Category: Inclusive Practice cases

This project aimed to identify good inclusive practice in the support and supervision of students with mental health and specific learning difficulties through the process of completing an undergraduate (UG) dissertation. Changes in the Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) place increasing emphasis on universities to inclusive in their provision by moving away from supporting specific student groups through a discrete set of policies or interventions, towards embedding equity in the curriculum as an ongoing process of quality enhancement (May and Bridger, 2010). Literature on undergraduate dissertation supervision is limited – especially compared to postgraduate and doctoral supervision (Rowley and Slack, 2004; Anderson et al., 2006), yet 1) the dissertation typically contributes substantially to overall attainment, 2) utilises challenging intellectual and academic skills, and 3) uniquely uses supervision as a learning strategy.  Data collected from supervisors, students and student support workers about the challenges of completing a dissertation, examples of good practice, and the role of the supervisor was thematically analysed. The project has resulted in 1) the development of an inclusive practice toolkit for dissertation supervisors; 2) the delivery of a staff development training session for dissertation supervisors; and 3) revised advice and guidance for students about the supervision/dissertation process in the module handbook and studentcentral site.