FBMLSN: Leadership and Sustainable Nutrition

Module code: FBMLSN

Module provider: Food and Nutritional Sciences; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 20

Level: 7

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Orla Kennedy, email: o.b.kennedy@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 27 March 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍøs ambition is to become a world-leading institution for sustainability learning and teaching, informed by research.  In this module, you will explore the application of nutrition and dietetic knowledge and practices to develop an explicit understanding of the challenges facing the wider world. You will develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes to contribute solutions to global challenges in an equitable and just way and use this to explore sustainable nutrition and dietetics opportunities across the food and healthcare systems. Researching different leadership styles, and developing leadership skills and capabilities, will allow you to explore your personal and professional leadership.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Use a range of strategies to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings
2. Identify and draw upon own leadership skills and capabilities to inform service development and business strategy
3. Build sustainability vision into practice, appreciating the importance of considering this aspect in all areas of work
4. Work collaboratively and creatively to contribute to innovation that promotes improved sustainability in food, nutrition and healthcare

Module content

Topics covered in the module include:

• Service development
• Health promotion in the workplace
• Structure and function of health and social care organisations, funding systems and business case development
• Patient safety, personal responsibilities and the roles of regulatory bodies
• Dietetics management and leadership
• Dietetic business development principles
• Sustainable development goals
• Sustainable Nutrition
• Sustainability within healthcare

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be delivered through lectures, workshops and seminars. Online resources and directed reading. Online resources include screencasts that will be available via Blackboard to provide core content and support the teaching of specific topics within the module. Guest lectures from local NHS trusts will also deliver tailored workshops.

Study hours

At least 40 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve all of the following to pass this module: 

1. An overall module mark of 50%
2. A mark of  not less than 45% in any submodular component, in order to meet the accrediting body standard requirements (British Dietetics Association- BDA).

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs