The Final Chapter: Developing students’ skills to successfully undertake their final year projectLILAC Conference, Monday 25 March 2013, University of Manchester.

What’s in it for you?

Use

• Use all/parts within your own institution

• Blended learning or completely online

Create

• Create resources yourself for dissertation students

Inspire

• Working collaboratively with staff/ students on future resources

• Using video content

This workshop will cover

What it is Why we did it How we did it

How we marketed it

Feedback we got from students

Future developments

Most importantly: A chance for you to explore and discuss the resource!

What is The Final Chapter?

Why we did it

All programmes will actively develop students’ independent

research skills and provide students with opportunities to put

these skills into practice. At the culmination of the programme, students should be able to undertake, with

supervision, an autonomous piece of research work

“

”University of Leeds. 2012. Curriculum enhancement project. Available from: http://curriculum.leeds.ac.uk/rbl

Don’t students already have these skills?

520 students

voluntarily attended dissertation workshops

(Writing a literature review, Planning your dissertation, Writing your

dissertation)2011-2012 & 2013 so far (average 44

students per session)

Student concerns:

WritingCriticality

Project planningConfidence

(concerns expressed in workshops and drop-ins)

How we did it

A small project team was set up to support the main project lead, Sally Dalton

Existing material from workshops were brought together and adapted

Staff and students from across the University were videoed

Articulate Storyline was used to create the package

How we marketed it

Your chance to explore

Go to: http://bit.ly/Q7Lzrh (or Google The Final Chapter Leeds)• Think about the following:

• Is it too generic?• Do the videos enhance it?• Would you use it (in whole or in part?) or create something similar?• What do you see as the biggest gap?• Any other thoughts….

What our students thought…

I feel much more confident about the next stages that I need to achieve for my project. Also I have already used many of the Academic Writing resources in other essays which I feel has definitely helped develop a clear argument and stay precise, which is something I struggled with in the past

I found this a really useful resource, even though not everything was relevant to my project. Its nice to hear other students views as its reassuring that I'm not the only one who has done it, or indeed who has faced problems.

Encouraged me to plan more/ start NOW- from the advice of the students on the videos.

Videos from students are especially good as it gives real tips from students who have already been through the process. I also found what they had to say quite reassuring.

8932 hits (17th September 2012- 3 February 2013).

Future developments

Add examples of complete

dissertations from broad subject areas

Add more examples throughout the

resource

Consider adding sections on

methodology and discussions