LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY

Course Specification BA (Hons) Young People, Communities and Society

2018-19 (BYPCS)

www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Award and programme title: BA (Hons) YOUNG PEOPLE, COMMUNITIES AND SOCIETY

Level of qualification: 6

Contained awards available

Award Title Level

CertHE Young People, Communities and Society 4

DipHE Young People, Communities and Society 5

BA Young People, Communities and Society 6

Length and status of programme and mode of study Full time, 3 years, City Campus

Course Specification

Overview and Aims

Recent changes in Government policy and funding for services in the field of Community, Social Care, Education and Health sectors, has brought about a greater emphasis on working with individuals, families and communities to offer holistic solutions. This embraces a multi-agency approach, offering a joined-up menu of support.

Students will develop both practical and academic skills to support and empower the people who they will come into contact with in Community, Social Care, Education and Health settings. The course will nurture students about the importance of advocacy and empowerment, and using participatory frameworks they will develop excellent communication skills, and work effectively with, and ‘get alongside’, a range of individuals, groups and communities.

The knowledge base will grow from the local to the global throughout the three years of study. It will start by examining local contemporary practices within broader policy and legal frameworks, progressing to national and international issues and viewpoints at Level 5 and 6. This approach will help to scaffold students learning whilst teaching them that problems, and therefore solutions, do not exist in isolation, and positive outcomes are found in holistic approaches to service intervention.

At every level, students are introduced to various models of practice inclusive of Community, Social Care, Education and Health such as; participatory, restorative, coaching and mindfulness, therapeutic and evidence based. This will embed relevant practitioner skills and synthesise academic learning with practice. In doing so, this will provide students with an all-inclusive backdrop of knowledge which can be applied in a variety of work contexts. Students will undertake a volunteering opportunity at each level whilst on the course to emphasise this praxis element of the curriculum. This will maximise their employability, enterprise and capacity building skills. As well as local and national

volunteering opportunities, students will be offered an opening to undertake an international volunteering experience.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completion, students will be able to: 1 Reflect on their value base and how it informs their understanding of community and

society, which will provide them with a solid foundation from which to understand the importance of anti-oppressive practice.

2 Develop a critical and theoretical understanding of social divisions and inequality at local, national and global levels and the interconnections that exist between these.

3 Explain the importance of integrated care as a practice framework, (combining health, community and social care), which will broaden employability, contribute to public, social and civic debates and policy, and enhance practice across these disciplines.

4 Demonstrate high level interpersonal and problem-solving skills, which will inform their career choices and enable effective communication and embed transferable, graduate skills, including digital literacy.

5 Develop an in-depth understanding of participatory frameworks, advocating on behalf of, and using dialogical approaches to working with individuals and groups, which will ensure the importance of capacity building and commitment to continued professional development and lifelong learning.

6 Identify significant social issues and formulate appropriate practice interventions and ways to implement them, which will exhibit a critical understanding of multi-agency working contributing to positive service user outcomes.

Course Structure

All modules are 20 credits, except the Dissertation module which is 40 credits.

Level 4

Level 4 provides the underpinning knowledge and skills required to undertake the course. The focus of teaching and learning is contextualised locally to Leeds and surrounding areas. Students will become familiar with current working practices throughout the city and region, and academic modules are designed to underpin and stimulate student learning to support their future practice.

Semester 1 Core (Y) Semester 2 Core (Y)

Professional and Academic Skills Y Society in a Changing World Y

Children and Young People’s Development

Y Local Practice in Context Y

Employability and Enterprise Y Politics of Everyday Life Y

Level 5

Level 5 will focus students learning on the national policy context. They will consider the wider context of multi-agency working with individuals and/or groups across the lifecourse and from diverse communities. In addition to this students will have access to local, national or international volunteering opportunities.

