Institute for Communication and Media International Communication Student Manual Academic Counselling: Your Personal Professional Development

Year 2 2011-2012

Table of Contents ACC year 2

Academic Counseling:
development 2

Students personal professional

Academic Counseling Assessment Assignments

Semester 1 Semester 2 4 6 7 3 4

Planning

Academic Counseling: Students personal professional development

2

The aim of PPD is to enable students to control their own learning and development process and give meaning to that process in view of what is expected from them as future job practitioners. The overall objectives for four years of personal professional development are:

Directing and regulating ones own development regarding learning-skills,

result Oriented performance, taking initiatives, independent action, flexibility; Thinking and reflecting on, as well as taking responsibility for ones own actions, which demonstrates commitment and self-criticism; Developing a professional attitude allowing for normative-cultural aspects, respect for other people, a professional code, and ethical principles for professional conduct Adding to the professionalism of the industry, publications, contributions to congresses, and so on.

Learning objectives year 2: Students: have made a motivated choice for their year abroad, their study abroad and their internship are able to successfully conduct a job interview procedure can consult each other in a collegial way have planned their study realistically

The central question in year two is: What do I want? The ACC-programme in year 2 is focussed on: Study progress and planning Professional orientation in relation with the year abroad, internships and study abroad and the specializations students can choose in year 4 Reflection on personal motivation and qualities,

Practicing job Interviews, writing application letters, preparation for internship

Academic Counseling Assessment

In some of the blocks a portfolio comprising assignments and/or reports is required. In other blocks participating in a workshop or attending information meetings are required. Portfolios are not graded but are assessed on a pass/fail basis. All work that is not of sufficient quality will automatically receive a failing mark. Full attendance at workshops and other organized meeting are required in order to receive a credit for ACC. Study load: 2 EC; 1 credit (28 hours) per semester. All assignments: Must be submitted in hard copy before the agreed deadline. Must be complete. Must include a cover page with name, student number, class, date and assignments, and page numbers. Must be of sufficient level of English and must be spell checked. All Meetings and workshops need to be attended Resits Note: You are allowed one resit for a course (thus also ACC). This means that if you fail to hand a portfolio in on time for one block, you will be expected to hand it in the first exam week of the next period as a resit. If you fail to do so the second time around you will NOT have another chance. For missed meetings, or any other obligatory activity, the student needs to consult with their AC what to do as a replacing task or assignment.

Assignments
First semester
Assignment 1: Professional Orientation
After you have graduated, you may formally call yourself a junior professional in your educational field. However, a real professional has not only learned a trade but also acts professionally with regard to more general skills at the HBOlevel, such as collecting and processing information, contacting and communicating with colleagues, and sharing knowledge with other professionals. The tasks in this assignment aim at helping you and your colleagues to orient yourselves further to the professional field of international communication. These tasks should also help you in the process of finding the right internship for your third year. You will share your findings of these assignments with your fellow students at the end of the semester. 1.1 Competencies Carefully look at the IC competencies (see Teaching Regulations on MijnHanze.nl), and identify 1) which you feel you already possess, 2) which you feel you lack, and 3) which would be most beneficial for your future development. Discuss. 1.2Professional orientation (internships, jobs, and follow-up courses) A) How to find an internship? It is your own responsibility as an IC student to find an internship. The school will of course support you in this process, but you as students can also help each other. There are many ways in which you can find an internship (by using your personal network, which you will analyse in the next assignment), but many students also use the internet to search for available internships. For this assignment, browse the internet to search for ways how you could find an internship. Find useful websites, platforms, or other sources with possible internships related to IC. Please make a list of all these sources. In addition, find at least three internship vacancies which appeal to you (of course these internships will probably be available now, so maybe not once you will actually have to start your internship). Look at the requirements of these

