Improving dissertation assessment

Concerns have been expressed over assessment practices in higher education, with calls for increased accountability of lecturers and greater consistency of standards (Brown and Glasner, 1999). The need to ensure consistency is even greater with modules where assessment is through one large piece of work such as a dissertation. Since such modules can account for up to 30 per cent of marks awarded in a year, any inconsistencies will almost certainly be reflected in students? overall grade for the year and ultimately the final degree classification. In response to these concerns and experiences from its own degree programmes, the School of Construction and Property Management (SCPM) wishes to investigate methods for improving dissertation assessment. Accordingly, this research aims to identify good practices for dissertation assessment in an attempt to improve quality and enhance the student learning experience. To achieve this, the project will examine a range of assessment practices utilised by other disciplines and Universities. SCPM?s undergraduate programmes will be used to pilot a range of these assessment practices, with results forming the basis of good practice. The research will culminate in the publication of ?Dissertation Assessment Guidelines? to disseminate findings, both internally and externally.