Unit 3: Professional Practice

Unit code Y/615/1620

Unit type Core
Unit level 4
Credit value 15

Introduction
The need to be effective as a communicator, critical thinker, analyser, team worker
and interpreter is essential. Within the workplace these skills are needed on a daily
basis to show proficiency in designated tasks as pat of a job role. The developnent
of academic competence, and also the continuation of life-long learning and
Continuing Professional Developnent (CPD), is required to ensure that individuals
have a valued set of interperconal skills that can be applied to any situation or
environnpnt.
This unit provides a foundation for good practice in a variety of contexts. The ability
to cornrrunicate effectively using different tools and nrediuns will ensure that
practical, research, design, reporting and presentation tasks are undeftaken
professionally and in accordance with various communication conventions. In
everyday life the ability to apply critical reasoning and solve problens are
necessary skills to enable task resolution and facilitate effective decision-nnking.
Working with others in a group environnent acadernically or within the workplace is
an integral part of everyday life. Therefore, understanding the dynamics of teans in
terrs of culture, roles and responsibilities will ensure that there is a better
understanding and awareness of the importance and value of tearnwork. Continuing
professional developnent, self-inprovenent and working towards various goals is
an area that is encouraged in the workplace through the appraisals franework. In
addition, professional developnent extends into higher levels of learning and the
need to dennnstrate effective research skills and academic reporting skills is also
required.
Anong the topics included in this unit are: the developnrent of corrnunication skills
and comnunication literacy; the use of qualitative and quantitative data to
denpnstrate analysis, reasoning and critical thinking; and tasks that require the
integration of others within a tearrrbased scenario and planning and problern
solving.
On successfulconpletion of this unit students will be able to derrpnstrate
leadership skills through the dynamics of team working, and through reflective
practice be able to evaluate the contributions nnde as an individual and also of
otherc. As a result they will develop skills such as conrnunication literacy, critical
thinking, analysis, reasoning and interpretation, which are crucial for gaining
employnrent and developing academic competence.

100 P earson BTEC Levels 4 and 5 H igher N ationals in Computing

speclflcauon - Issue 3 - M arch 2017 (9 Peafs0n Educatron Lrmrted 2u1,/
 Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit students will be able to:
LO1 Dermnstrate a range of interpersonal and transferable conrrunication skills
to a target audience.
LOz Apply critical reasoning and thinking to a range of problern-solving
scenarios.
Lo3 Dscuss the inportance and dynanics of working within a team and the
inpact of tearn wor*ing in different environnnnts.
LO4 Examine the need for Continuing Pncfessional Developnnnt (CPD) and its
role within the workplace and for higher level leaming.

PearsonBTEcLevels4 and5 HigherNationalsincomputins 1O1

5p€cification ' Is6ue 3 - 14arch 2017 @ Pearson Education Limited 2017
 Essential Content

LO1 Demonstrate a range of interpersonal and transferable

communication skills to a target audience
Effec tive c om m u n ic at io n :
Verbal and non-verbal e.g. awareness and use of body language, openness
and responsiveness, forrnl and infornnl dialogue and feedback to a range of
different stakeholderc; academic repoft writing; use of IT to enhance
corrrrunication; use of source information to undeftake research.
Interpersonal skills:
Soft skills e.g. personal effectiveness, working with otherc, use of initiative,
negotiating skills, asseftiveness skills and social skills.
Time management skills :
Prioritising workloads; setting objectives; using tine effectively; nraking and
keeping appointnents; planning and scheduling tasks and activities.

LOz Apply critical reasoning and thinking to a range of problem-solving

scenarios
Specification of the problem:
Definition of the problem; analysis and clarification.
Identification of possible outcomes:
Identification and assessrnent of various alternative outcornes.
Tools and rrethods:
Use of problerrrsolving nethods and tools.
Plan and implement:
Sources of infornntion; solution nethodologies; selection and implenentation
of the best corrective action e.g. tirnescale, stages, resources, critical path
analysis.
Evaluation:
Evaluation of whether the problem was solved or not; neasurernent of
solution against specification and desired outcornes; sustainability.

LO3 Discuss the impoftance and dynamics of working within a team and
the impact of team working in different environments
Working with others:
Nature and dynamics of team and group work; inforrrnl and fornnl settings;
purpose of teans and groups e.g. long-term corporate objectives/strategy;
problernsolving and short-term developnnnt projects; flexibility/adaptability;
team player.

t02 Pearson BTEC Levels 4 and 5 H igher Nationals in Computing

Specification - Issue 3 - M arch 2017 O Pearson Education Limited 2017
 Teams and team building:
Selecting team rrenberc e.g. specialist roles, skill and style/approach mixes;
identification of tearq/work group roles; stages in team developnent e.g.
team building, identity, loyalty, corrrnitnent to shared beliefs, team health
evaluation; action planning; nonitoring and feedback; coaching skills; ethics;
effective leadership skills e.g. setting direction, setting standards, rntivating,
innovative, responsive, effective corrrrunicator, reliability, consistency.

