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Climate change: transforming your organisation for sustainability

This microcredential will help you develop your knowledge of sustainability and gain new insights, skills, and tools to transform your organisation’s response to the climate crisis. You’ll learn the current science on climate change and the impact we can make as individuals and organisations. Over 10 weeks, you’ll discover five ways of working for sustainability, along with critical frameworks and approaches that will help you drive positive change and be a leader for sustainability, whatever your role, level or sector.

Key features

  • Learn practical skills you can apply straight away
  • Insights and case studies featuring pioneering people and organisations
  • Create an action plan tailored to your organisation that you can use to make a difference
  • Designed by leading sustainability experts and practitioners
  • The course has a global focus and delivers transferable skills for diverse sectors and organisations

What is a microcredential?

Microcredentials are professional development short courses with academic credit designed to help you quickly build in-demand career skills and knowledge that you can immediately apply. Learn more about microcredentials.

Module

Module code

TZVM320

Credits

Credits

  • Credits measure the student workload required for the successful completion of a module or qualification.
  • One credit represents about 10 hours of study over the duration of the course.
  • You are awarded credits after you have successfully completed a module.
  • For example, if you study a 60-credit module and successfully pass it, you will be awarded 60 credits.
10

Study level

Across the UK, there are two parallel frameworks for higher education qualifications, the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Northern Ireland and Wales (FHEQ) and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). These define a hierarchy of levels and describe the achievement expected at each level. The information provided shows how OU module levels correspond to these frameworks.
Level of Study
OU SCQF FHEQ
3 10 6

Study method

This microcredential is studied entirely online

Module cost

See Module registration

Entry requirements

See Entry requirements

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What you will study

On this undergraduate microcredential, you’ll gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to make a positive change in your organisation. During this 10-week course, you’ll cover the following topics.

  • The climate crisis: global heating and its causes
  • What we value, as cultures, organisations and individuals, and the tensions between them
  • Connecting with nature and learning from nature to solve human problems
  • Five ways of working: holistic, interrelated positive steps that can enable radical and rapid action
  • Long-term thinking: how you can help your organisation take a longer-term view
  • Prevention: deficit and asset-based approaches to the protection of nature
  • Involvement: ways of involving a diversity of stakeholders meaningfully
  • Collaboration: the factors for successful collaboration with examples from a range of organisations
  • Integration: the integration of sustainability in your organisation
  • Applying tools and frameworks to put your ideas into action

You will learn

By the end of your learning, you’ll be able to:

  • explain the scientific facts of the climate and ecological crises
  • re-examine your thoughts and feelings on the urgent need for action on sustainability
  • distinguish how you and your organisation uniquely contribute to sustainability agendas, including just transition, industrial decarbonisation, the green skills agenda, and the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE)
  • involve a range of stakeholders to identify potential quick wins for transformative change
  • demonstrate your own collaborative leadership skills by engaging and influencing others to effect change
  • critique the impact of past and present actions for sustainability to inform future action
  • design a sustainability action plan appropriate for your organisation which will effect long-term change.

Skills you will gain

  • Explaining the scientific facts of the climate crisis
  • Understanding organisational contributions to sustainability agendas
  • Designing a sustainability action plan
  • Critical thinking and leadership
  • Reflective learning
  • Collaborative working
  • Organisational innovation
  • Big picture thinking
  • Inclusive communication

Vocational relevance

The course offers an optimistic reflective experience, empowering learners to influence others and identify quick wins to become catalysts for change. You’ll learn how to be inspired by nature, remain optimistic and share ‘facts with feeling’ to deliver impactful change and add sustainability know-how to your skill set to advance your career in sustainability.

Created by leading experts and practitioners from The Open University

  • Dr Victoria Hands, Director of Sustainability at the OU, has designed this microcredential. She is an experienced sustainability practitioner with a PhD in implementing sustainable development.
  • Dr Emma Dewberry is a Senior Lecturer in Design Ecologies at the OU’s School of Engineering and Innovation. Emma’s teaching focuses on Design for Sustainability.
  • Claudia Eckert is Professor of Design at the OU’s School of Engineering and Innovation. Her research looks at how to improve complex products and how small changes over time can make products more sustainable across their life cycle.
  • Anne Callan is an economic and social science researcher with experience working in international sustainable development and bringing theory, policy and real-world practice together.

Teaching and assessment

Study support

  • Learn 100% online on the OU’s learning platform with a mix of video, audio and written materials
  • Engage in interactive learning through self-assessment questions, polls, tasks and reflection
  • Share ideas and experiences in discussion with other learners, building skills, confidence and knowledge
  • Receive support from mentors who guide discussions and answer questions
  • Study at a time that suits you with the flexibility to access the course from your desktop, tablet or mobile device

Assessment

You’ll take part in weekly tasks and discussions with co-learners to support and consolidate your learning. You will also practice reflective learning through weekly journaling, focusing on the challenges you face. This process will empower you to take meaningful actions for sustainability and position you as a catalyst for change. Towards the end of the course, you’ll submit a project or assessment demonstrating the skills you’ve acquired. This will be marked and graded by subject matter experts and make up 100% of your final mark.

What you will gain

10 UK credits at undergraduate level from The Open University* and a Certificate. Academic credits are awarded on passing the final assessment. These will be at undergraduate level 6 of the Framework for Higher Education (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) / level 10 of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.

