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Course profile

Business Industry Placement (RBUS3999)

Study period
Sem 2 2024
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person

Course overview

Study period
Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
Study level
Undergraduate
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person
Units
2
Administrative campus
St Lucia
Coordinating unit
Business School

This course aims to provide final year students with the opportunity to apply conceptual knowledge to the real world via a professional placement. As such, this course strongly links discipline learnings, personal employability skills and attributes developed by students across the duration of their studies with the challenges and expectations of working in industry. In doing so, students have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in their chosen profession and to connect this experience to the development of a workplace ready skill-set. Successful completion of the course will provide students with the employability skills required for transition to the world of work. Further information about how to apply for RBUS3999 can be found on the BEL Faculty's work-integrated learning website.

RBUS3999 is a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) course that provides students with the opportunity to apply their conceptual knowledge to the real world via a professional placement or industry project. The placement allows you to integrate your theoretical and conceptual knowledge with the skills and problem-solving techniques required in the workplace. As such, the course is particularly focused on enabling you to develop your employability skills, gain knowledge, understand the attitudes of business professionals, grow your professional network, and engage with real world business issues.

What is employability?

The University of Queensland has an employability framework that focuses on four themes: 

  • Awareness - understanding employability as both degree knowledge and the attributes that guide workplace performance;
  • Experiences - engaging with a range of experiences to develop the skills and attributes for employability;
  • Learning - uses self-reflection to translate experiences into employability development; and
  • Transfer - communicating employability effectively in the recruitment process and transferring learning into workplace performance.

This means that during this course, you will have the opportunity to: 

  • understand your skills, strengths and areas for development;
  • work on specific projects in an organisation, and develop your role within that organisation;
  • work with a range of diverse people, and assist others and teams with tasks;
  • apply employability skills, and practice your skills to develop them further;
  • reflect on the skills and qualities that enhance your employability; and
  • develop a personal value proposition.

Why is Business Industry Placement important?

Your employability and career success are important outcomes of your degree. The Business Industry Placement aims to develop awareness of your employability strengths, development needs and how to create an action plan to strengthen these needs. Thus, it is structured to promote a valuable industry placement/project, real work experiences and assist in bridging your transformation from student to reflective practitioner. 

Placement/Internship requirements

You will need to undertake an industry work placement (internship) of 80 to 120 hours throughout (or before) the semester. You should find your own work placement in a functional area of management practice in an organisation that is willing to host you and provide meaningful project work to further develop your skills and abilities. As an example, you might choose to complete your internship in one block of 3 or 4 weeks full-time, 3 days a week over 4-5 weeks, or 2 days a week over 7-8 weeks. Completing one day a week of your internship hours is not recommended as experience has shown the likelihood of you being given realistic work tasks and/or being included in the work team is significantly reduced. It is your responsibility to negotiate your working hours with your industry host, as well as manage your time effectively to attend all the scheduled learning activities throughout the semester. Support is available from the BEL Faculty Employability Team to help you source an appropriate host organisation.

NOTE: Before you commence your internship, it is important you first refer to the BEL Work-integrated Learning (WIL) website to familiarise yourself with the process of having your internship approved before it can be considered suitable for course credit. Access the website using this Link. Your internship commencement date should be within 6 months of the start date of the semester in which you are eligible to complete your WIL course. If your internship commencement date is outside of this time period, you may be advised to source a new internship for your WIL course.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Before gaining entry to this course, students will need to have successfully completed 24 units within their respective program with a grade point average (4.00 or higher) and have approval by the BEL Employability team.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

GPA of 4.0 or higher. Approval required from Head of School via BEL Student Administration Team.

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

RBUS7999

Restrictions

Restricted to students in the final year of the BBusMan, BCom, BTHEM and BIHTM programs, including duals.

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

This course will share teaching activities with RBUS4999 and RBUS7999.

Course staff

Course coordinator

Lecturer

Course administrator

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

As you will be in the placement organisation for 100 to 120 hours there is limited seminar or lecture involvement. Seven seminars are provided to assist students through the Course. Attendance is required to maximise your assessment and the available support for your placement. Arrangements to attend are made between the student and their employer.

Due dates for assessment items will be published on Blackboard.

You must check your university email address for announcements about RBUS3999/RBUS4999/RBUS7999, for updates and additional information throughout the semester.

Please note: Teaching staff doᅠnotᅠhave access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you emailᅠbusiness.mytimetable@uq.edu.auᅠfrom your UQ student email account with the following details:

  • Full name,
  • Student ID, and
  • the Course Code

Aims and outcomes

This course provides students with an opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge and practical skills in a workplace.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

LO1.

