Roles and Assessment

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Work Placement

BSc Finance Degree Programme at UCC

The purpose of the Work Placement module (FI3001) in the BSc Finance Degree

programme is to complement classroom teaching with an exposure to institutional workprocesses in financial services and other relevant organizations. The module involves a

six month period of internship on financial services sites or in treasury/financial

departments of industrial firms, together with a research report thereon.

This document provides a set of guidelines on the placement component of the BSc

Finance degree, intended to convey a common understanding of the practical and

academic issues associated with placement to all stakeholders, that is, Students,Employers and Business Mentors, Academic Mentors within the university and the

Placement Officer. Section One outlines the roles and responsibilities of these 4 parties.

Section Two outlines the academic assessment procedures for grading the placement

module. This document should be read in conjunction with the Faculty of Commerce(UCC) document A Guide to Work Placement published by the Careers Service.

Section One: Roles and Responsibilities

(a) The Student

Placement is a three-way contract between a Student, the employer and the University,

and each Students conduct during the internship period will reflect not only on

him/herself but on UCC and the reputation of its programmes. Thus each Student onplacement will effectively act as an ambassador for UCC. During placement, each

Student will

Act within the terms and conditions of employment laid down and advised by the

employer, and will take reasonable care of health and safety of him/herself and

those with whom s/he comes in contact.

Approach work diligently, take responsibility and be willing to act on his/her own

initiative where appropriate

Be punctual and observe rules governing time practices and dress code

Be motivated and enthusiastic.

Satisfy academic requirements

Use employment facilities such as email and the internet, in accordance with the

employers code of practice.

Participate in firms social activities where appropriate

Each Student should agree contact arrangements with their academic mentor at a meetingprior to going on placement. Monthly contact between Academic Mentor and Student is

recommended throughout the placement period, in addition to submission of the

Students weekly learning log.

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(b) The Employer and Business Mentor

Employers who participate in the Work Placement programme have responsibilities totreat Students exactly as they treat their other employees, and a contract of employment

will exist between employer and Student for the duration of the placement. A Business

Mentor within each organization will act as supervisor to the Student during placement,and should be willing to assist with any problems that might arise. This mentor will

outline the duties, activities and training that the Student can expect during the

placement, will liaise with the Academic Mentor when the latter makes a site visit andwith the Placement Officer where necessary, and will be asked to complete the Business

Mentor Report, in consultation with the Student, at the end of the internship period. The

Business Mentor should also sign off weekly on the Student Learning Long where

possible.

In summary, the role of the Business Mentor is to:

Advise and support the Student during work placement, Liaise with the Academic Mentor,

Evaluate the performance of the Student in work placement

Complete the Business Mentor Report at the end of the placement.

(c) The Academic Mentor

The Academic Mentor will make one on-site visit to the Student and Business Mentor

during the work placement. S/he will also liaise closely with the Business Mentor and

Student throughout the work placement period.Academic Mentors will typically make a

minimum of two contacts with a Students Business Mentor, before the site visit and atconclusion of the placement period. Monthlycontact with Students is recommended.

Work Placement Visit

This visit by the Academic Mentor will ideally be made mid-way through the work

placement period. The objectives of the visit are to:

Gain a greater insight into the company and its activities

Review the tasks/projects being undertaken by the Student

Ascertain if there are any difficulties associated with the placement from the

Students and the Business Mentors viewpoints

Make an initial evaluation of the Students performance in work placement

It is suggested that the visit should take the following format:

Meeting with the Business Mentor for a preliminary discussion

Meeting with the Student to discuss progress and to check and sign the

Students learning log book

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Wrap-up meeting with the Business Mentor and Student, providing feedback

on the placement to-date, together with recommendations, if required.

The academic mentor will issue an interim report to the Work Placement Officerfollowing the visit.

Academic Mentors Log

It is recommended that the Academic Mentor maintain a log for each of the Studentsbeing evaluated. This log should include:

contacts made to the Business Mentor and issues raised

contacts made by the Student and issues raised

assessment form completed during the site visit together with

comments/recommendations

In summary, the role of the Academic Mentor is to:

Liaise with and support the Student during work placement,

Liaise with the Business Mentor,

Help set the placement in a wider context of learning

Make an interim report to the Placement Officer following the site visit

Evaluate the performance of the Student at the end of the placement and

award a judgement thereon.