Semester 1 Core (Y) Semester 2 Core (Y)

Working in Communities Y Models of Practice Y

Social Policy Y Anti-Oppressive Practice Y

People, Communities and Enterprise

Y Introduction to Social Research

Y

Level 6

Level 6 will provide students with further opportunities to consolidate and extend their learning. At this level students will be encouraged to frame their knowledge and understanding in a global perspective, and equally be able to understand the importance of sustainability and building community capacity. Students will be encouraged to be radical and innovative, and confident in their ability to work with individuals and groups with complex and diverse needs, and within contemporary multi-cultural communities.

Semester 1 Core (Y) Semester 2 Core (Y)

Working with Complex Needs Y

Young People, Families and Everyday Life

Y

Leadership and Enterprise Y Global Practitioner Y

Dissertation (40 credits) Y

Learning and Teaching

Details relating to contact hours and other key information sets (KIS) are available on the course page of our Online Prospectus on our website.

Learning and Teaching Approaches

The staff team prioritise the student learning experience with a focus on ensuring that students are able to benefit from a transformative experience whilst studying at Leeds Beckett University. Our approach concentrates on:

Offering an engaging, transformative and rounded experience for our students

Creating a stimulating and supportive learning environment which is contemporary incontent, founded on relevant theoretical frameworks and the rigorous linking oftheoretical analysis with empirical enquiry.

Promoting a critical and reflective approach in a safe environment, this encouragesstudents to embrace all aspects of their learning journey.

Developing transferable, graduate skills which prepare students for either furtherstudy or employment opportunities, with a commitment to engage in continuingprofessional development and lifelong learning.

Broadening student perspectives to enable them to develop skills for learning,information and digital literacy, and research and employability.

The learning and teaching approach focuses on preparing students with the skills and knowledge required to be an effective and successful student, and future practitioner working with people. A progressive approach is used, so that knowledge, skills and critical thinking are developed within the course, culminating in Level 6 with a value-based, ethical research project, showing clear evidence of progression between the different levels. The team has been proactive in designing, amending and developing a range of assessment,

learning and teaching strategies in consultation with the course development steering group and Centre for Learning and Teaching.

Course learning and teaching methods provide high quality learning opportunities that enable students to demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes at each level of the degree. The course aims to foster the development of independent study skills, rigorous academic analysis and enquiry and autonomy of learning, with contributions from a range of professionals to encourage a commitment to lifelong learning and continued professional development.

Teaching and learning methods increasingly promote the capacity for students to assume responsibility for their own learning and development. Emphasis is also placed on team working throughout the three years of study as this underpins the need to operate in the workplace given the multi-agency context in which health, community and social care is practised.

The course is designed to provide a programme of study which nurtures the appropriate learning experience and provides the student with the skills and knowledge necessary to graduate to employment in relevant vocations or progress to postgraduate study.

Learning and Teaching Activities

The Course team is aware that different teaching and assessment methods suit different students’ learning styles, and we are committed to a variety of practices – presentations, reflective learning logs, written assignments, group work activities - in order to promote active learning and student engagement on the course. Formal teaching takes place via, lectures, seminars, challenging and authentic tasks, and workshops. Teaching takes place in multi-purpose teaching spaces throughout the University, with additional specialist teaching and learning facilities for inter-personal skills development and experiential learning within the Communications Suite.

Seminars offer students an opportunity to debate, question and argue over the chosen topic for discussion, enabling them to develop skills of critical questioning and thinking as well as the confidence to express their informed views in a safe space.

A range of assessment tools are used reflecting both the diversity of knowledge and skills being assessed, and the need to provide students with a range of means of demonstrating their achievement of Learning Outcomes. Assessments include written and visual assignments, group presentations, reflective learning logs, reports, digital learning objects, group projects, and in class tasks. In order to assist students in managing their assessment workload, all module leaders arrange their assessment due dates in consultation with each other in order to offer as broad a spread of dates as possible.

To develop active learning, students are encouraged to participate in student- led seminars and presentations, as well as group work activities and action learning sets to promote shared learning, peer feedback and team working skills. Analytical skills and critical thinking are developed through reflective learning as problem based learning activities.

