UCL INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY
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MSc IN CONSERVATION FOR ARCHAEOLOGY AND MUSEUMS
ARCLG125 CONSERVATION WORK PLACEMENT HANDBOOK 2015-2016
MSc year 2 core course: 150 credits
Turnitin Class ID: 2971259
Turnitin Password IoA1516
COORDINATOR: James Hales j.hales@ucl.ac.uk
Room 403A; internal phone x 24728 (from outside 020 7679 4728)
This handbook contains basic information about the content and administration of this course. You should also refer to the G125 Work Placement Manual , in particular the
Guidelines for Students and Supervisors . If you have any queries please consult the
Course Coordinator.
Further important information, relating to all courses at the Institute of Archaeology, is to be found on the Institute’s Intranet, in the general MA/MSc handbook. It is your responsibility to read and act on it.
OVERVIEW
The course takes the form of a ten-month work placement in a museum or similar institution, and is taught through supervised work-experience.
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
•
Two Professional Progress Reports (each 4,000 words) which focus on your knowledge and understanding as a developing professional conservator (86% total)
•
Oral presentation which focuses on your communication skills (14%)
Submission dates:
Monday 1 st
Monday 20
February 2016 th June 2016
Oral Presentation
Thursday 12 th May 2016 .
DAYBOOK
Your daybook provides the supporting evidence for the practical work you have undertaken during your work placement. It is not graded, but is a requirement for completion of the course, and should be available for scrutiny by examiners if requested.
Hand-in date (only if requested)
Friday 16 th September 2016.
TEACHING METHODS
The Conservation Work Placement provides you with structured work experience in conservation. You will have a designated placement supervisor (a member of the host institution’s conservation staff) who will discuss your work plan with you and supervise your work. You will also have a designated placement tutor (a member of UCL conservation staff) who will keep in touch with you and your supervisor by e-mail and telephone, and by visiting during the year.
WORKLOAD
The designated work-load is the equivalent of a normal ten month period, with leave allowance and study time. A work programme will be agreed between supervisor, tutor and
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student, covering for example, project work, types of object treated, balance of preventive and remedial work etc.
PREREQUISITES
You will have completed the MA in Principles of Conservation (or its equivalent), and the first year of the MSc programme - which provides a foundation training in the laboratory practice of conservation.
AIMS
To extend your academic, practical and professional skills through supervised workexperience with an established museum (or similar) conservation team; to provide an understanding of the professional and institutional context in which conservation takes place; to develop a reflective approach to your own professional development.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the placement period you should:
• have a good knowledge of current concepts and developments in conservation
•
understand the role of conservation in a range of contexts
• recognise and manage practical and ethical conflicts in conservation
• understand the requirements of conservation practice and research
•
be familiar with the function of the institution in which you have been working
• have a reflective understanding of your professional development
And you should be able to:
•
critically assess objects in context
• plan and manage a conservation project
• evaluate the effect of conservation decisions, strategies, and policies
•
select an appropriate approach to conservation from a range of options
• research, undertake, review and document normal conservation tasks
LEARNING OUTCOMES
•
application of acquired knowledge and skills
•
critical reflection
• team-working
• working to deadlines
• working independently
•
research skills
• oral presentation skills
•
documentation and report writing skills
COURSEWORK
Assessment tasks
Assessment takes two forms: formative and summative. Formative provides you with feedback on your progress and your developing professional skills, summative provides a grade.
Summative assessment is carried out by two internal examiners (Institute conservation staff) and an external examiner. Formative assessment is carried out by the placement supervisor and the tutor.
Formative assessment consists of:
•
Your supervisor’s providing you with regular feedback sessions.
•
Your tutor’s visits, and discussion and feedback, including review of your Daybook
• Your tutor’s comments on your Professional Progress reports, and the oral presentation made at the Institute.
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Summative assessment is based on:
•
Two Professional Progress Reports (each 4,000 words) which focus on your knowledge and understanding as a developing professional conservator (86% total)
• Oral presentation which focuses on your ability to communicate and is held at the Institute
(14%)
The deadlines for the summative assessed work are:
• Reports: 1
• st February 2016 and 20 th
Oral presentation: Thursday 12 th May 2016
• Daybook (only if requested) : 16 th
June 2016
September 2016
Separate instructions are given in the Work Placement Manual, and on the course Moodle site for the presentation of the reports, oral and daybook .
The Course Coordinator or your placement tutor will be willing to discuss an outline of your approach to the assessment, provided this is planned suitably in advance of the submission date.
Granting extensions
Please be aware, new UCL-wide regulations with regard to the granting of extensions for coursework have been introduced with effect from the 2015-16 session. Full details will be circulated to all students and will be made available on the IoA intranet. Note that Course
Coordinators are no longer permitted to grant extensions . All requests for extensions must be submitted on a new UCL form, together with supporting documentation, via Judy
Medrington’s office and will then be referred on for consideration. Please be aware that the grounds that are now acceptable are limited. Those with long-term difficulties should contact
UCL Student Disability Services to make special arrangements.
Word counts
The word count for the Professional Progress Reports is 3,800-4,200
The following should not be included in the word-count: title page, contents pages, lists of figure and tables, abstract, preface, acknowledgements, bibliography, lists of references, captions and contents of tables and figures, appendices.
Penalties will only be imposed if you exceed the upper figure in the range. There is no penalty for using fewer words than the lower figure in the range: the lower figure is simply for your guidance to indicate the sort of length that is expected.
