Course Handbook template 2017/18 · 2017-04-05 · Course Handbook . Diploma of Higher Education, Paramedic Practice . Date of publication: March 2017 . Course Leader: Simon Dykes

Course Handbook Diploma of Higher Education, Paramedic Practice

Date of publication: March 2017 Course Leader: Simon Dykes

Please read this Handbook in conjunction with the University’s Student Handbook. All course materials, including lecture notes and other additional materials related to your course and provided to you, whether electronically or in hard copy, as part of your study, are the property of (or licensed to) UCLan and MUST not be distributed, sold, published, made available to others or copied other than for your personal study use unless you have gained written permission to do so from the Dean of School. This applies to the materials in their entirety and to any part of the materials.

1. Welcome to the course ..................................................................................................... 3

1.1 Rationale, aims and learning outcomes of the course .................................................. 3

1.2 Course Team ............................................................................................................... 4

1.3 Expertise of staff .......................................................................................................... 5

1.4 Academic Advisor ........................................................................................................ 5

1.5 Administration details................................................................................................... 5

1.6 Communication............................................................................................................ 6

1.7 External Examiner ........................................................................................................... 6

2. Structure of the course ...................................................................................................... 6

2.2 Modules available ........................................................................................................ 7

2.4 Progression Information ........................................................................................... 9

2.5 Study Time .................................................................................................................. 9

2.5.1 Weekly timetable ............................................................................................. 9

2.5.2 Expected hours of study .................................................................................. 9

3. Approaches to teaching and learning .............................................................................. 10

3.1 Learning and teaching methods ................................................................................. 10

3.2 Study skills ................................................................................................................ 10

3.3 Learning resources .................................................................................................... 10

3.3.1 Learning Information Services (LIS) .................................................................... 10

3.3.2 Electronic Resources .......................................................................................... 10

3.4 Personal development planning ................................................................................. 11

4. Student Support .............................................................................................................. 12

4.1 Academic Advisors / Home Group Leader ................................................................. 13

4.2 Students with disabilities ............................................................................................ 13

5. Assessment .................................................................................................................... 13

5.1 Assessment Strategy ................................................................................................. 13

5.3 Referencing ............................................................................................................... 16

5.4 Confidential material .................................................................................................. 16

6. Classification of Awards .................................................................................................. 16

7. Student Feedback ........................................................................................................... 18

1. Welcome to the course Welcome to the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and in particular, the College of Health and Wellbeing. The paramedic course lecturers will be managing your programme of study and you will soon get to know the staff, especially those who will be involved in the day to day delivery of your course. Your course is a 2-year programme of study at the University, with placements in the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and other healthcare environments. The ambulance service has been involved in the design and development of the course from the beginning. It is a busy programme of study run over 45 weeks with approximately 50% in the classroom and 50% in clinical practice. We have established a programme that requires you to be assessed in both theory and practice, and the course might seem complicated and, at first glance, overwhelming. This course handbook is designed to help you get started and to find your way through the next 2 years of study as easily as possible. The course leader, team and clinical staff will keep you focused and provide information, guidance and help at the appropriate times. Please listen to what they have to say – they are there to help you The course offers an academic and professional qualification that allows you access to employment as a paramedic. At the end of the course, if successful, you will be eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). We hope that you enjoy your programme of study. It is a challenging course, but you will be supported every step of the way and at the end will embark upon a rewarding career! Good luck! Simon Dykes (Course Leader)

1.1 Rationale, aims and learning outcomes of the course

To develop competent, knowledgeable and professional paramedics To develop practitioners who can work both autonomously and as part of a wider multi-disciplinary team, in the best interests of their patients To promote the concepts of research and evidence-based practice in the out-of-hospital care environment.

The curriculum has been designed to provide a programme of study that will enable understanding, application and integration of the theory and skills of paramedic practice. We intend to promote and facilitate both the desire for life-long learning and the foundations of professional autonomous practice, which will equip you for your future role as a healthcare professional. The assessment processes built into the curriculum are both valid and reliable, and will effectively support you in the attainment of competent practice in the out-of-hospital setting. Additionally, you will be facilitated in the development of key or transferable skills (including learning to learn) that will support future professional health care practice. The curriculum offers a variety of learning and teaching strategies which have been designed to motivate and challenge you in your development of problem-solving and critical thinking

skills. These will, in turn, help you to self-assess and take responsibility for your own future development. On successful completion of the course you will be awarded with a Diploma in Paramedic Practice and be eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). You will achieve module outcomes from a clinical and theoretical perspective throughout the course, and support your practice with a theoretical understanding of the principles inherent in clinical work. The course will encourage you to become a life-long learner, promote health care values and contribute to the development of evidence based practice and effective clinical outcomes.

1.2 Course Team This course brings staff together from a range of clinical and professional backgrounds. The University offers lecturers with specialist and general backgrounds and to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the management of the course a Course Leader will facilitate your progress throughout the programme. The Course Leader is:

Simon Dykes

Course Leader & Registered Paramedic

Office - Greenbank Building (GR) 218

01772 895556

Email: [email protected]

Nicki Hedges

Lecturer & Registered Paramedic


01772 893642


Keiran Bellis

Lecturer & Registered Paramedic


01772 894571


Lorna McInulty

Senior Lecturer & Registered ED Nurse

Office – Greenbank Building (GR) 212

01772 893606


Lizi Hickson

Senior Lecturer & Registered Paramedic


01772 895546

mailto:[email protected]





Kerryn Ragan

PT Lecturer & Registered Paramedic


01772 896327


Rob Evans

Lecturer / Practitioner & Registered Paramedic


Gill Despard

Lecturer / Practitioner & Registered Paramedic


01772 893783 Email:

[email protected]

1.3 Expertise of staff The staff at UCLan have a broad range of healthcare specialities and are all experience in their field of practice. The core team is comprised of experienced paramedics and emergency nurses. To complement the team, we utilise staff from other specialities, such as obstetrics, children’s nursing, medical and surgical nursing, critical care and neuroscience nursing. 1.4 Academic Advisor You will be assigned an Academic Advisor who will provide additional academic support during the year. They will be the first point of call for many of the questions that you might have during the year. Your Academic Advisor will be able to help you with personal development, including developing skills in self-awareness, reflection and action planning.

1.5 Administration details Campus Admin Services provides academic administration support for students and staff and are located in the following hub which open from 8.45am until 5.15pm

Monday to Thursday and until 4.00pm on Fridays. The hub can provide general assistance and advice regarding specific processes such as extenuating circumstances, extensions and appeals. The paramedic practice course sits within the School of Health Sciences and is administratively supported by the Brook Hub, detailed below:

Allen Building Medicine Dentistry telephone: 01772 895566 email: [email protected]





Harris Building Lancashire Law School Humanities and the Social Sciences Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching telephone: 01772 891996/891997 email: [email protected] Foster Building Forensic and Applied Sciences Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Physical Sciences telephone: 01772 891990/891991 email: [email protected] Computing and Technology Building Art, Design and Fashion Computing Journalism, Media and Performance Engineering telephone: 01772 891994/891995 email: [email protected] Greenbank Building Sport and Wellbeing Management Business telephone: 01772 891992/891993 email: [email protected] Brook Building Community, Health and Midwifery Nursing Health Sciences Social Work, Care and Community telephone: 01772 891992/891993 email: [email protected] 1.6 Communication

The University expects you to use your UCLan email address and check regularly for messages from staff. If you send us email messages from other addresses they risk being filtered out as potential spam and discarded unread. The policy for communication is that lecturing staff will return your emails or voice messages within 3 working days. Lecturing staff may

also use other forms of communication such as a text messaging service to relay important






messages or via the Blackboard platform, advising you of important announcements attached to your modules of study. Please note that lecturing staff have many responsibilities, such as being course leaders for two or more programmes, undertaking scholarly activity and research, and teaching on a variety of modules and courses outside of the paramedic programme, as well as undertaking administrative activities to facilitate the smooth operation of programmes. This means they may be away from their offices for a number of days. All academic staff will have their location information held centrally in the Brook Hub which is located in Brook Building room 204. 1.7 External Examiner The University has appointed an external examiner to your course who helps to ensure that the standards of your programme are comparable to those provided at other higher education institutions in the United Kingdom (UK). The name of this person, his position and home institution can be found in the box below. If you wish to make contact with your external examiner, you should do this through your course leader only. External examiner reports will be made available to you electronically. The school will also send a sample of students’ assessment to the external examiner(s) for external moderation purposes, once it has been marked and internally moderated by the course tutors. The sample will include work awarded the highest and lowest marks and awarded marks in the middle range.

