7.2 Mid-project report

If students have no formal feedback during the conduct of a project, there is no guide to keeping the show on the rails, and no spur to commencing or conducting the reflective process.

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This bundle requires reflective activity to begin well before project completion.

The way it works is to require students to deliver partway through the project an interim report. This should be significant but not overwhelming, and should be submitted to a strict deadline and assessed, preferably by more than just the supervisor. It will provide an early-warning of impending problems, both among students and potential disagreements between assessors. Upon return to the student, invaluable advice can be provided on how things are going.

This practice is of great value in spurring reflection, since such a report requires an examination of achievement to date; furthermore, the return of the assessors' comments, while the project is still underway, can provoke self-examination and adjustment, and provide a handle for future reflection on progress.

It works better if conducted a little before halfway through the project, with a swift turn-round. It also helps if the feedback contains comment on the perceived level of project difficulty (and ultimate maximum grade attainable

It doesn't work unless you have sufficient resource, since the deliverable needs co-ordinating across the cohort, and staff time needs to be devoted to assessment. It is important that this is done briskly or the benefits are diluted.

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So: to require reflection to commence, introduce an interim, reflection-based, deliverable; feed it back with constructive comment and guidance.