Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

Module Identifier
BDM8820
Module Title
Behaviour Change
Academic Year
2024/2025
Co-ordinator
Semester
Distance Learning
Reading List
Other Staff

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Case study  2500 Words  60%
Semester Assessment Interactive Task  1500 Words  40%
Supplementary Assessment Interactive Task  1500 Words  40%
Supplementary Assessment Case study  2500 Words  60%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Explain the current and future challenges associated with behaviour change in the food and bio-based supply chain.

2. Discuss the history and context of behaviour change.

3. Describe psychological, sociological and contextual determinants of behaviour.

4. Analyse and evaluate a number of behaviour change models and approaches.

5. Discuss the ethics of and their application to behaviour change interventions.

6. Propose and apply appropriate behaviour change approaches/models for different scenarios.

Brief description

This module is part of the IBERS Distance Learning postgraduate programme. Students will learn about the history and development of behaviour change as a discipline, including how human brain evolution and development may influence behaviour and psychological drivers of behaviour as well as evaluating a number of recognised behaviour change models and approaches.
It will explore how and where behaviour change approaches might be used, highlight relevant research and include case studies relevant to the food production, processing and retail and biotech sectors.

Content

Topics in this module will cover the following:

1) History/ development of behaviour change approaches –how theory and practice have developed and been used in society and lessons that have been learned from successful behaviour change practitioners.
2) The psychology & sociology behind behaviour change – covering the most influential or widely-recognized behavioural insights and behaviour change theories.
3) Exploration of theories relating to human brain evolution and development - how it may influence behaviour and help us understand how behaviour change approaches work.
4) Contextualization and behavioural influences of the wider environment – how factors outside of an individual’s control might affect their behaviours.
5) Established models of behaviour change – there are several models that describe how behaviour change theory can be put into practice; a selection of established models will be explained in detail.
6) Ethics of behaviour change – implications of using behaviour change approaches to influence peoples’ actions without their knowledge or consent.
7) Applications of behaviour change – how, when and where might behaviour change approaches be best used.
8) Case studies of behaviour change interventions relevant to agri-food & biotech sectors (e.g. food waste reduction, recycling, energy use, single-use plastic).

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number Students will be required to examine and synthesize quantitative and statistical data from a range of publications and other sources in their assignments and will be expected to explain or show evidence to validate and contextualize claims made in the case study and forum posts.
Communication Students will be expected to be able to express themselves appropriately in their assignments and to discuss relevant topics with each other in the forums.
Improving own Learning and Performance Detailed feedback will be given for assignment work for students to see where improvements could be made before subsequent assignments. A written formative assessment will give an early risk-free opportunity for feedback and there will be 3 successive assessed forums which will be marked and feedback provided in time to aid performance in the next forum. Formative MCQs will enable students to see where they need to concentrate their self-directed study.
Information Technology Students will be required to source information from a variety of scientific publication data bases and to use Blackboard for all aspects of the module.
Personal Development and Career planning This module will provide the students with the latest research into behaviour change theory and application to help them provide the most up-to-date information/advice to their colleagues/clients in the agri-food and biotech sectors. Behaviour change is a reflective process which will inevitably lead to some level of personal development and the assessments will involve some reflective discussion but they won’t be specifically assessed on personal development and career planning.
Problem solving Online forum posts will be used to help develop and improve students’ problem solving skills, through use of questions that present theoretical problems for the students to solve. The case study will also require students to propose ways to apply behaviour change models to a particular situation.
Research skills Students will be required to undergo directed self-study, so will develop their literature research skills. Feedback from assignments will offer advice on information synthesis.
Subject Specific Skills Theory and application of behaviour change models. Appraisal and evaluation of the different behaviour change models and methods.
Team work Online forums will require students to debate among themselves to develop a consensus of opinion.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7