| Unit name | Dissertation (Online) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MEEDM0045 |
| Credit points | 60 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Dr. Steve Jennings |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Teaching and Learning for Health Professionals |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
Are you interested in medical education research and/or improving the educational experiences of your students and colleagues? Would you like to plan and conduct a project of your own focused on your own expertise or areas of interest? If so, this unit is for you!
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit contributes to the TLHP programme’s overarching objectives, namely to:
An overview of learning
The dissertation is intended to allow students to conduct in-depth studies of a particular educational issue of professional interest and importance to them. The project will be supervised by a tutor within TLHP/Bristol Medical School who will provide academic guidance and quality assurance.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will be a step closer to being an independent medical education researcher as a result of the applied skills and knowledge gained by conducting your own research project. You will be able to transfer and develop these skills in a number of professional contexts.
Learning Outcomes
The Unit will develop students’ ability to:
This is a 60 Credit Unit and therefore requires 600 hours work to be associated with it. This will mainly consist of individual study, data collection, analysis and writing up of the dissertation but will also include 1:1 synchronous online tutorial time with supervisors.
The principle teaching and learning methods will be self-directed learning through the writing of the dissertation. The student will also be guided and taught on a one-to-one basis as appropriate by their supervisors.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Students will receive verbal and written feedback on all stages of their research project, including:
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The dissertation shall comprise 15,000 words.
Students will need to have completed the Certificate and Diploma before registering for their dissertation.
The topic will be negotiated between the student and their supervisor(s). It must be relevant to education in the health professions and could be of the following types:
This type of dissertation involves carrying out a piece of original research on a small scale. It entails planning a small research study, collecting and analysing primary data and presenting the results in a systematic way. This will naturally involve a lot of organisation of other people and yourself but this can make it an even more rewarding experience.
A library based dissertation is probably best distinguished from an empirical study by regarding it as an investigation using secondary data which is already in the public domain. This can involve the re-analysis of an existing data set, a review of the existing research on a particular topic, the study of the development of a specific concept in the literature, or a critical investigation into an area of government policy. Library based studies must have research questions as carefully developed as any other kind of study. These properly formulated research questions which are used to critically evaluate the sources used. It also requires a clear and coherent research design which outlines and justifies the search strategy for the evidence selected.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MEEDM0045).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
