41055 Professional Experience Review
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 3 cp
Subject level:
Undergraduate and Postgraduate
Result type: Pass fail, no marksRequisite(s): 41028 Engineering Work Experience AND 41035 Professional Practice Preparation 1
Description
Successful engineers are able to communicate a professional identity to employers, clients, colleagues and other stakeholders in their work, and participate in constructive verbal and written professional communication. This subject provides students with opportunities to develop the ability to communicate their professional identity for the purpose of gaining employment and satisfying Engineers Australia's requirement that all engineering graduates have a minimum of 12 weeks (or equivalent) of professional practice. Students are guided in the curation of a professional practice portfolio that demonstrates the learning outcomes of this subject and reflects on experience. An interview about the student's professional experience and the content of the portfolio is also required.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Reflect on professional experience, and conduct critical self and peer review in order to plan for their own professional development. (F.1) |
|---|---|
| 2. | Articulate, in both written and verbal formats, the development of their professional identity to date. (E.1) |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):
- Collaborative and Communicative: FEIT graduates work as an effective member or leader of diverse teams, communicating effectively and operating within cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural contexts in the workplace. (E.1)
- Reflective: FEIT graduates critically self-review their performance to improve themselves, their teams, and the broader community and society. (F.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies
This subject contributes to the development of the following Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies:
- 3.2. Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains.
- 3.5. Orderly management of self, and professional conduct.
Teaching and learning strategies
The subject is delivered in block mode with a blend of online and face-to-face learning opportunities including one recorded lecture, 3 tutorials, and 1 seminar.
The Canvas resources are provided for students to prepare for the face-to-face classes, and the assessments, as outlined in the Program (see next section of this subject outline)
A recorded lecture in week 1 provides students with an overview of the requirements of the subject and the online resources available to students to support their learning. Students will be introduced to: 1) the writing of critical incidents, and 2) the skills of constructive critical review. Students are expected to have prepared for class as outlined in the program (see next section of this subject outline).
The tutorial in week 4 is designed for students to receive peer and tutor feedback on an ‘about me’ section for their portfolio, their updated curricula vitae, and two draft pieces of reflective writing, so they can improve these in the development of their portfolios. Students are required to prepare for this tutorial by submitting all documents specified in task 1a to their peer group, and by reviewing their assigned peers’ submissions (task 1b). Following this tutorial, students are required to submit a summary of the feedback they have received from their peers (task 1c).
The tutorial in week 6 is designed for students to work collaboratively to provide constructive critical feedback to peers on their draft professional practice portfolios (assessment task 2). Students are required to prepare for this tutorial by submitting all documents specified in task 2a to their peer group, and by reviewing their assigned peers’ submissions (task 2b). Following this tutorial, students are required to submit a summary of the feedback they have received from their peers (task 2c).
The tutorial in week 8 is designed for students to work collaboratively to prepare for and provide constructive critical feedback to peers on their practice interview.
In the seminar in week 10, students will be assessed by online interview (assessment task 4).
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Review of peers’ draft reflections, updated resume and landing page
| Intent: | The review of peers’ draft reflections, resume and about me section is designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop their professional practice portfolios, and to give and receive feedback from peers on their work. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 and 2 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): E.1 and F.1 |
| Type: | Exercises |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Length: | Approximately 2,500 words |
Assessment task 2: Critical review of peers' professional practice portfolios
| Intent: | The critical review of peers’ draft professional practice portfolios gives students the opportunity to give and receive feedback as a basis for reflection on how to improve their portfolios for final submission. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 and 2 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): E.1 and F.1 |
| Type: | Exercises |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Length: | 2a) draft portfolio 4,000 words (before tutorial); and 2c) paragraph summarising feedback from peers (after tutorial) |
Assessment task 3: Curated professional practice portfolio
| Intent: | The curated professional practice portfolio is designed to provide students with the opportunity to capture in writing a critical self-review and reflection of critical incidents in their work experience in relation to the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Professional and Personal Attributes. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 and 2 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): E.1 and F.1 |
| Type: | Portfolio |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Length: | 4,000 words |
| Criteria: | An online professional practice portfolio that provides a reader with a narrative overview of the portfolio writer in terms of academic and professional motivations and experience, and presents a high quality, professional Resume/ Curriculum Vitae. The portfolio presents two pieces of reflective writing. Each piece of reflective writing demonstrates the student’s ability to:
A cover letter responding to selection criteria in a job advertisement. The letter should be clearly ordered and formatted. It should address each criteria separately to demonstrate how the writer’s experiences qualify him/her for the position. Language use communicates meaning clearly with a professional/formal degree of accuracy indicative of careful editing. The portfolio is clearly organised and easy for a reader to navigate. |
Assessment task 4: Interview
| Intent: | The interview is designed to assess students’ ability to establish a professional identity in verbal communication and to respond to questions about their professional experience. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 and 2 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): E.1 and F.1 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Length: | 20-30 minutes |
Minimum requirements
In order to pass the subject, a student must attempt all tasks and meet a satisfactory standard in all areas.
Recommended texts
Recommended texts are provided on the Canvas site for this subject.
Students are recommended the website Portfolio to Professoriate, which illustrates examples of landing pages and advice about utilising narrative in portfolios: https://sites.google.com/site/portfoliotoprofessoriate/home
Dowling, D., Hadgraft, R., Carew, A., McCarthy, T., Hargreaves, D., Baillie, C., & Male. S. (2019). Engineering your future: An Australasian guide (4th ed.). Melbourne: Wiley.