Undergraduate Course: Placement: Core Competencies (ARCH10062)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 40 |
ECTS Credits | 20 |
| Summary | The work placement period is a significant component of the Landscape Architecture MA (Hons) curriculum, introducing you to concerns involved in professional practice. In this course, we will focus on the UK Landscape Institute's Entry Standards Competency Framework, as an internationally recognised framework transferable to other regions of the world. The course asks you to examine what it is to be a professional landscape architect, while offering the first steps toward the Landscape Institute's Pathway to Chartership. |
| Course description |
A key part of professional practice is developing a demonstrable understanding of professional skills and knowledge. The Landscape Institute's Competency Framework reflects the common skills and areas of knowledge that the landscape profession as a whole needs to understand and deliver. The framework reflects current and emerging areas of landscape practice, with particular emphasis on sustainability, climate, resilience and biodiversity, which are central to the work of landscape architects.
In this course you will be introduced to a range of professional competencies derived from the Competency Framework as areas you should demonstrate understanding of as students entering professional life. The range of competencies is broad, allowing you scope to select areas related to work you are conducting in professional practice, and/or of personal interest and evaluated independent of professional practice.
From the range of competencies, you will select and focus evaluation on four. This choice is up to each student but can be discussed with the course tutor. Each chosen competency should be evaluated through a 1000-1100 word statement, which outlines why you feel the competency is important, how it is relevant to current landscape based priorities, alongside evidence of how it has been put into practice through design, planning or policy. Alongside the four statements, you should provide a 1000-1100 word overview that rationalises why you have chosen the four competencies. Wherever possible, illustrative material should be used to convey qualities and outcomes described in the statements.
You will receive briefing lectures before going on placement, then you will be supported through online tutorials while you are on placement. A formative submission around week 5 will support development through written feedback. Tutor contact points will be provided each week, with the expectation that each student will make use of these on a fortnightly basis as a minimum.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Only open to students studying on the MA (Hons) Landscape Architecture |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 25 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
400
(
Lecture Hours 2,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
377 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course has 2 assessment components:
- Overview statement (1000-1100 words) 20%, due in May exam diet
- Competency statements x 4 (4000-4400 words) 80%, due in May exam diet
Competency evaluation statements should be compiled into one submission component. All components are assessed 100% against all Learning Outcomes.
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| Feedback |
Formative feedback
Alongside verbal feedback through tutorials, student will receive written feedback for one formative submission, around week 5. The formative submission will be timed to allow students to develop work, prompting them to identify the four competencies they will evaluate, allied with a draft of the overview statement. Tutorials will support students in developing their evaluation of each competency.
Summative feedback
The course organiser will provide written feedback on final submissions. Summative feedback will be provided according to University regulations. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Identify a range of professional competencies that are relevant to their personal practice
- Evaluate relevant competencies, using illustrative content where appropriate
- Provide a clear rationale of the relevance of each competency allied with an overview of their selection
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Reading List
Claudia Basta & Stefano Moroni (2012) Ethics, Design and Planning of the Built Environment. Springer
Stefan Bernard & Hans Loidl (2003) Open(ing) Spaces: Design as Landscape Architecture. Birkhauser
Catherine Dee (2012) To Design Landscape: Art, Nature and Utility. Routledge
Kari Jormakka (2014) Basics Design Methods. Birkhauser
Clare Winsch, Nicola Garmory, & Rachel Tennant (2007) Professional Practice for Landscape Architects. Routledge
The UK Landscape Institute entry standards Competency Framework will be provided via Learn |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and Enquiry: conduct independent research and enquiry into relevant issues through the evaluation of professional competencies and how they underpin landscape architecture.
Personal and intellectual autonomy: develop reflective awareness of ethical dimensions, and responsibilities to others, in work and everyday life, with emphasis on issues related to society, sustainability, climate, resilience and biodiversity.
Planning, organising and time management: have an ability to prioritise the appropriate use of project and time management to plan and effectively delivery a set of course specific tasks.
Communication: be able to communicate complex ideas and arguments in writing, articulating and effectively explaining ideas, while drawing on a range of illustrative material. |
| Keywords | Work Placement,Professional Competencies,Design,Landscape Architecture |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Ross McLean
Tel: (0131 6)51 5796
Email: r.maclean@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Brendan Sweeney
Tel: (0131 6)50 6329
Email: bsweeney@ed.ac.uk |
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