Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)
(Entry Criteria)
2013-2014
Post Graduate Diploma in Nursing
(Adult / Child / Mental Health)
Introduction
This guide provides you with information on the APL process and the assessment requirements for APL
(theory) as entry criteria to the Post Graduate Diploma (PGDip) in Nursing Programme (All Fields).
Further information can be found in the University Policy:
http://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/word_doc/0007/68965/guidelines_apl_apel.doc
In line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards for Pre-Registration Nursing Education
(2010) the duration of the PGDip in Nursing is shortened from the usual 3 years (Min 4,600 hours) by
utilization of the APL process.
APL (theory) claim is made for entry to the programme, and is not weighted for the award.
It is assessed at level 6 (degree) and will be pass/ fail.
You will be required to provide evidence of prior learning against the learning outcomes in part 1 of the
three year nursing programme. These have been summarized in the APL framework below:
Rationale
Relationships are central to the development and maintenance of effective partnership working with service
users, carers and families in health and social care contexts. Nurses need to have an awareness of how health
is inextricably linked to and bound up with social divisions, economic disparities, the physical environment and
individual psychological factors.
In developing your role and identity as a professional nurse in your chosen field of practice it is important that
you are able to develop your understanding of the centrality of relationships; develop your knowledge and
sense of identity as a student and as a reflective and independent learner and understand how the health
needs of individuals, families and communities are generated.
To demonstrate prior learning in relation to:
Knowledge and Understanding
- The importance of communication skills in developing relationships with service users, carers and colleagues
in multi cultural and multi faith environments
-An understanding of how culture, religion, spiritual beliefs, gender and sexuality can impact on illness and
disability
-Knowledge of the factors that act as barriers and enablers to effective communication
-An understanding of the importance of effective collaborative, group and team working in professional
practice
Skills
-Identify strategies to enhance communication with service users from a variety of backgrounds
-Is able to discuss the importance of self awareness, the ability to work independently and in groups
-Is able to discuss the importance of establishing and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries in the
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therapeutic relationship
-Is able to manage own learning and find resources with minimum guidance
Values and attitudes
-Demonstrates self awareness and recognises how own values, principles and assumptions may affect practice
-Demonstrate awareness of the need to act in a manner that is attentive, kind, sensitive, compassionate and
non discriminatory, that values diversity and acts within professional boundaries
-Demonstrates understanding of the need to respect the ideas and contributions of others when working
collaboratively and across professional boundaries
-Identify a variety of perspectives that underpin the evidence base for practice
Assessment
You will be required to demonstrate evidence of your prior learning. The assessment will be Pass/ Fail and
will be assessed at academic level 6 (Degree)
Challenge Assignment
This assessment will allow you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of 2 key issues:
communication and the factors that impact on health and illness. The assessment has two parts:
Part 1: Using the communication media clip below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blpq-Iwu25s
PART 1 - 1000-1500 words:
Discusses the communication strategies used in the media clip
Discuss the importance of communication skills in developing professional relationships with service users,
carers and colleagues
PART 2 - 1000-1500 words:
Discuss the definitions and determinants of health
Identify and discuss the key issues with reference to social divisions; economic disparity; the environment
and individual psychological factors and discuss how these can impact on health
Identify examples from own experience to support discussions
Aspects for comment and not pass or fail:
Produce an organized and structured account that is clearly structured, grammatically correct and uses
formal/academic language
Use an established referencing system and use relevant references that reflect depth and breadth of reading.
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Write a 1000 - 1500 word report, using literature and theory to support the writing, to demonstrate
understanding of the communication strategies used within the clip and the importance of effective
communication within relationships.
Part 2: Using examples from your own experience and using literature and theory to support your writing,
write a 1000 - 1500 word essay to demonstrate your understanding of how health is linked to social
divisions, economic disparities, the physical environment and individual psychological factors.
Assessment criteria
The following criteria will be used to identify if you have met the learning out comes for the APL Claim.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR COMPLETING YOUR ESSAY
Please refer to the guidance sheet at of on-line resources that you can access to help you complete this
essay. This is available at http://www.city.ac.uk/health/courses/postgraduate/postgraduate-diplomanursing-apl,-apel.
If you have any questions about the essay you can email us at health@city.ac.uk.
GENERIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
On-Line Submission
You must include the following:
Cover Sheet
You must complete this sheet and attach it as the FRONT PAGE of your submission.
Dyslexia/Disability: Students who have particular needs in relation to Disability or Dyslexia are encouraged to
declare this on the Cover Sheet so that their needs can be taken into account.
Coursework Declaration Sheet
You are also required to submit a Coursework Declaration Sheet with every piece of coursework you submit.
