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Reflective Practice - SPY00118M

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  • Department: Social Policy and Social Work
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Antonios Roumpakis
  • Credit value: 10 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
    • See module specification for other years: 2021-22

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2022-23 to Summer Term 2022-23

Module aims

This module explores the role of reflective practice and equips students the ability to apply and reflect on their learning experience within their respective programme. The module will aim to equip students with the ability to recognise and reflect on learning opportunities in practice, including communication, teamwork and independent research skills. These are transferable skills that can be applied in a range of work settings and towards professional development. Students will develop and maintain a reflective online journal and work effectively as part of a peer-supported learning community. The development of these capacities underpin the programme as a whole as students will have the opportunity to critically engage, communicate and present research findings and receive feedback in formative assessments in the Autumn and Spring Term.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module students will be able to:

  • Understand the concept of reflective practice, and relate it to key theories of learning

  • Reflect critically on how they learn, and draw up plans to improve the effectiveness of their learning

  • Develop and maintain a reflective online journal

  • Work effectively as part of a peer-supported learning community

The module learning outcomes focus on the learning experience including both content of students’ studies and its application to their working context. For both parts, however, assessment will primarily test the process of critical reflection. The modules will thus help further to develop the skills of critical thinking that underpin the programme as a whole.

Module content

The module runs through the academic year and the final summative assessment is submitted in week 6 of the summer term. The modules content focus on the student as a learner within this academic programme and as an active participant of a learning community. The aim of this part of the module is to introduce students to the concept of reflective practice and to enable them to practice and develop the skills involved by reflecting on their own learning process.

The module will begin with a two-week synchronous workshop, in the Autumn Term, which will introduce key concepts associated with reflective practice and key theories of learning. Each workshop will also introduce the independent study process and the assessment task linked to that part of the module. This will centre on writing an ongoing reflective learning journal for the duration of the three terms (Autumn, Spring, Summer): students will build up their journal during each respective term, by reflecting on their experience of being a learner and reflective on a range of formative assessment points through the academic year.

Students will share their ongoing work in their learning journal periodically with the module tutor, who will provide formative feedback related to the assessment criteria. They will also be asked to share their progress and engage in peer review in periodic asynchronous fora which will involve working and reflecting on learners development and reflective practice as a part of a learning community.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Reflective Journal		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

Pass/fail

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Reflective Journal		 N/A 100

Module feedback

Feedback is provided in writing both within the text and in summary form under the headings of structure, knowledge, analysis and style, and in response to any particular issues highlighted by the student on the cover sheet. Supervisors discuss feedback with students and offer support and guidance where reassessment is under consideration.

Indicative reading

Bourner, T. (2003) Assessing reflective learning, Education and Training Vol 45 (5) pp. 267-272

Brooks, S. and Roberts, E. (2015) ‘Simultaneous Immersion’: How online postgraduate study contributes to the development of reflective practice among public service practitioners, Interactive Learning Environments, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10494820.2015.1041406

Kolb, D. A. (1984) Experiential learning experience as the source of learning and development, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Raelin, J. A. (2002) "I don’t have time to think!" versus the art of reflective practice, Reflections; Society for organisational Learning and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Vol. 4, No. 1. pp 66-74

Raelin, J. A. (2001) Public reflection as the basis for learning, Management Learning, Vol 32, No. 1, pp 11-30.

Schon, D. A. (1991) The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action, London: Ashgate

Sen, B.A. (2010) Reflective writing: a management skill, Library Management, 31(1-2), pp. 79-93 http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/10336/1/Sen_10336.pdf


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.