Designing alternative dissertations and capstone projects

1. Re-thinking the Final Year Undergraduate Dissertation University of Gloucestershire, 22/6/11 Designing alternative dissertations and capstone projects Martin Luck University of Nottingham

2. Background: Biosciences at a research-intensive university Teaching Research Service Passionate about: ● Teaching ● Undergraduate research ● Teaching Research ● Student support M R Luck, 22/6/11

3. The undergraduate research project and dissertation are alive and well in the biosciences and in most other science disciplines. Evidence: Practice: Virtually universal Required by QAA Benchmark statements Expected by external examiners; part of subject discourse Respected by employers Publications: Buoyant submissions to Bioscience Horizons ...despite the effort and cost Defended against: Increasing class sizes Lack of resources Pressure on curriculum time Criticism re: lack of uniformity, subjective assessment, lack of relevance M R Luck, 22/6/11

4. Why defend it? Skill development Subject ownership Experience the limits of confident knowledge Dissertation: Discursive analysis Strong, controversial position • Required characteristics: • Real research • Opportunity to find out something new • Application of scientific method M R Luck, 22/6/11

5. However... -ve +ve Fewer opportunities for traditional lab/wet/field research projects Limited resources/larger numbers More restrictions (safety, ethics etc) Increasing subject diversity Wider range of opportunities Greater student expectations Diversification is happening: Experimental lab work Literature review Fieldwork and exhibitions Opinion surveys Public/educational communication Bioinformatics, database analysis Learning resource development Student Ambassadors’ scheme Commercial collaboration; product development M R Luck, 22/6/11

6. Reconciling diversity and academic validity Research project must be: Priority A valid educational exercise A real research experience M R Luck, 22/6/11

7. Real research? Project A: Pharmacology • Aim: • To analysis a large collection of blood samples, obtained by the supervisor one year ago during the evaluation of a drug. • The design of the original investigation is fully explained to the student. She is given key background papers to read. Student’s task: • Assay hormone concentrations in samples, accurately and reliably, using a well established, routine lab protocol. • Summarise results with descriptive statistics and present them to supervisor. • Outcome: • The student does diligent and careful work. She generates a dataset which her supervisor says is of value to his research. It will be included in his next research paper with an acknowledgement of her contribution. M R Luck, 22/6/11

8. Real research? Project B: Bioinformatics • Aim: • To elucidate a small aspect of the design of an anti-inflammatory drug. • The student will work closely with the supervisor, with links to a drug company. He will use a simple tool to interrogate a database. He is given advice and key background papers to read. Student’s task: • Read literature and create an evaluation strategy • Interrogate a database provided by a drug company • Identify a structural feature of the drug • Outcome: • Student designs an innovative evaluation strategy, does an effective analysis and identifies a structure. Towards the end of the project, the drug company withdraws key data from the database because it is found to be unreliable. The student’s conclusions have no value and cannot be used by the supervisor. M R Luck, 22/6/11

9. Reconciling diversity and academic validity Some guiding educational principles The project is an integral part of the degree programme The student only gets one chance All students deserve equal opportunity Assessment must be clear, transparent and independent of research outcome M R Luck, 22/6/11

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11. Table B Project checklist – For supervisors “Does this project provide the right educational experience?” “Is it an appropriate part of the degree programme?” M R Luck, 22/6/11

12. Note! • The checklists should encourage a dialogue between student and supervisor; they can be adapted for module literature • They are completely independent of subject area, topic or style of research • They emphasise educational principles • Real research is expected because it is an educationally essential experience • The project may well • fall within the supervisor’s research activity • be useful to the supervisor • have intrinsic research importance, • but ... • this must not be its prime purpose. Make sure all staff, especially research intensive ones, understand this! M R Luck, 22/6/11

13. Some potentially controversial issues 1. Is it a) feasible, b) possible for all students to do real research? 2. All students should experience research, even though they may not go on to be researchers. 3. Assessment must be clear and transparent, but marking is subjective and the student-supervisor relationship can be a close one. Solution: focus assessment criteria on intellectual qualities of student, not the outcome of the project. 4. Some research projects are intrinsically more difficult than others, but allocation should not be on the basis of students’ past performance. 5. Group projects are efficient but, no student should be dependent on the performance of another. M R Luck, 22/6/11

14. Conclusions 1. The project and dissertation are essential components of degree programmes. They must be retained. 2. Form and content must evolve, to reflect educational, contextual and subject developments. 3. The values and characteristics of the research experience must be defended. 4. A set of context-free guidelines will ensure the educational quality of the research project. 5. Guidelines will inform project choice and the dialogue between student and supervisor. M R Luck, 22/6/11