External Examiner

Matthew Capsey

Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Science Teesside University

2. Structure of the course

Within the United Kingdom (UK) higher education context, the following level descriptors provide a broad outline of general learning outcomes. At specific levels students should be able to display that they can at:

Level 4 (Dip HE) (Year 1 Undergraduate) Demonstrate a sound knowledge of the basic concepts of a subject, and will have learned how to take different approaches to solving problems. He or she will be able to communicate accurately, and will have the qualities needed for employment requiring the exercise of some personal responsibility. Level 5 (Dip HE) (Year 2 Undergraduate) Apply and critically evaluate key concepts and theories within and outside the context in which they were first studied; select appropriately from and deploy a range of subject specific cognitive and transferable skills and problem-solving strategies to well defined problems in the

field of study and in the generation of ideas; effectively communicate information and arguments in a variety of forms. Practice placements, including hospital attendance, require a minimum of 750 hours per year.

The Dip HE Paramedic Practice programme is made up of:

7 modules at Level 4 – (2 x 10 credit and 5 x 20 credit modules)

5 modules at Level 5 – (4 x 20 credit and 1 x 40 credit module)

2.2 Modules available Each module is a self-contained block of learning with defined aims, learning outcomes and assessment. A standard module is worth 20 credits. It equates to the learning activity expected from one sixth of a full-time undergraduate year. Modules may be developed as half or double modules with credit allocated up to a maximum of 120 credits per module. Year 1 Modules NU1026 Introduction to Paramedic Practice: the aim of this module is to provide fundamental skills appropriate to the out-of-hospital setting, along with the foundation knowledge base to support clinical practice. NU1102 Learning to Learn: this module will offer support and development in academic skills including referencing techniques and the importance of evidence based practice and research. Students will also be shown how to undertake a literature search. NU1104 – Ethics, Law and Professionalism: in this module, the focus will be around paramedic dilemmas and appropriate legislation. Students will understand their legal obligation as registered healthcare professional and determine their scope of practice. NU1105 - Introduction to Medicines Management: this module is aimed at introducing pharmacology and pharmacodynamics as well as providing a treatment regime for individual clinical presentations. NU1023 - Anatomy and Physiology Applied to Paramedic Practice: this module enables students to understand how the human body is organised, how it functions in a systematic and integrated manner and how it responds to illness and injury. NU1024 - Applying Skills to the Out-of-Hospital Setting: the aim of this module is to introduce a variety of assessment and examination skills and apply them to clinical practice. NU1025 - Safeguarding Vulnerable People in the Out-of-Hospital Setting: the aim of this module is to identify when a service user is vulnerable and follow the correct care pathways to aid in their continuing care. Year 2 Modules NU2113 Emergency Care of Women and Children in the Out-of-Hospital Setting: the aim of this module is to enable pre-hospital practitioners to recognise the specific needs of children and women in relation to their assessment and provision of immediate care

NU2114 Assessment and Management of the Acutely Ill Adult in the Out-of-Hospital Setting: the aim of the module is to enable students to develop and apply their knowledge of pathophysiology to a variety of patient presentations, and to relate this to the clinical findings of a physical examination.

NU2115 Managing Trauma Injuries in the Out-of-Hospital Setting: to enable students to develop knowledge and skills in relation to the assessment and management of major and minor traumatic incidents that occur in the out-of-hospital setting

NU2116 Applying Evidence and Research to Paramedic Practice: the aim of the module is to enable students to access, critique and apply evidence and research to their clinical practice.

NU2641 Community Engagement: the aim of the module is to develop the student’s understanding of how the paramedic profession interfaces with the wider health and social care team and the issues that influence that engagement.

2.3 Course requirements For you to successfully complete the course and gain the award of DipHE Paramedic Practice you must successfully pass all compulsory modules. In addition to this for you to be fit for practice, you must successfully pass all clinical practice placements and have achieved the required amount of clinical practice hours.

As a student undertaking this course, you are bound by the Code of Conduct as specified by Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and subject to the UCLan procedure for the consideration of ‘Fitness to Practise’. Any breach of these codes means you could jeopardise your place on the course. As a result, failure to complete the course will result in your registration application being declined by the HCPC. The registration is required for you to gain employment with the ambulance service and to practice as a paramedic. As the DipHE Paramedic course prepares you for registration, it is vital that you should declare any information to the course leader that might influence the Health and Care Professions Council decision to enter you onto the register as soon as possible. For further information please access the HCPC Guidance on Conduct and Ethics for Students http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf. For general information about the HCPC please access the Health and Care Professions Council website at http://www.hcpc-uk.org/ Health and Care Professions Council Standards of Proficiency / Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics The required standards set out in these documents also inform the course. You will be expected to map your progress in achieving these standards throughout the programme. The Standards of Proficiency play a central role in how you can gain admission to and remain on the HCPC register and also gain the right to use the protected title of ‘Paramedic’. As a student both you and the team must be confident that you will be able to meet the standards when you begin to practice as an individual without supervision.

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/services/sss/quality/regulations/files/aqa1_acaregs_app13.pdf

http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002D1BGuidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf



http://www.hpc-uk.org/


http://www.hcpc-uk.org/

2.4 Progression Information Discussions about your progression through the course normally take place in February each year. It is an opportunity for you to make plans for your study over the next academic year. The course team will tell you about the various modules / combinations available and you will both agree on the most appropriate (and legal) course of study for you. NB: It is normally your responsibility to make an appointment with your Academic Advisor after each clinical placement period. 2.5 Study Time 2.5.1 Weekly timetable All your module timetables are supplied in electronic format and can be accessed online at the student portal which is called ‘MyUCLan’. Please access the following link: https://portal.uclan.ac.uk/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp. Once you have accessed this page, on the bottom left hand side, select either ‘weekly timetable’ or ‘daily timetable’ to find out what time you are due in class and in which building and room you need to be. If you are experiencing any technical difficulties please contact Learning Information Services (LIS) customer support http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/it/need_help.php or alternative call 01772 895355. 2.5.2 Expected hours of study 20 credits is a standard module size and equals 200 notional learning hours. The normal amount of work involved in achieving a successful outcome to your studies is to study for 10 hours per each credit you need to achieve – this includes attendance at UCLan and time spent in private study. The course is full time and runs over three full semesters. During the course, you will attend clinical practice placements which constitute 50% of the programme (including various hospital placements) and you will be expected to attend for 37.5 hours per week whilst supervised by your placement mentor. It is essential to your progression and the successful completion of the course that all practice placements are attended with sufficient placement hours achieved.

2.5.3 Attendance Requirements You are required to attend all timetabled learning activities for each module. Notification of illness or exceptional requests for leave of absence must be made to: the Course Leader, your Academic Advisor and the Practice Placement Learning Support Unit at the University via [email protected] quoting your name and student number.

If you have not gained the required authorisation for leave of absence, do not respond to communications from the University and if you are absent for four weeks or more, you may be deemed to have withdrawn from the course. If this is the case the date of withdrawal will be recorded as the last day of attendance. In addition to this the course team expects 100% attendance within the University and practice placements unless you have extenuating circumstances such as ill health. 3. Approaches to teaching and learning 3.1 Learning and teaching methods The University has an established learning and teaching strategy that influences and shapes the delivery of the course. ‘Learning’ comes first in the title of this strategy to show its importance in the daily activity of the University. Lecturing and clinical staff will help you to

https://portal.uclan.ac.uk/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/it/need_help.php


learn. Entering into a new area of knowledge requires you to learn. You will learn through interacting with lecturers and clinical staff, attending lectures and teaching sessions, but also through personal development. A number of approaches will be used including: reflection; critical reading; problem based learning activities; directed study; lectures; discussion groups; role playing and use of videos to provide feedback. 3.2 Study skills If you have not studied for quite a while, the experience can be daunting at first. However, there are many support mechanisms that you can access to help with your academic writing and your approach to your studies. Throughout each module that you study, you will be given a module supervisor who will meet with you to help in the development of your work. There are also workshops that you can access to assist with structuring and referencing, such as WISER (Walk-In Study Enhancement through Review). Find out more information about WISER at: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/wiser/index.php

Never be afraid to ask for support and don’t forget you will also have an Academic Advisor who can support and guide you or even signpost you to the right support that you might need. However, it is the students’ responsibility to seek this guidance and support. Please also access http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/partnership/skills_fresh_start.php for lots of information regarding study skills at the university.

3.3 Learning resources 3.3.1 Learning Information Services (LIS) Extensive resources are available to support your studies provided by LIS – library and IT staff. Take advantage of the free training sessions designed to enable you to gain all the skills you need for your research and study. The library is open out of hours and more information about can be found here:

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/library/index.php 3.3.2 Electronic Resources LIS provide access to a huge range of electronic resources – e-journals and databases, e-books, images and texts. After you have successfully enrolled onto the course you will be able to access the Blackboard facility. Each module of study will have specific electronic resources for you to access such as lecture notes, module descriptors and module timetables.

You will need to access your modules via the Blackboard facility on a regular basis as important information and module/timetable updates and announcements will be posted here by the module leader.

