Personal Development Planning Assignment

There is no penalty for submitting below the word/count limit, but students should be aware that there is a risk they may not maximise their potential mark.

Assignments should be presented appropriately in line with the restrictions stated above; if an assignment exceeds the word count this will be taken in account in the marks given using the assessment criteria shown.

You are required to do some personal development planning.  Consider your strengths and weaknesses in terms of your interpersonal skills; what do you want - or need – to do to improve your employment prospects.  You will need to review what skills and attributes employers are looking for.  You will find it helpful to take the 'Future Me' test via below link to help to identify your weak areas. You will receive a report from it that reflects your attitudes, ability and experience and will help you to identify the areas (skills, knowledge, experience) that you need to develop.

Select 5 areas in which you feel you need to improve.  For each one, write a single sentence SMART target that encapsulates what you intend to do to improve, what your timescale is and how you are going to do it. Then, for each objective, write approximately 400 words in which you reflect on your ability in that area, consider what the experts say about it, why it is important for your employability prospects, anything you think could make it difficult to achieve and how you might overcome that.  

Then summarise what you propose to do on a development plan (in Appendix), which then will act as your single page reminder of what to do and when you need to do it – this will sit in your appendices and not count in your overall word count.

Your submission will therefore consist of two parts; the explanation about each of your objective and a personal development plan. Key notes:

1-The above instructions are also relevant if you have already taken Solent Employability Self Evaluation (ESE) test.

2-Students who have already started writing AE1 assessment based on the ESE test should continue without taking the new test. Whereas, others who couldn’t take the ESE test in the first place for whatever reasons should now use ‘future me’ test.

3-You are expected to research to find out more about the topic areas that you have identified, and this selection of literature and your referencing are part of the marking critieria.

Learning Outcomes

Where do I want to be by the end of this period? What do I want to be doing? (This may be evolutionary or “more of the same”.) that is, this is where you put your objectives

·to be able to reference in Harvard style both in text and in the bibliography, accurately, gaining satisfactory feedback from tutor

·to be able to manage my time better  - so that I do not need to stay up all night to complete an assignment

·to investigate how to become a (Human performance specialist/Head coach/Negotiator/HR Manager) and set my career on track by gaining a work placement/choosing options

This assessment will enable students to demonstrate in full or in part the learning outcomes identified in the unit descriptors.

Late Submissions

i.If this assessment is submitted late i.e. within 5 working days of the submission deadline, the mark will be capped at 40% if a pass mark is achieved;

ii.If this assessment is submitted later than 5 working days after the submission deadline, the work will be regarded as a non-submission and will be awarded a zero;

iii.If this assessment is being submitted as a referred piece of work (second or third attempt) then it must be submitted by the deadline date; any Refer assessment submitted late will be regarded as a non-submission and will be awarded a zero.

The University’s Extenuating Circumstances procedure is in place if there are genuine circumstances that may prevent a student submitting an assessment. If students are not 'fit to study’, they can either request an extension to the submission deadline of 5 working days or they can request to submit the assessment at the next opportunity (Defer).  

In both instances students must submit an EC application with relevant evidence.   If accepted by the EC Panel there will be no academic penalty for late submission or non-submission dependent on what is requested.  Students are reminded that EC covers only short term issues (20 working days) and that if they experience longer term matters that impact on learning then they must contact a Student Achievement Officer for advice.

Have you kept to the word count? 10% under or over the word count is usually OK.  If you are not sure, check with your tutor.

Have you read and understood the assessment criteria?

Have you met the Assessment Criteria? You will lose marks and your work may even be failed if you have not. (The Assessment Criteria is detailed in the grid attached to the Assessment Brief).

Have you demonstrated that you can write critically?  Show you have supported your arguments using academic literature; you have presented ideas and information which challenges thinking, and you have offered discussion points which extends your own or others’ viewpoints.

Have you maintained an academic tone throughout your work?  Have you tried to avoid using the same words over and over again?

Have you checked that the referencing/bibliography in your assignment is in line with the Harvard Referencing system used by SSU.

Have you proof-read your work and used spellcheck software to check your spelling and grammar?

Have you presented your work in a professional way?  Your work should be formatted logically and consistently.  Text in different fonts and of differing sizes often indicates copy and pasting.  Spacing of headings and paragraphs should be consistent.  Page numbering is useful and a contents page is essential if appendices have been included in your work.

Can you confirm that the work submitted is your own and not plagiarised?

It is useful to “grade” your work before submission.  This gives you an indication of the grade you think your work merits.  When your assessment has been marked you will be able to compare your grade and use your feedback more effectively to develop your academic work and improve your future grades.