The placement reporting process associated with the degree programme in Performing Arts comprises three interlinked parts, which must be submitted together for assessment:

  1. Maintaining a journal
  2. Preparing a subsequent Coop Placement Report
  3. Complete the Reflective Assessment Forms, which must be submitted as part of your Coop Placement Report. 

Journal Guidelines

Assessment for Performing Arts students requires reflective practice by keeping a daily journal during placement. Students should reflect on their daily practice at work, examining both the positive and negative elements. Reflecting on this, students develop new strategies to help them improve in their work practice. Maintaining a journal is a useful way of charting progress, and it can then form the basis of subsequent reports and personal planning strategies. When keeping your journal, you will be:

- Documenting your hours.
- Noting information for your Coop Placement Report.
- Assisting in personal growth and career exploration.

Keeping your Journal

  • Write down what you do each day in a notepad. Don’t use loose pages, as they may get lost. 
  • Document your hours by writing in the hours worked each day. Add them up and write in the total at the end of each week. If you are undertaking a range of projects or activities, include details of all work e.g. teaching, performance, CD production etc.
  • In order to gain the maximum benefit from your placement, you need to reflect on the work and yourself. This can lead to clarification of career goals and insight into work style (yours and others). You must be active in the learning process. You determine what you want to learn and how to do so. The following questions can give you some idea about what to observe and write about (besides your daily activities), and help you make the most of your placement.
  • What personal satisfaction would you find in this work?
  • Did something happen that changed your ideas or attitude toward this work or career?
  • Do you feel more or less committed to your course now?
  • Can you identify a particular problem or issue that keeps reoccurring? Describe and analyse this in terms of its impact on you. 

Please note: The journal must be typed and included as an appendix in the Coop Placement Report.

Your subsequent Coop Placement Report will focus on your placement goals, activities and likely career paths in your profession etc. Keeping track of your activities in the journal will assist you in writing your final report as you may otherwise forget much of what you did.

Performing Arts Coop Placement Report Guidelines

Your Coop Report should give a good insight into the type of work you were involved in and what you learned from it, and should address the key areas as mentioned below. Think about the key report areas - highlighted below- using your journal as an aid. These should help you to reflect on your placement and construct your report. 

Please use the following as your guide:

  • The cover page of the report must include details such as the submission date, your name and ID number, your course, employer, employer address, the start and end dates of your placement, your supervisor and the university academic staff member who visited you. 
  • The report must be bound with a clear acetate on front cover page.
  • You must type your report on A4 size pages, single line spacing in 12-point font.
  • Your Coop Report must be signed and stamped by your company supervisor. In the case where you are unable to obtain a signature and stamp, you may provide an email from the employer. The content of the report must be approved by your employer who may require you to make changes to meet with their policy on Confidential or Proprietary Information.
  • Students should be aware that the regulations regarding plagiarism also apply to Coop Reports. 

Report Sections 

  • What specific projects were you involved in?
  • What were your duties / responsibilities?
  • What were your goals and objectives before commencing the placement?
  • What new knowledge and skills did you acquire?
  • Did you make any contacts that you may find useful in the future?
  • How did you grow personally and professionally as a result of this placement?
  • Have you developed or changed your career plans as a result?
  • Did you have a supervisor(s)? If so, did you receive sufficient feedback and evaluation from him/her?

Please note that your Coop Report must be a minimum of 10 pages typed text. Additional graphics and charts to be included in appendices.