory in the workplace.

Alongside their attendance at placement, students will be required to produce a portfolio that evidences their ability to link academic theory to their applied practice, in addition to their ability to reflect on their own practice and further development needs.

Means of Assessment

Portfolio

Presentation

Project Report

Report

Case Study

Essay

Practical Work

Project

Research Plan/Proposal

Written assessment

Practical assessment

Self-reflective writing

Critical Review

Learning Support

The learning support available through the course

Induction

A week long induction period will be held for new students that will include sign-posting to all aspects of student and learning support services. Colleagues from these areas are invited to introduce themselves to students during this week to enable them to put a face to a name in advance of more formal introductory sessions being timetabled into the cohort group tutorial (PAC) sessions. All students are assigned their PAC tutor during this week and students retain their PAC tutor in years 1 & 2. In year 3, PAC responsibilities devolve to the student’s dissertation supervisor. In addition to year 1 induction, students will receive a returning students’ induction in years 2 & 3 and this will cover expectations of Level 5&6 study, reminders of support available to students and discussions of timetables, modules and degree classifications.

Personal Tutorials

The subject area embeds PAC into a weekly cohort group system. Cohort groups are specific to courses and focus on helping learners succeed, and on providing advice and support for success. Students meet weekly with their PAC group and have individual PAC meetings with their tutor each term to discuss progression issues and set goals for the next period.

As the aim of PAC groups is to enhance students’ academic progress, attendance is monitored at group sessions and individual meetings and non-attendees are followed up to ensure continued engagement with the course; this may include issues of attendance, library and VLE use, success on assessments and, critically, an oversight of feedback across the course of study. Tutorials on study skills, employability and volunteering and academic progress/grade reviews are incorporated within these sessions. PAC groups operate in Years 1 & 2 with individual PAC tutorials being linked to dissertation supervision in Year 3.

Office hours

All academic staff connected with the course will make students aware of their weekly availability on their module planners and assessment briefs. These documents will be available on module UniLearn sites from the beginning of the academic year.

Tutorials

Some modules on the course have small group or individual tutorials to support students; however the majority of the tutorials are associated with Personal Academic Coaching and statistics or academic skills “clinics”.

Seminars

Seminars and workshops will be integrated into the teaching programme for each module.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessments will be integrated into the teaching programme for each module.

Progress meetings

See personal tutor and tutorial sections above.

Research Supervision

Students undertaking their dissertation module will receive academic support from a project supervisor who meets with the student on a regular basis to ensure the projects are progressing satisfactorily. Each supervisor is allocated 6 hours of direct contact time per student they are supervising, for this activity. As part of the dissertation module assessment strategy, students will be required to keep formal reflection logs of their supervision meetings that are signed by both student and supervisor; this is to ensure proactive engagement with the support opportunities that are made available. As students are required to complete an ethics assessment as part of the immersive learning for this module, supervisors will support students towards the identification of ethical issues and how these will be addressed. They also act as the first reviewer of a students’ ethics approval before this is submitted for independent review/verification.

A member of academic staff will also be appointed to manage the allocation and overall running of projects within the module and will produce a module handbook to aid the students in the delivery of the project.

Online Resources

Students will have access to all learning materials for their modules via their module UniLearn sites. The UniLearn course organisation site will also include the induction programme, assessment schedules, the Course Handbook and all key course communications e.g. notes from SSCLG meetings. Online lectures recorded via Panopto will also be used for research methods modules and to support some optional modules (e.g. Forensic Psychology)

Advice Zones

The student services team will be available throughout the year to offer students general advice and guidance related to study within the Faculty. The advice zone on Treforest campus currently offer confidential and impartial guidance and advice, and are also able to assist students in identifying more specific sources of help and information should they need it. The centre works with other faculty academic and administrative staff to support students and improve the student experience. The Advice Zone is currently open Monday to Friday between 9.00am to 4.30pm and has an appointment system for students outside those hours to accommodate part-time students. The advice zone works closely with the Student Administration Office to provide a seamless service to students, parents, prospective students and other stakeholders.

The advice zone can also help students identify more specific sources of help and information should it be needed and as such the centre staff liaises closely with other support services throughout the University, the main ones listed below;

A study ‘Drop-in’ centre - provides academic support in curricula areas such as maths and English;

Student counselling – confidential counselling and self-help publications;

International student support office – advice on a variety of issues impacting on international students such as visas, working and studying, money issues and meeting other students;

Medical centre – on site provision with resident nurse and visiting GP;

Disability Service – advice and support for students with disabilities;

Student Money Service – advice on all aspects of finance;

Childcare – well-equipped and professionally run nursery situated on campus.

DDS Service

The Disability & Dyslexia Service (DDS) at the University of South Wales provides a confidential and professional service where disabled students can discuss their individual requirements and coordinate their support needs. The Disability & Dyslexia Service works in partnership with academic staff to embrace the potential of achieving an inclusive environment and thus reduce the barriers experienced by disabled students.