Digital learning objects and digital video diaries are widely used throughout the curriculum to demonstrate evidence of skills and knowledge development and reflective learning. These are introduced at Level 4 in the Employability and Enterprise module to support student proficiency and log their learning. This is also captured through the Anti-Oppressive Practice module at level 5, where students keep a digital diary to assess their starting point and value base, their knowledge acquisition and their revised understanding at the end of the module.

Multi-media sources are used to engage and support student learning either in the classroom or in the VLE.

Students engage in authentic learning experiences through the Local Context module at level 4, Models of Practice at level 5 and Working with Complex Needs at level 6. These modules emphasise a multi-agency approach to supporting vulnerable children, young people, adults and communities.

Working in partnership with a range of professionals is an essential part of contemporary practice within Community, Social Care, Education and Health settings, and at each level of the course students are required to engage with inter-disciplinary students on other courses in the School of Health and Community Studies.

Graduate Attributes

In developing this course, the team recognises the need to provide new knowledge and practice opportunities, whilst acknowledging that there are common transferable skills and key graduate attributes that underpin the undergraduate curriculum at Leeds Beckett University. Key transferable skills that students will develop will be communication skills (both written and oral), organisation, planning and decision making skills, group and interpersonal skills, technical skills (using IT and multi-media resources), data collection and interpretation skills.

In addition, the University values 3 key graduate attributes which seek to equip students in readiness for the world of work or further study. These attributes, enterprise, digital literacy and a global outlook are embedded within the modules of this course, and are central to the roles and understanding of Health, Community and Social Care professions.

Enterprise Throughout the course enterprise is promoted in its widest meaning of developing a range of skills such as self-confidence, effective networking, autonomy and self-management, problem solving, negotiation, decision-making collaborative working and excellent team skills.

At Level 4 students engage with a range of learning activities and assessments through a core of underpinning knowledge modules. Alongside these the Local Practice and Employability and Enterprise modules develop the transferable skills of self-management, autonomous and effective learning strategies and team working skills, as well as working

on individual and group tasks to develop problem-solving skills and propose creative solutions.

These skills are further developed at Level 5, through a wide range of modules, and advanced communication and self-reflection skills are embedded, highlighting good negotiation and problem-solving and increased self-confidence and self–awareness.

At Level 6, self-management and problem solving is encouraged within all modules where there is an emphasis on autonomous decision making and the integration and synthesis of knowledge and skills to explore solutions to problems and manage challenging situations.

Networking opportunities are encouraged throughout the curriculum, and students will be guided to appropriate conferences, symposia and seminars relevant to their experience and understanding. In addition, the modules which encompass contexts of practice at every level of the course focus on team working skills and culminate in multi-disciplinary problem-solving exercises at Level 6.

Digital Literacy One module at each level will use a ‘flipped’ classroom method of teaching and technology is used productively to support and enhance the learning environment. This teaches students that technology has value and a purpose.

Digital Literacy is addressed at a basic level within all modules where on-line resources support classroom based teaching and many modules use on-line assessment submissions and feedback. Students are encouraged to develop basic research and presentation skills at Level 4 and are required to demonstrate evidence of their learning and reflection through the use of an e-portfolio in the Professional and Academic Skills module. Students will also use digital communication tools to share learning and to work collaboratively on tasks. Feedback on the summative assessments for every module throughout the course will be digital. This is specific to written assessments which will be submitted through Turnitin and also v-blogs, oral or video diaries and PebblePad portfolio tasks.

Throughout the course, communication skills are developed and assessed through the use of video diaries and oral and written feedback. In the Level 4 Employability and Enterprise module, students are required to engage in a weekly blog which is a living narrative to their volunteering experience.

In the modules focusing on contexts and models of practice throughout the 3 levels of study, students continue to use e-portfolios to demonstrate evidence of skills development, application of theory to practice and reflection on their own learning and values.

In a number of Level 5 modules (Social Policy, Working in Communities and Introduction to Social Research) students engage with a range of databases and sources of evidence and develop their skills in applying theory to practice, reflection and reflexivity.

