Teaching plan for the course unit

General Information

Other contents

Recommendations

Competences / Learning outcomes to be gained during study

• Basic competences
  
  — Acquisition of the knowledge that can support originality of thought in the development and application of ideas in a research context.
  — Capacity to apply the knowledge acquired to problem-solving in new or relatively unknown environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the specific field of study.
  — Capacity to integrate knowledge and tackle the complexity of formulating conclusions based on incomplete or limited information, while giving due consideration to the matters of social and ethical responsibility involved in applying knowledge and forming opinions.
  — Capacity to communicate conclusions and opinions and the grounds on which they have been formed to specialist and non-specialist audiences in a clear, unambiguous manner.
  — Skills to guarantee autonomous lifelong learning.

• General competences
  
  — Effective public speaking skills.
  — Communication skills (students develop the capacity to understand and express themselves correctly, both orally and in writing, while mastering the specialized language of the discipline). 
  — Capacity for learning and taking responsibility for learning (capacity to undertake analyses and syntheses of information, to adopt global perspectives, to apply the knowledge acquired, to take decisions and to adapt to new situations).
  — Capacity to devise creative solutions to problems taking into consideration issues of ethics and social responsibility. 
  — Capacity to adapt to changing circumstances and to show initiative, and to develop skills of independent learning, autonomy and emotional intelligence, and to acquire techniques of tolerance to frustration.
  — Ability to locate, analyse, prioritize and incorporate information.

  — Sustainability (ability to assess the social and environmental impact of actions taken/ability to implement integrated, systemic visions).

• Specific competences
  
  — Understanding the best available technology (BAT) and most environmentally friendly techniques as recognized by government bodies.
  — Understanding and applying environmental assessment methodologies.
  — Understanding and applying environmental management methods.
  — Understanding the legal implications of environmental actions.
  — Understanding the principles of sustainable development and their applications.
  — Capacity to characterize and assess the incidence of different types of pollutant in the environment. 
  — Ability to identify, formulate, analyse and solve the most common problems related to liquid and gas effluents, waste and polluted soils.
  — Ability to interpret and correlate the evolution of the operational variables involved in a process of waste and liquid/gas effluent management. 
  — Ability to interpret and select the most appropriate techniques in relation to the characteristics of a given waste, soil, water or gas effluent.
  — Ability to design and optimize facilities and services for waste and liquid/gas effluent management plants.
  — Ability to interpret the most significant data when planning and implementing waste management systems.
  — Ability to write, present and develop technical or research projects in the field of environmental engineering.
  — Ability to carry out R&D+i projects, including the design and implementation of experiments, analysis of results and drawing of conclusions. 
  
  
  Given the nature of this course, and depending on the nature of the project chosen, only some of the specific competences may be developed.

Teaching blocks

Teaching methods and general organization

The TFM is an assignment that students are expected to complete individually and autonomously and which provides them with the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the knowledge and competences acquired in the course of the Master’s.

The TFM is carried out under the supervision of at least one tutor, whose role is to facilitate the learning process. Tutors must be doctorate members of a department involved in the teaching of the Master’s degree.

The TFM can be carried out in a company directly or indirectly related to the field of environmental management. Students opting to do so must ensure their compliance with the regulations governing the placement of students in companies and an agreement must be signed between the Faculty and the host company or organization. Students undertaking all, or a significant part of, the TFM in institutions or organisms other than in that of the UB, in addition to being supervised by a UB tutor, are to be assigned another tutor from the host institution who can help in defining project contents and overseeing its development. 

Students are required to select the TFM from the list of assignments offered by the Master’s Coordination Commission. These topics are proposed by the doctorate members of the departments involved in the teaching of the course and must first be accepted by the Commission, following verification that they conform with the prevailing regulations and academic profile of the Master’s degree. In the case of each TFM proposal, a title, the objectives and tasks to be carried out must be specified. 

Within the time period fixed by the Commission, students must submit a request, indicating a choice of three TFM proposals, listed in order of preference. In the case of more than one student expressing an interest in a given assignment, the tutor who proposed the project will decide (at his or her own discretion) who they feel is best suited to undertake the study. The Coordination Commission announces the final allocation of projects among the Master’s students.

Students wishing to undertake a project not included among the proposals must find a doctorate member of the departments involved in the teaching of the Master’s that is willing to supervise the TFM. They should then present a proposal to the Commission comprising at least a title, the objectives and tasks to be carried out. 

Students are expected to dedicate an estimated 300 hours to the TFM (equivalent to five mornings/afternoons a week during four and a half months). Students must keep their tutor regularly informed about progress on the assignment. 

