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Solutions Project (Internship)

Module description

Applying your learning to a real-world sustainability challenge will help accelerate your ability to affect meaningful change. You will be responsible forcollaboratively designing, planning and implementing the study, as well as analysing the data and writing it up. Your Solutions Project will allow you to focus on a topic of your choice via research during a placement with an external partner organisation. You will define your project over terms 1 and 2 via tutorials and group workshops. By the start of the summer term you will have a project proposal agreed, an academic supervisor, and partner organisation secured.  

Module aims - intentions of the module

This dissertational module will give you the opportunity to work with, though not necessarily in, an organisation on a clearly defined project addressing a real sustainability challenge set by the organisation. It will give you the experience of working with an organisation that may be within an industrial, governmental, non-governmental, or voluntary sector. You will gain practical experience in sustainability consultancy and other transferable skills. The module is organised around an individual applied project with a real client which the Global Systems Institute may have sourced, or a project you may have sourced yourself. The module’s primary objective is to provide you with ‘real world’ work experience and enhance your employability whilst conducting academic research and preparing professional materials to feed your results back to your client. You will prepare and submit a dissertation that will assess your application of your academic learning to a significant sustainability research project. You will be responsible for planning and conducting the research dissertation, with input from your internship host and your academic supervisor

Within your dissertation you will also include a compulsory “Internship reflections” appendix item which will provide you with space to reflect on the process of working with the client. It will also include evidence of results feedback to your client.

• You will gain an overview of a significant body of literature in a particular study area of sustainability.
• You will learn how to synthesise and structure this information. You will situate your dissertation project within this body of work and so identify gaps in research literature.
• You will formulate a research method with clearly identified aims and objectives.
• You will collect data and subject this to analysis and interpretation.
• You will produce a dissertation that reports on this significant piece of work.
• You will produce a PowerPoint presentation to feedback your results to the client.
• You will  critically reflect on the internship process

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Critically explore topics of relevance to your research community which results in you becoming a knowledgeable expert in your dissertation topic
• 2. Critically and independently assess the field in which your research project will be conducted
• 3. Follow systematically and consistently the phases of a research project, i.e. design, data collection, data analysis and report writing using methods and techniques agreed by the supervisor
• 4. Produce a PowerPoint presentation to feedback your results to a professional standard

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Assimilate and critically review academic literature that is relevant to the dissertation topic
• 6. Identify and apply, independently and with originality, appropriate methodologies and theories for solving a range of complex and demanding problems in sustainability and environmental science
• 7. Independently apply established techniques of analysis, practical investigation, and enquiry within sustainability science
• 8. In collaboration with an external partner organisation design and present a means of dealing with a critical research issue faced by the partner organisation

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 9. Devise and sustain independently a logical and reasoned argument with sound, convincing conclusions
• 10. Effectively communicate complex arguments, evidence and conclusions in a range of general and specialised contexts using a variety of formats to specialist and general audiences
• 11. Analyse and evaluate appropriate data and complete a range of research tasks independently
• 12. Manage the relationship with the client, including managing expectations and handling problems. Understand the protocols, expectations and outcomes of engaging with organisations as clients.
• 13. Reflect effectively and independently on learning experiences and evaluate critically personal achievements

Syllabus plan

Potential dissertation internship topics are introduced in the Global Challenges module, this includes projects presented by academics and external partner organisations. You will discuss dissertation topics during seminars and workshops. You will continue to explore possible dissertation topics over Term 1 and 2. You will be expected to arrange an internship with an external organisation towards the start of Term 2. You will be able to take advantage of the Global Systems Institute external partner network, or you may independently identify a potential.  

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

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 50%) you will be required to redo the relevant assessment. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Specific readings will be provided for the module consistent with the taught areas of theory for that year but in general you will be expected to read original theory articles or book chapters. A couple of examples are given below but these may not be included in the year’s syllabus. You can contact the module lead in the Autumn semester for details of the theory that will be covered in the upcoming year.
• Ruxton, G.D. and Colegrave, N. (2006) Experimental Design for the Life Sciences. OUP. ISBN 01992 52327
• Barrass, R., 2005. Scientists Must Write: A guide to better writing for scientists, engineers and students. Routledge.
• Miller, T.R., Wiek, A., Sarewitz, D., Robinson, J., Olsson, L., Kriebel, D. and Loorbach, D., 2014. The future of sustainability science: a solutions-oriented research agenda. Sustainability science, 9(2), pp.239-246.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE page: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=9351
• Gapminder data visualistion application https://www.gapminder.org

Key words search

Environmental sustainability, theory, practice, policy