Description
This paper looks at the motivation behind the removal of the final year dissertation from the fashion, textiles and footwear undergraduate programmes at the University of Northampton. The removal process was not straightforward and occurred over a number of years and through a process of ‘mini actions’ that in large part were driven by student response to changes implemented by the programme team.The title Slaying The Beast: Writing, Learning, Experiencing in A Post-Dissertation World is intended to suggest both the iconic status the final year dissertation within undergraduate study as well as methods of engagement that can be used to replace this set-piece academic exercise.
The first section Taking Aim outlines initial attempts to introduce an element of choice into the dissertation programme through the implementation of pathways. The second section The Misery of Choice explains some of the key problems these changes threw up. To B Or Not To B discusses how the pathway choices were viewed and responded to by the students themselves and the final section Taking Down The Beast maps out the eventual removal of the dissertation from those undergraduate programmes and the re-modeled final year module that has now been introduced. Throughout all sections the author reflects on the key issues that were raised through the various attempts to modify the final year dissertation project.
| Period | 11 Nov 2015 |
|---|---|
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Glasgow, United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |