CHEP DISCUSSION FORUMThurs 18th Oct 2012, 1.15-2.15pm, Videolink
Undergraduate Dissertation Supervision:
Managing Preparation, Support & Expectations.
Sally Cook & Wendy Saunderson
A. CONTEXT & PROBLEM
B. MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
C. PROVIDING ON ONLINE SUPPORT SYSTEM ‘ODISSY’
CONTEXT & PROBLEM
• Tens of thousands of UG students complete Dissertations in UK HEIs each year (across the Arts, Humanities, and Social, Natural and Behavioural Sciences)
• Despite the significance of Dissertation re. student learning & staff workload: there is a paucity of guidelines, Supervision Sessions are not subject to peer-review, and are rarely observed by QAA auditors.
(Rowley and Slack, 2004; Todd et al., 2005)
VARIABLE STANDARDS & PROVISION
• HUGE VARIATIONS in the nature, approach, attitudes, concerns, provision, strategies and experience of both Supervisor and Supervisee:
But
• COMMON CHARACTERISTICS and COMMON CHALLENGES / PROBLEMS
COMMON / KEY CHARACTERISTICS
• Student-determined topic; Self-directed learning;• Independent/individual work + Tutor support; • Typically includes empirical research component;• Involves prolonged & sustained engagement.• USUALLY:• 20 credits - 200 hrs - Final year 1/6• 5 – 10,000 words; No taught component• Dissertation Handbook/BB; Individual supervision• No formal Supervisor training or guidance
COMMON CHALLENGES / PROBLEMS Delayed start / delay in choosing topic; Poor time management; Failure to fully engage with the process; Dissertation as ‘unknown entity’; Balancing workload – 1 out of 6 modules; Lacking self-confidence for independent work; Unsure of Supervisor-Supervisee relationship; Unrealistic (misinformed) expectations; Fear of not knowing what is required, and Fear of being unable to meet requirements.
Risk of under-achievement& dissatisfied students
SUPERVISOR’S ROLE
• ACADEMIC GUIDANCE: advice on suitability, feasibility, scale/scope of study; conceptual/ theoretical issues; ethical issues; research methodology; structuring; presentation.
• AS ‘MOTIVATOR’: setting tasks and deadlines; managing expectations; providing feedback.
Do we have a clear idea of our role? Boundaries?
Time commitment? Depends on number of Supervisees?
Or our own research/workload? Awareness of
acute disparities between & within subjects/Faculties?
BOUNDARIES & BALANCE
Where does the Supervisor Role & Responsibility start and end?
• How much is enough?Students do need a certain amount of guidance, support and
encouragement to gain confidence to apply their skills to complete.
• How much is too much?Spoon-feeding infantalises students and stifles original thought:
are we teaching / producing ‘technicians or technologists’?
For Discussion…
A. MANAGING EXPECTATIONS (& ‘FEARS’)B. PROVIDING AN ONLINE SUPPORT SYSTEM ‘ODISSY’
• What ARE students’ expectations?• Where do they come from?• How realistic are they?• How often do students expect supervision?• By which means? Which types do they prefer?• How realistic/realisable are their expectations?• What are students biggest fears/concerns?
What ARE their Expectations? Fears?
80 UG students; Starting final year;
Social Policy, SP Modular, HSCP;
Semi-structured questionnaire, pre-Dissertation
Special Session & pre-Supervisor contact.
64% expect Strict Timetable of Supervision
36% expect Flexible
Supervision
Face-to-Face Supervision Email Supervision Phone Supervision
94
4 2
4
73
22
2
22
76
Preferred TYPE of Supervision (% Ranking)
1st Preference 2nd Pref. 3rd Pref
How often is private face-to-face Supervision expected?
Twice per Week
Every Week Every Fortnight Every 2-3 Weeks
Once per Month
2
63
31
2 3
Expected duration of each private face-to-face Supervision
10-15 mins 15-30
mins 30-60 mins 1 hour 2 hrs
5
36
43
14
2
Weekly Supervision
10-15 mins 15-30
mins 30-60 mins 1 hour 2 hrs
513
67
105
Fortnightly Supervision
UG Students’ ‘Greatest Fears/Concerns’ at start of final/Dissertation Year
Not being able to understand certain aspects of dissertation; not having enough time or 1-to-1 sessions with Supervisor
That I won’t get a high enough grade; that I won’t pick the right dissertation title; that I won’t get enough guidance and support from my Supervisor
Biggest fear is juggling Uni work with 2 jobs; failing; not understanding the work; time management.
Doing something wrong in my dissertation and wasting time by not being able to fully understand it; Not having enough one-to-one time with my Supervisor
That I will fall behind and not do my best and that my Supervisor won’t be interested in my topic; it will be hard to balance work & Uni
Biggest fear is everything snowballing if I get stuck on one piece of work; time management; balancing dissertation with other modules
School of Environmental Sciences: Geography, Env. Science & Marine Science BSc
• 30 credits to 20 credits• S1 to S2• scheduled Yr. 2 preparation sessions• dissertation ‘log’ – minimum contact• Online Dissertation Support System
(ODISSY) - supported by CIES/CHEP
• guidance on research & writing up• expected standards• contradictory advice• independence• S1 workload• credits vs. expectations• supervisor knowledge / interest• supervisor availability
ODISSY student surveys & focus group
• improve student engagement• assist time management• centralise resources & advice• make better use of supervision time• enable visualisation of process
& progress
Development of ODISSY – aims:
• visual interface: journey• break into manageable ‘chunks’• indicate progress• consistent online information (timetable, C/A criteria, explanations & advice, ‘how to’ guides, links to podcasts & web sites, exemplars etc.)
• tools for communication & management
Main Features of ODISSY
ODISSY: feedback so far…
• overview of process• relevance of advice and links• convenience • consistency• exemplars
in regular use (2012 graduates)57% used at least weekly: 80% at least monthly> 80% found map interface useful (¾) ½ said it (maybe) helped time management
Key questions: any answers to…?
• optimum timing for engagement (S1 / S2 / long-thin)
• credits: effort vs. degree classification• student preparation Yr 2 / 3• expected minimum supervisory contact • level of support (independence / spoon-feeding)
• ensuring supervisor availability