Being a member of the Library & Information Services (LIS) provides you with access to the Internet, an e-mail address (you can both send and receive e-mails) and access to electronic journals and databases. The UCLan Library website is: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/library/

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/wiser/index.php

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/partnership/skills_fresh_start.php

https://intranet.uclan.ac.uk/ou/lis/Pages/Library-Resources.aspx

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/library/index.php

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/library/

3.4 Personal development planning The recognition of ‘transferable’ or ‘key’ skills has a central place in professional practice. The underlying idea is that skills acquired in one context can be transferred and applied to others. A number of transferable skills have been identified from the literature and from policy statements developed by employing organisations and higher education institutions in the UK. Lists are not exhaustive and may not for instance include financial skills or numeracy skills. The key skills that we are focusing on throughout the course are identified in the paramedic subject benchmarks and by the University as important skills for employment. Paramedic practice and the application of professional skills is underpinned by knowledge and understanding. The paramedic possesses a broad range of core skills encompassing profession-specific and generic enabling skills such as: Problem solving, data collection and interpretation

Identifying key objectives Using analytical and conceptual thinking Gathering information and collecting evidence to assist problem solving

Information technology

Working with information technology in the ambulance services Ambulance control liaison Recording data Word processing Using PowerPoint

Numeracy

Drug calculations Patient assessment

Communication and interpersonal skills

Making informed decisions Using initiative Negotiating skills Contributing own views within a discussion/debate Using logical and rational arguments to persuade others Identifying the needs of others and building positive relationships Working as a team member Recognition of the role played by other professionals Understanding the scope and limitation of your own practice Acknowledge the importance of effective reporting and recording

Self-awareness and self-management

Accepting responsibility Working alone Communication and interpersonal skills Understanding and building/reflecting on how others perceive you Time management Assessment of own performance Responding to feedback from others Taking responsibility for own learning and development Dealing with pressures and emotions Showing sense of purpose

Under these five key headings we have identified a range of skills and behaviours that can be collected together. You may identify others as you progress throughout the course. All the above skills are fundamental to academic study and clinical practice. Lecturers will identify occasions on which they will be significantly practised and supported by training, advice or detailed feedback, and should make known to you any specific criteria for assessment. Clinical assessment strategies will also help you to reflect upon your progress in developing transferable skills.

3.5 Preparing for your career Your future is important to us, so to make sure that you achieve your full potential whilst at University. Your course has been designed with employability learning integrated into it at every level. This is not additional to your Diploma, but an important part of it which will help you to show future employers just how valuable your qualification is. These “employability

essentials” take you on a journey of development that will help you to write your own personal story of your time at University:

• To begin with, you will explore your identity, your likes and dislikes, the things that are important to you and what you want to get out of life

• Later, you will investigate a range of options including jobs and work experience, postgraduate study and self- employment

• You will then be ready to learn how to successfully tackle the recruitment process

It’s your future: take charge of it! 4. Student Support Whilst studying on the course, you will have many support options open to you. You will be assigned an Academic Advisor and if they are unable to help, they will certainly be able to signpost you to the appropriate services. The course is supported by the Brook Hub, located in Brook Building room 204, this is also a good place to go if you have concerns or are needing support. The 'i' is the central student information centre. You can obtain information on a wide range of topics including council tax exemption certificates, bank and confirmation of study letters, portable financial credits, (continuing students only), printing and printer credit, UCLan cards, the ‘i’ shop and UCLan financial support bursary (first year students only). Please access http://www.uclan.ac.uk/study_here/student_support.php for a full range of student support services, including medical care, counselling and the multi-faith centre.

4.1 Academic Advisors / Home Group Leader You will be allocated an Academic Advisor (who will also be your home group leader) from the lecturing team. An Academic Advisor offers general academic support, pastoral support and advice and you will meet with them on a regular basis. You will be given the name of your Academic Advisor during the first week of the course. He or she may be contacted by either

telephone or email. Once you know who your Academic Advisor is, you can make a note of it in the box below for future reference:

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/library/the_i.php

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/study_here/student_support.php

My Academic Advisor is:

Office –

01772 89

Email:

4.2 Students with disabilities If you have a disability that may affect your studies, please either contact the Disability Advisory Service - [email protected] - or let one of the course team know as soon as possible. For lots of information on how the university can support you, please access https://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/health/disability_services.php The School of Health Sciences (the school in which your course sits) has a disability coordinator, this person is Sara Fisher. Sara is another place where you can go for support and guidance if you have a disability, Sara can be contacted at [email protected] With your agreement information will be passed on to the Disability Advisory Service. The university will make reasonable adjustments to accommodate your needs and to provide appropriate support for you to complete your study successfully. Where necessary, you will be asked for evidence to help identify appropriate adjustments. Arrangements are made for students who have a disability/learning difficulty for which valid supporting evidence can be made available. Contact the Disability Adviser for advice and information, [email protected] or Sara Fisher [email protected] 4.3 Students’ Union One Stop Shop The Opportunities Centre is the Union’s One Stop Shop to find employment or volunteering whilst you study. With thousands of jobs and voluntary positions advertised, agency work through the Bridge and information on over 2000 volunteer positions within the Union. 5. Assessment

5.1 Assessment Strategy The course is packaged into modules and each module comes complete with an expected amount of work – in reading, thinking, preparing for sessions and taking part in classroom discussions. Each module is also assessed. The learning outcomes have to be met in theory through examination;

academic writing; presentations; posters and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) and also in practice through clinical assessment. Each module leader and module supervisor will offer you support in meeting the learning outcomes. The module leaders will have agreed the submission dates for the work. The submission dates are carefully chosen to help you plan and achieve your work within agreed deadlines. Year 1 modules are set at academic level 4 and provide a broad underpinning basis upon which to build your studies both academically and in practice. Year 2 will demonstrate a change in pace as the academic level increases to level 5 and you will apply your learning skills gained over the first year to this year of focused study. You will be progressing academically and in clinical practice.


https://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/health/disability_services.php




You are responsible for your assessments. No one else can plan this for you although we will give you a structured approach to achieving set goals throughout the year. Some of the modules are assessed in both theory and practice. You will note in each module descriptor (see module handbooks) that all assessed elements must achieve a pass grade for the module to be successfully completed. For theoretical elements the pass grade is 40%. Some clinical assessments are graded and others receive a PASS or REFER statement dependent upon achievement of the assessment criteria. Formative Assessment allows you to review, reflect upon and discuss progress. The formative session may turn into a tutorial, a learning opportunity, or it may result in an action plan. You can have many opportunities for formative assessment; - you just have to arrange them. You will note that in some modules, assignments will be handed in at different times. Earlier assignments are designed to provide formative feedback to you so that you can monitor your own progress. Summative Assessment is a judgement of your achievement of the learning outcomes. Each module has a summative assessment strategy and you will be given detailed information at the start of each module. Summative assessment allows all students on the module to be assessed as fairly and equitably as possible. A date is set for achievement of summative assessment. It contributes to an overall achievement for an award. In this course, both theory and practice are summatively assessed but please note that on some modules only theory is assessed. Assessment Mapping

Year 1 Theory Practice

NU1102 Learning to Learn Annotated Bibliography

1,000 Words n/a

NU1104 Ethics, Law and Professionalism

Written Assignment 2,000 Words n/a

NU1105 Introduction to

Medicines Management

Exam 1.5 Hours n/a

NU1023 Anatomy and

Physiology Applied to Paramedic Practice

MCQ Exams 3 x 1 Hour n/a

NU1024 Applying Skills to the

Out-of-Hospital Setting

Poster Presentation Practice Assessment Document (PAD)

NU1025 Safeguarding

Vulnerable People in the Out-of-Hospital

Setting

Presentation n/a

NU1026 Introduction to Paramedic Practice

MCQ – 1 Hour OSCE n/a

Year 2 Theory Practice

NU2113 Emergency Care of Women and Children

OSCE – 30 minutes Oral Viva n/a

NU2114 Assessment and

Management of the Acutely Ill Adult

Written assignment 2000 words PAD

NU2115 Managing Traumatic Injuries in the Out-of-

Hospital Setting OSCE/Viva Combined n/a

NU2116 Applying Evidence and Research to

Paramedic Practice Literature Review – 3,000 n/a

NU2641 Community Engagement Assignment 3,000 Words n/a

Assessment during your practice placements

To help you achieve the outcomes in practice, we have established a structured approach to clinical assessment. Clinical assessment is an opportunity for you to have your clinical learning activity reviewed and mapped against the expected criteria. We have two approaches to the use of assessment opportunities throughout the course: formative assessment and summative assessment. Formative assessment in the clinical setting will usually take the form of review meetings with your mentor in your placement setting. For those modules requiring clinical summative assessment, clinical assessors will have been prepared, (as will you) at the start of the module. When you meet your mentor at the start of each new clinical placement, you should:- • Discuss and review your clinical experience and progress to date • Review and discuss clinical module outcomes and identify of key clinical skills, personal

attributes and underpinning knowledge that you must need help with or need to develop in order to maintain your progression

• Establish a learning contract. • Identify dates for formative review and discussion • Discuss how you intend to generate clinical evidence Practice Assessment Document (PAD) Within year one and year two of the course, you are also required to complete a Practice Assessment Document (PAD). The PAD is a summative assessment and is taken into your practice placements. The document requires you to generate evidence towards the learning outcomes attached to the relevant module of study and will be summatively assessed by your paramedic mentor.