Lo4 Examine the need for continuing professional llevelopment (cpD) and
its role within the worlqrlace and for higher level learning
Responsibitities:
own responsibilities e.g. personal responsibility, direct and indirect
relationships and adaptability, decision-nnking processes and skills, abil1y to
leam and develop within the work role; other e.g. enployrrent legislation,
ethics, enployrrent rights and responsibilities.
Pe rfo rm a nc e o bjec t iv e s :
setting and npnitoring perfonrnnce objectives, rneasurernent tools for
success and achieverrent.
Continuing Professional Developnent: lifelong leaming, training and
developnent, personal developnnnt, professional developrrent.
Evidence criteria:
Production data, personnel data, iudgenental data; rating nethods e.g.
ranking; paired conparison, checklist, rEnagerrEnt by objectives; skills audit
(personal profile using appropriate self-assessnent tools); evaluating self-
nnnagenent; personal and interpersonal skills.
Motivation and performance :
Application and appraisal of nptivational theories and techniques, rewards
and incentives; nEnager's role; self-rotivational factors.
Development plan:
current perforrnance; future needs; opportunities and threats to career
progression; ains and objectives; achievenent dates; review dates; learning
programne/activities; action plans; personal developnrent plans.

Pnarron RTFC | ?vdr 4 rnd 5 H iqhci N !tionrlF in C uilrputing 103

Specification - Issue 3 - M arch 2017 O pearson EducaUon Limited 2017
Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

P1 Demrnstrate, using M1 Design a professional

different comnunication schedule to suppoft the
styles and forrnats, that planning of an event, to
you can effectively design include contingencies and
and deliver a training event justifications of tirne
for a given target audience. allocated.
P2 Demonstrate that you
have used effective tinre
rrnnagerrnnt skills in
planning an event.

P3 Denpnstrate the use of M2 Research the use of

different problern- solving different problern- solving
techniques in the design techniques used in the
and delivery of an event. design and delivery of an
event.
P4 Dernonstrate that
critical reasoning has been M3 Justify the use and
applied to a given solution. application of a range of
solution nethodologies.

P5 Discuss the impodance M4 Analyse team dynamics,

of team dynamics in the in tenrs of the roles group
success and/or failure of nremberc play in a team
group work. and the effectiveness in
P6 Work within a team to
terns of achieving shared
goals.
achieve a defined goal.

r04 Fea rSon BTEC Levels 4 and 5 ll tgher N attonals in C omputing

Sueclflcagon - I55ue J - flarch tul/ tct PearS0h EdUtilttorl I tmttnd /il1 /

 P7 Dscuss the inportance M5 Compare and contrast
of CPD and lts contribution different nptivational
to own learning. theories and the irrpact
FB Produce a developrrent they can have on
plan that outlines
pefonrnnce within the
workplace.
responsibilities,
peforrnance objectives and
rcquired skills, knowledge
and leaming for own future
goals.

Pearson BTECLevets4 and 5 HigherNationals in Computing 105

- March 2017 @ Pearson Education Limited 2017
Specificauon- Issue 3
 Recommended Resourrces

Textbooks
Cottrelf, S. (2001) Critical Thinking Skills: Developing Effective Analysis and
Argument. 2nd Ed. Palgrave Macnillan.
Forde, C. (2006) Professional hvebpment, kflection and Enquiry. Sage
Publications.
Megginson, D. and Whitaker, V. QOA} Continuing Professional Development. Znd
Ed. Chartered Institute of Perconnel and Developnent.
Winstanfey, D. (2005) tursonal Effectiveness: Aguide toaction. Chaftered Institute
of Personnel and Developnent.

Journab
Joumal of Group Dynandcs
Professional Developnent in Education

Websites
www.thinkntatson.com Critical Thinking Resources
"Critical Thinking Conelation Studies" (Research)
ipda.org.uk Intemational Prcfessional Developnent Association
(Ceneral Reference)

Links
This unit links to the following rclated units:
Unit 6: Managing a 9tccessfulComputing Project
Unit 13: Computing Research Project

106 PearsonBTEcLevels4and5HigherNationalsincomputing
Specificauon- Irsue 3 - M arch 2017 @ Pearion Edugrtign Limited a017