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ESC-40101 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

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

ESC-40101 - Collaborative Project
Coordinator: Deirdre Mckay Room: WSF28 Tel: +44 1782 7 33601
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 7
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
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

GEG-40030 Advanced Traineeships in Human Geography, Sustainability and Geoscience

Description for 2025/26

This module provides a bridge between businesses, social enterprises and public sector organisations and students to work on real-world, relevant issues. Students gain essential employability skills and experience as they are supported to lead collaborative discussions to co-define and co-design a project scope and to review the project progress and outcomes. Students on this module will develop highly desirable skills in project planning and management, communicating in a professional setting, and problem solving.

Aims
The module aims to support students in defining, conducting and delivering a real-world, commercially relevant research project in collaboration with an external partner and Keele mentor that will meet partner-defined research needs.

Intended Learning Outcomes

evaluate a commercially relevant issue or research need and design and communicate a verbal and written plan to assess and address it: 1
analyse data and information collected, including conducting a literature review and analysis of data generated by and with the partner, in order to formulate appropriate recommendations for the partner: 1
organise and lead inclusive collaborative problem-solving discussions with partners to co-create approaches and solutions, critically assessing the effectiveness of research input: 1
evaluate recommendations developed, delivering a professional Executive Summary for a consultancy-type report for an external partner: 1

Study hours

6 hours module orientation and support sessions in situ
5 hours advisory meetings with staff project mentor
9 hours visits, meetings or email consultation with partner staff
130 hours independent study, comprised of:
40 hours literature review
30 hours review of partner data and documents
30 hours data analysis
30 hours report-writing, including preparation of skills template, Executive Summary with tables and figures, and reflective statement

School Rules

Students holding a student visa are strongly recommended to consult the Language Centre and complete one Semester of any suggested ENL-40005 module before enrolling on ESC-40101.

Description of Module Assessment

1: Coursework weighted 100%
An executive summary, a skills inventory outlining development and a reflective statement of the experience
A coursework submission comprised of an executive summary describing the work delivered to the partner, a template skills inventory reflecting on the student's skills profile and development, and a reflective statement elaborating on the experience.

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