Commercial and Industrial Experience - 2025 entry

This module will provide you with an opportunity to undertake practical work experience in a business, commercial or public sector setting that is of direct relevance to your development as an experienced professional. You will apply the knowledge and skills from taught modules to authentic problem solving in the workplace, which will give you important insights into your potential job role once you graduate from university. You will be encouraged to use imagination and creativity in problem solving and to develop communication skills, planning and time management and team-working skills. Placements will involve taking responsibility for a substantial project, which may be a problem to be solved in the host organisation, in line with your degree programme. Placements are subject to availability, approval by the module convener and full compliance with important Health and Safety procedures and requirements. Placements are normally three months some time during May-September, finishing before autumn classes start. Placements must be a minimum of six weeks full time. International placements are allowed. Placements can be paid or volunteer.

The aim of this module is to provide practical work experience in a business, commercial or public sector setting that is of direct relevance to the subject-specific aims of the student’s degree programme. Individual placements are subject to availability and to approval by the module convener.

This is a constituent module of one or more degree programmes which are accredited by a professional engineering institution under licence from the Engineering Council. The learning outcomes for this module have been mapped to the output standards required for an accredited programme, as listed in the current version of the Engineering Council’s ‘Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes’ document (AHEP-V3).

This module contributes to learning outcomes: D1p, D1m, D4p, D4m, D6p, D6m, ET1p, ET1m, ET3p, ET3m, ET5p, ET5m, ET6p, ET6m, EP1p, EP1m, EP3p, EP3m, EP6p, EP6m, EP7p, EP7m, EP9m, EP10m, G1p-G4p, G1m-G4m

A full list of the referenced outcomes is provided online: http://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/emps/subjects/engineering/accreditation/ The AHEP document can be viewed in full on the Engineering Council’s website, at http://www.engc.org.uk/

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge:
1. Demonstrate the acquisition of new knowledge and practical skills, the specifics being dependent on the particular work placement undertaken.

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge: 
2. Apply academic skills from the degree programme to analysis and solution of problems in a workplace setting.

3. Write a concise technical report.

Personal and Key Transferable / Employment Skills and Knowledge:
4. Demonstrate the ability to reflect critically on your work and adapt in the light of feedback.

5. Discuss the key features of a learning experience.

6. Work constructively as part of a team.

The work that you will carry out depends on the nature and type of placement you are undertaking. However, it is mandatory that your employer gives you the opportunity to work on a substantial piece of work which you will write about in the project report.

Deferral – if you have been deferred for any assessment you will be expected to submit the relevant assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be expected to submit the relevant assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 40%.

Basic reading:

Web-based and electronic resources:

• Edinburgh University, “The Reflective Toolkit”, https://reflection.ed.ac.uk/ (accessed 29/1/2025)

Other resources:

• Kate Williams, Mary Wooliams, Jane Spiro (2020), Reflective Writing, Bloomsbury
• Bowden, J. (2011), Writing a Report: 9th edition: How to Prepare, Write & Present Really Effective Reports, How to Books Extended
• Neugebaur, J. (2009), Making the Most of your Placement, SAGE Publications

Reading list for this module: