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Supervisors can seek additional support at an individual level from the course dissertation lead (RAH). As a guide, supervisors are expected to provide around 16-20 hours of supervisory support in total, over the academic year.

Students submit a dissertation proposal using a structured application form to frame their ideas and methodology. They then receive written feedback from three dissertation tutors.

self-selected

All supervisors are invited to training sessions and/or are sent written guidance

hey are put in touch with a supervisor to support the remainder of their work

students are encouraged to introduce themselves to their supervisor and to identify any immediate or potential future learning needs

d any questions sent to members of staff, including the administrative team, were quickly answered

“discussion with experienced supervisors for how to go about choosing a dissertation topic right at the beginning of the dissertation” [respondent 27].

Whilst writing a dissertation was challenging, they had adequate support.

to agree mutually acceptable methods for communication (e.g., email, telephone, Skype, Google+).

to discuss their ideas with a tutor during office hours and more examples of previous dissertations which included the marker’s critique

Others suggested an email to “prompt what stage students should be at with their dissertation”

“live chat forum”

could expect around 16 hours of support from their supervisor over the academic year, and that they should allow up to 10 working days to receive feedback on written work.

ust over half the students, 19 (56%), stated that they initiated contact with their supervisor at least once a month, 9 (26%) about once every three months, and 5 (15%) less than three times over the dissertation year.

The results suggest that students who initiated contact at least once a month were more likely to have had a positive experience of the course. However these findings were not statistically significant (Fishers exact test = 2.423, p = 0.694).

“how supervision could be improved”.

‘methods of communication’, how to use a supervisor’, and ‘availability’.

Several students identified a need for them to be encouraged to make contact with their supervisor initially, and then during the supervisory period

Similarly, we would need to consider the role (or not) of supervisors in social learning communities (Zhang, Perris, & Yeung, 2005).

“the dissertation process is difficult, and supervisors can be over-critical sometimes even contradicting earlier directives given, which can be frustrating”

Some students were clearly frustrated at the apparent lack of availability of their supervisor, and sometimes there were “long gaps in communication such as my supervisor being away for extended periods of time that I was not aware of”

Several students praised their own supervisor

The survey highlights the need to provide better personal communication with our students before and after their dissertation proposal has been approved.

Having been allocated a supervisor, a number of students went on to report dissatisfaction with the amount, timing, and purpose of the supervisor-student contact

Our study suggests that some supervisors need to be more proactive in communicating with their supervisees, and to provide better timely and constructive support. This includes providing students with relevant educational ‘scaffolding’ that encourages them to reflect on their ideas and to use this as part of the learning process (Quan-Baffour & Vambe, 2008). Supervisors also need to be encouraged to use their own and other real life examples, to support the students’ understanding and self-reflection (Sahin & Shelley, 2008).

but making a compulsory initial Skype or telephone call with the supervisor would be helpful, as “that way, the relationship will kick off immediately without delay”

Yet higher levels of interaction can occur between student and tutor in an e-learning environment compared with face-to-face courses (Swan, 2006).