At Level 6, students are required to use databases and search engines to find appropriate evidence to support their independent learning and problem-solving abilities in all modules and use electronic submissions. The Dissertation module emphasises the use of contemporary journal articles sourced through online databases.

Our graduates will be fully equipped to meet the future challenges in a professional digital domain. Through a variety of assessment tasks the students will have learned to:

Blog

Use learning platforms through flipped classrooms preparing students for digital CPDopportunities

Use digital portfolios, building CVs and collating CPD undertaken

Apps for both learning and professional guidance.

Global Outlook A global outlook is important to develop in students, and throughout all levels, but significantly at level 6. To this end students will engage in dialogue about globalisation and its implications. Students are consistently encouraged to think about global relevance and what it means to be a citizen in a globally connected world. The course is underpinned by universal principles of human rights, citizenship and social justice and these key values are embedded throughout all levels of study.

At Level 4, all the modules introduce concepts of cultural diversity, discrimination and oppression. The Politics of Everyday Life, Employability and Enterprise, Local Context and Society in a Changing World modules introduce students to the practices and institutions of Health, Community and Social Care work and consider the effect of globalisation within these sectors.

At Level 5, comparative models of intervention are explored in the Models of Practice and Working in Communities modules, and principles of human rights, social justice, citizenship and cultural diversity are explored in relation to a range of services available to individuals and groups. This practical application of intervention strategies is underpinned within the Anti-Oppressive Practice module, where students are encouraged to develop a broader understanding of difference, diversity and discrimination within a global dynamic.

At Level 6, the Global Practitioner module explores the impact of globalisation on Health, Community and Social Care practices. Students will be able to link the micro social policy that shapes contemporary UK practice to macro global forces such as inequality, migration and political economy. The Working with Complex Needs module further stresses this, and goes on to emphasises the necessity for cultural sensitivity whilst working with individuals and groups and students are required to draw on global influences and comparative research to inform their understanding.

The Volunteering modules, (Employability and Enterprise, People, Communities and Enterprise and Leadership and Enterprise), allow students an opportunity to undertake an international volunteering experience, enhancing their understanding of global perspectives and employability.

Use of the Virtual Learning Environment Digital literacy is integral to the curriculum design and the student learning experience on the course. General module information, lecture slides, web links, audio and video material, web-casts and web-conferencing, formative and summative assessment tasks and discussion boards are all accessible through MyBeckett and students are encouraged from the induction weeks to engage with this resource. Throughout the course development and mapping exercise the course team have endeavoured to ensure that all modules across the curriculum meet the basic criteria for e-learning. The course will use the University’s VLE to supplement, not replace the traditional delivery of knowledge via lectures, seminars and tutorials. All module details, assessment details, staff contact details and recommended reading for the module are available on-line and in addition, material such as academic reports, articles, web links that are relevant to a particular issue, discussed in a module, will be made available too. Flip teaching or a flipped classroom is a form of learning in which students learn new content online by watching video lectures, usually at home, and what used to be homework (assigned problems) is now done in class with tutors offering more personalised guidance and interaction with students, instead of traditional lecturing. Students are signposted to specific e-journals and e-books within the modules and digitised chapters or articles are used for directed study. Students are also inducted into the use of electronic databases to assist them with their independent studies. Throughout the curriculum on-line assessment submission and marking is used via Turnitin for all of the modules where written assignments are required, and students are encouraged to submit drafts to check originality reports to help to develop their writing skills and avoid plagiarism. Reusable learning objects are used in a number of modules to guide learning and help students to work through materials at their own pace. This is also exemplified through the ‘flipped classroom’ approaches. On-line discussion boards help to develop staff-student communication and the University Student Union has introduced ‘MyVoice’, for course student representatives from each year to directly communicate freely with their peers and each other. This gives students the opportunity to voice any concerns in a safe space, and ensures that concerns are addressed in a timely manner by the course team. Use of Blended-Learning N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is based on using a range of assessment tools reflecting both the diversity of knowledge and skills being assessed, and the need to provide students with a range of means to demonstrate their achievement of Learning Outcomes. Assessment methods include written assignments, group presentations, reflective learning logs, reports, digital learning objects, group projects, and in class tasks. Each module handbook provides detailed assessment criteria and tutor contact details, and students are encouraged to contact staff to arrange a meeting to discuss any issues they may have with a particular piece of assessment. Tutorial drop-ins and/or surgeries are timetabled into students contact time to further enhance their opportunity to maximise the assessment potential.