5.2 Notification of assignments and examination arrangements All elements of the assessments are clearly defined within the relevant module information pack which will be given to you at the start of each module of study. Within the module pack

there will be a definitive submission deadline date for the relevant assessment. Some module timetables will include assessment preparation sessions and practice time for your assessments. Other resources to support your preparation for assessments will be available through the Blackboard facility and meetings with your module supervisor. It is your responsibility to access support of your module supervisor, the academic member of staff supporting you through the module will need some advanced notification of your meeting request, so please plan ahead! The College of Health and Wellbeing has a clearly defined procedure for the submission of assessed work. Each year you will be given dates for each module for theory and practice submissions, please take immediate note of these and plan your work accordingly. Independent module leaders will notify you how to submit your work, assignments will be submitted by 12 noon on a set day, via the Blackboard facility. The pass mark for graded assessed work is 40%. Work receiving a mark of less than 40% is referred and must be resubmitted. Each student is entitled to 2 attempts at any one assignment i.e. if you fail your first submission, you may resubmit your assignment(s) 6 weeks after notification of your first referral. If you see ‘PASS’ against your name you can assume you have been successful in the module, if you see ‘REFER TO MODULE LEADER’ you should do so as soon as possible. This usually means that you have not been successful in your first attempt at the assignment. A course board usually takes place each September. At this meeting the profile of each student is considered and if all the required modules have been successfully passed, the student is progressed onto the next academic year where appropriate. At the end of your second year of programme you will be awarded your diploma if you have been successful in passing all your modules. As with the module board information, a list is published and this will detail any action required by the student. If you see ‘DEFER’ against your name it means your award will not be considered until the following board, usually because there is an outstanding piece of work to complete. The dates for publication of the results following a course board are identified in the web pages of the Academic Quality and Compliance Unit (AQC) at UCLan. 5.3 Referencing The American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA) referencing style should be used within your assignments. Further detailed information about referencing with useful examples may be obtained from the University APA Referencing Guide. 5.4 Confidential material During your studies you will be privy to confidential patient information; typically you will see this during your clinical practice time. As a student paramedic you have an ethical and legal responsibility to respect and protect patient/client confidentiality during your time at University and indeed when you become registered with the HCPC.

As such you must maintain anonymity in any work you produce for your studies (such as assignments and placement assessment documents).

We accept that social network sites such as Facebook™ and Twitter are a useful and fun way to keep in touch with friends. However, at no point must reference be made to your experiences during University and your clinical placements (i.e. patient information and details) as this can bring the University, North West Ambulance Service and the profession into disrepute. Failure to comply with this will jeopardise your place on the course and you risk the possibility of suspension from the course until the matter has been investigated.

https://intranet.uclan.ac.uk/ou/health/learning-repository/StudentAccessibleFiles/APA%20Referencing%20Guide.pdf#search=referencing%20guide

5.5 Cheating, plagiarism, collusion or re-presentation Please refer to the information included in section 6.6 of the University Student Handbook for full definitions. The University uses an online Assessment Tool called Turnitin. A pseudo-Turnitin assignment will be set up using the School space on Blackboard to allow students to check as many drafts as the system allows before their final submission to the ‘official’ Turnitin assignment. Students are required to self-submit their own assignment on Turnitin and will be given access to the Originality Reports arising from each submission. In operating Turnitin, Schools must take steps to ensure that the University’s requirement for all summative assessment to be marked anonymously is not undermined and therefore Turnitin reports should either be anonymised or considered separately from marking. Turnitin may also be used to assist with plagiarism detection and collusion, where there is suspicion about individual piece(s) of work. Material submitted for assessment must be the student's own efforts and must be his/her own work. Students are required to sign a declaration indicating that individual work submitted for assessment is their own. Copying from the works of another person constitutes plagiarism, which is an offence. The penalties for plagiarism are applied consistently in all circumstances, notwithstanding the level of the programme of study or whether the offence was considered to be intentional or unintentional. Brief quotations from the published or unpublished works of another person, suitably attributed, are acceptable. The Student Regulations and Policies can be found here: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/study_here/student-contract.php http://www.uclan.ac.uk/study_here/assets/images/assessment-handbook-future1617.pdf 6. Classification of Awards The University publishes the principles underpinning the way in which awards and results are decided in Academic Regulations. Decisions about the overall classification of awards are made by Assessment Boards through the application of the academic and relevant course regulations. In order to successfully complete the Dip HE in Paramedic Practice and apply for registration with the HCPC, you need to pass all modules in Year one and Year two. This will give you an exit award of 240 UCAS points. The classification of awards is based on the ‘Average Percentage Mark (APM)’ which is a calculation derived from the marks achieved in each specified module. Classifications are subject to other condition which can be read in more detail in the Academic Regulations: Section H. If you do not pass all of the core modules, and are unable to complete the two year programme, you may be entitled to receive a Certificate of Higher Education in Out-of-Hospital Care. This is known as an ‘Exit Award’ and requires 120 credits at Level 4), further details of which can be found in the Academic Regulations: Section H.

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/study_here/student-contract.php

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/study_here/assets/images/assessment-handbook-future1617.pdf


http://www.uclan.ac.uk/aqasu/academic_regulations.php

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/aqasu/academic_regulations.php

7. Student Feedback You can play an important part in the process of improving the quality of this course through the feedback you give. You can play an important part in the process of improving the quality of this course through the feedback you give. In addition to the on-going discussion

with the course team throughout the year, there are a range of mechanisms for you to feedback about your experience of teaching and learning. We aim to respond to your feedback and let you know of our plans for improvement. In response to last year’s student feedback, some of the hospital placements were amended to be more role specific. The Students Union can support you in voicing your opinion, provide on-going advice and support, and encourage your involvement in all feedback opportunities. They will be requesting that you complete the National Student Survey (during semester 2 for students in their final year of study) or the UCLan Student Survey (all other students). The Students’ Union and University work closely together to ensure that the student voice is heard in all matters of student-life. We encourage students to provide constructive feedback throughout their time at university, through course reps, surveys and any other appropriate means. The Union’s Student Affairs Committee (SAC), members of Students’ Council and School Presidents each have particular representative responsibilities, and are involved with decision making committees as high as the University Board. Therefore it is very important students engage with the democratic processes of the Students’ Union and elect the students they see as most able to represent them. Course Representatives and School Presidents A course representative is a student who represents their fellow students’ views and opinions to the course team, school, university and students’ union. Course representatives work proactively and diplomatically to improve the academic and non-academic experiences of students. The role of a course representative is extremely beneficial to both students on your course and the university. It enables students to have ownership of their student experience and voice their opinions and share positive practice with the course team, primarily the Student Staff Liaison Committee Meetings (see below). Course representatives will be elected every year either in April or September. Alongside receiving recognition, support and respect being a course representative is a great opportunity to enhance your employability skills. If you are interested in becoming a course representative and wish to find out more about the role visit the Students’ Union website or by emailing: [email protected].

http://www.uclansu.co.uk/


School Presidents meanwhile are annually elected representatives who voice the opinions of students within each school. They communicate and engage with students in their school to gain feedback and work in partnership with senior management to create positive change. They are also trained to support and signpost course representatives where needed. If you wish to find out who is your School President or more about the role visit the Students’ Union website or email: [email protected]. 7.1 Student Staff Liaison Committee meetings (SSLCs) Details of the Protocol for the operation of SSLCs is included in section 8.2 of the University Student Handbook. The purpose of a SSLC meeting is to provide the opportunity for course representatives to feedback to staff about the course, the overall student experience and to inform developments which will improve future courses. These meetings are normally scheduled once per semester. Your Course Leader will facilitate the meetings using guidelines and provide a record of the meeting with any decisions and / or responses made and / or actions taken as a result of the discussions held. The meetings include discussion of items forwarded by course representatives, normally related to the following agenda items (dependent on time of year). The course team encourage student feedback in all areas and recognise that additional items for discussion may also be raised at the meeting: • Update on actions completed since the last meeting • Feedback about the previous year – discussion of external examiner’s report; outcomes

of National /UCLan student surveys • Review of enrolment / welcome week experience; • Course organisation and management (from each individual year group, and the course

overall); • Experience of modules - teaching, assessment, feedback; • Experience of academic support which may include e.g. Personal Development Planning,

personal tutoring arrangements and The Card; • Other aspects of University life relevant to student experience e.g. resources, IT, library; • Any other issues raised by students or staff If you choose to become a student representative, meetings will be scheduled at the start of the year and you will be informed of the dates and times by Campus Admin. The course leader will contact you prior to the meeting to obtain a list of agenda items which will be discussed at the meeting. Minutes will be taken during the meeting and sent out to each representative so that actions can be removed once they are completed.

http://www.uclansu.co.uk/schoolpresidents



8. Appendices 8.1 Programme Specification(s)

Appendix I

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL LANCASHIRE

Programme Specification

This Programme Specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.

