Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ARA3106: Dissertation

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Module Aims

This project aims to allow you to acquire knowledge of a particular subject, to benefit from one-to-one tuition from a specialist in the field, and to develop their research skills. These include the ability to collate, assess, analyse and order material from relevant types of sources, and the ability to communicate ideas, arguments and findings in academic prose.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Acquire knowledge of the issues which form the subject matter of the dissertation
Discipline-Specific Skills	2. Acquire knowledge of relevant literature in the field. 3. Collate, analyse and assess material from a range of sources, including primary sources (where relevant). 4. Understand and use relevant terminology, and to handle different approaches in the field.
Personal and Key Skills	5. Develop the capacity to work independently and to organise your own time to produce a substantial piece of research to a deadline. 6. Collate and critique material to produce a coherent, well-planned, well-presented and well-argued piece of academic research.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
4	296	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	4 hours	Tutorials with supervisor. These tutorials are meant, initially, to establish the viability of the planned research, and to provide advice on its focus and direction, and then to provide advice on different aspects of the ongoing work and to monitor the students' progress
Guided Independent study	296 hours	Private study

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Dissertation proposal including bibliography	2 pages minimum	1-6	Written and verbal feedback
Final draft of dissertation to supervisor by end of Spring term).	10,000 words	1-6	Written and verbal feedback

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Dissertation	100	10,000 words	1-6	Written and verbal

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Dissertation	Dissertation	1-6	August/September reassessment period

Re-assessment notes

Where you have been referred/ deferred for dissertation, you will have the opportunity to complete your dissertation by the indicated assessment period.