ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT - 2024/5

Module Overview

This module provides insight into the different types of environmental assessment and sustainability reporting, including environmental impact assessment, integrated environmental assessment, strategic environmental assessment, corporate environmental assessment and sustainability reporting. Students are also introduced to environmental assessment legislation, processes and practices.

Module provider

Sustainability, Civil & Env Engineering

Module Leader

WEHRMEYER Walter (Sust & CEE)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

JACs code:

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

• History, background and legislative context of environmental assessment


• Pollution sources, pathways and receptors


• Environmental impact assessments


• Integrated environmental assessments


• Strategic environmental assessments


• Corporate environmental assessments


• Sustainability reporting


• The future of environmental assessment processes

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to assist students develop their knowledge and understanding of environmental assessment and sustainability reporting.

The summative assessment for this module consists of:

- A review of an environmental assessment report, such as a published corporate environmental report or environmental impact assessment, worth 30% of the module mark.

- An environmental impact assessment scoping study, worth 70% of the module mark 

Formative assessment and feedback:

Students receive verbal feedback during lectures. There are also weekly seminar sessions during which example reports of the various types of environmental assessment reports will be discussed and reviewed by the class in their policy context. Students will receive verbal feedback on their input into these discussions as these environmental assessment reports are discussed and reviewed. Students will also perform in groups a simple environmental assessment and get written feedback on this assessment.

Module aims

• To provide an overview of the legislative and policy context of environmental and sustainability reporting
• To introduce students to the different types of environmental and sustainability reporting.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

- Develop students’ knowledge of and understanding of the different types of environmental assessment reports.

- Develop students analysis skills and the ability to critically review environmental assessment and sustainability reports

 

The learning and teaching methods include:

-               Lectures and class discussions (11 hours)

-               Captured content (11 hours)

-               Seminars (11 hours)

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENG2131

Other information

The Centre for Environment and Sustainability is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience, in line with the Surrey Curriculum Framework. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas: Sustainability: Understanding the different types of environmental assessments and sustainability reports and being able to critically review these reports are key skills for sustainability practitioners since these reports are used to evaluate human impacts on the environment. Students develop their understand and critical review skills of such reports through the lecture and seminar sessions and get to apply these skills in the assessments when they review an environmental assessment report and prepare an environmental impact assessment scoping study. Digital capabilities: This module examines different forms of environmental assessment and sustainability reporting, many of which can be accessed digitally. In this module students learn where to find digital copies of environmental assessments and corporate sustainability reports.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2024/5 academic year.