Green Consultants
| Module title | Green Consultants |
|---|---|
| Module code | GEO2449 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Michael Leyshon (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 | 11 | 3 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 40 |
|---|
Module description
With a greater requirement than ever before to manage resources more efficiently and sustainably, the ability for industry to remain profitable and still competitively deliver products and services is fast becoming a real challenge. Acting as trainee consultants you will learn how to interact and consult with professionals, and how to influence the management of key resources (such as waste and energy). You will help to introduce strategies to manage these resources more effectively, increase profitability and positively affect the environment. The module reflects the interdisciplinary nature of research on the campus and is complimentary to a variety of other modules that focus on the environment more widely.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of the Green Consultants module is to enable students who have an interest in working in the environment and sustainability sector, particularly as an Environmental or Sustainability Consultant, to develop the technical and transferable skill sets required, through a formal learning process before embarking on work experience with a relevant organisation. You will gain an invaluable experience of the sector and develop a range of transferable career skills.
Recognised by industry, Green Consultants involves facilitated experiential learning with a multi-disciplinary student body drawn from range of degrees and year groups. Here it offers you the opportunity to apply learnt consulting skills in a business setting by working alongside real clients in small consulting teams to deliver live business outputs on campus. Following on from this you will capitalise on these skills and experiences by undertaking a suitable industry-based placement.
As a trainee consultant you will develop skill sets essential to a behaviour change agent. Moreover, as this programme is business-orientated and professional, your business and commercial awareness skills will also be further developed. Understanding and learning how to effect sustainable change in a business is another key part. The Green Consultants programme provides you with an amazing opportunity to develop your CV and build a greater understanding of this field of work making this a very competitive programme.
The Green Consultants programme is designed to give you:
- An awareness of relevant roles and career paths in the field of sustainability
- Techniques for instigating organisational and behavioural change
- A chance to apply consultancy practice while working with a client
- Skills and knowledge to be effective change agents within organisations
- An opportunity to apply learned materials in a business setting delivering real tangible outcomes
- The chance to develop consultancy level skill sets and experiences
- Increased confidence and effective approaches to operating in a professional context
- Valuable experience and opportunities within the environment sector
- Access to a support network of like-minded individuals passionate about creating environmental change Personalised learning for professional skills development
- A chance to get feedback on how you present your results and recommendations
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Consult effectively with a client and develop a project brief
- 2. Project management and working up a project brief
- 3. Complete an on-campus project delivering live business outputs
- 4. Produce professional business outputs, and deliver a formal presentation of your project findings to senior stakeholders
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Identify and influence organisational and staff drivers
- 6. Learning how to conduct sustainability assessments
- 7. Understand the role of an environmental consultant in the work environment
- 8. Learning how to be a sustainability consultant
- 9. Explain how cause and effect of business processes impact on the use of resources
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 10. Work confidently with professionals via face-to-face meetings, Zoom/Teams and e-mail etc. to set up the project, and provide feedback and updates on project progress to the programmes clients and staff via formal meetings
- 11. Manage time and communicate effectively through having to deal with multiple stakeholders, managers, and the challenges associated with booking meetings and project creep, as well as managing client expectations
- 12. Work effectively in a team and deal with challenges such as motivation, time management, awareness, communication, responsibility and achievement of project deadlines
- 13. Act professionally in a business setting via the delivery of formal presentations to senior campus staff and clients and interaction with Green Consultants programme managers
- 14. Create your own professional network and gain commercial awareness as part of the syllabus, on-campus projects and internships
Syllabus plan
Autumn Term
A combination of in-person, online and self-directed learning
- Consultancy Practice
- How to be a sustainability consultant
- Working with a client
- Project management and working up a project brief
- Environmental Assessment – EMS and ISO14001
- Conducting sustainability assessments
- The importance of clear communications
- Personalised learning for professional skills development
- Presenting your results and recommendations
Spring Term
30-hour on-campus project
A 30-hour on-campus project undertaken with the University of Exeter, FX Plus (Falmouth and Exeter estates management service) or FXU to put into practice what you have learnt during the training. Working in small consultancy project teams you consult directly with a client to develop a project brief, set up and attend management meetings and feedback progress to your clients and the Green Consultants management team. You will also produce business outputs and give a formal presentation to the client and senior FX Plus staff and University of Exeter Penryn campus staff. Please note these are live projects with time critical and service dependant delivery.
Summer Term
Submit personal reflection for on-campus project.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | 122 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 24 | Client and Green Consultants management meetings for project updates and support, internship sourcing |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 4 | Client and Green Consultants management meetings for project updates and support, internship sourcing |
| Guided independent study | 30 | On-campus group projects |
| Guided independent study | 92 | Reflecting on individual contribution to group project and application of module learning to business outputs and presentation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group project management (Trello) | Updated Trello boards reflecting the activity of the group during the On Campus Project | 1, 3, 10-12 | Written |
| Group project brief document | 2 pages max (using template) | 1, 5-9 | Written |
| Group interim project report | 1000 words | 1-4, 10-14 | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group final business outputs | 30 | Equivalent to 2000 words | 1-4, 6, 8-9, 12 | Written |
| Group final client presentation | 20 | 20 minutes | 5, 9, 10, 13 | Oral/Written |
| Reflective piece, can be written or a recorded interview/presentation reflecting on contribution to the group project undertaken, in relation to: Experiences and knowledge gained Insight into the sector and growth of professional network Development of skills and professionalism in the workplace Career planning and future action. | 50 | 20 minutes/1500 words maximum | 8, 10-14 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group final business output | Individual analysis of the group final business report | 1-4, 6, 8-9, 12 | Case by case basis normally as soon as is practical |
| Group final client presentation | Individual presentation | 5, 9, 10, 13 | Case by case basis normally as soon as is practical |
| Reflective piece relating to group project | Recorded video/written essay | 8, 10-14 | Case by case basis normally as soon as is practical |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to resubmit work as stipulated above. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for 100% of the final mark and will be capped at 40%.
The group final business report and presentation assessments are neither referable nor deferrable because of the group nature of the work. If you fail or miss through mitigation either of these assessments, you will be required to submit an analysis of the group final business report and an individual presentation to the Green Consultants management team as necessary.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- University of Exeter Environment and Climate Emergency Policy Statement
- University of Exeter Environment and Climate Emergency Working Group White Paper
- My Career Zone Digital – online videos and training to support skills development
- Carbon Trust
- Supply Chain Sustainability School
- NAO Short Guide for Environmental Protection and Sustainability
The programme has a supporting ELE page offering additional learning as both pre-course reading and materials that support the three day training programme, your interactions with you clients, internship opportunities and recruitment and selection processes of the environmental sector.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 18/05/2016 |
| Last revision date | 28/02/2022 |