You need to read the section on good academic practice
http://www.city.ac.uk/about/education/ldc/resources/studywell before reading and signing the declaration
sheet.
Feedback and Result Form
Towards the end of this section of the guidelines you will see a section entitled Feedback and Result Form.
This is the feedback which will be returned to you after marking. The form itself is designed to provide you
with feedback in relation to the assessment criteria that have been set for this work. The course work will be
returned to you within four weeks of your submission via email.
Planning your APL essay
Below is guidance on completing your APL essay
The assessment criteria:
These are descriptions based on the learning outcomes, of the skills, knowledge or attributes you need to
demonstrate in order to complete the assessment successfully.
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In making decisions about the APL submission we also follow this guidance from the University APL policy:
Acceptability: is there an appropriate match between the evidence presented and the learning being
demonstrated? Is the evidence valid and reliable?
Sufficiency: is there sufficient evidence to demonstrate fully the achievement of the learning claimed?
Authenticity: is the evidence clearly related to the applicant’s own efforts and achievements?
Currency: does the evidence relate to current learning? Does it meet the requirements of professional,
statutory of regulatory bodies, including any time limits for currency of evidence, certification, or
demonstration of learning?
Level: is the level of achievement sufficient to allow progression to the programme being applied for?
The essay is pass/ fail you will not receive a grade for the assignment. On passing the essay you will receive a
formal offer of a place on the programme subject to Medical clearance, Enhanced DBS Disclosure Check and
satisfactory references plus any pending academic qualifications as stated in your original offer.
How to Submit Your Essay
The essay should be submitted electronically at https://webapps.city.ac.uk/forms/22449 by 16.00 at the
latest on the date specified in your offer letter. If you do not submit the essay by this date your offer will
end.
The essay should be submitted as a word document attachment
Please save your essay with a file name in the following format: Firstname_Lastname_APL Submission e.g.
Jasper_Paige_ APL Submission.
Please include your UCAS personal ID in the header of your essay.
Presentational Aspects
Please double space text and do not use a font less than size 11. All pages should be numbered.
Please include your UCAS personal ID in the header of your essay.
Breaking Confidentiality
In all assessed work (coursework, assignments, examinations, clinical assessment (please see exception
below), clinical profiles/workbooks etc.) you must comply with the following to protect confidentiality:
All clients/patients, relatives, members of staff (except where assessors are required to sign their name) and
peers are to be referred to by a pseudonym.
The use of pseudonyms should be made explicit through a statement such as "Pseudonyms have been used
in order to protect the confidentiality of the identity of individuals referred to in the assessment (except
assessors who are required to sign their names)." Personal details such as address, hospital number, G.P.
etc. must not be given for any reason.
If the name of the work place or any personal details of any client/patient, relative, member of staff (except
clinical assessors) or peer has been given in an assessment, this assessment will automatically be recorded as
0 for breach of confidentiality. Your resubmission will then be regarded as a second attempt.
Referencing
You are required to follow the City University School of Health Sciences Citation guidelines which can be
found in full and summary at the following addresses:
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http://lgdata.s3-website-us-east1.amazonaws.com/docs/2314/341738/SHS_Citation_Practice_Nov_2012.pdf
http://lgdata.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/2314/341739/quick_ref_guide__final_version_with_journal.pdf
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
The University actively pursues all cases of suspected academic misconduct. This safeguards the integrity of
its awards as well as the interests of the majority of students who work hard for their award through their
own efforts. Decisions on the severity and extent of misconduct are matters of academic judgment.
Academic Misconduct (AM) is any action that produces an improper advantage for the student in relation to
his/her assessment or deliberately and unnecessarily disadvantages other students. It can be committed
intentionally or accidentally.
Plagiarism, cheating in an examination, collusion, impersonation, falsification or fabrication, duplication or
self-plagiarism, ghosting and disruption are non-exhaustive types of academic misconduct. Further
information
on
these
types
of
academic
misconduct
is
available
at
http://www.city.ac.uk/about/education/ldc/resources/studywell a website designed by the University to
encourage positive study skills and the development of good academic practice.
Marking and Moderation of Assessments
First Marking: First markers use assessment criteria in order to assign a pass/ fail to this piece of work.
Moderation is used to ensure that an assessment outcome is fair and reliable. Moderation can also take
various forms including sampling, additional marking of borderline cases or statistical review of marks.
Moderators’ comments are not included in your feedback.
Results and Feedback
Results will be returned to you within a four week period after the deadline for submission.
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Common Grade-related Criteria
Descriptions of the skills, knowledge or attributes you need to demonstrate to achieve a certain grade or
mark in an assessment. Whilst you will not be awarded a percentage mark for this piece of work you may
find this helpful in gauging the level required to obtain a pass.