Students are given the opportunity to be autonomous and creative in meeting Learning Outcomes and where possible, they are encouraged to negotiate their assessment strategy with the module tutor.

Feedback on Assessed Coursework

Feedback on assignments is important and should serve as a useful learning exercise from which a student can go on and develop their research and learning skills.

Feedback on assessments will be provided by;

An email response from your tutor on a question that a student may have asked.

One-to-one or group tutorials with a tutor to discuss the assignment.

Seminar discussions relating to the assessment.

Comments written by the tutor on the assessed piece of work.

Comments posted on MyBeckett on cohort feedback

Generic feedback sheet including student self-assessment. (Appendix 3)

Comments in Grademark accessed through Turnitin.

All students are encouraged to consult their module tutor if they are unsure about anything relating to the assessment or the mark they have been awarded, in this way formative feedback can feed into summative assessment.

Formative assessment is integrated throughout the modules on the course. Some modules have skills based sessions based within the clinical skills suite and communication suites allowing tutors and peers to provide students with instant feedback on their skills and application of knowledge.

Formative feedback is also provided through class activities, such as presentations, debates and discussions, on-line discussion boards and through group activities. Students are required to submit regular reflections and entries to their video diaries and/or blogs, where feed-forward and contemporaneous capturing of learning is paramount. The development of reflective skills is facilitated through regular feedback from the personal tutor, and timetables tutorial times for group drop-ins and group work sessions.

Summative assessment feedback will be provided in line with University Regulations (i.e. 4 week turn around period) for summative assessment and results will be placed on notice boards and on MyBeckett.

Module Assessment Methods

Assessment Method Mapping

Module Titles Co

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Level 4

Children and Young People’s Development

Y

Employability and Enterprise Y

Local Practice in Context Y

Politics of Everyday Life Y

Professional and Academic Skills

Y

Society in a Changing World Y

Level 5

Anti-Oppressive Practice Y

Introduction to Social Research

Y

Models of Practice Y

People, Communities and Enterprise

Y

Social Policy Y

Working in Communities Y

Level 6

Global Practitioner Y

Leadership and Enterprise Y

Working with Complex Needs

Y

Young People, Families and Everyday Life

Y

Dissertation (40 credits) Y

Employability and Professional Context

This course is designed to meet the changing context of working in the Health, Community and Social Care sector, preparing graduates to work successfully in this field. Students will develop the requisite skills, knowledge and attributes to meet the complex and diverse

needs of a broad client group. The types of employment that our graduates will apply for include: supporting, caring and advocacy roles; learning mentors; caseload managers and community facilitators. Demographic change now means that these roles are increasingly spread across the life course and require inter-disciplinary practices to meet complex service user needs.

All three levels ensure that graduates have a clear understanding of the importance of multi-agency working and using a range of models of practice. This will enhance their employability potential when working with service user groups who present with complex and diverse needs. All of this knowledge will be underpinned by a commitment to anti-oppressive practice and a clear understanding that contemporary practitioners need to work in a culturally appropriate and sensitive manner.

Graduates will have a working knowledge of current and emerging policy frameworks that will equip them for a number of job opportunities. The course will equally provide the opportunity for pathways of further academic study for example, MA Youth Work and Community Development (JNC), MA Social Work or an MA in International Community Development.

Work-Related Activities

The work related activity is embedded from the Level 4 module Employability and Enterprise and throughout the level 5 and 6 work-based learning modules All these modules will enable students to undertake work related activity as volunteers to encourage them to contextualise their academic learning and enhance their skills for future practice. This could be within: voluntary; private; informal sector; charity; faith based and third sector agencies; social enterprise initiatives as well as local authority statutory work with children, young people, families and the elderly. Students will also be encouraged to seek opportunities in the leisure and health industries, youth justice, and education sectors. This will present students with a dynamic portfolio for any future career paths they may wish to enter in a changing and mixed welfare economy.