The project is likely to involve the following activities:

• Face-to-face learning activities: internship in a laboratory or company and the use of specific software. 

• Directed learning activities: tutorial sessions led by UB supervisor or, where applicable, a host company tutor. 

• Individual work: study of the problem, writing up the report and preparation of oral defence. 

When drafting the final report, all teaching materials can be consulted via the UB’s Virtual Campus.

— Every opportunity is taken to incorporate a gender perspective in the activities proposed to complete the project.

Official assessment of learning outcomes

Assessment of the TFM is based primarily on the written project report and its oral defence. Both activities are to be done in English

In order to present the report and defend it orally, students must have first obtained approval from their tutor, who must submit a brief assessment of the student’s work to the Master’s Coordination Commission. This assessment is then sent to the members of the TFM Board of Examiners. Each Board of Examiners must include two doctorate members of the departments involved in the teaching of the course.

The written report should be no more than 30 pages long (not including the abstract and annexes), printed on both sides, with a 1.5 line spacing and using Times New Roman font size 12 (or similar). It should include an abstract (maximum one page), outlining the contents of the report and the main results and conclusions, followed by a section (maximum 2 pages which should not be numbered) entitled ’Identification of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’. Students should submit two printed copies to the Secretariat of the Department of Chemical Engineering and upload a digital version (pdf) to the UB’s Virtual Campus. A digital copy is to be stored in the Department.

The defence comprises an oral presentation of the report (max. 25 min) before the Board of Examiners. Students should provide a clear exposition of their work, emphasizing their main findings and the study’s most original contributions to the field. On completion, the Board of Examiners asks the candidate questions about their study (max. 15 min).

More specifically, the process of assessment includes the following steps:

a) Assessment of the learning process. In addition to the on-going observations and comments recorded by the tutor, monitoring of the learning process includes two specific evaluation meetings conducted on dates established by the Master’s Coordination Commission. At these two meetings, conducted by the same Board as that appointed to assess the final project and its defence, students present both in writing and orally: 

a.1 TFM proposal (First assessment meeting): written report with a max. length of 2 pages; oral presentation (max. 10 min) and questions (max. 5 min). The proposal must include at least the following: a project title, tutor’s name, justification, objectives and timeline. The proposal is awarded either a Pass or Fail grade. In cases where the proposal is rejected, students must adapt their proposal in line with the instructions of the Board of Examiners. 

a.2 TFM progress report (Progress assessment meeting): written report with a max. length of 10 pages; oral presentation (max. 15 min) and questions (max. 10 min). The progress report is worth 30% of the final TFM grade. 

The comments and observations made by the Board at either of the two sessions must be addressed by the students in the final report and defence. 

b) Assessment of the written report. The written report must be submitted at the end of the semester, on the date established by the Master’s Coordination Commission. The Board’s assessment of the final report takes the following into account:

— Scientific and technical content of the project.
— Formal quality of the report (graphs and figures, tables, units, citations, notation, terminological accuracy, etc.).
— Capacity to undertake a synthesis of the information and to write a clear report.
— The balance (in terms of length) between the different sections in the report and the adequacy of the work undertaken.
— The degree to which the objectives recognised at the outset are met and reflected in the conclusions drawn. 

The comments of the Board of Examiners should draw attention to any unsatisfactory or problematic aspects of the project. 

c) Assessment of the oral presentation and defence. The oral presentation is scheduled to take place at the end of the second semester, on the date established by the Master’s Coordination Commission. The Board’s assessment of the presentation takes the following into account:

— Relevance of content and clarity of explanations.
— Operating within the set time parameters.
— Quality of the oral presentation.

Additionally, student defences are assessed on the following qualities: clarity, rigour, adequacy of answers to the questions posed by the Board, as well as their mastery and knowledge of the problem under study and the techniques employed. 

A feedback report is drafted by the Board incorporating its assessment of the student’s performance and making suggestions for improvement. 

Students have seven calendar days to review and modify their TFM in accordance with the comments received from the Board of Examiners. The final version of the TFM is to be submitted in digital format only. 

d) Student assessment report from tutor. 

The weighting of the various elements making up the final grade is as follows:

Final grade = Progress assessment (30%) + Content and quality of report (35%) + Oral presentation and defence (25%) + Tutor’s report (10%)

To be eligible for assessment, students must have attended all assessment meetings. 


Repeat assessment

Given the nature of this subject, repeat assessment is not possible.

Moreover, given the objectives and specific nature of the TFM, students cannot opt for single assessment.