Stage 3 of Physics with Professional Experience

Introduction

The placement year (Stage 3) of the Physics with Professional Experience programme has been designed to challenge able students. They must balance the workplace demands of the placement provider with the need to learn, through independent study, the core physics that is a pre-resquisite for Stage 4 of the programme.

Pre-requisites

This programme requires students to study technical material in relative isolation. The Examination Conventions specify the minimumn standard required to remain on the programme. In addition to meeting this standard, students should discuss the Stage 3 requirements with the programme Coordinator and enure they fully understand them.

Preparation for the Placement Year (Stage 3)

• An initial briefing of, and agreement, with employer.
• A formal agreement between employer and the University of Exeter.
• Briefing/Guidelines for the industrial contact supervising project.
• Briefing/Guidelines for the module instructors based in Exeter.
• A checklist/pro-forma report for tutors visting placements
• Explanation of and/or training in self-study methods for students.
• Training in "Keeping a professional notebook" for the student.
• Confirmation of deadlines for academic work (see below).

The Placement Year (Stage 3) [2011-12 and earlier years]

Stage 3 comprises the following modules:

• PHY3303 Professional Experience
• PHY3304 Quantum Physics II (IS)
• PHY3305 Solid State Physics I (IS)
• PHYM501 Statistical Mechanics (IS)

Students normally start work on 1 September and work 35-37 hours per week for the employer, take normal public and bank holidays plus 4-5 weeks of holidays. Exam and revision time has to come out of these holidays. Students will also have a month's break in September at the end of their placement.

Each 10 credit module will require 100 hours of independent study. There are two such modules in the first Semeseter. Students will spend an average of ten hours per week for the 16 weeks from 1 September to 22 December and then have a 40 hours revision week in January (Academic week T2−1) They will take their exams for the first two modules in week T2:00.

The above dates are indicative and will be revised/confirmed each year by the Coordinator as circumstances require. Assessments of the 90 credit module have been synchronised with exams to minimise travel requirements.

For PHY3303, employers will agree with the Coordinator appropriate amounts of time-off for presentations in Exeter and writing reports.

The independent study modules will require an extra 10 hours per week work during September and the Autumn Term.Assessment of Professional Experience

PHY3303 comprises 90 credits and follows the general plan of used for MPhys projects. Detailed assessment criteria for the assessments listed in the module description for PHY3303 are to be developed.

The Placement Year (Stage 3) [2012-13 onwards]

Stage 3 (next year) comprises the following modules:

• PHY3054 Electromagnetism II (IS)
• PHYM011 Statistical Physics (IS)
• PHY3205 Background Report for Project
• PHY3205 Professional Experience

Students normally start work on 1 September and work 35-37 hours per week for the employer, take normal public and bank holidays plus 4-5 weeks of holidays. Exam and revision time has to come out of these holidays. Students will also have a month's break in September at the end of their placement during which period the background report for the final Stage MPhys project must be completed.

Each 15 credit 'independent study' module requires a nominal 150 hours of study. There is one such module before Christmas, and one after. Students are advised to spend an average of 10 hours per week for the 11 weeks from 1 October to 17 December and then have a 40 hours revision week in January (Academic week T2−1) They will take their exams for the first two modules in week T2:00.

The above dates are indicative and will be revised/confirmed each year by the Coordinator as circumstances require. Assessments of the 75 credit module have been synchronised with exams to minimise travel requirements.

For PHY3306, employers will agree with the Coordinator appropriate amounts of time-off for presentations in Exeter and writing reports.

Assessment of Professional Experience

The Professional Experience module follows the general scheme used for MPhys projects. Refer to:

• marking criteria for the assessments

for further information.

Independent Study Packs

The programme does not involve 'distance learning' as exemplified by the Open University. Students must work through the syllabus using the recommended text(s) and make their own notes. Students will be supplied with a set of the previous two years exams, and a selection of example problems which illustrate the stadard and style of answers that which be expected in the final examination. Lecturers might also provide copies of the handouts issued to home students if these are relevant outside the lecture context.

The module descriptions have been annotated with book chapters and sections by the module instructors.

Problems

Students remaining in Exeter complete two sets of problems discussed in the 11th and 22nd lecture slots. Professional Experience students will have 5 problem sets (each being roughly half the length of those used for home students) per module. Based on the knowledge they gain through independent study, students will produce written solutions to these problems.

These solutions are to be photocopied (in case of postal problems) and then sent (or emailed) to the appropriate module instructor who will mark and annotate them with formative comments, send the marks to the Student Services Office and arrange for the marked answers to be returned to the student (and a copy filed) within a period of not more than two weeks.

Failure of the student to produce answers within the appropriate time scale will be reported by the lecturer in writing to the Coordinator. Similarly, failure of the lecturer to produce problems and marked answers within appropriate time scales must be reported by the student in writing to the Coordinator.

Academic Support

Each student will be allocated an academic tutor whose responsibilities include making two visits to the student at their place of employment, and providing pastoral guidance by keeping in regular communication by phone/email. Tutoring two students will be equivalent in workload to having a single 'standard' tutorial group. The Coordinator will develop a checklist for visits like the one used for overseas study.

Email and WWW Access

We consider it essential that students are able to use email and WWW facilities during their placement year. The university webmail service means that only need access to a WWW browser is essential and the Coordinator must ensure that if this is not provided as a standard facility by the employer, some satisfactory alternative arrangement is avvailable. ITS has systems for registering students on year-out programmes.