ENS5520 Understanding human behaviour to influence change
Faculty of Science
ENS5520 Understanding human behaviour to influence change is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Science, offered in 2023 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2023
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
This is the 2023 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ENS5520
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ENS5520
No unit lists ENS5520 as a prerequisite in the 2023 handbook.
Enrolment rules
PREREQUISITE: This is a specialist core unit for the Leadership for Sustainable Development specialisation and an elective unit within the other specialisations. There are no prerequisite units, but non-cognate students must complete Part B studies prior to undertaking Part C specialist studies.
Overview
Behavioural change approaches are an important, and often very cost effective, part of the mix of solutions to many sustainability and other public policy issues, such as water conservation, energy efficiency and immunisation. Considerable opportunities exist in this space, as comparatively little time and effort is usually invested in understanding the drivers of individual behaviour and designing solutions that target these drivers.
With a mix of theoretical and practical work, this unit will enable you to understand individual behaviour in a way that identifies opportunities for change. It will take you through a process of unpacking public policy challenges and identifying real-life behavioural solutions. This involves prioritising behaviours and target audiences and understanding drivers of behaviour and potential solutions. You will also learn to work collaboratively to design, test and evaluate behaviour change interventions.
Offerings in 2023
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | Evening |
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Assignment 1Assignment10%
- Assignment 2: Policy brief: behaviour and sustainability (individual work)Assignment30%
- Assignment 3: Group behaviour change projectsAssignment60%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Understand, and be able to clearly define, human behaviour;
- 2
Appreciate and explore the range of behavioural drivers;
- 3
Understand and apply a methodical, research-based approach to developing behaviour change solutions to sustainability challenges;
- 4
Explore and apply different research methods and thinking tools to move from a challenge to a behaviour change solution;
- 5
Collaboratively design and effectively communicate a behaviour change initiative.
- 6
Collaboratively design and effectively communicate potential behaviour change programs.
Workload and teaching
- Workshops30 hours
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
- Teaching approachOnline learning
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
- One 2-hour workshop and
- 10 hours of independent study per week
This unit is taught with a blend of independent online learning (including readings, videos and activities) and live classes (to be delivered via Zoom as appropriate). To gain maximum benefit from weekly live classes, the online activities must be undertaken beforehand. You are expected to have a good understanding of the information and materials before attending a class.
Where it fits
ENS5520 is part of 1 area of study in the 2023 handbook.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Sarah Kneebone
- Chief Examiners
- Mr Mark Boulet
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ENS5520?
ENS5520 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ENS5520 offered?
In 2023, ENS5520 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.
Does ENS5520 have an exam?
No. ENS5520 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ENS5520?
ENS5520 is part of Leadership for sustainable development.