module specification

This module introduces you to a wide range of current issues within the Built Environment and helps you develop the academic and professional skills essential for your chosen specialism - whether in Architectural Technology, Building Surveying, Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management, Real Estate, or Construction Management. You will gain a clear understanding of academic conventions and begin to apply them in your own work.

A strong emphasis is placed on industry engagement through site visits, guest lectures, and interactive feedback sessions with professionals. You will reflect on how theory connects with practice, understand your professional role and begin to explore professional behaviours and expectations within your chosen field.

Throughout the module, you will develop your Professional Development Journal (PDJ). A PDJ is a structured record where you reflect on your experiences, skills, progress, and goals during your learning journey. It supports you in becoming more self-aware and proactive about your development. It usually includes reflections on lectures, site visits, guest lectures and group work; evaluations of your strengths and areas for improvement; plans for developing academic, technical, and professional skills; and evidence of how you are building confidence and meeting learning outcomes.

You will be supported in planning, conducting, and writing academic assessments such as essays, case studies and reports. You will also practise presenting information clearly and professionally, both orally and through prerecorded presentations, working individually and in groups. In doing so, you will build the skills, motivation, and mindset needed to thrive in higher education, prepare for industry expectations, and your future career in the Built Environment.

The Module Aims are to:
• Access and critically engage with academic and industry sources, recognising arguments and using evidence to support enquiry in your subject area, while demonstrating awareness of sustainability, decarbonisation and climate resilience.
• Develop academic research, study, and referencing skills to support effective writing and analysis within built environment disciplines.
• Communicate clearly in written, oral, and visual formats appropriate to academic and professional contexts in the built environment.
• Critically explore social, economic and environmental issues relevant to your subject, using the Education for Social Justice Framework and applying inclusive and ethical research practices that reflect equality, diversity, and global responsibility in your subject area.
• Collaborate respectfully with others, contributing to a shared learning community through teamwork, knowledge exchange, and peer support.
• Reflect on your learning journey and real-world experiences (e.g., site visits) to build confidence, professional behaviours, and readiness for your chosen career pathway.

The syllabus will cover a broad range of foundational topics within the Built Environment, focusing on key disciplines such as Architectural Technology, Building Surveying, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Real Estate, and Sustainability. Given the interdisciplinary nature of these areas, students, particularly those with limited prior knowledge, may find the material challenging as they begin to explore themes like design and planning, construction processes, project management, surveying practices, and environmental considerations (LO1, LO2, LO6).

Academic study skills are embedded throughout the syllabus, and students will practise critically engaging with texts and producing work based on their reading and research (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4).

Students will reflect on their learning journey and how this relates to their future career aspirations (LO5, LO6).

Students will undertake research on a topic of interest related to their subject area and present the findings to their cohort (LO1, 2, 3, 4).

Students will carry out and demonstrate their research, reflecting on the learning process, and will work on projects that embed industry engagement throughout the module (LO1-6).

The module is delivered through classes, one to one student contact, online tasks, and guided research sessions. Examples of class activities include lectures, seminar discussions, and group activities. There will be also weeks where students will attend structured learning activities led by industry professionals outside the classroom, such as site visits, exhibitions, and events.

Opportunities for self-reflection and PDP are core to the module, running through all teaching and learning strands including content, class activities, informal and formal tutor and peer feedback, assessment, and independent study.

Ongoing independent study will provide routes to develop and explore individual and degree-related interests. Key areas will include developing personal agency over academic, disciplinary/professional, and personal outcomes. Blended learning resources such as reading resources, class materials, and study support resources are available on WebLearn and other platforms.

Academic
Students will be encouraged to develop strategies for effective learning, academic reading, academic writing, and referencing, identifying their own strengths and areas of development, action planning in response to formative feedback, taking responsibility for intrinsic motivation, and encouraging personal reflection on academic priorities.

Personal
Students will reflect on their own values and interests, investigate their own identity as an individual and as part of society, and gain confidence in belonging of the academic community.

Disciplinary and professional
Students will start to develop a sense of identity with their subject area, feeding into their academic and professional aspirations. They will receive input from the pathway discipline, including development of digital and employment related skills. There will be integrated opportunities for link up with relevant departments within the University e.g. Careers, Subject Librarians, and the Student Union.

Reflective practice and self-reflection
Students will be introduced to the processes and purposes of reflective learning, including how to write reflectively, applying relevant reflective models and approaches, and understanding the purposes of reflective practice, both academically and professionally.

AI/Gen-AI tools for the Built Environment whilst enhancing academic research skills
In this module, students will be introduced to foundational tools and concepts essential for understanding and researching the built environment. Workshops will explore the use of basic digital tools such as CAD, Revit, and GIS in the context of design principles, construction management, and sustainable planning. These activities will be framed around real-world examples, helping students gain confidence in using digital technologies, including AI, while also developing a critical awareness of their applications and limitations within professional practice.

Alongside this, the module will build core academic skills, including structured approaches to literature searching, evaluating sources, and synthesising information. Students will be introduced to AI-based research tools and digital databases to support their academic development, with guidance on how to carry out effective literature reviews and analyse case studies. Importantly, students will be encouraged to critique Gen-AI outputs, learning to question their accuracy, bias, and relevance within academic and professional contexts. This will help promote academic integrity and the ability to distinguish between peer-reviewed and AI-generated content.
These skills will be embedded through group-based research tasks, presentations, and seminar discussions, where students will share findings and consider differing interpretations. WebLearn will provide structured resources, while regular formative feedback will support progress. Site visits and guest lectures from industry professionals will further contextualise these skills within the principles and practices of the built environment.

The Module Learning Outcomes are to:
1. engage with a range of academic and industry sources, recognising and analysing arguments to support enquiry within sustainability, digital innovation and resilience the built environment.

2. apply research and study skills to investigate a key topic in the built environment, using appropriate terminology and peer-reviewed references.

3. demonstrate academic communication skills by integrating source materials with original thinking in written, oral, and visual format

4. analyse current social, technical, economic, environmental, and regulatory frameworks to respond to real-world issues in the built environment.

5. contribute to a respectful, inclusive, and equitable learning community by collaborating effectively with peers from diverse backgrounds and sharing responsibility in group work, in line with principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion.

6. demonstrate personal and professional awareness through reflective practice, drawing on prior knowledge and experience to support further study and career development.

FY3000 Academic Research Skills and Professional Development | London Metropolitan University