Postgraduate Course: Professional Climate Change Skills & Methods (online) (PGGE11301)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course reflects the interdisciplinary nature of climate change. It focusses on developing applied skills that will prepare students for future careers in a wide range of sectors related to climate change management. These skills include carbon accounting at various scales, environment impact assessment, data collection and interpretation, critical thinking, effective communication, data visualisation, advocacy and policy development, scenario building, and stakeholder engagement. This course also aims to prepare students for effective group work as well as methodologies applicable to their dissertations. |
| Course description |
General Structure
This is a 10-week online course delivered over 12 calendar weeks (reading week in week 6 and 7). Each teaching week will consist of one overarching topic covered over:
- two hours of asynchronous teaching,
- one hour of asynchronous discussion / activities, and
- one hour of synchronous teaching.
The asynchronous material will be broken down into smaller 'chapters' and be delivered via a mix of pre-recorded videos (5-30 minutes each), readings, activities, and asynchronous discussions. The asynchronous material will be delivered via Blackboard Learn Ultra.
Each week's one-hour synchronous tutorial will be delivered via an online platform (e.g., Blackboard Collaborate/Zoom) and repeated two to three times per week to take into consideration the cohort's time zones. Students will only be expected to join one session per week. The tutorials will involve activities, guided discussions, or additional lecture material that is related to the week's asynchronous material.
Topics to be Covered:
The precise topics selected for the course will vary according to the interests of the CO and the changing needs of our graduates in the job market.
Carbon Accounting, including:
a) Introduction to Carbon Accounting (definitions, scopes, GWPs, consequential vs attributional, auditing)
b) Global, National and City Level Accounting (requirements, target setting, production vs consumption)
c) Corporate Level Accounting, Reporting and Disclosure (overview, purpose, limitations and challenges, methodology, financial analysis/portfolio accounting)
d) Product and Supply Chain Accounting (overview, purpose, methodology, consumer behaviour, barriers, and responsibility)
Looking at Wider Environmental Impacts (e.g. Environmental Impact Assessment, LCA and Ecological Footprint, Ecosystem Valuation Methods)
Data Interpretation and Critical Thinking
Effective Communication and Visualisation
Fore-sighting: Scenario and Stakeholder Engagement
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
166 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The assessment has two components:
Component A: Group Carbon Accounting Exercise (50% of final course mark)
For this assignment students will be assigned into a group of 3-4. As a group they will be asked to carry out a carbon footprinting exercise for a virtual Small or Medium sized Enterprise (SME). This exercise will involve:
- gathering information
- analysing data
- carbon footprinting
- preparing for and carrying out a site visit (virtually)
- identifying opportunities
- documenting and reporting your findings
The output for this assignment is one report per group following the template that is provided to the students. This report should be no longer than 8,000 words (+/- 10%) including tables, figures, and appendices, but not the reference list. The report is worth 75% of the total group mark which is given to all members of the teams. The report will be assessed on the following criteria:
Professional Conduct: The team worked well as a group and conducted themselves professionally (determined by business owner). 5%
Executive Summary: This section is comprehensive yet succinct, covering all the important information. 15%
Introduction: This section is complete, well presented, and accurate. 10%
Carbon Footprint: This section is complete and accurate, the calculations are correct and the data is clearly presented. Relevance of the data is clearly indicated. 25%
Opportunities Assessment: The team has proposed a good range of realistic solutions outlining the relevant savings and investments clearly and supporting each recommendation with detailed descriptions, rationale, risks, next steps, and references. 30%
Conclusions and Next Steps: This section is clearly presented and succinct. 5%
General report presentation: The report is well written and professionally presented. 10%
The remaining 25% of the marks will be given individually and reflect a peer review element. This peer review will assess the individual contribution to the team and give equal weight to the individual participation, attitude, respect, responsibility and contribution.
Component B: Individual Blog & Infographic Assignment (50% of final course mark)
Students will be tasked to take a recent peer-reviewed article, relating to climate change management, and repackage it for the general public. This will be done for the same article in two formats:
(i) 700-word blog post which summarizes the main findings of the chosen article and discusses the implications of the findings (30%);
(ii) a separate stand-alone infographic which visually tells the story of the chosen article for a non-scientific audience (20%).
The following criteria will be used for this assessment:
Blog post
Synthesis: it is evident the student fully understands the underlying article and its context. The main message is synthesized in their own words
Structure & style: a clear and logical structure for the target audience, written in an appropriate style for non-scientific audience.
Analysis: there is discussion of the implications of these findings for wider debates in climate change management, and/or for policy design and advocacy.
Infographic
Content: Does infographic have a clear purpose? Does the infographic capture and convey the essence/main message of the source paper, with accuracy?
Graphics: Is the choice of graphics / images / iconography relevant and pertinent? Do they make it easier for the audience to understand the content?
Structure: Does the layout of the message enhance or impede the audience's understanding of the intended message? Is the information clearly, intuitively, and imaginatively presented?
Design: Is the infographic clear and well-organised? Are the elements easily consumed by the audience without ambiguity?
Aesthetics: Is it pleasing to the eye? Do the colour and shape combinations enhance the meaning of the infographic and aid in audience understanding? |
| Feedback |
Formative feedback will take place during tutorials and one-to-one sessions. During the live tutorials, students will be asked if they have any comments or questions about the course material. Students will also be able to ask questions or request feedback through learn discussion boards or on-page comments. The course team will also provide overall class feedback after each assignment is marked. Students may request a one-to-one feedback session with a member of the course team at any time.
Written feedback on assignments will be provided within 2-3 weeks of submission |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the range of carbon accounting measurement, calculation, and reporting requirements and have an appreciation for how they may change over time;
- Demonstrate an appreciation of the main drivers for carbon accounting, the ethical questions raised by carbon accounting, and the risks associated with different accounting practices;
- Work effectively in a group;
- Identify, synthesise, and critically evaluate literature and data in a given field;
- Communicate content of a complex nature to a range of audiences: tell a story in a compelling and robust manner that engages the target audience and details how we demonstrate a new contribution to knowledge and understanding. Weekly Tutorials are used as opportunities to develop and communicate our ideas.
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Reading List
You are required to read:
World Resources Institute (WRI)/World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (2004) The Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard. Available at: http://www.ghgprotocol.org/standards/corporate-standard
British Standards Institution (BSI) (2011), PAS 2050:2011. Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services, British Standards Institution, London. Available at: http://shop.bsigroup.com/en/forms/PASs/PAS2050/
Tufte, Edward R (2001) [1983], The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (2nd ed.), Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press.
Schoemaker, P. J. H. (n.d.). Scenario Planning: A Tool for Strategic Thinking. 36(2).
Rounsevell, M. D. A., & Metzger, M. J. (2010). Developing qualitative scenario storylines for environmental change assessment. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 1(4), 606¿619. https://doi.org/10.1002/WCC.63 |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
This course will develop attributes and skills expected from a University of Edinburgh graduate including: creative problem solvers and researchers, critical and reflective thinkers, effective and influential contributors and skilled communicators. Students will be able to demonstrate skills in interdisciplinary analysis, drawing upon different empirical sources, analytical perspectives, and sub-disciplines within carbon management studies. Students will also be able to demonstrate an ability to acquire and apply specialist knowledge and skills. |
| Keywords | Carbon accounting,communication,data interpretation,scenario analysis,environmental impact |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr James Paterson
Tel:
Email: James.Paterson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Dr Beata Kohlbek
Tel:
Email: Beata.Kohlbek@ed.ac.uk |
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