(Sources of information on the programme can be found in Section 17)

1. Awarding Institution / Body University of Central Lancashire

2. Teaching Institution and Location of Delivery

University of Central Lancashire Preston Campus

3. University School/Centre School of Health Sciences

4. External Accreditation Health & Care Professions Council

5. Title of Final Award Diploma of Higher Education, Paramedic Practice

6. Modes of Attendance offered Full time

7. UCAS Code B781

8. Relevant Subject Benchmarking Group(s)

QAA Subject Benchmark (Paramedic) HCPC Standards of Proficiency (Paramedic) HCPC Standards of Education and Training College of Paramedics Curriculum Guidelines

9. Other external influences Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee; Clinical Practice Guidelines

10. Date of production/revision of this form January, 2014

11. Aims of the Programme

To develop competent, knowledgeable and professional paramedics

To develop practitioners who can work both autonomously and as part of a wider multi-disciplinary team, in the best interests of their patients

To promote the concepts of research and evidence-based practice in the out-of-hospital care environment

12. Learning Outcomes, Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods

A. Knowledge and Understanding

A1

A2

A3

A4

A5

A6

A7

A8

Apply their knowledge and understanding of anatomy, physiology and pharmacology to optimise patient outcomes Understand the relationship between societal influences and health, in the context of the diverse cultures and communities in which their patients live Discuss the effect of political, professional, legal and ethical frameworks on out-of-hospital patient care Respond to the psychological needs of their patients and others in the out-of-hospital setting Understand the need for diverse communication and interpersonal strategies Employ knowledge of health, health education and health promotion in order to offer advice to service users Understand the concepts of research and evidence based practice to pre-hospital care Understand the structures and processes within the ambulance service and wider health and social care systems that support them in their role

Teaching and Learning Methods Key lectures; seminars; discussion groups; debates; use of the virtual learning environment; skills laboratory practical demonstration and supervised practice with the use of service users; supportive, evidenced based practice integrated throughout.

Assessment Methods

Examinations, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE’s), case studies, essays, literature reviews and personal portfolio.

B. Subject-Specific Skills

B1

B2

B3

B4

B5

B6

Demonstrate competence in all relevant aspects of person-centred care Assess and evaluate the clinical status of patients in order to appropriately treat or refer Demonstrate management of self and others in the delivery of out-of-hospital care Apply relevant research and other evidence to inform paramedic practice Use information technology efficiently to transfer key patient data and log their own practice and practice development Modify their communication strategies and interpersonal skills in response to individual circumstance

Teaching and Learning Methods

Key lectures; demonstration and practical simulated cases; role play; case study analysis; directed study; bibliographic data searches; critical appraisal tools; debates; group work; enquiry based approach to learning. Service user involvement.

Assessment Methods

OSCE combined with an oral viva, poster presentations practice assessment documentation, literature review.

C. Thinking Skills

C1

C2

C3

C4

C5

Make clinical decisions based on sound professional and ethical judgement Analyse critical incidents using reflective approaches to provide practical solutions to clinical problems Adapt and change care delivery strategies in response to complex and unpredictable situations Evaluate the effects of different actions and the consequences of non- intervention in order to make informed professional judgements Plan coherent clinical strategies to meet individual patient needs


Key lectures; small group work; seminars; presentation; oral viva; practice assessment documentation;

Assessment Methods Presentation; oral viva; practice assessment documentation; written assignment; poster presentation.

D. Other Skills Relevant to Employability and Personal Development

D1

D2

D3

D4

D5

D6

D7

Reflect on own performance in order to inform future practice Utilise the concept of lifelong learning in order to improve patient outcomes Communicate effectively using verbal and written means Reflect on their skills and attributes to evidence their continuing professional development in line with regulatory body requirements Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to support effective patient care delivery Take responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of self and others whilst working in the out-of-hospital setting Use numerical data accurately and effectively in out-of-hospital care delivery


Reflective practice; study skills; writing skills; key lectures; small group work; directed study; virtual learning environment.

Assessment Methods

Annotated bibliography; written assignment; examination; OSCE’s; presentation; oral viva; practice assessment documentation.

13. Programme Structures*

14. Awards and Credits* Level

Module Code

Module Title

Credit Rating

Level 5

NU2113

NU2114

NU2115

NU2116

NU2641

Emergency Care of Women and Children in the Out-of-Hospital Setting Assessment and Management of the Acutely Ill Adult in the Out-of-Hospital Setting Managing Traumatic Injuries in the Out-of Hospital Setting Applying Evidence and Research to Paramedic Practice Community Engagement

20

40

20

20

20

Diploma of Higher Education in Paramedic Practice

(Requires 240 credits including a

minimum of 120 at Level 5)

Level 4

NU1102

NU1104

Nu1105

NU1023

NU1024

NU1025

NU1026

Learning to Learn Ethics, Law and Professionalism Introduction to Medicines Management Anatomy and Physiology Applied to Paramedic Practice Applying Skills to the Out-of-Hospital Setting Safeguarding Vulnerable People in the Out-of-Hospital Setting Introduction to Paramedic Practice

10

20

10

20

20

20

20

Certificate of Higher Education in Out-of-Hospital Care

(Exit award)

(Requires 120 credits at Level 4)

15. Personal Development Planning

The Personal Development Planning (PDP) process within this curriculum will be designed to assist the students to get the most from their time at University. It is intended to provide them with a structured and supported process through which they can reflect on their learning, performance and/or achievements and plan for their personal, educational and career development. By becoming actively involved in PDP the students will improve their capacity to understand what and how they are learning, and how to review, plan and take responsibility for their own future development. PDP will be encouraged during the course from day one, through to graduation. Once the students have completed the course they will be expected to utilise PDP as qualified paramedics to organise and plan their ongoing professional development. The students will look at the meaning of Personal Development Planning specifically in NU1102, “Learning to Learn” and NU2116, “Applying Evidence and Research to Paramedic Practice”, although other modules will also influence and support development both from personal and professional angles.

A variety of approaches will be offered to promote personal and professional development e.g. workshops, suggested reading, suggested activities to be undertaken online or in the classroom, individually or in a group. The students will be expected to record their personal and professional development, and share this where appropriate, by using a portfolio. They will be allocated a personal tutor at the start of the course who will assist them in this process, through compulsory timetabled PDP sessions. All modules enable the students to gradually develop skills that will be transferable to a variety of stages within their career. For example IT skills are developed at level 4, as are communication and interpersonal skills. Problem solving and decision-making skills will be introduced at level 4 and enhanced at level 5. Presentation skills are established through module assignments and also through activities such as patient handovers in Accident and Emergency (A&E) settings, and other areas of clinical practice. Inter-professional collaboration is an important aspect of all health care professions in the 21st century and the students will develop skills in this area from the start of the course to promote integrated learning and working. These skills will be integrated throughout the programme and expanded upon in NU2641, “Community Engagement” with consolidation at the end of the course, subsequently assisting the transition from student to qualified paramedic.

During the course the students will be required to complete a portfolio, in which they will document and reflect upon their progress over the two year programme. The portfolio will include templates to help them reflect upon their skills and areas for development, enabling them to plan any particular study activities they may need to pursue e.g. writing skills. There will also be templates in the portfolio designed to help the students to reflect upon the experiences they gain in practice. This is an important approach to learning in health care. The students will be encouraged to share these reflections with their clinical mentor, their personal tutor, fellow students and/or their module leaders. There are also key skills that the students will be expected to develop during the course i.e. literacy, numeracy, information retrieval and analysis, communication, interpersonal, team working skills as well as a wide range of practical skills. As they progress through the course, additional skills such as self and supervisory management and problem solving skills will also be developed. These all come together during, NU2116 “Applying Evidence and Research to Paramedic Practice” where the students will use skills developed during the course in both their academic and clinical work. They will be expected to use their portfolio throughout the duration of the course to demonstrate how they have developed as paramedics and will also be encouraged to continue to maintain this portfolio following graduation and registration. Also, as part of the PDP strategy, a ‘healthy living’ theme will be promoted throughout the curriculum that will encourage the students to live healthily and maintain their physical fitness in preparation for employment as qualified paramedics.

16. Admissions Criteria Programme Specifications include minimum entry requirements, including academic qualifications, together with appropriate experience and skills required for entry to study. These criteria may be expressed as a range rather than a specific grade. Amendments to entry requirements may have been made after these documents were published and you should consult the University’s website for the most up to date information. Students will be informed of their personal minimum entry criteria in their offer letter.

