Innovations in the supervision of social work undergraduate dissertations: group and Individual supervision

A paper from the HEA Annual Conference 2006.

With increasing numbers of students undertaking dissertations there is pressure on staff resources and concern about the nature and quality of the student experience. Anglia Ruskin University have undertaken an evaluation of two different dissertation supervision methods: one-to-one supervision and group supervision.

The research examined the efficacy of each method in terms of both the student experience and the results attained. The project challenged the dominant paradigm of one-to-one supervision through an appraisal of the role and place for using different supervision paradigms. The research gained student feedback using semistructured questionnaires and focus groups to examine:

• students' reflections on the experience of group or 1:1 supervision;
• the peer groups supportive function during the dissertation process;
• the potential that group supervision might have in reducing students' feelings of isolation during writing a dissertation;
• the role of shared learning through a wider group knowledge base.