Track E - The Traditional Dissertation in Biomedical Sciences

The Traditional Dissertation in Biomedical Sciences: Not Broken, But How Can We Improve It? Dr Paula Bernaschina, Rosemary Clyne and Martin Rooke, Middlesex University Learner Development Unit, Library and Student Support and the School of Science and Technology

The Biomedical Science Dissertation workshop was facilitated by Rosemary Clyne (Module Leader), Martin Rooke (Graduate Teaching Assistant) and Paula Bernaschina (Academic Writing and Language Support Lecturer).

Although ‘69% of the students enjoyed the dissertation module’ and ‘75% felt it allowed them to express themselves academically’ overall students did less well in the dissertation than a 3rd year writing task. The workshop centred on addressing this problem.

The workshop participants were asked to come up with ideas on the following questions:

• What is the best procedure for communicating final agreed grades and feedback to students?
• How can the Academic Writing and Language (AWL) lecturers help you and your students?
• How should the dissertation module for biomedical science be improved?

The session succeeded in engaging the participants to question current practice and brainstorm to come up with ideas that could lead to improvement.

One of the interesting discussions centred on transparency in marking. With transparency in mind it had been decided to share grades from both 1st and 2nd markers with students. However, comparison of 1st and 2nd marker grades showed a tendency of 1st markers (the academic supervisors) to consistently award higher grades than the 2nd Markers.  As grades awarded by 1st and 2nd markers differed participants felt this could lead to a rise in student appeals and hence thought sharing both grades was a little too transparent.  

To view the slides click here

Participants' video feedback 2

Steven Barritt, Middlesex University

Simon Best, Middlesex University

Waqar Ahmad, Middlesex University

Participants' video feedback 3

Mick Healey, University of Gloucestershire

Ray Batchelor, Buckinghamshire New University

Marc Rayan, Middlesex University

Caroline Reid, University of Bedfordshire & Barbara Workman, Middlesex University

Lunch break

Participants' video feedback 1

Clare O'Donohue, Middlesex University

Małgorzata Nanke, Jagiellonian University, Poland

Federico Farini, Middlesex University

Aftenoon keynote - Mick Healey

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater: Rethinking the undergraduate dissertation Professor Mick Healey, University of Gloucestershire

 

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater: Rethinking the undergraduate dissertation from mdxaltc

 
Final year projects and dissertations handout

It was a pleasure to welcome Mick Healey, HE Consultant, Researcher and Emeritus Professor at the University of Gloucestershire, UK, to offer the conference his thoughts and findings from a detailed two year study funded by the HEA, ‘‘Rethinking Final Year Projects and Dissertations: Creative Honours and Capstone Projects”. The publication of the report of this study is very well timed with the theme of this year’s conference and an excellent opportunity for Mick to give life to the pages of the report. However this was to be no didactic speech from the front and Mick announced that the afternoon session was to be workshop style that would provide plenty of opportunities for participants to explore and discuss some of the key ideas presented in the report and beyond. The session was prefaced with a quote from Paul Ramsden that espoused the idea that undergraduate students could and should be involved in research and the co-creation of knowledge throughout their programmes of study; this placed the role of the dissertation more clearly as the logical culmination of such study.

In his opening remarks it was clear that Mick felt that reports of the death of the dissertation have been widely exaggerated but that this was tempered by a need to find new formats and ideas for Final Year Project and Dissertation (FTPD) studies that needed to respond to a greater diversity of both students and subjects that now existed in higher education. It was clear that we were not alone in questioning the currency and value of FYPDs within our own University and it was useful for Mick to briefly outline the debates and responses to similar questions that had taken place internationally from America to Australia. It was interesting to note that the a UK debate about the development of teaching only universities had resulted in the Research Informed Teaching (RIT) initiatives of early to mid 2010s that have led to the maintenance of the FYPD as the gold standard and USP of a British higher education.

The study that Mick has been involved in had sought to explore the FYPD in relation to five principle headings; Conception, Function, Form, Location and Dissemination, it was through consideration of these principles that we might be able to extend and adapt the scope of FYPD within programmes of study. Mick was able to offer examples of this from case studies within the report drawn from Biomedical Science and MIT and the exciting initiative of the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR) that was now in its third year within the UK. Within the activities of the workshop we were asked to consider the 10 key characteristics of FYPDs that had been identified within the study to see if we agreed and had any to add. The broad consensus appeared to be one of agreement with some questions being raised about the language of methodology and trans-disciplinary practices. We were asked to look at the range of case studies and discuss ways that we might use or adapt these ideas. In the final exercise we were encouraged to consider ways that students might be better supported without the use of more staff time or even reducing it; this opened an interesting discourse on the use of both linear and vertical peer support systems.