Develop awareness of your graduate attributes and how they may apply in the workplace and enhance employability.

LO2.

Articulate key aspects of business practices within an organisation.

LO3.

Acquire practical skills and knowledge toward enhancing your employability.

LO4.

Explore the different means by which organisations engage in business practices.

LO5.

Develop the ability to think strategically from the perspective of a manager.

LO6.

Understand the professional rigor expected in corporate practice.

LO7.

7 Have a clear understanding of how graduate attributes contribute to employability skills in a graduate career.

Assessment

Assessment summary

Category Assessment task Weight Due date
Presentation A1. Video pitch 20%

20/09/2024 5:00 pm

Essay/ Critique A2. Professional Development Plan 30%

18/10/2024 5:00 pm

Reflection A3. Critical Workplace Reflection 50%

25/10/2024 5:00 pm

Assessment details

A1. Video pitch

Mode
Oral
Category
Presentation
Weight
20%
Due date

20/09/2024 5:00 pm

Learning outcomes
L01, L03, L07

Task description

In this assessment you need to develop a short speech that conveys who you are, showcases your personal brand, communicates what you can offer to a new employer or business contact, and facilitates engagement with the viewer. The speech needs to be recorded as a video.

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

A2. Professional Development Plan

Mode
Written
Category
Essay/ Critique
Weight
30%
Due date

18/10/2024 5:00 pm

Learning outcomes
L01, L03, L07

Task description

In this assessment you need to write a self-critical and comprehensive Professional Development Plan that assesses your employability skills, attributes and knowledge, identifies areas for further development, outlines action steps to achieves your development goals, and considers your long-term career trajectory.

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

A3. Critical Workplace Reflection

Mode
Written
Category
Reflection
Weight
50%
Due date

25/10/2024 5:00 pm

Learning outcomes
L02, L04, L05, L06

Task description

You need to complete a critical reflection on a critical incident that occurred during your work experience. You will use a recognised reflective method to structure your reflection.

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Grade Cut off Percent Description
1 (Low Fail) 0 - 29

Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

2 (Fail) 30 - 46

Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

3 (Marginal Fail) 47 - 49

Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes

4 (Pass) 50 - 64

Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.

5 (Credit) 65 - 74

Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes.

6 (Distinction) 75 - 84

Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes.

7 (High Distinction) 85 - 100

Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Additional course grading information

Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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Learning period Activity type Topic
Placement

Industry placement with a host organisation

Your work experience:
80-120 hours placement with an industry host.
Working in a professional setting will give you the opportunity to
gain valuable work experience and to connect this experience to the development of a workplace ready skill-set.

Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L06

Not Timetabled

Employ101X - MOOC Unlocking your employability

In this self-paced, seven module course, you will hear from:

  • Employers discussing what they value when hiring new graduates
  • Current students who have maximised their university experience
  • Graduates who have transitioned successfully into the workplace
  • Academics in the field of employability with insights into key topics in the course

Learning outcomes: L01, L07

Week 2
Seminar

Seminar 1: Introduction to the Course

The seminar will include:

  • ECP
  • Exploring the concept of employability
  • Professional performance, communication and expectations
  • Assessment overview

Learning outcomes: L01, L07

Week 3
Seminar

Seminar 2: Workplace review and reflection

During this seminar we will:

  • Explore reflective practice
  • Discover reflective tools
  • Develop reflective writing for professional use

Learning outcomes: L02, L05

Week 4
Seminar

Seminar 3: Project Management

The seminar will include:

- Key PM concepts, processes and tools

- Teamwork fundamentals

- Industry view

Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04, L05

Week 5
Seminar

Seminar 4: Personal brand and Networking

This seminar assists students to:

- Learn about networking tools

- Develop their networking skills

- Set up and refine their online profiles like LinkedIn

- Consider the implications of their social media activities for employability

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L07

Week 6
Seminar

Seminar 5: Professional development plan

During this seminar we will discuss:

- Skills and attributes for success

- Measuring skills and attributes

- Developing a Professional Development Plan

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L06, L07

Week 7
Seminar

Seminar 6: Value proposition

During this seminar we will:

- Identify the components of your personal narrative and value proposition

- Look at ways to communicate your story

- Practice formulating and articulating your story

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L07

Week 8
Seminar

Seminar 7: Corporate recruitment

During this seminar students will explore:

- Skills and attributes in demand

- Current recruitment practices

- How to present yourself professionally

Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L06

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course:

  • Placement
  • Work Integrated Learning and Work Experience