ABSTRACT
The dissertation research project holds a revered place within the undergraduate curriculum. Taken in the final year, the dissertation is a student-centred course that encourages independent learning, supported by a supervisor. In tourism, it is normally a piece of academic research collecting and analysing primary and/or secondary data, although occasionally it may be an extended literature review. The dissertation course's main, and often only, summative assessment is a written thesis, varying in length between 5,000 and 15,000 words. The dissertation promotes a degree of freedom and independence not seen elsewhere in the curriculum. There is a more prolonged engagement with a topic, and the work is expected to be more ‘in-depth’. Most students not only find the dissertation highly motivating and rewarding, but also challenging and a potential source of academic and practical concern. The dissertation is perceived by many students and academics, as well as potential employers, as a, or even the, defining element of an undergraduate degree. A dissertation is the distinguisher between an honours and an ordinary degree, and is frequently used as the discriminator for students on the borderline between degree classifications. The course exerts high demands on staff and student time, and is characterised by high student numbers, one-to-one contact, and a large assessing team. It highlights and exemplifies wider concerns across higher education (HE) over the reliability and consistency of course delivery and assessment. The dissertation course can also play an important role in developing and demonstrating the link between research and teaching.