internships, and for each vacancy identify which IC competencies in the Teaching Regulations relate to these requirements. B)Job Vacancies & Follow-up courses in your educational field Many IC students do not exactly know what they want to do after they have graduated at the Hanze. Some already know that they want to start working at a company or organisation as soon as possible, but others are thinking about maybe doing another study, for example, a Masters programme. For this assignment you can choose either option 1 or option 2, depending on your personal interests (of course you could also do both). Option 1: Last year you were asked to analyse the situations vacant in the field of international communication (for ACC block 1). Doing this assignment again as a second year student will be helpful, as you have learned more about the professional field during the first year. The same task is therefore repeated here: During a month, gather all jobs on offer from newspapers, magazines and the internet that appeal to you. Based on the following list of questions evaluate your personal job folder: 1. How many jobs are there on average in the newspapers for you? Is that encouraging or disappointing? 2. Which job appeals to you? Why? 3. In which field did you find jobs on offer? 4. What are the requirements for your desired jobs? 5. If you were to meet the requirements for the various jobs, which would you apply for and which not? Option 2: Analyse the options for doing follow-up courses in your educational field. Find at least three programmes (e.g. Masters programmes) which you could follow after having graduated at the Hanze, and give a summary of what these programmes entail. Also check the requirements for studying at the universities (for example, are you able to do this study with a Bachelor of Communication?)

Assignment 2: You are who you know

In the first semester term, you will attend the information meetings about study abroad and internship requirements and the orientation meeting on the year abroad , in which 4th-year students give information to 2nd-year students. Next to this, you are asked to make an inventory regarding networks on the principle that your network tells me who you are. The task is to map out your own networks, by listing all the people you know who you consider to be part of your professional network. Please indicate how these people could be of any help

in your professional career (and what you could mean to them with your knowledge/skills). Also consider how this network can be used for the internship, graduation, and during the period after graduation. Finally, answer the question: How can your network be further expanded and improved during the rest of your studies?

Assignment 3: Reflection and planning

In this assignment you should write a reflection report regarding the first semester and two personal objectives for the second semester. If relevant, include a planning for their resits in semester two.

Second semester
Assignment 4: Updating the portfolio
With a view to preparing for your internship, the time has come to review your own portfolio. It might be the case that your possible future host-organisation would like to see some examples of what you have done/produced/written/ developed/created in your professional development. What will you present during your coming application interview at your host-organization? (You could

think of brochures, websites, films, reports, etc.). Please give specific examples. Assignment 5: Reflection on job interview simulation
After the workshop simulation on job interviews, you should write a short conclusion on what you learned from the workshop about your own job interview skills. Please also hand in your cover letter and CV to your AC.

Assignment 6: Reflection report regarding year 2 and personal objectives for year 3, including study planning.
At the end of the study year, a reflection report is written. In addition, the Personal Development Plan (PDP) is updated, i.e. new personal objectives are formulated or previous objectives are updated. You made your first PDP last year in block 4, so you could check the year 1 manual to find a format for the PDP. You should also make a proposal on how you stay in touch with your AC during their year abroad. Note 1: Students will need to plan their resits If necessary (from their second year). In their PDP they describe how they plan this (enrolling through blackboard and asking for the exam to be sent).

Note 2: If the student does his/her internship in periods 1 and 2, he/she will already have to include the personal objectives for the internship to be discussed during the final interview of year 2 in his/her report.

Planning
Semester 1 Period 1
week 1 or 2 AC group meeting To discuss the ACC program and assignments year 2. To mention important dates and information meetings regarding exams, enrolments for courses and exams and information meetings organised. Ac checks with all students their study progress. Explain assignments 1 and 2.

Dividing tasks over students for assignment 1 and setting a day when these assignments are to be handed in. Have students enrol for ACC course and Hanzeatic league

Any week

Individual meeting (optional)

Period 2

At the end of period 2: One AC-group meeting is planned

Presentations and discussion about assignments An individual meeting after period 2 will follow to discuss study results so far and ideas and questions about year abroad students have right now

Additional Information Meetings about year abroad (in period 1 and 2)

Two general information meetings for all second year students are organised: Information meeting/market year abroad: Fourth year students will tell their experiences with their internship and study abroad. Students get the opportunity to ask questions. General information meeting about requirements for study abroad and internships in year 3. On blackboard you will read the announcement about place and time. Organised by internship coordinator and coordinator internationalisation.

Semester 2 Two general information meetings for all second year students will be organised in this semester: 1) Information meeting about minors and specialisations 2) Information meeting about how to find a good internship placement, tools to apply for a job Job interview simulation workshops (In groups of 15): A three hour simulation workshop to practise job interviews is organised in period 3 or 4. Block 4: - deadline assignment 5 Tuesday 26 April 17.00 (lesson week 1 block 4) - students will have an individual meeting to discuss SA (DOP) and choices, wishes for internship and study abroad. At the end of period there will be an individual or a group meeting to discuss study results, pdp and plans for year 3. It is possible that first year IC students approach second year IC students to have a talk with them about the main phase. This is an optional meeting.