FA5026 - Professional Practice Portfolio

You will work with our academic team in the design studios and digital labs to refine and acquire more advanced technical design and portfolio skills. You will develop a professional attitude through active participation in your selected live project or simulated brief, taking ownership by choosing a brief that aligns with your industry ambitions.



You will be encouraged to be curious, imaginative, and empathetic in developing your ideas - employing an appropriate aesthetic and intelligent approach to designing exciting fashion products for a specific market. Learning to use a variety of media to develop your creative handwriting will enable you to effectively communicate your concepts and outcomes, evidencing all the elements essential to fashion design aesthetics. This module prepares you for the industry, so live elements such as guest speakers and trips may be incorporated. You may also be required to present your final portfolio to industry for feedback, helping you to build confidence and essential employability skills.



You will also be expected to continue to develop your project work during self-directed study, completing weekly tasks in preparation for workshops and peer review. By learning to work more independently, evaluating and challenging your ideas, you will develop a professional approach to study and be more prepared for industry practice.

Your module tutors will be your main source of support for your academic development. Through a mix of lectures, seminar discussions, practical workshops, and tutorials, they will provide you with the support you need to pass and succeed in each module.



At the outset of your module, you will receive a module briefing that will explain all learning outcomes and requirements. Crucially, it will also include a detailed timetable explaining the planned delivery of the module, workshops, and opportunities for support, including tutorials. You will meet your module tutors on a weekly basis.



During your modules, you will be expected to present work for feedback through group discussion with your peers, tutors, external collaborators, or stakeholders. You will also receive more individualised tutorial feedback prior to your submission to help improve your work.

In addition to your module tutors, you will be supported by various others and university services:



The Faculty provides a wide range of technical expertise to support your study. Technicians aligned with your modules will be able to provide technical instruction and demonstration of equipment and software required to complete your project work.

Library staff will provide induction sessions to introduce you to essential study skills, IT skills and information retrieval skills.

On live projects with external collaborators (or stakeholders), you may receive specific project feedback and professional career advice.

Visiting lecturers and professionals will give you greater contextual awareness and inspire you.

Academic Language Skills modules are available to help students at the Northumbria Campuses whose first language is not English or who have no experience studying in English in the UK.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:





Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:



1. Select and appropriately apply a range of illustrative and digital media to creatively communicate research and development methods through to the realisation of sophisticated design outcomes.



Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):



2. Demonstrate a professional attitude through active participation in live projects/simulated briefs.



3. Explain more specific career goals and professional directions based on emerging strengths and interests within the design field.



4. Select and organise a design portfolio and related promotional media for academic or professional assessment and feedback.

Formative Assessment

You will have the opportunity of continuous formative assessment through verbal feedback in studio sessions, self-assessment, and peer reviews.

Formative assessment will indicate the level at which you are currently achieving the relevant MLOs and offer an opportunity to discuss progress and ensure the right support is in place to achieve your goals. Formative assessment allows you to apply the feedback to your existing work and improve your competencies before your final summative assessment.

Summative Assessment

During the assessment period in weeks 9 and 10 of this module, you will prepare, present, and submit work for summative assessment. This module has one component:

100% Portfolio

MLOs 1, 2, 4, 5

A professionally presented portfolio answering the module and industry work requirements.

Evidence of research and development through a process journal.

CV and sample cover letter

N/A

N/A

The Professional Practice Portfolio module looks ahead to the next academic year to prepare students to embark on industry/enterprise placement, studying abroad or creative studio options. The module will introduce you to the support staff and systems to help you create professional self-branding, work on creative confidence, and explore future ambitions.

This module will include an exciting live or simulated industry brief to further develop portfolio skills and essential employability tools relevant to industry or study abroad applications. You will build your confidence in creatively and professionally presenting your work for feedback through the integration of professional practice skills to build a CV, write professional applications and practice pitching and interview skills.