- An undergraduate course
in
Health and Social Care.
Exploring practice
- On this page
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | K316 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
Do you regularly find yourself asking questions of your work setting? Have you ever reflected on how effective aspects of your practice provision are? Exploring practice enables you to examine in detail a project theme pertinent to your practice. This unique opportunity promotes development of personal and professional learning in evidence-based practice and culminates in detailed action planning, exploring implications for change and improvements in practice. This online course is readily accessible to busy practitioners through its learning and teaching strategies which seek to facilitate and support your exploration of practice. It is open to an inter-professional audience, including youth justice workers, nurses and allied health professionals and social workers.
Modules at Level 3 assume that you are suitably prepared for study at this level. If you want to take a single module to satisfy your career development needs or pursue particular interests, you don’t need to start at Level 1 but you do need to have adequately prepared yourself for OU study in some other way. Check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service to make sure that you are sufficiently prepared.
Register for the course
What you will study
This course is about developing your ability to negotiate, plan and undertake a work-based project, and is designed to build on experience and develop practice. It will develop your confidence and competence as a practitioner, enabling you to assess evidence and draw appropriately on research findings. You will learn how to handle uncertainty and change and throughout the course you will relate learning to practice. The course is relevant to youth justice, social work, nursing and the allied health professions. To complete the course successfully you need recent relevant work experience – contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for further advice.
This course provides you with the skills needed to work independently and to interrogate critically the evidence of your practice in terms of knowledge and change creation. It provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate your learning within the workplace through an independent learning journey culminating in a written project of 7000 words.
You will develop the following key skills on this course:
- ability to learn in new and unfamiliar situations from differing sources and experiences
- appreciation of multiple perspectives and their effect on decision making
- ability to manage complexity and critically analyse, synthesise and evaluate new information in the context of its use
- ability to use information literacy, ICT tools and numeracy skills as appropriate to find, evaluate, process, present and communicate information
- ability to frame and address issues appropriate to your work, being aware of their context and environment
- independently plan, monitor, evaluate and improve your own learning and performance.
The central learning resource for this online course is its website. You will use it to plan and conduct your studies via the interactive learning guide. This guide, coupled with the online calendar, will provide the ‘road maps’ for the progression of your project. You’ll be directed to online tools that are provided to support your project development, and collaboration with your peers will form an essential component of your learning journey.
Vocational relevance
This course will have relevance for your practice and practice setting. You will need to engage with your workplace line manager and develop a negotiated learning contract in relation to the area of practice you wish to investigate further. While this course does not provide you with a registered qualification, you will be able to use it towards your continuing professional development (CPD) and in some cases, it may meet your professional CPD requirements – please check with your professional body. This course also has relevance in your workplace and may form part of your professional development within your organisation.
Entry
This is a Level 3 course. Level 3 courses build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from studies at Levels 1 and 2 and challenge you with advanced topics at undergraduate level. They are equivalent to the final year of an honours degree. These courses are also suitable if you already have a degree and want to update your knowledge.
Some study at Level 2 would put you in a strong position to enjoy this course and rise to its challenges. Its academic content has a direct bearing on practice, so you should have relevant experience to draw on to complete the course activities and assessment.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Outside the UK
If you work in a health and social care setting outside the UK, this course may be suitable given that it is about the development of independent learning within a health and social care work setting. You will need to be in a practice setting and have a line manager to negotiate your work-based project. This course is delivered and assessed in English.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.
If you have a disability
Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you have particular study requirements please tell us as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Visit our Services for disabled students website for more information, including:
- help to determine your study requirements and how to request the support that you need
- Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)
- using a computer for OU study
- equipment and other support services that we offer
- examination arrangements
- how to contact us for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Study materials
What's included
All the course teaching and library resources are available online through the website.
Computing requirements
You will need a computer with internet access to study this course as it includes online activities, which you can access using a web browser.
- If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2007 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
- If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
- If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.6 or later.
You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will be supported by an OU tutor who will be able to guide you through your learning on a one-to-one basis via email, telephone and online forum discussions. You will engage with your tutor group through online group discussions facilitated by your tutor. Your tutor will provide individualised support in preparation for and feedback on your assignments.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You can choose whether to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) on paper or online through the eTMA system. You may want to use the eTMA system for some of your assignments but submit on paper for others. This is entirely your choice.
The TMAs are formative; your tutor will provide you with feedback relevant to the progression of your independent project. These assignments do not contribute towards your final assessment score but they are compulsory. The end-of-module assessment (EMA) is a 7000-word project report, which is submitted on paper.
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2013. We expect it to be available once a year.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.
Distance learning
The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.
For more information read Distance learning explained.
Undergraduate
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | K316 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-module assessment | |
| No residential school | |
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