Good Practice Guidelines for Improving Dissertation Assessment: A Case study

There have been increasing calls for higher education, during the last decade, to improve standards, increase the quality of assessment, and for greater accountability of lecturers. The need to ensure quality, consistency and improved criteria of assessment is greatly emphasised within modules where assessment is through one large piece of work such as a dissertation. This paper highlights the main findings of the literature and the case study phase from a research project that aimed to identify good practices for dissertation assessment, in an attempt to improve the quality and consistency of assessment. The case study included several components like two dissertation assessment exercises, a workshop organised among dissertation assessors and analysis of previous years’ dissertation assessment results. Outcomes of these components are outlined using appropriate statistical analyses. The paper highlights the many challenges that a Programme Leader faces, when devising an assessment strategy for a dissertation module. Introduction Dissertation modules typically pose problems in consistency of assessment due to the large number of students and the consequential need for large numbers of lecturers to participate in assessment. In response to these concerns and experiences from its own degree programmes, the School of Construction and Property Management (SCPM) undertook to investigate methods for improving quality and consistency of dissertation assessment by examining a range of assessment practices utilised by other disciplines and universities including degree programmes of the SCPM, with the aim of identifying good practices for undergraduate dissertation assessment in the built environment education sector. However, the research outcomes have a wider application to postgraduate courses offered by SCPM, and also degree programmes offered by other Schools within, and outside, the University. The 12 month project – completed in June 2005 – was funded under the University of Salford Teaching and Learning Quality Improvement Scheme (TLQIS). This paper outlines the main findings of the literature and the case study phase of the research project. The paper is divided into three main sections. Firstly, it explores the literature findings on dissertation assessment practices, in which, quality, consistency, and criteria of assessment are outlined. Secondly, the paper sets out the research methodology of this project which introduces the four work packages of the study. Finally, the paper reports the findings of the case study phase (work package two) by highlighting the outcomes of two dissertation assessment exercises carried out, a workshop organised within SCPM dissertation supervisory panel and analysis of previous years’ dissertation assessment results.