Mick concluded that it was clear that the ‘one size fits all’ idea of the FYPD was inappropriate and that we might consider students as agents of change within the development of both FYPD formats and through the use of FYPDs as ways of informing the design and content of curriculums. This was a very useful and timely session that left participants with plenty of energy for a wide range of ideas that they might develop in the future.

Report by Mike Seignor

Track H - Professional inquiry

Professional inquiry: advocating the emerging practitioner perspective Alan Durrant and Paula Nottingham, Middlesex University Institute for Work Based Learning


A 3 part assessment comprising; a Critical Review (6000 words), a Professional Artefact (equivalent to 3000 words) and an Oral Presentation, replaces the traditional 12000 word dissertation on Alan and Paula’s innovative programme for media and performing arts professionals. They have responded to the needs of their students and created a programme that sits within the work based learning framework but takes a learner centred approach to professional inquiry – with an assessment that reflects this and is slightly different to the professional practice project.

In this stimulating session, Paula and Alan explained their approach to professional inquiry. Their student body - generally young practitioners in the performing arts or graphics design – are not based in one organisation but freelancers who are part of a wider professional community. The programme is designed to provide them with the academic tools to accompany them on their professional journey and help them deal with questions such as “How do I as an emerging professional, operate in this environment”. When Alan and Paula thought about whether a traditional dissertation would serve these students, they realised that it would not – something more relevant was required, challenging students to think about themselves in their practice and so they developed an inquiry model with some features of a dissertation.

The goal of the programme, is to bring about transformative learning. Using reflective practice and inquiry, considering transdisciplinarity (in this presentation, understood as skills and ways of working that are not disciplinary) and drawing on contemporary approaches, such as capabilities learning, it is attribute rather than knowledge based.

As questions flowed, particularly around the approach to assessment, they shared with us examples of students work. The photo shows some of The Professional Artefacts submissions, which can take all sorts of forms.

The session will be available to watch on video shortly and the slides can be viewed below.

Report by Louise Merlin

Professional Inquiry: advocating the emerging practitioner perspective from mdxaltc

Track G - Critical thinking, argument and analysis

Critical thinking, argument and analysis: Developing skills for nursing practice Venetia Brown and Dr. Kay Caldwell, Middlesex University School of Health and Education

Kay Caldwell and Venetia Brown gave a lively and engaging account of their innovative bridging programme, designed to develop the critical and analytical skills of clinical nurses and provide a platform for degree-level study. The programme was commissioned by a large London Trust, with the aspiration that all existing nursing staff would become graduates. The programme was accredited by Work Based Learning with 15 credits at level 6

Kay and Venetia designed a SCORM-compliant e-learning package which would be hosted on the Trust’s platform.   The e-learning was ‘sandwiched’ between two workshops delivered by Venetia and students were supported throughout by Venetia and Kay via email. The main aims of the programme were ‘to improve critical analysis skills and how to develop an effective argument’.

After an initial learning needs analysis, students embarked on the programme, which included developing criticality in the context of clinical practice and culminated in a summative assessment requiring students to present a case for an improvement or change in clinical practice based on evidence and argument. The assessment was given authenticity by relating it to the student’s workplace.

Venetia and Kay described some of the challenges they faced, the main one being their lack of any involvement in recruitment of students; the Trust decided who should be on the programme. The diversity of experience and level of educational attainment was another challenge and for students there were all the challenges associated with part-time distance learning: tension between work and study; tension between practical and academic; difficulty with independent learning and feelings of isolation.

Employers’ expectations were high, which led to a possible conflict between preserving the academic integrity of the University (possibly by failing students) and meeting the requirements of the employers (who wanted all students to pass). Venetia and Kay were conscious of the huge impact of failure on the students’ career progression but also of the need to be fair and apply the standards set down by the University.

A final point, made by Kay, was the importance of detailed and constructive feedback for students in this situation. They lack the ‘wraparound’ support of Middlesex students and have no access to the LDU for example. There was some resulting debate as to how we need to develop these critical skills across the board in our students and questions as to how this programme might be adapted for use at the University – watch this space.

Report by Celia Cozens 

Kay Caldwell - Critical Thinking, Analysis and Argument from mdxaltc

Track F - Integrating a research project or dissertation

Integrating a research project or dissertation  Dr Simon Best, Middlesex University Business School

In this session Simon explained the rationale behind some changes that were made to the Business Transformation Project, an applied research project which is used as a final assessment for MBAs in Shipping and Logistics, and Oil and Gas. As the modules in these programmes run consecutively rather than concurrently a perception had developed that there was a risk of the modules being isolated from each other and that the students might increase the disconnection that students might feel in a course taught asynchronously.