A minimum of 280 UCAS points across 3 A-levels or equivalent. Approved equivalents include:

• Open College Access to HE Course • BTEC National Diploma • Open University Certificate in a relevant subject area at Level 4 • NVQ – Level 4 in a relevant subject area • CACHE Diploma

Evidence of literacy and numeracy is required as detailed below:

Maths/Numeracy

• GCSE Maths at Grade C • Functional skills Maths level 2 • Key skills application of number level 3

English/Literacy

• GCSE English Grade C • Functional skills English level 2 • Key skills communication level 3 • Adult literacy level 2

English and Maths within an Access Course

• NB: This award is only acceptable within an Access Course and the awarding body is

Ascentis.

Aged 18 years or over at the start of the course

Applicants must possess a full clean UK manual driver’s licence at the start of the course. They must also have provisional C1 entitlement added to their licence. This will be checked at the selection event.

Applicants must be physically fit and have the strength to lift and carry patients and equipment. This will be assessed by occupational health.

Applicants must be able and prepared to undertake shift work e.g. night duty, evenings, religious festivals and weekends. Evidence of good health and good character is required and assessed by medical screening and DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) enhanced disclosure. We are currently unable to accept international applicants to this course. If you are a United Kingdom (UK) citizen but English is not your first language you must have an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7 or more.

17. Key sources of information about the programme

• Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) Web Site. www.hpc-uk.org

• Guide to Student Regulations (UCLan web site). www.uclan.ac.uk

• School of Health Student Handbook

• Course Information and Flyers (UCLan website) www.uclan.ac.uk


http://www.uclan.ac.uk/

https://intranet.uclan.ac.uk/ou/health/learning-repository/StudentAccessibleFiles/School%20of%20Health%20Student%20Handbook.pdf

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/

8. Curriculum Skills Map

Please tick in the relevant boxes where individual Programme Learning Outcomes are being assessed

Level Module Code Module Title

Core (C) Compulsory (COMP) or Option (O)

Programme Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding Subject-Specific Skills

A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6

Leve

l 5

NU2113 Emergency Care of Women and Children in the Out-of-Hospital Setting

C X X X X X X X X

NU2114 Assessment and Management of the Acutely Ill Adult in the Out-of-Hospital Setting

C X X X X X X X X

NU2115 Managing Traumatic Injuries in the Out-of-Hospital Setting C X X X X X X X X

NU2116 Applying Evidence and Research to Paramedic Practice

C X X X X X

NU2641 Community Engagement C X X X X X X

Le

vel 4

NU1102 Learning to Learn C X X X

NU1104 Ethics, Law and Professionalism C X X X X X X X X

NU1105 Introduction to Medicines Management C X X X X X

NU1023 Anatomy and Physiology Applied to Paramedic Practice C X X X

NU1024 Applying Skills to the Out-of-Hospital Setting C X X X X X X X X X X X

NU1025 Safeguarding Vulnerable People in the Out-of-Hospital Setting

C X X X X X X X X

NU1026 Introduction to Paramedic Practice C X X X X X X X

8. Curriculum Skills Map

Level Module Code Module Title

Core (C) Compulsory (COMP) or Option (O)

Programme Learning Outcomes

Thinking Skills Other Skills Relevant to Employability & Personal Development

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7

Leve

l 5

NU2113 Emergency Care of Women and Children in the Out-of-Hospital Setting

C X X X X X X X X X X

NU2114 Assessment and Management of the Acutely Ill Adult in the Out-of-Hospital Setting

C X X X X X X X X X X X

NU2115 Managing Traumatic Injuries in the Out-of-Hospital Setting C X X X X X X X X X X X

NU2116 Applying Evidence and Research to Paramedic Practice C X X X X X

NU2641 Community Engagement C X X X X X X X X

Leve

l 4

NU1102 Learning to Learn C X X

NU1104 Ethics, Law and Professionalism C X X X X X X X X X

NU1105 Introduction to Medicines Management C X X X X X X

NU1023 Anatomy and Physiology Applied to Paramedic Practice C X

NU1024 Applying Skills to the Out-of-Hospital Setting C X X X X X X X X X X X

NU1025 Safeguarding Vulnerable People in the Out-of-Hospital Setting C X X X X X X X X X X

NU1026 Introduction to Paramedic Practice C X X X X X X X X

Addendum for the DipHE Paramedic Practice Course Handbook 2017

Changes to the summative assessments on Page 16 Assessment Table:

NU2113 has changed to one OSCE with a 70% weighting for 30 minute duration covering learning outcomes 1 and 3 and 1 Viva with 30% weighting for 20 minutes covering learning outcomes 2 and 4.

NU2114 has changed to one written assignment 100% 2000 words covering learning outcomes 1,2 3 and 5.

1

University Student Handbook

2017/18 Please read this Handbook in conjunction with your Course Handbook. All course materials, including lecture notes and other additional materials related to your course and provided to you, whether electronically or in hard copy, as part of your study, are the property of (or licensed to) UCLan and MUST not be distributed, sold, published, made available to others or copied other than for your personal study use unless you have gained written permission to do so from the Dean/Head of School. This applies to the materials in their entirety and to any part of the materials. This Handbook is produced centrally and locked for editing. Partner institutions only are given permission to contextualise the Handbook.

2

UCLan Mission statement We create positive change in our students, staff, business partners and wider communities, enabling them to develop their full potential by providing excellent higher education, innovation and research. UCLan Values

• The pursuit of excellence in all that we do. • Equality of opportunity for all, supporting the rights and freedoms of our diverse

community. • The advancement and protection of knowledge, freedom of speech and enquiry. • Supporting the health, safety and wellbeing of all.

Student Charter The Student Charter has been developed by the University and the Students’ Union so that students gain the maximum from their UCLan experience. It is a two-way commitment or ‘contract’ between the University and each individual student. It acts as a means of establishing in black and white what students can expect from the University and the Union in terms of support, and in return what we expect from our students. Read the full Student Charter Supporting Diversity at UCLan UCLan recognises and values individual difference and has a public duty to promote equality and remove discrimination on various grounds including race, gender, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation and age. During your time at UCLan we expect you to be able to

• experience "an integrated community based on mutual respect and tolerance where all staff and students can feel safe, valued and supported."

• contribute to creating a positive environment where discriminatory practices and discrimination no longer happen. Please review the UCLan Equality and Diversity Policy for further information.

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/study_here/student_charter.php

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/study_here/student_charter.php

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/uclan/equality_diversity/index.php

3

Contents page 1. Welcome and Introduction to the University 2. Learning Resources 3. Preparing for your career 4. Student support 5. Students’ Union 6. Rationale, aims and learning outcomes of the course 7. Assessment 8. Student Voice

4

1. Welcome and Introduction to the University The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) welcomes you and hopes that you will enjoy studying at UCLan and that you will find your course both interesting and rewarding. Part one of this Handbook provides you with generic University level information and the Course Handbook provides specific information about your programme of study. 1.1 Communication The University expects you to use your UCLan email address and check regularly for messages from staff. If you send us email messages from other addresses they risk being filtered out as potential spam and discarded as unread. 1.2 External Examiner The University has appointed an External Examiner to your course who helps to ensure that the standards of your course are comparable to those provided at other higher education institutions in the UK. External Examiner reports will be made available to you electronically. The School will also send a sample of student coursework to the external examiner(s) for external moderation purposes, once it has been marked and internally moderated by the course tutors. The sample will include work awarded the highest and lowest marks and awarded marks in the middle range. Details of the External Examiner associated with your course can be found in your Course Handbook. 1.3 Expected hours of study The normal amount of work involved in achieving a successful outcome to your studies is to study for 10 hours per each credit you need to achieve – this includes attendance at UCLan and time spent in private study. Please note however that this may vary depending on your particular course and programme of study. You should therefore check your Course Handbook or contact a member of staff within the relevant School. 1.4 Attendance Requirements Student attendance at timetabled learning activities of courses and modules is required. Notification of illness or exceptional requests for leave of absence must be made as detailed in the Course Handbook. Individual modules and/or courses may incorporate a specific attendance requirement as part of the assessment criteria for successful completion of a module. Students with continuous unauthorised absence may be deemed to have withdrawn from the course. The date of withdrawal will be recorded as the last day of attendance. You may appeal this decision by following the Complaints Procedure You must swipe in using your student card. Each time you are asked to enter your details on the Student Attendance Monitoring system (SAM) you must remember that the University has a responsibility to keep information up to date. You must only enter your own details on the system as to enter any other names would result in inaccurate records and be dishonest. Any student who is found to make false entries, such as scanning but not attending, can be disciplined under the Regulations for the Conduct of Students 1.5 Data Protection All of the personal information obtained from you and other sources in connection with your studies at the University will be held securely and will be used by the University both during your course and after you leave the University for a variety of purposes. These purposes are all explained during the enrolment process at the commencement of your studies. If you would like a more detailed explanation of the University’s policy on the use and disclosure of

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/study_here/assets/images/student-complaints-current.pdf

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/study_here/assets/images/regulations-for-the-conduct-of-students-current.pdf

5

personal information, please see the University’s Data Protection Policy and Privacy Notice or contact the Information Governance Officer, Clerk to the Board Service, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE or email [email protected].