There are many types of support available and include:

Advice and support in one-to-one, confidential meetings on a range of subjects;

Information on Disabled Students Allowances and how to apply for this funding;

Support in the process of completing Financial Contingency Funding applications to cover the cost of a diagnostic assessment and other support;

Information on the one-to-one study skills tutorials available;

Liaison with support departments, faculties and other services on behalf of students;

Liaison with faculties over exam, in-class assessment and/or other support;

Provision of Individual Support Plans (ISP) – identifying the support required and how it can be accessed.

IT/Library

The Library is part of Student Services which encompasses Careers and Employability Services and Student Development & Study Skills. Learning Services provide a wide range of facilities for students including the campus Learning Resource Centres. They offer a wide range of information resources in print and online, as well as access to photocopying and IT facilities. There has been a significant investment of a £6 million remodelling and refurbishment project for the Treforest Library which was completed in February 2014. Online resources are available through the Library website http://studentlibrary.southwales.ac.uk/.

The Librarian for the subject area continues to have responsibility for liaising with academic staff to ensure that the Library supports the teaching, learning and research for the subject area.

The Library provides:

Opening hours adjusted in response to student feedback:” early bird” 8am opening and 24-hour access in designated areas

Self-service has been introduced in response to student feedback

Number of loans increased to 15 items in response to student feedback

Virtual chat “Ask a Librarian” service

Online journals: access to over 32,000

Online databases: access to over 250

E-books: purchased in addition to hard copies whenever available

New Library Catalogue, including book images, QR codes and Google books preview

Revamped and simplified Library web pages via Library Channel

New FINDit portal, including managed links to full text journals and personalisation

Online reading lists: now available for most modules

A Library Induction is offered to all students at the beginning of their course

1:1 Information Literacy consultations undertaken by request (automated online booking)

Study Skills support and workshop programme maintained, including referencing support

Book stock continues to be regularly updated

Subscriptions continue to be reviewed annually

Guide to e-Books

IT Services

At the University, ICT facilities are provided in a number of locations across the five campuses with onsite support staff, to support students’ needs better. There are currently over 3,000 PCs and Macs available in purpose-built computer laboratories (‘labs’) or via loan services.

The University provides campus-wide internet and wireless network services free to students offering a flexible way to access online resources across the University campuses.

Across the University, we are working towards achieving a Cashless Campus, so that you can pay for selected services online or in advance. To access the online payment area, go to the Self-service Account Administration (SSAA) website.

Course Exit Points

Progression Route

Students who successfully complete the BSc (Hons) Psychology, will be eligible to apply for a variety of careers including those in educational, health, social care, forensic and mental health settings. Additionally Psychology graduates can progress to careers in business settings (e.g. Marketing, Human Resources, Coaching and Mentoring) or Civil Service careers (e.g. Government Statistical Service).Students can also attain Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society, subject to attaining an overall minimum 2:2 degree classification. This means that students are eligible to apply for postgraduate training in any of the British Psychological Society approved areas; including Health, Occupational, Forensic, Clinical, and Counselling Psychology.This course is not a specific progression route for other courses, however students would be eligible to apply for a number of courses within USW such as:MSc Working with Young and Adult Offenders - USW Treforest CampusMSc Clinical Psychology - USW Treforest CampusMSc Behaviour Analysis & Therapy - USW Treforest CampusWith additional experience and potential Masters level study, students could also consider a route into the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at City Campus and which is scheduled for delivery from 2018.

Entry Requirements

Admission to the course is typically through the following qualifications:

Standard entry requirements for the BSc (Hons) are: BCC grades at A Level (excluding General Studies) however offers are made to those with a full range of academic qualifications. These include BTEC Extended Diplomas(normally Distinction, Merit, Merit), Welsh Baccalaureate (Grade C in Skills Challenge Certificate plus A Levels), International Baccalaureate (normally 665 points) and Access to Higher Education courses (normally pass with 60 credits overall). Additionally the University’s standard requirements for GCSE (or equivalent) grades will apply to this course. The course is also open to mature students without traditional entry requirements and such applications are considered on an individual basis.

Will students be required to undergo a DBS check?  Not at point of entry. A DBS check may be required at a later point in the course dependent on work placement and dissertation topic choices. Specific DBS requirements (e.g. child/adult) will also be dependent on these choices.

Inclusive Curriculum Statement

The University of South Wales operates a policy of inclusive learning, teaching and assessment to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to fulfil their educational potential. Course teams will have considered ways of designing out any potentially disadvantageous element of courses during the course design process. However some specific needs may remain, details about how to apply to have your needs assessed can be found at: http://unilife.southwales.ac.uk/pages/3040-disability-and-dyslexia-service/

Addendum for Delivery at a Partner Institution

N/A