(d) The Placement Officer

The Placement Officer is responsible for administering the BSc Finance work placementprogramme. S/he supports and assists Students in locating relevant placements that

satisfy the criteria for internship laid out in the College Calendar and programme

documentation. S/he negotiates placements with participating firms, agrees a job

specification/description with such employers, coordinates and facilitates the interviewprocess and liaises with participating firms throughout the placement period. The

Placement Officer will also be available to Students during the placement period to

discuss any issues arising from the placement. S/he will initially contact each Studentapproximately one month after the start date of the placement. The Placement Officer

will also communicate with both Business and Academic Mentors throughout theplacement period.

In summary, the role of the Placement Officer is to:

Identify relevant placement firms for the Student internship programme

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Administer the placement of Students with firms, including the location of

placement firms, agreement of job specifications, liaison with employers.

Provide support for Students on placement

Act as the primary contact between the employer and the university.

Business Mentor Report on Placement Performance

Student Name:

Placement Period:

University:

Business Mentor:

Section A (to be completed by the Placement Student)Summary of Accomplishments:

Section B (to be completed by the Placement Student)Interns comments:

Section C (to be completed by the Business Mentor)Comments (were overall goals met? Strength? Possible improvements?)

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Section D:Student Performance

1. Please rate the Students overall placement performance according to the rating scalebelow:

1 2 3 4 5

1 = Did not meet job requirements. Significant performance improvements urgently needed2 = Met minimum job requirements. Work improvement plan was needed to bring performance to a

satisfactory level

3 = Met normal job requirements with few exceptions. Improvements in performance needed in one or

more major job elements.

4 = Fully met job requirements. Performance was what was expected of a person in this position.

5 = Exceeded job requirements. Student performance impressed, exceeded what is normally expected in

this position.

2. Please rate the Students placement performance under the following headings

according to the rating scale below:

Never Seldom Sometimes Usually Always

!----------!----------!----------!----------!

Did the Student..

Complete tasks effectively and efficiently? 1 2 3 4 5

Complete tasks on schedule? 1 2 3 4 5

Produce an acceptable volume of work? 1 2 3 4 5

Produce work of good consistent quality? 1 2 3 4 5

Demonstrate skills and knowledge in his/her 1 2 3 4 5technical area?

Seek help and additional information when required? 1 2 3 4 5

Demonstrate a willingness to acquire new skills 1 2 3 4 5and to learn?

Learn from their mistakes? 1 2 3 4 5

Exhibit good planning and organizational skills? 1 2 3 4 5

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Exhibit initiative where appropriate? 1 2 3 4 5

Express him/herself clearly verbally? 1 2 3 4 5

Express him/herself clearly in writing? 1 2 3 4 5

Communicate effectively with others? 1 2 3 4 5

Work well with others? 1 2 3 4 5

Add value to the group, where appropriate? 1 2 3 4 5

Conduct him/herself professionally to those inside 1 2 3 4 5and outside the group, including clients/customers?

Maintain a good attendance record? 1 2 3 4 5

Attend punctually? 1 2 3 4 5

Business Mentors Signature: Date:

Students Signature: Date:

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Academic Mentor Visit

Date of Visit ..

Name of Company ..

Company Representatives met Position in Company

.. ..

..

..

..

..

Based on your meeting with the Student and the Business Mentor, please assess or ratethe following:

1. Work Experience

Yes No

Is the work challenging?

Is the work of relevance to the Students course of study?

Are there well defined targets to be achieved/projects

to be completed?

Is there adequate support/supervision?

Are health and safety matters being addressed adequately in the work place?

Is the Students log book being completed and is it

up to date? Please sign and date the log book.

