This is the last course you will take on your Digital Education MSc programme. While we call it a ‘course’, it is different to previous courses in that it is focused on individual research supported by a supervisor. It will take up to 12 months.
The Digital Education Dissertation course offers a unique opportunity to explore a topic of personal, professional, or scholarly interest in depth. This major, 60-credit endeavour requires dedication and a strong commitment to research and inquiry. You'll identify and investigate a subject with significant implications for your professional development and academic pursuits. You’ll engage in a critical examination of how academic theory intersects with professional practice as you design, conduct, and interpret research to the highest ethical and scholarly standards. You’ll conclude your journey with a comprehensive written dissertation that showcases your findings and insights.
This course will enable you to gain deep knowledge in the chosen theme. It will equip you with the skills necessary to conduct rigorous scholarly research and appropriately report on the findings. You’ll acquire skills to produce a longer piece of scholarly writing following academic conventions.
To start the dissertation, you’ll have successfully completed 120 credits of assigned compulsory and optional courses. Normally, the last course you take before Dissertation is ‘Methods’. You must have successfully completed Methods with a Pass mark of at least 50%.
The structure of both the process and product of the Dissertation will vary because of the individual nature of the work. However, the common approach is the following:
- You can enrol after successfully completing 120 credits of assigned compulsory and optional courses
- Dissertation starts either in March or October, depending on the semester in which you complete previous courses
- You will be assigned a Dissertation supervisor, who will support you throughout the Dissertation journey
- You will finalise the Dissertation proposal and Ethics application with your allocated supervisor
- You will have up to one year to complete and submit your Dissertation
- Your time on the Dissertation will inevitably entail a planning phase, a literature review, a period of gathering and analysing data, and will involve a fair amount of writing in draft and polished forms.
“The common approach on the programme is that as supervisors, we aim to create a constructive and supportive supervision relationship. We care about your research and your research skill development. We are excited about your project and the outcomes of your work. We discuss opportunities to share your findings more widely.”
- Ben Williamson, Dissertation coordinator
This course enables you to exercise your knowledge and skills autonomously. You are encouraged to follow your interests and passion so you can explore the chosen theme in depth. You are supported in stepping into the exciting world of scholarly research as you conduct your rigorous study.
As you embark on the Dissertation, you will be assigned an academic supervisor from the Digital Education team. With their support, you will refine the topic and scope of your project, and prepare a research design appropriate to addressing your questions and aims. After considering the ethical aspects of your research, you will collect and analyse data, interpret findings, and write up your research as a scholarly text. This is a unique opportunity to test yourself in doing a more substantial research project.
You will meet regularly with your supervisor, who will offer guidance, feedback and support throughout the course, and submit your completed dissertation within 12 months.
15,000 words, excluding appendices and list of references.
It is possible to submit the dissertation in an alternative to the standard written format, for example as a web essay. In such cases, the proposal needs to detail how you will demonstrate an appropriate level of critical analysis, academic knowledge and reflection on the nature of enquiry.
Completing the dissertation will allow you to develop independent research skills and produce insights into an important topic in the field of digital education. You will learn to specify a topic and justify its significance, engage with up-to-date research and evidence, collect and analyse data according to ethical guidelines, and contribute new insights in your area of enquiry.
On completion of the course, you will be able to:
- Specify a topic of enquiry suitable for a dissertation and justify its theoretical significance, relevance and practical feasibility
- Identify and reflect critically on relevant up-to-date literature, research reports and other scholarly evidence with specific reference to the research process chosen
- Collect and analyse evidence, justifying the approaches and techniques used, demonstrating that the study complies with relevant ethical guidelines, and identifying the implications of these decisions
- Critically examine the contribution and limitations of the study undertaken in theoretical and applied terms
You will devise your own reading list, which should include methodological texts as well as content relevant to your research topic. A range of support and resources is available from the University to help you on your Dissertation journey: Advice and study resources from the Institute for Academic Development: https://institute-academic-development.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught.
Online resources for writing your Dissertation or Thesis from Information Services: https://information-services.ed.ac.uk/help-consultancy/is-skills/programmes-courses-and-toolkits/online-resources-dissertation-thesis.
Dissertation and Thesis Festival provided by Library Services: https://library.ed.ac.uk/academic-support-librarians/dissertation-festival.
Dissertation support offered by Library Services: https://edinburgh-uk.libguides.com/dissertation/home.