NES2202 : Sustainable Solutions
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Elisa Lopez-Capel
- Lecturer: Dr Toni Carruthers, Dr Jon Telling, Dr Lee Higham, Dr Albert Boaitey, Dr Fabio Cucinotta, Miss Katie Wray, Dr Ankush Prashar, Dr Amy Proctor, Dr Andrew Beard
- Other Staff: Mr Connor Bluemel, Mr Ryan Woodward, Miss Caroline Crow, Miss Laura Messenger
- Owning School: Natural and Environmental Sciences
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
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, career opportunities and skills development.
*Placement opportunities and study abroad event (linked to Careers fair)
*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.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 3 | 0:20 | 1:00 | Online - self-reflection project selection before and after challenge activities (formative) |
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 4 | 2:00 | 8:00 | In person lectures supported by online content |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | module talks by companies and academic experts |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 12:00 | 12:00 | Online - group report (80% summative) following from challenge activities |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 8:00 | 8:00 | Online - group presentation (20% summative) during challenge activities |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 4 | 3:00 | 12:00 | Online - module lecturer will give students relevant reading for module topics |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 2 | 2:00 | 4:00 | Placement and year abroad Talks |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 5 | 2:00 | 10:00 | module workshops |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 3 | 2:00 | 6:00 | drop-in tutorials to support self reflection and group report |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 37 | 1:00 | 37:00 | Group activities throughout semester |
| Total | 100:00 |
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 Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 1 | M | 80 | Group report (3000 words per group equivalent to 600 words per student. This is approximately 10 pages of A4 (excluding references and appendices). |
| Design/Creative proj | 1 | M | 20 | Video Presentation - 6min Pecha Kucha group presentation (end of challenge) |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prof skill assessmnt | 1 | M | Self-reflection on team contribution (survey prior to challenge) |
| Prof skill assessmnt | 1 | M | Group contract (team members agreement of group project roles and responsibilities |
| Prof skill assessmnt | 1 | M | Company meeting on group sustainable solution proposal |
| Prof skill assessmnt | 1 | M | Self-reflection on skills development (survey after challenge) |
| Prof skill assessmnt | 1 | M | Professional Skills Assessment 5 - Peer-assessment (buddycheck on group work) |
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).
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NES2202's Timetable