Module manager: Dr Graham Mann
Email: G.W.Mann@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
| CSER2101 | Career Development 1 |
This module is not approved as a discovery module
The module introduces students to begin career planning during this 2nd year to assist in the transition from university study to employment.
The module asks students to think and reflect on their own skills and attributes. This is done alongside guest speakers in environmental vocations and more generally with today’s growing “green economy”. Students should use this as an opportunity to reflect on career development needs and their current skills base, and individual strengths and weaknesses.
The module also involves roles and responsibilities of careers aligned with environmental consultancy. Students make an online application in a manner identical to that which many recruiters request. The module involves also a practice interview for their chosen graduate job. Students are assessed and given feedback on their application and interview, and to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses.
Lecture topics include work experience; team working; and re: online media (e.g. Leeds for Life and LinkedIn).
The main module assessment is to make a career action plan for the next 2-3 years, reflecting on their skills profiles, and application/interview performance to put themselves in the best possible position to compete.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following subject-specific learning outcomes:
SB1) Learning how to design an effective academic CV
SB2) Understanding the 2 main parts to job ads: Person Specification and Job Description, aligned to environment-related graduate post
SB3) Learning to consider likely employer needs and other considerations when drafting a covering letter
SB4) Organising preparation for interview towards likely questions and some planned answers
SB5) Thinking strategically for interviews, to volunteer experiences within replies, where appropriate and effective to do so
SB6) Designing a career action plan aligned to the SMART principles
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
SK1) identifying individual and collective goals and responsibilities and performing in a manner appropriate to these roles (work ready, sustainability and enterprise skills)
SK2) developing the skills necessary for self-managed and lifelong learning (work ready, enterprise and academic skills)
SK3) identifying and working towards targets for personal, academic and career development (work ready, enterprise and academic skills)
SK4) communicating appropriately to a variety of audiences in written, verbal and graphical form (work ready, enterprise, sustainability and academic skills)
SK5) recognising and respecting the views and opinions of other team members (work ready, sustainability and enterprise skills)
SK6) using the Internet critically as a means of communication and a source of information (work ready, digital, sustainability, enterprise and academic skills)
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Practical | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| Seminar | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Private study hours | 74 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 26 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 100 | ||
Feedback on Assignment 1 (CV & covering letter) from CareerSet web-tools
Feedback on Assignment 2 both verbal feedback post-interview & written feedback sheet (marked by interviewer)
Feedback on Assignment 3 is via Turnitin (common rubric aligned to marking criteria for career action plan)
The lecture-room discussion sessions in week 5 lecture involve feedback from the 2 module co-leads and the 2 visiting Env Consultancy team (group work devised by Env Consultancy visitors).
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Coursework - pass for progression | 0 |
| Coursework | Oral assessment | 20 |
| Coursework | Coursework | 80 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
There is no reading list for this module
Last updated: 29/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team