*Academic credit may be used towards selected OU qualifications. For more details, including eligible qualifications, visit Counting microcredentials towards OU qualifications. The credit awarded may also be used at another university, subject to the agreement of the receiving institution.

Future availability

Climate change: transforming your organisation for sustainability typically starts three times a year – in March, July and October. This page describes the microcredential that will start in July 2024.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.

Course work includes:

End-of-module assessment


Entry requirements

This undergraduate-level microcredential will benefit anyone interested in adding sustainability know-how to their skill set and transforming their organisation for sustainability. You don’t need any prior experience or qualifications to enrol. All the required skills and foundational knowledge are covered in this microcredential.

Please note
  • The course is relevant to learners in organisations of any size and sector but doesn’t assume learners are currently working. Past experiences will be just as relevant. The weekly sustainability actions and action plan design can be applied at the individual or community level.
  • All teaching is in English, and your English proficiency needs to be adequate for undergraduate study. As a guide, this corresponds to Level 5.5 of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). However, you won’t need to provide a formal English language score to enrol.

Course length

This 10-week course requires approximately 10 hours of self-paced learning per week, totalling around 100 hours for completion.

Register

Start End England fee Register
08 Jul 2024 Sep 2024 £500.00

Registration closes 07/07/24 (places subject to availability)

Register
This module is expected to start for the last time in October 2024.

Additional Costs

Study costs

There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.

If your income is not more than £25,000 or you receive a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.

Ways to pay for this module

Microcredential funding

Some of our microcredentials are available to study for free through government-funded schemes.

Find out about funding available if you are based in Wales or Scotland.

Open University Student Budget Account

The Open University Student Budget Accounts Ltd (OUSBA) offers a convenient 'pay as you go' option to pay your OU fees, which is a secure, quick and easy way to pay. Please note that The Open University works exclusively with OUSBA and is not able to offer you credit facilities from any other provider. All credit is subject to status and proof that you can afford the repayments.

You pay the OU through OUSBA in one of the following ways:

  • Register now, pay later – OUSBA pays your module fee direct to the OU. You then repay OUSBA interest-free and in full just before your module starts. 0% APR representative. This option could give you the extra time you may need to secure the funding to repay OUSBA.
  • Pay by instalments – OUSBA calculates your monthly fee and number of instalments based on the cost of the module you are studying. APR 5.1% representative.

Joint loan applications

If you feel you would be unable to obtain an OUSBA loan on your own due to credit history or affordability issues, OUSBA offers the option to apply for a joint loan application with a third party. For example, your husband, wife, partner, parent, sibling or friend. In such cases, OUSBA will be required to carry out additional affordability checks separately and/or collectively for both joint applicants who will be jointly and severally liable for loan repayments.

As additional affordability checks are required when processing joint loan applications, unfortunately, an instant decision cannot be given. On average the processing time for a joint loan application is five working days from receipt of the required documentation.

Read more about Open University Student Budget Accounts (OUSBA).

OUSBA is not available as a payment method for microcredentials.

Employer sponsorship

Studying with The Open University can boost your employability. OU courses are recognised and respected by employers for their excellence and the commitment they take to complete. They also value the skills that students learn and can apply in the workplace.

More than one in ten OU students are sponsored by their employer, and over 30,000 employers have used the OU to develop staff so far. If the module you’ve chosen is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could approach your employer to see if they will sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. 

  • Your employer just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.
  • You won’t need to get your employer to complete the form until after you’ve chosen your module.  

Credit/debit card

You can pay part or all of your tuition fees upfront with a debit or credit card when you register for each module. 

We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron. 

Mixed payments

We know that sometimes you may want to combine payment options. For example, you may wish to pay part of your tuition fee with a debit card and pay the remainder in instalments through an Open University Student Budget Account (OUSBA).


Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2025. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules

This information was provided on 27/04/2024.

Can you study an Access module for free?

Depending on eligibility and availability of places, you could apply to study your Access module for free.

To qualify, you must:

  1. be resident in England
  2. have a household income of less than £25,000 (or be in receipt of a qualifying benefit)
  3. have not completed one year or more on any full-time undergraduate programme at FHEQ level 4 or above or successfully completed 30 credits or more of OU study within the last 10 years

How to apply to study an Access module for free

Once you've started the registration process, either online or over the phone, we'll contact you about your payment options. This will include instructions on how you can apply to study for free if you are eligible and funded places are still available.

If you're unsure if you meet the criteria to study for free, you can check with one of our friendly advisers on +44 (0)300 303 0069, or you can request a call back.

Not eligible to study for free?

Don't worry! We offer a choice of flexible ways to help spread the cost of your Access module. The most popular options include:

  • monthly payments through OUSBA
  • part-time tuition fee loan (you'll need to be registered on a qualification for this option)

To explore all the options available to you, visit Fees and Funding.

What's included

All learning materials, exercises and activities are delivered entirely online.

While certain content can be downloaded, some content is exclusively accessible online, requiring a reliable internet connection for viewing. Please consider this if you are travelling.

Computing requirements

You can learn from your desktop computer or laptop or take your learning with you on a phone or tablet. You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop/laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11) or macOS Ventura or higher. Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all currently supported Android and iOS versions.

If you have a disability

The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet, you can contact us about the support that can be given to meet your needs.

To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our disability support pages.