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NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT NOTES FOR THE BSc HONOURS DEGREE IN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
NOTES ON INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT
All programmes at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) normally include one academic year (8 months) of supervised industrial attachment or placement approved by the Departmental Board, in the penultimate year of the undergraduate course in Library and Information Science. The implementation of industrial attachment is provided by Faculty Regulations. Following the regulations governing industrial attachment: -
1) To obtain an overall pass. A student must pass both the Continuous Assessment and the Final Assessment components of the Industrial Attachment.
2) A student who fails the continuous assessment component will be required to repeat.
3) The overall assessment shall be as follows:-
50 % Continuous Assessment and 50 % Final Assessment.
4) The Departmental Panel of Examiners shall determine the continuous assessment mark from the marks awarded by the industrial and academic supervisors on the appropriate forms.
5) The final Assessment Mark shall be determined on the basis of course assessment 50% the final report assessment 40 % and oral presentation assessment of 10%.
6) Two copies of the final report in a form approved by the University must be submitted to the Department of Library and Information Science within two weeks of the end of the lecture period for the second semester of the academic year.
7) A student who fails to meet the required date for submission of the final report will normally be considered to have failed the Final Assessment.
8) A student who fails the final Assessment but has passed the continuous assessment component may be allowed to resubmit the industrial attachment report within two months, and be reassessed. Unless otherwise determined by the Senate, the maximum mark allowable for such referred work shall be 45%.
9) The General Regulations on repeat, discontinue and withdraw shall apply to industrial attachment.
A student who fails the industrial attachment
Part shall not proceed to the final year of the
degree programme.
While the above are general regulations regarding industrial placement, the following are (general) guidelines specific to the students: -
1) The student is subject to university regulations and the company regulations during the industrial attachment.
2) The student is expected to: -
v Conform to the company regulations, working time and discipline;
v Fulfill the supervisor’s instructions concerning the training process and carrying out of the industrial research project.
v Write a logbook on a daily basis and submit a report to the Department of Library and Information Science after finishing the training.
v Take part with educational purpose in mind according to the ultimate instructions of the supervisor;
v Put his/her best efforts to acquire extensive knowledge and skills in order to achieve required standard of training.
v Keep good relations with all the staff of the company.
v Promote the good name of NUST.
3) The choice of a company for the industrial attachment will not be based on any probable monetary benefits the students may stand to gain.
4) The student must always bear in mind his/her conduct during the industrial attachment period will reflect not only on him/her bust also on NUST and that it may also affect considerably the future industrial attachment placements and the relationship between NUST and the company.
Guidelines for the Industry on the Treatment of the Student during the Industrial Attachment
1) The student will be subject to the company’s regulations and is expected to function like a full time employee of the company.
2) The company is requested to provide the student every opportunity to function like a full-time employee and permit him or her to actively participate in all aspects of business including management and administration except where confidentiality constraints may not permit his or her participation.
3) Wherever possible, the company is requested to assist the student by providing welfare measures such as providing help in finding suitable accommodation close to the company, access to canteen facilities, company transport etc.
4) If the company wishes to pay the student an extra allowance, the arrangement is only between the two parties, that is the student and the company involved.
General Notes
Generally, industrial attachment or placement is the same as fieldwork. Fieldwork on one hand, covers work by observation (visits to Libraries and Information Centres, and Documentation centres), on the other hand, it means work experience, professionally supervised (paid or unpaid), that is, compulsory Library and Information Science work experience required during a whole academic year, which is part of the university’s normal required course of study. Industrial attachment provides an opportunity for the student to relate himself or herself or others, whereby the results on library and information services staff and users can be assessed.
Motivation
Motivation of a student is an important factor in learning. Industrial attachment is really the only means where motivation can be monitored. Theory cannot teach the student how to cope with pressure, frustration, etc. It is through work experience that can be taught. A student is also most receptive to learning new skills when this is taught in the performance of the actual task.
Library and Information Science work is a technical, so cial and communicative profession. The practitioner has to deal with users, staff, information technology, and governing authorities. The ability to perform these functions can only be learnt by experience. Closely allied to social functions are those of communication. Library and Information Centres collect, organise and disseminate information, which the practitioner has to interpret and pass on intelligibly. These social and communicative qualities cannot be acquired from textbooks and lectures; they must be learnt by experience. Industrial attachment is therefore made up of two processes, that is:
v Observation and direct work experience where learning proceeds on two levels;
v Cognitive and effective development as is the case in all other educational processes.
Cognitive objectives are those that emphasise remembering and reproducing something which has presumably been learned as well as objectives which involve the solving of some intellectual task for which the individual has to determine the essential problem and then re-order given material or combine it with ideas, methods or procedures previously learned. In summary and in relation to industrial attachment, cognitive objectives include:
ü To practice routines
ü To relate theory to practice
ü To practice ideas and concepts
ü To test own approach
ü To extend own experience
ü To test readiness to work
ü To obtain additional job references and to expose oneself to the profession
ü To practice report writing
Affective objectives are those, which emphasise a feeling, tone, an emotion or degree of acceptance or rejection. Affective objectives vary from simple attention to selected phenomena and to complex but internally consistent qualities of character and conscience. These objectives include: -
ü To experience the work atmosphere and environment
ü To develop private feelings towards the profession
ü To extend experience and opinions
ü To be supervised by ‘outsiders’
ü To interact with staff to professional ends
ü To practice social skills
ü To develop the flexibility of the mind
ü To receive a boost for morale
ü To experience a different pace of work
ü To be re-motivated
ü To increase self-confidence
ü To mature in attitude
To re-offer, by relating practice to subsequently theory
Journal
You will be required as stated earlier, to give some form of feedback to your supervisor and lecturer(s) in the way of viva and a report. It is advisable to keep some form of a record of your industrial attachment for your own benefit. A rough journal in note form may be appropriate. Also, pick up as many facts as you can – statistics, reports, examples of stationery and publications, annual reviews, etc. which can be fed as examples into your report, viva, and studies.
Observation
It may be helpful to keep the following factors in mind (not all will be appropriate for all situations):
ü The community served. How are the needs identified and satisfied?
ü Relationship to governing body
ü Range of materials. How is it selected and organised?
ü Reference and information services. How are they organised and offered?
ü Classification, cataloguing, referencing and information appraisal systems. Are they traditional generic?
ü Staffing adequacy, policy, i.e., professional, paraprofessional, internal promotion, staff development etc.
ü Financial resources: adequacy, sources, how they are allocated, etc.
ü Accommodation and equipment
ü Cooperation with other agencies
ü The major strength and weaknesses of the organisation
ü Administrative structure
Other Trivia
1. If you are sick or otherwise absent during the placement please notify the host
Institution and Department.
2. If something goes wrong and you are not happy notify the Department of Library and Information Science and do not get into argument with the institution yourself.
3. You would be pleased to learn that in many instances, students get jobs at the end of the course in the institutions in which they have undertaken practical placement.
4. You will be assessed by the institution during your period of placement and a confidential report will be sent to the Department of Library and Information Science 5. Punctuality. Friendliness, willingness to learn, etc. are important. On this can depend the Department’s chances of future placement.
6. Finally, you will remember the host institution’s opinion of you while on placement affects not only you but also the reputation of the Department and the University as a whole. You will be judged by your behaviour.
E Maisiri (Mr s .)
Chairperson