Professor Ernestina Coast CON.8.15

This course is available on the MSc in Development Studies and MSc in Health and International Development. This course is not available as an outside option.

MSc Health and International Development students are guaranteed a place on DV453. Places for MSc Development Studies students requesting to take this course as an option are strictly limited (5 places allocated by ballot amongst applicants). MSc Development Studies students must take DV458 to be able to apply for a place on DV453.  

Students will gain practical experience of dealing with current policy issues and best practice in the fields of health and international development by working on a consultancy team project for an external client. The consultancies are based around an experiential learning format. Students receive guidance through a structured supervision process and work on the consultancy report in Autumn and Winter Terms with support from a staff coach.

Students are allocated to consultancy teams usually comprising between three and six people. Students can express preferences for clients but may not be allocated to one of these. The roster of clients and projects changes every year.

The consultancy project begins in Autumn Term with client reports due at the end of Winter Term. The client report and final presentation form part of the assessment.

There are 4 AT lectures plus 1 AT workshop [to include the inception report presentations] and 1 WT workshop each lasting up to two hours.

This course is delivered through a combination of lectures and workshops. Up to 8 hours of lectures and up to 4 hours of workshops in the AT and WT.

This course will have a reading week in Week 6.

Students will contribute to the Group inception report and presentation (in the AT) and will be given group feedback for each of these.

There is no specific reading for this course as this will reflect the specific project Terms of Reference that students work to.

Project (80%, 8000 words), reflective learning report (10%) and group presentation (10%) in the WT.

The reflective learning report comprises two individual diaries plus individual performance assessed through 360-degree student reporting and the coach’s own assessment of individual contributions. 

Final client presentations are at the end of the Winter Term and are scheduled by the students in consultation with academic staff and the client. Students should be aware that presentations to clients may have to take place in the week after the end of WT, and students should plan accordingly and be available to participate if required.

An alternative assessment pathway is available in situations where groups are dissolved or individual students are removed from groups usually, but not exclusively, for disciplinary, client related or personal reasons. The suitability of this pathway is determined by the respective Programme Director and Head of Department. The department may also require or request individual students who have performed extremely well or whose contributions are unclear to demonstrate contributions through a portfolio of assessed work.