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Content: On this module, we will explore how human behaviour contributes to complex societal and policy challenges, and how the science of behaviour change can be used to address these issues. You will be introduced to key concepts, theories and models of behaviour change that will increase your understanding of human behaviour, and the barriers and enablers that prevent and drive behaviour change.

You will also learn how the Behaviour Change Wheel can be used to design effective interventions that bring together different disciplinary perspectives, drawing on theory, methods and evidence from a range of behavioural and social science disciplines, as well as different professional disciplines. You will have the opportunity to develop introductory skills in applying the Behaviour Change Wheel to behaviour change intervention design, following a process that is widely used by academics, policymakers and practitioners in a range of settings.

You will also explore how the science of behaviour change is applied in policy and practice to a range of issues in areas such as public health, transport, sustainability and children and young people’s mental health. By the end of this module, you will have the key foundational skills and tools you require to develop your own behaviour change intervention.

Teaching delivery: This module is taught in 15 hours of in-person lectures spread over 10 teaching weeks (usually in the format of 5 2-hour sessions in one half of term and 5 1-hour lectures in the other half of term). Postgraduate students taking the module will also attend interactive seminars and workshops to further support their learning and critically explore the key concepts in greater depth.

Indicative Topics: Indicative lecture topics – based on module content in 2023/24, subject to possible changes: Introduction to Behaviour Change, Defining and Diagnosing Behaviour with the COM-B Model, Designing Effective Interventions with the Behaviour Change Wheel, Habitual Behaviour, PRIME Theory of Human Motivation, Development and Evaluation of Digital Behaviour Change Interventions, Digital Mental Health Interventions for Children and Young People, Systems Approaches to Behaviour Change, Transport & Behaviour Change and Summary and Discussion.

Module Aims: It is our aim that by the end of the module you will:

• Know the key theories and models of behaviour change;
• Have examined relevant research findings that improve your understanding of behaviour change and are able to articulate the opportunities and challenges of an interdisciplinary approach to behaviour change;
• Have been exposed to illustrative examples of behaviour change from a range of sectors, furthering your understanding of behaviour change across a range of contexts and disciplines;
• Have explored the advantages of integrating different disciplinary perspectives to support behaviour change, and you will be able to describe, appraise and synthesise key concepts relevant to behaviour change for each discipline and apply them to practical challenges facing society.