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE
The Work Placement Manual and in particular the Guidelines for Students and Supervisors provide details of the course as a whole.
TIMING
The duration of the work placement is normally approximately 10 months, with usual public holidays, leave allowance (a minimum of 15 days per year), and the equivalent of 25 days throughout allowed for study. The normal starting time is early September, and the completion date is late June in the following year. Alternatively, the work placement can take the form of two complementary five-month periods, or an eight-month placement and 2 months working on a special project, or an archaeological excavation or site.
ONLINE RESOURCES
The Institute’s Intranet carries all the guidelines on courses, regulations etc. The G125
Moodle site carries information specific to your group and the work placement. Course related communication and admin will largely take place via the Moodle site so you should ensure you check it regularly.
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Moodle at: https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/login/index.php
LIBRARIES AND OTHER RESOURCES
In addition to the library at the institution where you are undertaking your placement, and the library of the Institute of Archaeology, other libraries in UCL with holdings of particular relevance to this course include the UCL Science Library.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The Institute has a Health and Safety policy and code of practice which provides guidance on laboratory work, etc. This is revised annually and the new edition will be issued in due course. All work undertaken in the Institute is governed by these guidelines and students have a duty to be aware of them and to adhere to them at all times. This is particularly important in the context of the laboratory and placement work which will be undertaken as part of this course. Please also see the document entitled Safety during Placements and
Internships (to be found in the Work Placement Manual and on the Moodle site).
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APPENDIX A: POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 2015-16 (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY)
This appendix provides a short précis of policies and procedures relating to courses. It is not a substitute for the full documentation, with which all students should become familiar. For full information on Institute policies and procedures, see the following website: http://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/display/archadmin
For UCL policies and procedures, see the Academic Regulations and the UCL Academic
Manual: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/academic-regulations ; http://www.ucl.ac.uk/academic-manual/
GENERAL MATTERS
ATTENDANCE : A minimum attendance of 70% is required, except in case of illness or other adverse circumstances which are supported by medical certificates or other documentation.
A register will be taken at each class. If you are unable to attend a class, please notify the lecturer by email.
DYSLEXIA : If you have dyslexia or any other disability, please discuss with your lecturers whether there is any way in which they can help you. Students with dyslexia should indicate it on each coursework cover sheet.
COURSEWORK
SUBMISSION PROCEDURES : You must submit a hardcopy of coursework to the Coordinator's pigeon-hole via the Red Essay Box at Reception (or, in the case of first year undergraduate work, to room 411a) by stated deadlines. Coursework must be stapled to a completed coversheet (available from IoA website; the rack outside Room 411A; or the
Library). You should put your Candidate Number (a 5 digit alphanumeric code, found on
Portico. Please note that this number changes each year) and Course Code on all coursework .
It is also essential that you put your Candidate Number at the start of the title line on Turnitin, followed by the short title of the coursework (example: YBPR6
Funerary practices).
LATE SUBMISSION : Late submission is penalized in accordance with UCL regulations, unless prior permission for late submission has been granted and an Extension Request
Form (ERF) completed see above regarding recent amendments to this process . The penalties are as follows: i) A penalty of 5 percentage marks should be applied to coursework submitted the calendar day after the deadline (calendar day 1); ii) A penalty of 15 percentage marks should be applied to coursework submitted on calendar day 2 after the deadline through to calendar day 7; iii) A mark of zero should be recorded for coursework submitted on calendar day 8 after the deadline through to the end of the second week of third term.
Nevertheless, the assessment will be considered to be complete provided the coursework contains material than can be assessed; iv) Coursework submitted after the end of the second week of third term will not be marked and the assessment will be incomplete.
TURNITIN : Date-stamping is via Turnitin, so in addition to submitting hard copy, you must also submit your work to Turnitin by midnight on the deadline day . If you have questions or problems with Turnitin, contact ioa-turnitin@ucl.ac.uk.
RETURN OF COURSEWORK AND RESUBMISSION : You should receive your marked coursework within four calendar weeks of the submission deadline. If you do not receive your work within this period, or a written explanation, notify the Academic Administrator. When your marked essay is returned to you, return it to the Course Co-ordinator within two weeks.
You must retain a copy of all coursework submitted.
WORD LENGTH : Essay word-lengths are normally expressed in terms of a recommended range. Not included in the word count are the bibliography, appendices, tables, graphs, captions to figures, tables, graphs. You must indicate word length (minus exclusions) on the
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cover sheet. Exceeding the maximum word-length expressed for the essay will be penalized in accordance with UCL penalties for over-length work.
CITING OF SOURCES and AVOIDING PLAGIARISM : Coursework must be expressed in your own words, citing the exact source ( author, date and page number ; website address if applicable) of any ideas, information, diagrams, etc., that are taken from the work of others.
This applies to all media (books, articles, websites, images, figures, etc.). Any direct quotations from the work of others must be indicated as such by being placed between quotation marks . Plagiarism is a very serious irregularity, which can carry heavy penalties. It is your responsibility to abide by requirements for presentation, referencing and avoidance of plagiarism. Make sure you understand definitions of plagiarism and the procedures and penalties as detailed in UCL regulations: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines/plagiarism
RESOURCES
MOODLE : Please ensure you are signed up to the course on Moodle. For help with Moodle, please contact Nicola Cockerton, Room 411a (nicola.cockerton@ucl.ac.uk).
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