Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE SWP3571

 
TITLE Practicum

 
UM LEVEL 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 6

 
ECTS CREDITS 8

 
DEPARTMENT Social Policy and Social Work

 
DESCRIPTION The practicum is intended to allow for experience in service delivery and policy implementation, with elements of evaluation and planning, in settings related to issues and practice relevant to the content of the course. Students will be assigned a number of tasks related to material taught during that semester. These will be such that they can be each carried out as part of the work of the agency where the student will be temporarily placed. Students' performance is assessed as an object of reflection and as a learning experience, which will in turn draw upon notes kept during the practicum.

Students will be assessed on their placement performance, seen in the light of the feedback received from their placement and of the student's own reflective notes or outputs, normally expected to be of at least 500 words per task.

Study-unit Aims:

- To give exposure to settings where policy and services are exercised;
- To provide opportunities for practice in situations and in roles involving service delivery, including elements of planning, communicating, advocating, developing, monitoring or evaluating services or policies related to the field of study;
- To exercise, test and improve skills needed for social policy practice and service delivery;
- To provide personalised and formative feedback to the student;
- To form an essential part in the assessment of the students developing abilities for practice.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Be conceptually, practically and intuitively aware of the policy and practice framework that prevail at the macro, meso and macro level at and through the agency where they operate so as to practice appropriately and effectively;
- Demonstrate, through reflection and recording, an improved analytical and intuitive understanding of task related and relationship related situations and needs;
- Demonstrate, through recording, an improved understanding of the ways of functioning of agencies and organisations in responding to human need;
- Demonstrate, through reflection, an understanding of the impact of practice on clients and society.

2. Skills:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Develop and implement a plan of work;
- Develop and implement a monitoring and evaluation plan in relation to a project or service of relatively simple design;
- Use reflexivity as a means to improved practice;
- Demonstrate improved capacity for both task- and relationship-oriented dimensions of work.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

No books universally set but notes and articles will be used according to the tasks assigned to individual students.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Independent Study, Practicum & Tutorial

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Placement No 30%
Reflective Diary Yes 35%
Project Yes 35%

 
LECTURER/S Andreana Dibben (Co-ord.)

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit