Faculty of Health & Life Sciences

MAHSA University College

in collaboration with

MODULE HANDBOOK

AC6630
ANALYSING KNOWLEDGE FOR PRACTICE
LEVEL 6

Cohort 30
STUDENTS NAME:

Module Teachers: Kath Steele:

Debbie Leetham:

kathryn.steele@northumbria.ac.uk
debbie.leetham@northumbria.ac.uk

Module Lead:

sandra.faircloth@northumbria.ac.uk

Sandie Faircloth:

INDEX

Background to the Module

Nature of the Module

Module Aims & Outcomes

Content of Module

Teaching Strategy, Assessment Strategy, Submission date

Dissertation Timeline

Module Timetable

Option A: Practice Based Extended Critical Review of Literature

Option B: Practice Based Reflective Account

10

Option C: Practice Development

13

Marking Criteria
Turnitin
Submissions (Late Authorised & Personal Extenuating Circumstances)

14
16
17

Programme Leads, Director of Programme & External Examiner

18

Presentation of written work

19

Confidentiality/Anonymity

20

Guidelines for Supervision

22

About Writing

24

Writing in the First Person (Using the I word)

33

Library

34

Northumbria Skills Plus

35

Checklist

36

Appendices
Proposal Form A

38

Progress Form B

39, 40, 41

Excerpt + Contents Form

42

Background
The Analysing Knowledge for Practice module provides a way of understanding traditional
questions relating to professional practice in a very different manner and examines:

What are the ways professionals come to know?

What makes a theory good or relevant?

What constitutes good practice?

How can professional practice be developed?

What is the relationship between competence and knowledge in the practice arena?

The introduction section provides background information to the material that will be
covered: the aims and content of the module are provided; the choices of module
assessment and guidelines for your supervision are described; appreciation of the writing
style expected in the module assessment and; use of the first person in writing the
assignment for the module is an important element to the successful completion of the
module assignment, especially options B and C.

Nature of the Module

The purpose of this module is to enable professionals to analyse ways in which
knowledge used in practice can be developed. Theoretical perspectives and practice
issues will be explored in order to generate knowledge from and for practice. The
assessment strategy is central to the development of critically analytical professional
practitioners.
Using this framework the module will encourage students to develop knowledge and skills
and critically analyse issues arising within the context of professional practice. Within this
framework students will also participate in appraisal and evaluation of a variety of
theoretical concepts to help them understand the theory of professional practice.

Module Aims
The aims of the module are to:

Facilitate demonstration of problem solving and decision making in practice-based

enquiry.

Enable students to engage in the production of an independent, negotiated project

that analyses an aspect of the students practice.

Module Outcomes
On completion of the module, students will be able to:
1. Critically analyse the nature, uncertainty, ambiguity, uses and limits of knowledge in
community, health or social care practice.
2. Evaluate strategies to develop knowledge and understanding within community, health
or social care practice.
3. Demonstrate problem solving and decision-making in practice based enquiry.
4. Produce a detailed analysis of an aspect of community, health or social care practice,
which demonstrates ability to effectively communicate potential solutions to the
selected issue.
Module Content
The module will cover the following topics:

Nature of knowledge: Sources of practitioner knowledge; different ways of knowing.

Identifying practice wisdom and expert practice. Developing a personal theory within
an existing body of knowledge.

Evidence based practice: Principles of systematic review: Hierarchies of evidence.

Models of data synthesis. Validity & reliability of evidence. Approaches to the
systematic review. Conceptual review. Systematic enquiry. Ethical issues &
constraints. Sources of data. Approaches to data collection & analysis.

Nursing Philosophy: Critique of Humanism as a philosophy of care. Intuition,

perception and heuristics

Praxis: Practising theories - theorising practice. Generating openness and curiosity

from practice. Hierarchies and bureaucracies in practice. Negotiating praxis.

Models of reflection: Interpretative versus critical reflection. Critique of Humanism as a

philosophy of care. Intuition, perception and heuristics. Reflexivity.

