Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

English Language to IELTS 6.0 or Pearson’s 54 or equivalent. Satisfy admissions or progression requirement for
entry to Stage 2 of a Natural and Environmental degree programme at Level 4

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

The overall purpose of the module is to develop students’ understanding of the complex challenges faced by organisations / companies in the arena of sustainability and the linkages between these specific challenges and the wider UN Sustainable Development Goals. The module provides students with the opportunity to work with an external organisation on a problem and generate a sustainable solution. The students will work in small teams with colleagues from other degree programmes and bring principles and practice from their own disciplines to application within the solution. At the end of an intense period of development the team will pitch their idea to the challenge sponsor having considered social, economic and environmental aspects of their proposal. The module allows students to participate in a problem based, experiential learning challenge, and to consider future career development opportunities.

Outline Of Syllabus

Activities before companies challenge
*Introduction to the module, placement/career opportunities (linked to Careers fair) and skills development.
*Teamwork and multidisciplinary skills
*Student selection of companies challenge topics linked to sustainability and UN Sustainable Development Goals

Companies challenge activities:
*Company challenges are presented, Students split into groups to work on specific challenges. Lecture and
activities on problem solving, enterprise, and the UN sustainable development approach.
*Research skills (finding information on innovations) and development of research ideas; student teams meet
their challenge sponsors to discuss ideas and gain early feedback. Independent team based study
*Skills development on how to pitch ideas (Pecha-Kucha video) and how to write a company project report.
Independent team based study.
*Development of ideas / case supported by meeting with the academic team and pitch practice.
*Student teams pitch their ideas (sponsor feedback). Shortlisted groups compete in final elevator pitches
(students and sponsors vote for the overall winner); followed by company network event.

Post challenge week
Company project report submission, group peer assessment, and self-reflection (Skills profile in line with
the graduate framework and the UNESCO student key competencies for Sustainability.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

At the end of this module students should be able to
Investigate career opportunities and explore options for work placements or study abroad.

Identify the role of Natural Sciences in solving global challenges in industry/ public sector/ NGOs and other external organisations.

Apply this knowledge to a problem centred around issues of sustainability for an organisation and identify a new venture idea / design a sustainable solution for the challenge sponsor through collaborative work.

Develop awareness of systems inter-dependences (e.g. circular economy, sustainable development goals, global grand challenges) and the multidisciplinary problem solving approach.

Intended Skill Outcomes

Identify what contributions an individual/discipline can bring to providing sustainable solutions to real problems faced by organisations.

Use interpersonal communication skills and presentation skills to collaboratively develop and pitch an idea.

Demonstrate the ability to work successfully in a multidisciplinary team and evaluate their individual role and contribution.

Successfully identify and reflect on skills and knowledge which have been gained throughout the module that will help in the future workplace

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The lectures provide an introduction to the format of the task, ways of working and establish the underlying terminology and principles involved in responsible and sustainable innovation in a global and specific context (knowledge outcomes). The workshops and guided independent study allow students to develop skills required to work within teams seeking sustainable solutions for the challenge sponsor and to reflect more widely on opportunities to develop their profile further outside of this module (knowledge and skills outcomes). The student led small group activity allows students to engage directly with the external organisations and present specific solutions to the sponsors (skills outcomes).

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

As the format of the module is predominantly a problem based, experiential learning challenge, with the aim to allow students to develop professional skills in a multidisciplinary team based setting it is not appropriate to measure performance on the normal academic scale, including self and peer assessment. The self-reflection exercises will challenge students to think about their contribution within multidisciplinary teams and how they develop their employability skills and sustainability while working on a solution as part of an authentic assessment. The ‘pitch’ presentation will assess oral communication skills and the ability to summarise the salient points on PowerPoint slides. The short report (business proposal) will assess professional skills.

An alternative individual assessment will be set for any student who is not able to work in a group due to personal extenuating circumstances (PEC / SSP).

General Notes

N/A