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2. Business Mentors Evaluation of the Students Performance

!----------------------------------!Poor Excellent

Students level of technical knowledge for this placement 1 2 3 4

5

Overall quality of work carried out by Student 1 2 3 4

5

Ability of Student to work with others 1 2 3 4

5

Timekeeping of Student 1 2 3 4

5

Ability of Student to manage their time effectivelyand to meet deadlines 1 2 3 4

5

Ability of Student to manage change, if appropriate 1 2 3 4

5

Assessment of the Students strengths and weaknesses based on this placement

Overall rating of the placement

Further comments/suggestions

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Academic Mentors Name

Signature

Date

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SECTION TWO

ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT PLACEMENT

BSc FINANCE DEGREE

Each Student on Work Placement is assigned both an Academic Mentor and a Business

Mentor. The Academic Mentor is a member of staff from either the Department ofAccounting, Finance & Information Systems or the Department of Economics. The

Business Mentor is an on-site supervisor or manager who oversees the work of the

placement Student. The roles of the Academic Mentor and the Business Mentor, as well

as that of the Placement Officer, are described in Section One.

The Work Placement has a credit weighting of 20 credits, one-third of the total marks, in

the third year of the BSc Finance Degree. The Academic Mentor evaluates the Students

work placement performance based on (i) Academic Mentor Log, (ii) Student LearningLog and (iii) Student Placement Report and presentation of same. A Final Report by the

Academic Mentor makes a recommendation regarding a Pass or Fail judgement on theStudents work placement performance and is forwarded to the BSc Finance steering

committee. The Business Mentor Report is not given a direct weighting in determining

the Pass/Fail recommendation but helps inform the Academic Mentor regarding theStudents placement performance and may be used to verify the content of the Student

Placement Report.

Guidelines and Criteria for Assessment of Student Work Placement.

A Pass judgement may be recommended by the Academic Mentor where (i) the Student

is deemed to have performed in a satisfactory manner with regard to the role andresponsibilities of the Student (see Section 1) and (ii) the Student has maintained a

Student Learning Log and has completed and presented the Student Placement Report

satisfactorily.

The Student Learning Log

The purpose of the Learning Log is to promote learning from experience. By recordingobservations and experiences as well as relevant reflections, a continuous learning

process is facilitated during placement. The Log is a tool for identifying and reflecting on

what is being learned. By providing a transcript of the evolution of the learning, itenhances awareness of the learning available from the placement experience. Regular

recordings in a Log makes for the most effective use of the placement as a learning

opportunity. The Log also provides the Academic Mentor with a means of ensuring thatthe placement opportunity is aligned with the Students studies and provides a framework

for academic evaluation, feedback and guidance.

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Initial recordings in the Learning Log should outline the Students goals regarding the

skills, knowledge, understanding and attributes expected to be achieved during the

placement and the reasons these are important in the context of personal education plansand career aspirations.

During placement the Learning Log should describe observations and experiences as acontribution to learning and should reflect on and evaluate these in terms of both (i) the

goals described previously and (ii) the guidelines for writing the Student Placement

Report.

The Learning Log as a research tool is (i) a way of making the placement experiences

visible for the learner and mentor and (ii) a way of providing material for writing the

Student Placement Report at the completion of the placement.

The Student Placement Report

A report of max 4,000 words should provide a discussion of the following:

(1) the responsibilities held and duties carried out

(2) the experience gained and skills acquired

(3) the link between the BSc Finance course modules and their practicalapplications in the placement setting.

(4) the structure of the placement organization, how the position held by the

Student fitted into this structure, the contribution made by the Student to the

organization and to other persons (positions) within the organization withwhom the Student had dealings.

(5) The availability and communication of information within the company, how

information was communicated between layers of management and otheremployees.

(6) how the placement has confirmed or altered the Students career plans,

ambitions and prospects.(7) what the Student feels s/he has gained from the placement experience.

(8) a sample of work that the Student has completed, having regard to the

requirements for confidentiality of the organization

The Student Placement Report should be read by the Business Mentor and approved for

submission with regard to matters of company confidentiality etc. The report is then to besubmitted to the Academic Mentor before the end of the placement period. Students will

make a presentation of the report at UCC shortly after the completion of the placement

period.

Note that the Business Mentor Report will enable Academic Mentors to take cognizance

of non-comparability of placement positions across organisations.

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Roles and Assessment

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