Guidance on Placement Report The Placement Learning Diary/Logbook - a factual account of what you did on placement For example: Core Laboratory Skil
Guidance on Placement Report
The Placement Learning Diary/Logbook - a factual account of what you did on placement
For example:
Core Laboratory Skills General Laboratory Duties
- Preparing samples, pipetting, dilution rates and preparing solutions at the correct concentrations;
- Measuring and using both scales and balances
- Storage, stock control and ordering of supplies (consumables, materials and chemicals);
- Labelling samples and materials;
- Laboratory glassware and protocols;
- Laboratory housekeeping chemical safety, storage of materials, disposal of waste;
- Timetables, work schedules and rotas;
- Using Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for experimental protocols/methods;
- Setting up and calibrating equipment using reference standards;
- Equipment maintenance and cleaning;
- Health & safety protocols, safety inspections and procedures, near misses and safety reports, introduction to risk assessments;
- Record work accurately and legibly
General Employability - Workplace Skills
- Timekeeping and attendance;
- Attitude to work and work ethic;
- Ability to work in a team;
- Ability to work unsupervised on own and take responsibility;
- Enthusiasm and initiative;
- Accuracy of work - ability to follow protocols step by step;
- Ability to document, record and file information.
The learning diary should include (where relevant)
- Evidence of these core laboratory skills/competencies that you have put into practice dates, what done and when and number of times?
- Evidence of calculating and preparing diluted solutions
- Evidence of using Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Experimental protocols, results from experiments, interpretation of results
- Evidence of putting employability skills in practice When and how?
750 -1000 words must be your own work in your own words.
SOPs, descriptions of experiments and experimental protocols should go in an appendix section of the learning diary/logbook. These should all be referenced properly because they are not your own work.
The Placement Report
The placement report should include answers to the following questions (where appropriate) which will help you with the structure and contact of the report:
(If you are unsure ask the module leader)
A brief explanation of what you did over the 25 days, who was your supervisor and any induction you received before working in the laboratory such as health and safety training;
Evidence of your competence in the core practical/general laboratory skills and techniques done it a few times under supervision or capable of doing it on your own accurately and unsupervised;
Which experiments did you set up and support? Done once, done a few times under supervision or capable of doing it on unsupervised;
What procedures do laboratories follow to ensure that results from experiments are reliable and accurate?
What factors can influence the accuracy, precision and reliability of experiments?
Which employability skills did you put into practice? Which are you good at and why? Which are you not so good at why? Which do you need to improve through training and practice?
What lessons have you learnt about health & safety and safe working practices in a laboratory
Why is documentation and record keeping so important in a laboratory? Give examples of different documents and records used? How is documentation stored and filed?
Why are Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) used in a laboratory?
What skills have you learnt on the placement that you could put in your CV?
Has the placement helped you think about what job or career you might follow after university?
What are the benefits of doing a placement and what are the most important things you have learnt on placement?
The placement report is a reflective (evaluative, self-critical) piece of writing in which you should assess what you learnt during the 20 days. It should be about 1,000-1500 of your own work in your words. Use headings to provide a framework for your report. Work that is not yours should acknowledged and referenced and put in an appendix.
In this report you should be able to demonstrate that you have met the major learning outcomes of the work