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ESC-30148 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 04 December 2025

ESC-30148 - Sustainable Futures Consultancy
Coordinator: Zoe Robinson Room: WSF24 Tel: +44 1782 7 34303
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 6
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office: 01782 734414

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26


Aims
This module aims to provide students with the opportunity to tackle a live sustainability-focused project working with an internal or external partner, with the aim of contributing to real positive change or real research usable to the partner. In such a way, the module aims to provide students with important new knowledge and understanding of contemporary sustainability issues and how these are being addressed, as well as skills to evaluate the effectiveness of actions to address specific sustainability challenges.



Intended Learning Outcomes

work collegiality as a team member to contribute to the team process and critically reflect on their own contributions to the project and project outcomes.: 1,2
construct, plan and execute an achievable programme of sustainability-based work (either action or research based) which addresses the needs of different partners.: 1,2
demonstrate, collate and present key findings on delivering sustainability to partners in appropriate formats, based on the generation of new knowledge of sustainability-related issues.: 2
critically evaluate the importance and effectiveness of different sustainability tools in order to facilitate 'real world' change for partner projects.: 1,2

Study hours

40 hours workshops/support sessions - this includes 12x2 hour formal learning sessions; 2 x 2 hour drop-in sessions to provide feedback on draft proposals / reports and 12x1 hour on-line additional research proposal support / group report support sessions.
Independent research = 120 hours
Group preparation of programme of work = 40 hours
Presentation preparation = 20 hours
Report (or equivalent) preparation = 80 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Research Proposal weighted 35%
Research proposal
This is a group assessment (approx. 5 students per group). The assessment comprises a proposed project plan (equivalent of 2,000 words) for a project to be undertaken within the duration of the module. The plan will include a clear outline of the aims to be achieved; an evaluation of the proposed sustainability benefits based on an existing review of the literature; a rationale for the focus; and a detailed outline of the different stages to be completed and related timescales and different areas of team responsibility. Marks will be awarded for the piece of work and will be the same for each group member. In this phase of the project, staff will provide formative feedback on a weekly basis to each group of students who are developing their research proposals. This will include feedback on initial drafts of each section of the research proposal, as well as overall thoughts on the research proposal draft.

2: Report weighted 65%
Group project report
This is a group assessment (approx. 5 students per group) with one report (or equivalent) submitted per group. Groups will prepare a formatively assessed presentation to be presented to their partner organisation. Feedback from this presentation will be used to prepare a summatively assessed 5,000 word final report (or equivalent) that will be made available to the project partners. The report (or equivalent) will cover the aims, rationale, what they carried out/found out. The majority of the mark will be awarded for the piece of work, with modification to take into account 10% of the group mark based on a peer-derived mark for group performance. In addition, 'group contribution' sheets will be used so that students mark their own contribution, as well as the contribution of others in their group to producing the final group project report. If this consistently flags up exceptional or poor performance then this will also be taken into account in respect of the overall mark allocated to each individual. In addition, students will be supported on a week-to-week basis to help produce their group reports. The support will entail feedback on drafts to each section of the report and a focused 'drop in' where they can discuss the overall draft of the report prior to presentation to the client and the final write up of the report. All students will be expected to present the report to the client. If they fail to do this without good reason, then they will be asked to present an element of the presentation separately to members of staff in order to meet the ILOs for the module and to ensure they develop experience of presenting to different audiences.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 04 December 2025