Competencies in the curriculum - Words of Wisdom

The value of reflection as an Environmental Manager

T330 is a level 3 Engineering module that first ran in Autumn 2025. It explores complex and often emotive environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity, and disaster risk reduction. 

Environmental managers need to understand different viewpoints and evidence when making decisions. They also need to recognise their own connection to the people and places they work with and how it may impact their decisions. 

The module’s first assessment is a short reflective piece which draws on activities students have completed in the module’s 2nd block. The block content and activities guide students to consider how Environmental managers might think and feel as a human, citizen and manager. 

Students are introduced to the UNESCO sustainability competencies framework and as part of the assessment asked to share which competency areas they are most interested in developing and why. Students explore concepts of global citizenship, behaviour change, immunity to change, systems thinking and eco-anxiety. Regular reflective activities and discussions with peers and tutors help build student confidence and skills for the assessment. They are guided to capture reflections e.g. about how their personal environmental values shape their career choices and actions, in an e-journal. The reflective journal entries contribute to the assessment.

Author: The Open University's Responsible Futures Audit 2024