Rather than treat the project as an entirely separate module at the end of the course, it was decided to embed one unit of the project module into each of the other modules in the programme, two weeks before the end of each module. Students were to keep a planning log which would help them put together ideas for their final project and reflect on the relevance of the material both to the project and other modules on the course. This programme-focused approach is an interesting way of building bridges between modules and preparing students for the research project ahead of time.

Report by Paul Smith

Integrating a research project or dissertation from mdxaltc

Track C - A chameleon genre

A Chameleon Genre: an audit of the dissertation at a typical UK University Dr Nick Endacott and colleagues, Middlesex University Learner Development Unit

Undergraduate students at Middlesex are expected to complete a dissertation/research project (or equivalent ‘substantial’ piece of work) in their final year. In order to better develop/embed the required writing/linguistic/analytical/critical skills of these students, the LDU (whose remit this is) need to have a clear idea of what is expected of same students with regard to their dissertations/research projects – or whatever they may be called – and what’s in a name anyway?

Nick Endacott and colleagues in the LDU have undertaken an ambitious project to complete an ‘audit’ of all these projects in all the Schools and most of the disciplines across the University. At present their findings are descriptive, not evaluative, and are based entirely on Module Handbooks (all those that could be got hold of).

The session got underway with some very interesting questions concerning the dissertation ‘genre’. Is it a genre in the straightforward sense, or rather a ‘chameleon genre’, adapting to its environment or is it, as in Peter Medway’s phrase, a ‘fuzzy genre’ with rather blurred edges? The context of different disciplines was discussed. How can expectations of a dissertation be the same across disciplines which are cultural phenomena divided by gulfs of linguistic variation? For the LDU to support students in a discipline they need to be able to unpick the cultural and linguistic expectation (science: analytical, arts: imaginative – simplified but understandable examples).

The initial findings were presented as a series of graphs depicting commonalities and differences in nomenclature (report; essay; portfolio; dissertation; project etc.) and pathways (empirical research; journal article; artefact-based project; combinations of these, etc.) Word length requirements also varied widely which raises other challenges for the LDU – low word limit = concise writing, high word limit = expanded writing etc.

The research is only just beginning and this is the start of a larger on-going project to explore this ‘genre’ and improve the LDU’s ability to develop the students’ skills to meet the demands of the dissertation in whatever form it may take.

Report by Celia Cozens

Track D - Interrogating opportunities to promote student teachers’ professionalism

Interrogating opportunities to promote student teachers’ professionalism through their engagement in critical enquiry on a postgraduate teacher training programme Shirley Allen and colleagues, Middlesex University School of Health and Education.

This session was facilitated by a group of staff members in the form of a workshop. Facilitators reported on their activities as a community of practice engaged in negotiating practice, meaning and identity to make their voices and that of their students heard. In this session the facilitators explained how certain events such as the re-accreditation of teacher training programmes and the move to e-assessment prompted them to interrogate opportunities for student engagement in critical enquiry. We experienced such opportunities in the form of activities which included group-based lateral thinking puzzles that emphasised the socio-constructivist approach to teaching and learning that the team had adopted.

The importance of ‘talk’ emerged as a central theme whereby students could explore critically their learning at University and the challenges of school placements. In fact, at the end of the session we had an opportunity to digitally record some of our talk using “talking tins”. This was in part a demonstration of how students might capture ‘talk’ to meet the requirements of e-assessment and to include as evidence in the new two part assessment alternative to the dissertation: Part 1 requires students to compile a portfolio of children’s learning experiences they have observed or taught in school and critically analyse and reflect on these experiences. In Part 2, students will discuss current theoretical and methodological approaches to learning, with a particular focus on socio-constructivist theory.

Report by Tarek Zoubir

Track A - Shaping dissertation research in dance & music theatre

Shaping dissertation research in dance and music theatre: critical approaches and shifting methodologies, Lise Uytterhoeven, Dr. Francis Yeoh, Josephine Leask, Laura Robinson, Julia Gleich, Mark Harris, London Studio Centre



Five team members from London Studio Centre presented on a dissertation module which forms part of recently validated (Hons) Theatre Dance degree programme. They commented on a number of recent case studies in terms of the methodological challenges they pose.

The dissertation is viewed as integral to enabling students to demonstrate their graduate-ness in this programme of study, in terms of developing key graduate skills. These include organising the student’s own learning, researching and evaluating a range of information, communicating complex insights, independent working and problem solving.

The ground work to prepare students for the final year dissertation is embedded in their earlier modules through various activities - allowing the students to develop skills in areas such as, planning, translating, evaluating, editing and communicating.

Recent methodological shifts in the wider field of dance studies had encouraged students, in conjunction with their tutors, to develope tailor-made research methodologies. These methodologies however, have presented new challenges.

The points raised included: some recent developments in dance studies require insights from other disciplines such as theatre studies, cultural studies, psychology anatomy/physiology or sociology. There is a lack of well documented resources, especially in contemporary developments, which leads to some case studies not been successful.