2. Learning resources 2.1 Learning Information Services (LIS) Extensive resources are available to support your studies provided by LIS – library and IT staff. Take advantage of the free training sessions designed to enable you to gain all the skills you need for your research and study.

You can find the link to the Library Opening Hours here: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/library/opening_hours.php 2.2 Electronic Resources LIS provide access to a range of electronic resources – e-journals and databases, e-books, images and texts.

3. Preparing for your career Your future is important to us, so to make sure that you achieve your full potential whilst at university and beyond, your course has employability learning integrated into it. This is not extra to your degree, but an important part of it.

Your course will take you on a journey of development that will help you to map your personal story of your time at university.

You will be encouraged to record your learning journey so that you can demonstrate all the work-related skills you have developed, both before and during your time at UCLan. This will help you to show future employers just how valuable your degree is and the employability skills you have acquired.

• You will be given the opportunity to explore your identity, your strengths and areas for development, your values and what you want to get out of life.

• You will be able to investigate a range of options, including jobs and work experience, postgraduate study and self-employment.

• We will support you to enable you to successfully tackle the recruitment process and to develop your enterprise skills.

UCLan Careers offers a range of support for you including:-

• One to one career and employability advice and guidance appointments. • Advice on finding graduate jobs, including how to improve your CV with work placements,

internships, voluntary opportunities and part-time employment. • Workshops, seminars, and events to enhance your learning and develop your skills. • Employer presentations and events, to give you the chance to network with potential

employers and find out from them what they are looking for.

Our drop-in service is available from 09:00-17:00, Monday to Thursday, 9:00-16:00 on Fridays. We offer CV and cover letter checks, careers information and can tell you about our full range of services. For more information come along and visit the team (in Foster building

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near the main entrance) or access our careers and employability resources via the Student Portal

It’s your future: take charge of it!

UCLan Careers | Foster Building | University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE 01772 895858 [email protected] www.uclan.ac.uk/careers

4. Student support, guidance and conduct 4.1 Student Support “Got a Problem to Sort? Come to us for Support”.

The <i> is your first point of call for all enquiries, help and advice. We provide guidance to all UCLan students whatever the query may be. We are based on the ground floor of the UCLan Library and open 7 days a week most of the year. Our friendly and approachable team will do their best to ensure your query is answered. Come and have a chat with us if you have a query on any aspect of student life and study. http://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/library/the_i.php

4.2 Students with disabilities You are strongly encouraged to declare your disability on your application form when you apply to study at UCLan. If you have declared this Disability Services will be in contact with you to advise you about reasonable adjustments which may be appropriate in the circumstances. You can also tell any member of staff at the University, who will ask you to sign a disability disclosure form, to let the Disability Service know that you have a disability and agree to share this information with them. Disability Services will then get in touch with you to discuss your available options. Following this you will be assigned a Disability Adviser whom you can contact should you need any further help or assistance. https://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/health/disability_services.php 4.3 Assessment arrangements for students with a disability Arrangements are made for students who have a disability/specific learning difficulty for which valid supporting evidence can be made available. Contact your Disability Adviser for advice and information, [email protected]

4.4 Health and Safety As a student of the University you share responsibility for the safety of yourself and for that of others around you. You must understand and follow all the regulations and safety codes necessary for a safe campus environment. Please help to keep it safe by reporting any incidents, accidents or potentially

unsafe situations to a member of staff as soon as possible. Safety assessments have been undertaken for each module of your course and you will be advised of all applicable safety codes and any specific safety issues during the induction to your course and modules. You must ensure that you understand and apply all necessary safety codes. These form an essential element of your personal development and contribute to the safety of others. 4.5 Conduct You will be expected to abide by the Regulations for the Conduct of Students in the University. UCLan expects you to behave in a respectful manner towards all members of

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the University at all times demonstrated by using appropriate language in class, switching mobile phones / other devices off prior to attending classes, and also in your use of any social networking sites. If your behaviour is considered to be unacceptable, any member of staff is able to issue an informal oral warning and the University will support staff by invoking formal procedures where necessary. You can read more about UCLan expectations in the regulations for the Conduct of Students.

5. Students’ Union You can play an important part in the process of improving the quality of your course through the feedback you give. In addition to the ongoing discussion with the course team throughout the year, there are a range of mechanisms for you to feed back about your experience of teaching and learning. Where

appropriate, we aim to respond to your feedback and let you know of our plans for improvement. The Students’ Union is the representative body for all UCLan students. The organisation exists separately from the University and is led by the elected officers of the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) as well as representatives on the Students’ Council. The Students’ Union building is located at the heart of the Preston campus, and is the hub for all student activities. Representation and campaigning for students’ rights is at the core of what the Students’ Union does and is encompassed by its tag line of, Making Life Better for Students. Should you wish to make a change to any aspect of your student experience, whether it be academically related or not, then the Students’ Union is where your voice can be heard, actions taken, or campaigns launched. Your Students’ Union is also the home to a fantastic range of student-led societies, sports teams and multitudes of volunteering opportunities. You can also receive help in finding part-time work, whilst you study. Not sure where to go? Pop into the Opportunities Centre on the ground floor of the Students’ Union building and someone will point you in the right direction. We hope your time at University is trouble free, but should you come into difficulties around anything from academic appeals, to issues with housing, benefits or debt, then the Student Union’s dedicated staff team in the Advice and Representation Centre are on hand to help and offer impartial advice. More information on all these things, as well as details about all the Student Union’s (not-for-profit) commercial services, including its student supermarket (Essentials) and student-bar (Source) can be found at www.uclansu.co.uk 6. Rationale, aims and learning outcomes of the course 6.1 You will find information specific to your chosen course of study in your Course Handbook, in the form of a ‘programme specification’. As defined by the QAA (Quality Assurance Agency) - the regulatory body responsible for overseeing quality compliance in the Higher Education Sector - a programme specification is a concise description of the intended learning outcomes of an HE programme. It is the means by which the outcomes are achieved and demonstrated. In general, modules or other units of study have stated outcomes, often set out in handbooks provided by institutions to inform student choice. These intended learning outcomes relate directly to the curriculum, study and assessment methods and criteria used to assess performance. Programme specifications can show how modules can be combined into whole qualifications. However, a programme specification is

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not simply an aggregation of module outcomes; it relates to the learning and attributes developed by the programme as a whole and which, in general, are typically in HE more than the sum of the parts. 6.2 Sometimes certain aspects of courses may be subject to change. Applicants are encouraged to check information on our relevant course pages from time to time, particularly before submitting any application for their academic year of study. Material changes about a course will be notified to you in material produced after the change is made and at the time you are made any offer of a place of study for that course. For details about changes to course information after you have accepted any offer, please see our Additional Information and Conditions of Offer

7. Assessment Please note that all modules will be assessed. You are expected to attempt all required assessments for each module for which you are registered, and to do so at the times scheduled unless authorised extensions, special arrangements for disability, or extenuating circumstances have been expressly agreed by the

University to allow you to defer your assessment. 7.1 Dealing with difficulties in meeting assessment deadlines Assignments must be submitted no later than the time and date on your assignment instructions / brief. If you anticipate that you will have difficulty in meeting assessment deadlines or you have missed or are likely to miss in-semester tests you must report this at the earliest possible opportunity. An academic staff member, such as your Academic Advisor or Module or Course Leader, will be able to provide advice to you on how to do this. Extenuating Circumstances are defined as unforeseen, unpreventable circumstances that significantly disrupt student performance in assessment. Where students have a temporary unexpected circumstance that means that they are unable to complete a particular assignment on time the student may apply for an extension of up to ten working days. 7.2 Extensions Authorisation of the late submission of work requires written permission. Your School is authorised to give permission for one extension period of between 1 and 10 working days where appropriate evidence of good reason has been accepted and where submission within this timescale would be reasonable taking into account your circumstances. Requests for extensions should be made prior to the submission date as extensions cannot be given Retrospectively (Academic Regulations). You should complete and submit an extension request form, with any supporting evidence, to your CAS Hub. Further information is available on the Student Portal at: https://www.uclan.ac.uk/students/study/examinations_and_awards/extensions.php We aim to let you know if the extension has been granted within 1 working day of the receipt of the request. If you are unable to submit work within 10 working days after the submission date due to verifiable extenuating circumstances, you may submit a case for consideration in accordance with the University’s Policies and Procedures on Extenuating Circumstances (Academic Regulations and Assessment Handbook).