Class – Degree
(Diploma/ Certificate)
1 (Distinction)
%
Literary
Description
85-100
Outstanding
75-84
Very good
Work that demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of the subject
area and addresses the learning outcomes/assessment criteria in
full. Where relevant, it will show evidence of independent reading,
thinking and analysis. It will be well-constructed and demonstrate a
professional approach to academic practice. It will be of a
professional standard.
Work that demonstrates strong knowledge of the subject area and
addresses the learning outcomes/assessment criteria well. Where
relevant, it will show evidence of wide and comprehensive reading.
It will be clearly written and adhere to the principles of good
academic practice.
Work that demonstrates a sound level of knowledge of the subject
area and makes a good attempt to address the learning
outcomes/assessment criteria, realising all too some extent and
most well. Where relevant, there will be evidence of thorough
research of the topic(s). It will be well-structured and logically
written and will demonstrate good academic practice.
Work that demonstrates knowledge of the subject area and
attempts to address the learning outcomes/assessment criteria,
realising all to some extent and some well but perhaps also
including irrelevant or underdeveloped material. Where relevant,
answers will provide some evidence of analysis but may be largely
descriptive. It will have structure but this may not always be clear.
Attempts to demonstrate academic practice will be evident.
Work that demonstrates basic knowledge of the subject area and
provides some level of response to the learning
outcomes/assessment criteria but only realises these outcomes and
criteria to some extent and may not include important elements or
information that is completely accurate. Where relevant,
development of ideas is limited. Expression and structure will lack
clarity and evidence of academic practice will be limited.
Unsatisfactory work that demonstrates very limited knowledge of
the subject area and does not succeed in grasping the key issues.
Learning outcomes/assessment criteria will not be realised. There
will be no real development of ideas and few sources will be used or
used correctly. Presentation is confused or lacks coherence.
Work that demonstrates no real knowledge of the subject area and
which demonstrates a totally inadequate attempt to address the
learning outcomes/assessment criteria.
70-74
2:1 (Merit)
67-69
good
64-66
60-63
2:2 (Pass)
57-59
fair
54-56
50-53
3 (Pass)
47-49
Satisfactory
44-46
40-43
Fail
37-39
Poor
34-36
30-33
15-30
0-15
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Very poor
COURSEWORK DECLARATION SHEET
This declaration sheet will be retained in the office in case of queries. It confirms that you have read and
complied with the guidelines on plagiarism. Attach this declaration sheet with your name on it, to your
coursework.
Student Name
UCAS Personal ID number
Word Count
Programme
PG-Dip Adult Nursing
Assessment Title
APL Challenge Essay
Adult
Child
Mental
Health
Date of submission
Nature of submission
Please tick
First submission
Resubmission
Learning Needs such as Dyslexia / Dyspraxia
Word count declaration
I certify that the word count declared is correct.
Plagiarism declaration
I certify that the coursework that I have submitted is my own unaided work and that I have read and
complied with the guidelines on plagiarism as set out in the student programme handbook. I understand
that the University may make use of plagiarism detection software (Turnitin) and that my work may
therefore be stored on a database which is accessible to other users of the same software.
Students should be aware that, where plagiarism is suspected this might result in a fail mark being
awarded.
Student’s signature ……………………....................................................................................................
Date ………………………........................................................................................................................
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FEEDBACK AND RESULT FORM
Feedback is provided in relation to the assessment criteria
The ‘comment’ box on the right identifies pass /fail against the specific criteria
APL
PGDip Nursing S13 All Fields
Assessment Title
Challenge Essay
Date
Student Name
UCAS Personal ID number
Assessment Criteria
PART 1 - 1000-1500 words:
Discusses the communication strategies used in the media clip
-Identify the communication strategies seen in the media clip
-Use relevant literature to discuss the strategies e.g. type of
strategy and how it is used
Discuss the importance of communication skills in developing
professional relationships with service users, carers and
colleagues
-Use relevant literature to comment on how communication skills
contribute to professional relationship
PART 2 - 1000-1500 words:
Discuss the definitions and determinants of health
Identify and discuss the key issues with reference to social
divisions; economic disparity; the environment and individual
psychological factors
Discuss how these can impact on health
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Pass / Fail
Identify examples from own experience to support discussions
Aspects for comment and not pass or fail:
Produce an organized and structured account that is clearly
structured, grammatically correct and uses formal/academic
language
Use an established referencing system and use relevant
references that reflect depth and breadth of reading.
Overall comment
FINAL MARK
Marker’s Name:
Marker’s Signature:
Date:
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Pass/ Fail