Students will be required to engage in reflective learning by applying theoretical knowledge to voluntary/ professional organisations. Learning will be relevant to student needs, and they will have the responsibility of identifying an organisation of interest, establish and negotiate contact and access, and devise a programme of activity that has meaning and is relevant, thus highlight the reciprocity of volunteering. There are a number of University wide initiatives, which will be available to our students to help them organise their volunteering experience, eg the enterprise and employability fortnight, and through our contacts with CALM, which organises volunteering for students at Leeds Beckett University.

Finally, according to the CBI/EDI education and Skills survey 2011, Universities have an essential role in getting the message across to students about the importance of internalising the lessons of work related activities and encouraging them in articulating the skills required. By offering a volunteering opportunity at each level and contextualising practice modules alongside, the course embeds the skills required by employers at each

level of study, and working closely with the Careers Consultants in Employability and Progression addresses aims 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Employability Implementation Plan.

Placement or Work-Related Activity Level

Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Placement or Work-Related Activity Length

Level 4 (core) 100 hours minimum Level 5 (core) 150 hours minimum Level 6(core) 170 hours minimum

Type of Placement or Work-Related Activity

Volunteering opportunity. This could be within: voluntary; private; informal sector; charity; faith based and third sector agencies; social enterprise initiatives as well as local authority statutory work with children, young people, families and the elderly. Students will also be encouraged to seek opportunities in leisure and health industries, youth justice, and education sectors.

Reference Points used in course design and delivery

All our courses leading to Leeds Beckett University awards have been designed and approved in accordance with UK and European quality standards. Our courses utilise the Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) and relevant subject benchmarks (where these are available) and professional, statutory and regulatory body requirements (for professionally accredited courses).

We review our courses annually and periodically, responding to student feedback and a range of information to enhance our courses. Our University is also subject to external review by the Quality Assurance Agency. Our latest report can be found on the QAA website at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews-and-reports

We appoint External Examiners to verify that our University sets and maintains standards for awards which adhere to relevant national subject benchmark statements and the FHEQ (UK), ensure standards and student achievements are comparable with other Higher Education Institutions in the UK, with which they are familiar, and ensure that assessments measure achievement of course and module learning outcomes and reach the required standard. External Examiners may also provide feedback on areas of good practice or potential enhancement.

Student Support Network

If you have a question or a problem relating to your course, your Course Administrator is there to help you. Course Administrators works closely with academic staff and can make referrals to teaching staff or to specialist professional services as appropriate. They can give you a confirmation of attendance letter, and a transcript. You may also like to contact your Course Rep or the Students’ Union Advice team for additional support with course-related questions.

If you have any questions about life at our University in general, call into or contact the Student Hub on either campus to speak to our Student Experience Team. This team, consisting of recent graduates and permanent staff, are available to support you throughout your time here. They will make sure you have access to and are aware of the support, specialist services, and opportunities our University provides. There is a Student Hub on the ground floor of the Rose Bowl at City Campus and one in Campus Central at Headingley. You can also find the team in the Gateway in the Leslie Silver Building at City Campus. The telephone number is 0113 812 3000, and the e-mail address is StudentHub@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

Within MyBeckett you will see two tabs (Support and Opportunities) where you can find online information and resources for yourselves. The Support tab gives you access to details of services available to give you academic and personal support. These include Library Services, the Students’ Union, Money advice, Disability advice and support, Wellbeing, International Student Services and Accommodation. There is also an A-Z of Support Services, and access to online appointments/registration.

The Opportunities tab is the place to explore the options you have for jobs, work placements, volunteering, and a wide range of other opportunities. For example, you can find out here how to get help with your CV, prepare for an interview, get a part-time job or voluntary role, take part in an international project, or join societies closer to home.