A Process and Impact Evaluation of the Future Now: Collaboration In Action Module (Sheffield Hallam University)

This executive summary provides a brief overview of an evaluation of the Future Now: Collaboration In Action module. The module is a project-based multi-disciplinary module that was implemented in 2024/25 across seven courses in the Sheffield Creative Industries Institute at Sheffield Hallam University. Students collaborated with their peers, industry clients and module staff to address a project brief that was linked to sustainable development challenges. The module aimed to help students acquire a range of skills and develop their career readiness. A mixed-methods pre-post test design was used that combined qualitative and quantitative data to assess the impact of the module on students, clients and the university. The project also explored how the design and delivery of the module contributed to these outcomes. Students on the module engaged in the evaluation via reflective journals and pre and post-module work readiness surveys. Industry clients and staff members also contributed. The evaluation concluded that the module had a range of positive outcomes and impact on many students, which will help their preparation for the future. This included progression in students’ communication, collaboration and research skills as well as their awareness of issues relating to sustainability. The evaluation highlighted that much deeper narratives about the impact on students exist beyond the module’s learning outcomes. Other students judged the module to be less beneficial for their work readiness due to perceptions that the module had not effectively utilised their skills. There was consensus among the industry clients that the module had a positive impact on them. There were several integral components of the module’s design and delivery that influenced students’ experiences and outcomes, such as: students’ learning being embedded within real-life contexts, including the project briefs; and opportunities for peer learning and exposure to diverse perspectives.