Crude oil is currently our most important global source of energy. This module explores oil’s vital role in the modern world and assesses some of the exciting scientific developments that could lead to sustainable alternatives to oil. Living without oil: chemistry for a sustainable future is one of a series of short, five month 10-credit modules introducing fascinating topics in science. With a choice of start dates it enables you to try out a new area of study before you commit yourself to a longer module, or top up your knowledge and skills between longer modules.
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07 Oct 2017 |
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Registration closes 28/09/17 (places subject to availability) Click to register
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07 Apr 2018 |
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Registration closes 29/03/18 (places subject to availability) Click to register
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This module is expected to start for the last time in April 2018.
What you will study
Crude oil is currently our most important global source of energy. It is vital in the manufacture of many modern materials. But the world’s supply of oil is finite, its price is unstable and our reliance on oil has damaging environmental consequences. Can we sustainably fuel our transport needs with biofuels, electricity or hydrogen? Can we replace the plastics we derive from crude oil with ones made by microorganisms or plants?
You will explore the properties of crude oil that make it so useful and then use this knowledge to examine some potential sustainable alternatives. You’ll study the development of biofuels; battery electric vehicles; hydrogen as fuel; and the production of biologically derived materials to replace plastics. Throughout the module you’ll focus on assessing the environmental impacts of these potential alternatives to oil products.
The module will demonstrate that while developing these alternatives requires the application of a wide range of different scientific disciplines, chemistry plays a central role in our efforts to replace oil.
By the end of this module you will have developed a range of study skills associated with retrieving and interpreting information and data from a variety of sources, including in the form of tables, charts and graphs, as well as from online articles, audio and video material. You will also have engaged with some of the fundamental concepts needed to study chemistry.
Living without oil: chemistry for a sustainable future is based on a specially written OU study book, together with a website which will link to online study material. The study book will provide questions and answers to help test your understanding, and that you can use for self-assessment throughout the module. Each chapter of the book has a number of associated activities which can be accessed via the website.
This module has been partly funded by the Wolfson Foundation in collaboration with The Royal Society of Chemistry.
Vocational relevance
The module will be of particular relevance to people working in the energy supply industry. Also anyone with a professional interest in sustainable transport, alternative energy, and environmental matters will find the module very relevant.
Entry
Please note: this module is only available for standalone study. You cannot count the credits you gain from the module towards any current OU qualification. It may be possible, however, to count the credits gained towards a qualification if you are already studying with us and have declared your qualification intention before September 2012 – see your qualification description in StudentHome for details.
This module does not assume any previous scientific background and teaches the ideas and skills needed as and when they are required.
You will meet a wide range of scientific and technological subjects in this module and will have to be prepared to understand some basic science: particularly chemistry but also some physics, biology and geology. You will probably find that you can move faster through the study materials if you have a little basic knowledge of general science, especially chemistry. However all you really need is an interest in the issues involved and in learning more about the underlying science
Mathematically, you should be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide positive and negative numbers and understand the use of brackets in numerical calculations. You will meet numbers expressed as fractions, decimals and using powers (e.g. 103 for 1000). A maths skills ebook is provided to help you with, for example, fractions, percentages, reading graphs and tables, and scientific units as required.
You should be able to read and understand written English of a style and complexity characteristic of a professional magazine or quality newspaper, and you should be able to communicate your thoughts clearly and comprehensibly in a written format.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
Qualifications
It can count towards most of our degrees at bachelors level, where it is equally appropriate to a BA or BSc. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this module can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability
A proportion of the module is delivered online via the website, so you will have to spend a considerable amount of time using a personal computer and the internet. If you have severely impaired sight you may find the module challenging, as it relies heavily on coloured images, graphs and video material.
You may be required to draw diagrams or to annotate diagrams that you download, and then to use either a scanner or a digital camera to produce electronic versions of these diagrams for inclusion in your assessment. Alternatively creating diagrams electronically will be acceptable.
Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and scientific materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Other alternative formats of the module materials may be available in the future.
If you have particular study requirements please tell us as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Find out more about our services for disabled students..
Study materials
What's included
Study book, online audio and video activities, study guide, website.
You will need
A basic scientific calculator and access to a digital camera or scanner.
You may be required to draw diagrams or to annotate diagrams that you download, and then to use either a scanner or a digital camera to produce electronic versions of these diagrams for inclusion in your assessment. Alternatively creating diagrams electronically will be acceptable.
Computing requirements
You will need a device with internet access to study this module as a web browser is used to access learning materials and activities. Any other computer-based activities you will need to carry out, such as word processing, using spreadsheets, taking part in online forums, and submitting files to the university for assessment, are specified in the module materials. If any additional software is needed for these tasks it will either be provided or is freely available. You may need administrative privileges to install the software.
Suitable devices are:
- A Windows desktop or laptop running Windows 7 or later operating system
- A Macintosh desktop or laptop running OS X 10.8 or later operating system.
Some software will not run on Linux, iOS or Android devices.
A netbook, tablet, smartphone or Linux computer that supports one of the browsers listed below may be suitable. However, these devices may not be suitable for some activities. If you intend to use one of these devices please ensure you have access to a suitable desktop or laptop device that uses the Windows or OS X operating system in case you are unable to carry out all activities on your mobile device.
Recent versions of the following browsers are suitable for carrying out web-based activities:
- Safari
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Edge
Or Internet Explorer 9 and above.
Using a browser upgraded to the latest version will maximise security when accessing the internet.
Using company or library computers may prevent you accessing some internet materials or installing additional software.
To be able to talk and listen in our online discussions you will need both a microphone and speakers/headphones.
Devices with small screens may make it difficult to view the material provided and carry out the activities. However, a device that has a resolution of at least 1024 pixels horizontally and also at least 768 pixels vertically should be adequate.
See our Skills for OU study website for further information about computing skills for study and educational deals for buying Microsoft Office software.
Teaching and assessment
Study support
You can contact a team of study advisers, through an online discussion forum, who will be able to help you with academic questions to do with the module and the assessment. There will also be an online discussion forum that you can use to get in touch with other students and study advisers.
Contact us if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box above.
You must use the online system to submit your end-of-module assessment (EMA).
You will have to submit the single piece of written work for assessment after 21 weeks. There will be no other opportunity to complete the module.
Students also studied
Students who studied this module also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the module that starts in October 2017 and April 2018.
How to register
To register a place on this module return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations which are available on our
Essential Documents website.