It is hard to ensure that the research been undertaken is linked to a career path.

If you would like to see the full presentation please click here

Report by Betty Sinyinza 

Track B - Work based projects as dissertations

Work based projects as dissertations: where’s the theory, where’s the practice? Ruth Miller and Alan Beadsmoore, Middlesex University School of Health and Education


Video of the session


An informative and thought provoking session, Ruth and Alan started with the similarities and differences between traditional dissertations and the contextualised projects that form part of work based learning professional practice programmes. One of the differences (referred to throughout the conference) was that students carrying out professional practice projects are internal inquirers as opposed to external researchers. The introduction of the student perspective via 3 students, who joined them for the session, broadened the session, enabling a deeper exploration of some of these differences.

As these students are based in the work place, leading projects that aim to make a change to something within their practice, a tripartite agreement between the students, the university and also the employer, is another distinguishing factor of these projects. The relationship between the student and university is more advisory than supervisory - a fundamental that students have to get to grips with – especially at undergraduate level.

The students Sandra, Jane and Irene (from left to right in the picture with Alan), gave a brief overview of their projects; BSc Mental Health “Developing a smoking cessation programme”, BA Professional Practice Early Years “Supporting children’s communication and language skills” and MSc Nursing Studies “Evaluating a stress reduction programme for nurses”, respectively. This prompted a flurry of questions from the floor, such as; what was it like being an insider researcher and how easy was it to achieve the level of independence required for inquiry? What were the advantages and disadvantages of inquiry inside an organisation – for example is the topic influenced by management? How did they manage to apply theory and relate it to their practice? What preparation did they have for selecting research methods? and How did they go about marrying the tension between tacit knowledge (what you just know) and academic theory?

For more questions and the varied answers from each of the students (including the final one “would they do it all again?”) – watch the video of the session (above).

Report by Louise Merlin

Work Based Projects from mdxaltc

Opening keynote - Carole-Anne Upton & Ifan Shepherd

Weighing it up: Research and the Undergraduate Dissertation in Media and Performing Arts Professor Carole-Anne Upton and  The Dissertation: Skylark or Albatross? Professor Ifan Shepherd

This year’s conference was opened by two keynote speakers drawn from within the University, these were Carole-Anne Upton, Professor of Theatre and Dean of the School of Media and Performing Arts and Ifan Shepherd, Professor of GeoBusiness at Middlesex University, and Director of Professional Practice Programmes in the Business School. They offered us complimentary and contrasting views and reflections on the role of the dissertation and other enquiry based modes, based the on their extensive experience of working with students in Higher Education; Carole-Anne focussed predominantly on undergraduate research and enquiry with Ifan concentrating on practice within the postgraduate area. It was clear that neither of them came to bury the dissertation but in fact, to praise the principles and values that it offered students with some caveats, words of warning and challenges to the audience.


Carole-Anne was concerned with the mystique that surrounded the dissertation with its language often residing in the language of traditional research and the ways that this impacted on both staff and students. She questioned the extent to which undergraduate research could really qualify as research and whether enquiry based learning was a more accurate title for this activity. Another challenge to teachers centred around the need and drive to increasingly support our students through the dissertation process that often meant that successful students continued to be successful but simply acted to identify failing students earlier without necessarily being able to improve their engagement. This in itself challenged the central principle of ‘extended independent enquiry’ that underpins the honours nature of the dissertation. Carole-Anne concluded that the dissertation certainly wasn’t dead but that it is possible overburdened; there is a need for us to be more explicit about its nature and role as a genuine act of research.

Ifan offered us some historical perspectives on the nature of Masters qualifications and the role of the dissertation as a ‘licence to research’, which has brought us to its current and continuing use within both practice and more theoretically driven programmes of study. He drew our attention to the consistent failure rates within Masters dissertations and questioned whether we were complicit in this failure by trying to pack mastery of subject and mastery of research within the confines of one-year Masters programmes. This was compounded by the expectations of originality that had previously been the domain of doctoral study in times gone by. Ifan offered us both sticking plasters and some more radical solutions that might help students’ approach to research; from asking students to evidence the actual impact of their reading on their dissertation rather than the generic literary review to rethinking the relationship between practice as research and the opportunities of being an insider researcher rather than an outsider looking in.

These perspectives on dissertation practices and problems offered a really useful opening to the conference that enabled conference participants to go to their workshop sessions with many of the key issues well and truly ‘outed’, in the words of Nicky Torrance and certainly at the forefront of their minds.

Report by Mike Seignor

Ifan Shepherd - The Dissertation: Skylark or Albatross? from mdxaltc

Registration and coffee

Delegate list 2013

Click link for: Delegates list

Click link for: Delegates list