The Volunteer Module:
What is the Volunteer Module?
The module is a great way for you to get academic credit for work you would be doing anyway whilst at Uni. The whole module is geared towards you developing certain graduate employability skills and therefore is really useful to you as you volunteer, but also post-graduation when applying for jobs and reflecting on your skills.
It will also make you aware of softer skills which you may not be aware you have, and will help you to develop many of these.The module is a great way to add structure to your placement, and students often find that they end up doing a better job with their voluntary work in the long run.
What's involved?
The module requires 60 hours voluntary work for 20 credits, and 30 hours for 10 credits (there is plenty of help at hand to help you complete your hours, your supervisor on the module wont let you fall short!)
The assessment for the module comes in two main strands:
1. The first is an assessment on your performance from your supervisor, who is someone from your placement who works with you. This contributes to 25% of your final mark.
2. The second part is an assessed interview. In this interview, you have to demonstrate that you have developed your skills, and given something back to the organisation in which you worked by helping them to achieve their aims and objectives or working towards their mission statement.
(Students on the 20 credit module in 3rd Year are required to do an additional strand of assessment, which is an action research report.)
Who are the students who have done it in the past?
A range of students have completed a range of projects, both in the community and at the Union Society. The emphasis of the assessment in the module is the skills you develop, not what you are doing - therefore as long as you can complete the hours, and develop the skills, then you are more than capable of doing very well on the module.
Past projects:
Projects at the Union Society:
- Being an officer of a club or a society
- Organising an event for RAG Week or the IGF
- Organising a student Ball
- Working on the Student Newspaper
- Evaluating Union Society's performance with disabled students
Community Placements:
- There are a range of placements available through SCAN.
- Working at the Scouts
- Working on events for COCO
- Careers Service Communications Team
- Success 4 All
What help is available for students on the module?
You will be assigned a supervisor at your placement who is responsible for helping you at your placement and signing off your hours. They will provide a review of your performance and will be full of hints and tips as to how you can perform better on your placement.
You also have a tutor from the Curriculum Unit of the Careers Service. The Careers Service also provide full training to students on all the key issues within the module, and its assessment.
How do I sign up to take part in the module?
If you are interested, come to the Activities Office in the Union Society and have a chat to James, Activities Development Co-ordinator. Just email in to ask for an informal chat about the possibilities, or if you are a current volunteer, the nature of your placement.
If you decide that the module is for you, then you need to register with your school. Meet with your tutor and ask for a module registration/change form.
The module will then appear on your Blackboard page, and you can register for training. After this session at the start of the semester you can hit the ground running!
