CCMT20291 Technical Skills Summative Assessment Brief 2026

Assessment Title	Summative Assessment

CCMT20291 Technical Skills Summative Assessment Brief

Module Title	Technical Skills
Module Code	CCMT20291
Course(s)	BSc (Hons) Environmental Science; BSc Ecology and Conservation
Academic year	2025-26

Assessment title	Technical Skills Portfolio (Alternative Assessment – for those travelling to Spain)
Assessment tutor	Matt Edwards
Date set	September 2025
Submission deadline(date and time)	No later than 4.00pm Friday 6th March 2026
Submission place	Learning Room Dropbox for both parts
Submission format	Written report
Word limit	1 500 words – Scientific report1 000 – Reflective report
Weighting	This assessment is worth % of the overall module

Feedback on your assessment

Written comments will be provided within the text of your assignment, together with comments made in the grade based assessment matrix contained at the end of this brief. The latter will tell you how you have done in this assignment (feedback) and how you can improve in future assignments (feed-forward). Please read all comments carefully and use them to inform future work.

Aims

Wider context:

For many jobs in the environmental sector, fieldwork is an essential component of the work. The ability to accurately record and interpret your field observations is a key sector-specific and transferable skill. The ability to reflect on your practise is a key transferable skill in all skilled and managerial employment.

This assignment aims for you:

-To design and undertake surveys of wildlife habitats and rural resources to evaluate the environmental and ecological impact of human land use in a novel environment.
-To apply scientific protocols in the undertaking of preliminary investigative field research.
-To record, manage, interpret and communicate data to provide solutions to research questions.
-To demonstrate a range of key transferable skills such as the ability to express yourself with confidence, both orally and in writing; good visual presentational skills; good analytical and problem-solving skills.
-To reflect on skills and attributes developed aligning to personal career aspirations

Specific Tasks

PART 1 – Scientific Report (1 500 words)

Using the information and secondary data available in the learning room, produce a 1500-word scientific report detailing your investigation into the three vegetative buffer zone treatments for attributes that facilitate ONE of 3 land management priorities.

Choose one land management priority. Choose EITHER natural flood management, OR climate change mitigation OR an increase in biodiversity in agricultural environments as the context for your report.

The report should be fully referenced and contain a front page and contents page.

The report should contain:

Introduction – Background and existing research, setting the scene to produce two sets of null and alternative hypotheses (One of your sets can be the revised version considered in the formative assessment, plus one additional set).
Methods – Outline any field or laboratory methods and statistical analysis used to collect, process, and analyse the data in enough detail for another person to repeat the investigation.
Results – Presentation of data in figures and tables and findings from the statistical analysis.
Discussion – Exploration of the meaning of your results in context of existing research and identifying further research needs.
Conclusion – summarise the findings of your investigation

Part 2 – Reflective Report – 1 000 words

Using information gained through personal research and investigation, critically reflect on the field and group working skills you have used during your time at university.

Note – The report should focus particularly on the professional skills,
attributes and behaviours that align to a career in ecology/environmental
science field. Aspects to consider include (but not limited to) both technical and personal characteristics. For example, this can involve field survey planning and behaviours, the importance of leadership, effective team working skills, field craft and professional personal attributes

Your report should include:

The use of the Gibbs reflective cycle (1988) as a framework of your reflective report.
The use of the skills framework provided to assess your current personal attributes and skills.
Report of the change in skill level from the beginning of your course to the present time.

Further Assessment Guidance

Individual or small group tutorials will support your understanding of the assignment task and the data set involved in the project.
There will be dedicated lectures on reflection and reflective writing skills. Site description and data sets will be available on the Technical Skills NOW learning room in the assessment folder.

Module Outcomes Addressed

Apply preliminary environmental and ecological assessments
Apply relevant sampling methods and techniques to the proposed environment being studied.
Demonstrate the ability to handle and interpret data collected, using further analysis to evaluate the evidence.
Analyse output information from various investigative field research within the environment.
Apply environmental science analysis, survey techniques and skills to explore an unfamiliar environment and present findings.
Review ambitions, reassess strengths and weaknesses and identify new areas for development and work experience opportunities.

Further Information

Extenuating circumstances
Assessments that are submitted up to five working days after the submission deadline will be entitled to a maximum grade of a low third.
Assessments that are submitted more than five working days after the submission deadline will be awarded a grade of zero.
Failure to acknowledge sources, both in the text and in the reference list, may incur a penalty. For further details, see the University’s Academic Integrity policy