CE3EVA: Environmental Management and Assessment

Module code: CE3EVA

Module provider: School of Construction Management and Engineering, School of Built Environment

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Professor Jacopo Torriti, email: j.torriti@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The aim of this module is to introduce issues of environmental management and assessment from both conceptual and applied perspectives. The module is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on corporate environmental management, including drivers, tools, contrasting types and strategies. The second part is centred in environmental assessment, including economic assessment tools, environmental risk management and other current practices in environmental assessment in the built environment.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Describe the tools used by corporations to manage their environmental impact and analyse the reasons why corporations undertake environmental management; 
2. Discuss the current state of corporate environmental management practices and their relationship to profitability; 
3. Carry out calculations using environmental and economic assessment tools; 
4. Compare current practice in environmental management and assessment in the built environment. 

Module content

An introductory lecture in Week 1 sets out key concepts related to the different business and policy approaches to environmental management. In Weeks 2 – 5, the drivers, tools and contrasting types of corporate environmental management and strategy are reviewed and discussed. Weeks 6 and 7 introduce environmental and economic assessment tools. In week 8 and 9 the ongoing debate about environmental performance versus profitability is used to introduce environmental risk management and other current practices in environmental assessment in the built environment. Week 10 will conclude with a look at practitioner’s experience in applying the economic and environmental assessment tools taught in this course. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

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Lectures each week will deliver the key concepts, methods, and debates relating to corporate environmental management and assessment. The lectures will draw on the core reading material, supplemented as necessary by further empirical research and case studies. 

Student Preparation 

As a minimum each week, students will be expected to read the core reading material prior to the lecture. The core reading material will usually be limited to a small number of book sections or journal articles to ensure students have time to prepare fully. Students are also encouraged to review the list of further readings and/or find and suggest their own reading material on the weekly topic. 

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Produce a conference poster representing the position on climate change of an integrated energy company of which you are senior manager. 

Reassessment

Additional costs