STEM Professional Practice
NPSC3001
Option

Year 3, Sem 2 Option. Elective Technical Competence Personal and Professional Skills Practical and ‘Hands-on’ Experience

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Code NPSC3001
Credits 25
Graduate Attributes

Introduction

STEM Professional Practice is a unit available to science and engineering students who have completed 200 credits of study, and may be listed as an alternatice core unit in your course.

This unit has been designed to enable you to gain invaluable industry experience, extend networks, and assist with personal and career development. If you already have relevant industry experience you may wish to choose a different unit.

The assessments within this unit have been crafted with a degree of adaptability, allowing for customization based on the unique work placement conditions, and your individual experiences.

The educational experience in this program places a significant emphasis on personalized learning, thus the most substantial assessment element is a reflective writing piece. This writing is intended to exhibit the integration of practical experiences with disciplinary knowledge, a demonstrated understanding of the discipline, and the workplace, and a potential alignment with one's personal and professional goals.

Ideally, you should be enrolled in the unit during the time that you are undertaking your work placement; however, it can be extended if necessary for you to complete your work placement requirements, and meet the flexibility required by employers.

Important points to Note:
  • You must have a work placement or be negotiating a work placement, to be able to enrol in this unit
  • Curtin Careers (https://students.curtin.edu.au/personal-support/career-advice/) or SAE WIL Team (https://scieng.curtin.edu.au/study/student-experience/connect-with-industry/) can direct you to employers, but you must find a placement and complete the required clearances and paperwork.
  • The work placement may be undertaken before, during or after the semester teaching week; but must be completed before the Board of Examiners so that a final grade may be submitted,
  • An international student should discuss with the coordinator and WIL team if the unit is suitable for them as opportunities for placement may be limited,
  • Students who plan to undertake their placement in the vacation period at the end of the semester should enrol in the Summer Semester availability.
  • Students in their final semester of study must complete the unit in that semester and will not be awarded an OA (ongoing assessment) owing to the impact on graduation.
Also, Note that - This unit has a broad audience, with students commencing and completing their internship or placement at various times; and hence, it is designed to be self-paced and an individualised experience between you and your employer, rather than developing a cohort experience.

Owing to the flexibility needed for all placements, Assessment submission deadlines are guides only.
Workshop 6 x 2 Hours Semester 
Fieldwork 1 x 100 Hours Once-only 

Unit Learning Outcomes

  • 1 research potential employers, and prepare relevant recruitment and career-related information, demonstrating written and oral communication and adherence to academic integrity standards, GC1, GC3, GC4, GC6
  • 2 apply discipline-specific expertise and employability skills in a professional environment, adhering to workplace ethics, industry standards, and responsible conduct, GC1, GC3, GC4, GC5, GC6
  • 3 evaluate insights from workplace experiences to assess their personal and professional growth, and outline actions for future development, GC1, GC4, GC6

Course Learning Outcomes

  • 4 Document networking information to meet technical and legal requirements; communicate concepts and technical information to lay and professional personnel in written, oral and electronic forms
  • 5 Use appropriate tools to design, analyse and verify computer systems networks and their components
  • 6 Recognise that the computer systems networking industry changes rapidly, and maintain currency via a spirit of inquiry and relevant further study
  • 9 Commit to and behave in accordance with the professional and ethical responsibilities of engineers

Assessment Breakdown

Recent Unit Changes & Response to Student Feedback

Students are encouraged to provide feedback through student surveys (such as Insight and the annual Student Experience Survey) and interactions with teaching staff.

Listed below are some recent changes to the unit as a result of student feedback.

Last Semester feedback from students indicated their concerns:

Is Workshop Attendance compulsory? - No; you may attend, or watch the online recordings in Collaborate, or complete the Curtin Challenge modules - you do not have to do all of these things. But please make sure you know the expectations of the workplace and the requirements for the assessments. Assistance with Careers information is available from Curtin Careers Centre.

Assessment deadlines are confusing - Note assessments are self-paced and there are no Late penalties. Like in a workplace, completion of the work expected, and you need to manage your time ot meet deadlines

Assessment Task Instructions are not specific - The instructions for the assessment tasks may appear broad due to the many courses and disciplines this unit is available in, and the diverse range of workplaces and industries that students may visit during their placements. However professional behaviours and employability skills sre similar, and you may discuss your development of these skills and attributes.