7.3 Extenuating circumstances Some students face significant events in their personal life that occur after their course has started, which have a greater impact on their studies than can be solved by the use of an extension. If this applies to you, the University is ready




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to support you, with both your course and your personal wellbeing, through a process called Extenuating Circumstances (see Academic Regulations and Assessment Handbook) You can apply for Extenuating Circumstances online via myUCLan. You must apply no later than 3 days after any examination or assessment submission date. Do not wait until you receive your assessment results to submit a claim. It is in your own interests to submit the claim as soon as possible. You will be expected to re-submit claims for extenuating circumstances for each semester in which they apply. All evidence provided relating to extenuating circumstances will be treated in a sensitive and confidential manner. Supporting evidence will not be kept for longer than is necessary and will be destroyed shortly after the end of the current academic year. Further information about the submission process In determining assessment recommendations, Assessment Boards will consider properly submitted claims from students who believe their performance has been adversely affected by extenuating circumstances. N.B. Assessment Boards are not permitted to alter individual assessment marks to take account of extenuating circumstances (Academic Regulations and Assessment Handbook).

7.4 Late submissions If you submit work late without authorisation, a universal penalty will be applied in relation to your work: • If you submit work within 5 working days following the published submission

date you will obtain the minimum pass mark for that element of assessment. • Work submitted later than 5 working days after the published submission date will be

awarded a mark of 0% for that element of assessment. • Unauthorised late submission at resubmission will automatically be awarded a mark of 0%

for that element of assessment. You may apply to appeal this decision in accordance with the University’s Academic Regulations. 7.5 Feedback Following Assessments UCLan is committed to giving you clear, legible and informative feedback for all your assessments (Academic Regulations). You are expected to review and reflect on your feedback and learn from each experience to improve your performance as you progress though the course. For courses (except distance learning): You will be provided with generic feedback for in-module formative and summative elements of assessment which contribute to a module within 15 working days of the scheduled submission or examination date. Generic feedback on end of module assessment and dissertations will be made available within 15 days of publication of results. Generic feedback may be oral, written, posted on a website or other. For distance learning courses: You will be provided with generic feedback for in-module formative and summative elements of assessment which contribute to a module within 20 working days of the scheduled submission or examination date. Generic feedback on end of module assessment and dissertations will be made available within 20 days of publication of results. Generic feedback may be oral, written, posted on a website or other.


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7.6 Unfair Means to Enhance Performance The University regards any use of unfair means in an attempt to enhance performance or to influence the standard of award obtained as a serious academic and/or disciplinary offence. Such offences can include, without limitation, cheating, plagiarism, collusion and re-presentation (‘unfair means’).

You are required to sign a declaration indicating that individual work submitted for assessment is your own and will be able to view your Originality Report following e-submission of assessed work. If you attempt to influence the standard of the award you obtain through cheating, plagiarism or collusion, it will be considered as a serious academic and disciplinary offence as described within the Academic Regulations and the Assessment Handbook .

• Cheating is any deliberate attempt to deceive and covers a range of offences described in the Assessment Handbook.

• Plagiarism describes copying from the works of another person without suitably attributing the published or unpublished works of others. This means that all quotes, ideas, opinions, music and images should be acknowledged and referenced within your assignments.

• Collusion is an attempt to deceive the examiners by disguising the true authorship of an assignment by copying, or imitating in close detail another student’s work - this includes with the other student’s consent and also when 2 or more students divide the elements of an assignment amongst themselves and copy one another’s answers. It does not include the normal situation in which you learn from your peers and share ideas, as this generates the knowledge and understanding necessary for each individual to independently undertake an assignment; nor should it be confused with group work on an assignment which is specifically authorised in the assignment brief.

• Re-presentation is an attempt to gain credit twice for the same piece of work. The process of investigation and penalties which will be applied can be reviewed in the Assessment Handbook. If an allegation is found to be proven then the appropriate penalty will be implemented as set out below: In the case of a single offence of unfair means in an undergraduate or postgraduate assessment:

• the appropriate penalty will be 0% for the element of assessment, and an overall fail for the module (whether or not the resulting numeric average mark is above or below the minimum pass mark). The affected element of the assessment must be resubmitted to the required standard. The mark for the module following resubmission will be restricted to the minimum pass mark. Where unfair means is detected for the first time on a reassessment for an already failed module, no further reassessment for the module will be permitted, and the appropriate fail grade will be awarded. In the event of a repeat offence of unfair means (irrespective of whether the repeat offence involves the same form of unfair means) on the same or any other module within the course:

• the appropriate penalty will be 0% for the module with no opportunity for re-assessment. This penalty does not preclude you being able to retake the module in a subsequent year. The penalties will apply if you transfer from one UCLan course to another during your period of study and module credits gained on the former course are transferred to the current course. Contact the Students’ Union Advice and Representation Centre by emailing: [email protected] for support and guidance.







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7.7 Appeals against assessment board decisions If you consider that you have a reason to appeal against an assessment board decision, please bear in mind that your reasons must fall within the grounds specified in the University Academic Regulations: Section I. You cannot appeal simply because you disagree with the mark given. The specified grounds for appeal are: 1. that an Assessment Board has given insufficient weight to extenuating circumstances; 2. that the student’s academic performance has been adversely affected by extenuating circumstances which the student has, for good reason, been unable to make known to the Assessment Board; 3. that there has been a material administrative error at a stage of the examining process, or that some material irregularities have occurred; 4. that the assessment procedure and/or examinations have not been conducted in accordance with the approved regulations (this fourth ground will not be relevant to an appeal against a decision relating to an interruption or discontinuance of study. Such an appeal should be based on one or more of the three grounds above. If you want to appeal, then you must do so within 14 days of your results being published. The onus is on you to find out your results and submit your appeal on time. Contact the Students' Union Advice and Representation Centre by emailing: [email protected] for support and guidance.

8. Student voice You can play an important part in the process of improving the quality of this course through the feedback you give. In addition to the on-going discussion with the course team throughout the year, there are a range of mechanisms for you to feedback about your experience of teaching and learning. We aim to respond to your feedback and let you know of our plans for improvement.

The Students Union can support you in voicing your opinion, provide on-going advice and support and encourage your involvement in all feedback opportunities. They will be requesting that you complete the National Student Survey (during semester 2 for students in their final year of study) or the UCLan Student Survey (all other students). The Students’ Union and University work closely together to ensure that the student voice is heard in all matters of student-life. We encourage students to provide constructive feedback throughout their time at university, through course reps, surveys and any other appropriate means. The Union’s Student Affairs Committee (SAC), members of Students’ Council and School Presidents each have particular representative responsibilities and are involved with decision making committees at levels as high as the University Board. Therefore it is very important students engage with the democratic processes of the Students’ Union and elect the students they see as most able to represent them. 8.1 Course Representatives and School Presidents A course representative is a student who represents their fellow students’ views and opinions to the course team, school, university and students’ union. Course representatives work proactively and diplomatically to improve the academic and non-academic experiences of students.




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The role of a course representative is extremely beneficial to both students on your course and the University. It enables students to have ownership of their student experience, to voice their opinions and to share positive practice with the course team, primarily at the Student Staff Liaison Committee Meetings (see below). Course representatives will be elected every year either in April or September. Alongside receiving recognition, support and respect, being a course representative is a great opportunity to enhance your employability skills. If you are interested in becoming a course representative and wish to find out more about the role visit the Students’ Union website or by emailing: [email protected]. School Presidents are annually elected representatives who voice the opinions of students within each school. They communicate and engage with students in their school to gain feedback and work in partnership with senior management to create positive change. They are also trained to support and signpost course representatives where needed. If you wish to find out who your School President is or more about the role visit the Students’ Union website or email: [email protected]

8.2 Student Staff Liaison Committee Meetings (SSLC) The purpose of a SSLC meeting is to improve courses, to have an open discussion and respect each other’s views, to share good practice where identified, to provide opportunity for students to feedback to staff about their course and student experience, to regularly review the course to improve its development, and to jointly work together to action plan

against issues raised. There will normally be one meeting per semester which will last no more than 2 hours. Your School President will Chair the meetings with an academic co-Chair, using guidelines and will provide a record of the meeting with any decisions and / or responses made and / or actions taken as a result of the discussions held. A standard agenda and action grid template will be used. Course representatives will gather feedback from students and communicate this to the School President in advance of the meetings. 8.3 Complaints The University recognises that there may be occasions when you have cause for complaint about the service you have received. When this happens, the University’s Complaints Procedure is intended to provide an accessible, fair and straightforward system which ensures an effective, prompt and appropriate response. Click on this link for more information University’s Complaints Procedure If you are a student registered for a University award at a partner college, who is dissatisfied with the provision at the college, you should pursue your complaint in accordance with the college’s complaints procedure in the first instance. In the event of continuing dissatisfaction when you have completed the college’s procedure, you will be entitled to submit your complaint to UCLan.







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Documents

Course Handbook template 2017/18 · 2017-04-05 · Course Handbook . Diploma of Higher Education, Paramedic Practice . Date of publication: March 2017 . Course Leader: Simon Dykes