A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Enhancing academic and Practice

Supervising projects and dissertations
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of managing the assessment of the range of learning outcomes such projects can
promote.
Case study 2: Year Two group project for
single Honours History students
Single Honours History students at the University of Southampton devote a
quarter of their second year to the group project. Groups of eight choose a topic,
the nature of which depends upon the interests of designated supervisors.
Their capacity for collective and independent historical investigation is tested
via differently weighted modes of assessment: project proposal; group log;
group presentation; public outcome; group historical essay; and individual
reflective essay (facilitating differentiation as all other elements provide a joint
mark). Teamwork and individual research provide valuable employment/
life skills as well as preparation for the final year dissertation. The group
presentation taps sophisticated IT/media skills and encourages less extrovert
students to talk about process and outcomes, while a diversity of public outcomes
reflects a conscious engagement with ‘public history’. The course has proved
universally popular, and has demonstrated how effectively today’s students
can utilise new technology to gather, disseminate and analyse/interpret
information.
(Dr Adrian Smith, Southampton University)
Ways of broadening student support include the use of a Virtual Learning Environment
(VLE) and a website poster board giving guidance notes (e.g. on format, word length)
and frequently asked questions (FAQs), and encouraging students to post up queries.
However, the supervisor will need to monitor the poster board to make appropriate
interventions, ensuring that accurate resolution of problems takes place. The Higher
Education Academy Subject Centres for Sociology, Anthropology and Politics, and Social
Work and Policy (http://www.socscidiss.bham.ac.uk/) provides an excellent web
resource for undergraduate students in social sciences on all aspects of dissertations in
social sciences. It addresses common questions, concerns and practical issues such as
research design, ethics, access and writing skills. The resource also provides some useful
information for academic staff supervising undergraduate dissertations. There are an
increasing number of books on the market targeted at students undertaking projects (e.g.
Bell, 2005; Parsons and Knight, 2005).
Finally, Clark (1992: 7), writing about the supervision of group work projects in the
History Department at the University of York, advocates the supervisor being close on
hand to offer interventions if requested by students, noting that when he dropped in on