Description
Authentic assessment remains one of the key ways in which contemporary higher education promotes its relationship with the broader world. In architectural education, authenticity is notionally embedded in the curriculum through the design studio. In this research project I explore ways in which the undergraduate dissertation can also be considered an authentic assessment by presenting the outcomes of a series of interviews with students and staff supervisors about the role of the dissertation in undergraduate architectural education. The aim of this project was to better understand this assessment as an extended piece of writing within a curriculum that is primarily driven by project-based learning and teaching and to look for opportunities to enhance its authenticity through reflection and dissemination. The interviews were analysed using theoretical thematic analysis. Overarching themes in both student and staff conceptions of the dissertation’s role were its relation to professional qualification and other, alternate career opportunities as well as its significance as a personal journey and part of students’ overall learning and personal development. The study also revealed that students brought an additional aspiration to this work – the opportunity to challenge existing conditions in the service of making society better in some way, discussed here as its transformative potential. Given that the dissertation is a common module across many courses in the institution, this discussion will be relevant to all educators interested in enhancing the authenticity of this work for their students.Period | 31 Jan 2025 |
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Event title | University of Brighton Educational Research and Scholarship Symposium |
Event type | Conference |
Location | Brighton, United KingdomShow on map |
Degree of Recognition | Local |
Documents & Links
- ER&S Symp Abstract 08 - Southcott
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