Good practice guidelines for improving dissertation assessment: a case study

Pathirage, CP; Haigh, RP; Amaratunga, RDG; Baldry, D

Abstract

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.

Citation

Pathirage, C., Haigh, R., Amaratunga, R., & Baldry, D. (2006, January). Good practice guidelines for improving dissertation assessment: a case study. Presented at Education in a Changing Environment, University of Salford, UK

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: Education in a Changing Environment
• Conference Location: University of Salford, UK
• Start Date: Jan 12, 2006
• End Date: Jan 13, 2006
• Deposit Date: Jun 2, 2009
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 11, 2017
• Publisher URL: http://www.ece.salford.ac.uk/proceedings/papers/chp_06.rtf
• Additional Information: Event Type : Conference