Managing change: Change theory. Lay and professional influences. Managerial &
policy issues. Power and authority. Gender and cultural issues.

Module Teaching Strategy

To enable students to engage in the process of producing a detailed project independently
which demonstrates problem solving and decision making within a practice-based enquiry.
The module contains a mixture of introductory lectures, core lectures, a library workshop
on accessing evidence, group work, poster presentations, peer review and directed study.
This will be supported by personal tutorials in class and after the module delivery, online
via e-mail.
Students will be allocated an academic supervisor for the duration of the module to
facilitate development of a 10,000 word dissertation. Students have up to 1.5 hours for
tutorials with their allocated supervisor (via e-mail). The allocation will be finalised toward
the end of the two week teaching block.
The dissertation timeline is on the next page.

Module Assessment Strategy

The assessment entails the production of a dissertation, which should be no more than
10,000 words long (excluding references and appendices) and must be submitted to
MAHSA on:

Friday 17th April 2015

To assist you in managing the dissertation production we have broken the process
down into a number of key stages, illustrated in the timeline on the following page.
These stages require you to communicate with your academic supervisor who will
facilitate your journey in producing your dissertation. It is important that you follow
this process as it is designed to allow formative feedback as you progress towards
completing your dissertation.

Dissertation Timeline Cohort 30

July 2014
Teaching Block

Friday 29th August 2014

Submit your dissertation proposal form (Appendix A),
to both Primary and Support Supervisors

Friday 7th November 2014

Submit dissertation progress form (Appendix B),
including your structured plan & an outline of
what stage you are at to both Primary and
Support Supervisors

Friday 9th January 2015

Submit your contents list and a 500 word
excerpt from your dissertation to both
Primary & Support Supervisors.

Friday 17th April 2015

Dissertation submission

Resubmission Date:

11th September 2015

Students select one of the following three options for the dissertation:
OPTION A:
Practice Based Extended Critical Review of Literature: Students rationalise a focus for
a detailed critical review of published literature relating to an aspect of their practice.
Students will

undertake a critical

synthesis

of

selected evidence

leading

to

recommendations for practice and further investigation in relation to the chosen focus.
OPTION B:
Practice Based Reflective Account: Students produce a critical reflective analysis of a
selected aspect of their practice utilising a range of theoretical perspectives, which are
synthesised into the production of recommendations for practice.
OPTION C:
Practice Development: Students write about a proposed practice development based on
the critical analysis of a range of appropriate evidence. Students will design a framework
for developing practice, which includes a critical reflective evaluation of the change and a
proposed evaluation strategy.
Further information about each option is contained on the following pages.

Note that you should clearly indicate the option chosen on the front-sheet of your
proposal, progress forms and final dissertation.

OPTION A: Practice Based Extended Critical Review of Literature

The assessment involves production of a critical, systematic review of published literature
that identifies and critically appraises the strategies for theorising contemporary practice. It
will focus on the particular practice issues that govern service delivery, the development of
innovative practices or the political/social/cultural context of practice.
The purpose of the review is to give each student an opportunity to undertake a detailed
exploration of an aspect of practice chosen by the student. Students are expected to
systematically examine the topic using a structured approach. The review will examine a
range of material, including personal experience, empirical evidence, professional and
popular literature, policy documents, electronic information or any other type of
information deemed appropriate by the student. Whilst all evidence is legitimate, the
usefulness of evidence should form part of the act of analysis. Students use the evidence
to illustrate and support development of their perspective on the selected topic.
The review should cover the following:

Context for the topic

Rationale for choice of the topic based on personal experiences, local or
national policy changes. Information about the students area of practice.

The approach taken to the review

The rationale for the choice of approach in relation to both the conduct of a
review and the chosen topic. The strategy of literature searching and retrieval,
Inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Reflexivity
A reflective consideration of reflexivity as a way of acknowledging the influence
analysing literature in relation to experiences has had in both gaining insights
into a topic as well as developing the structure of the review. The student may
want to utilise their own, colleagues or clients interpretations of a topic as a
way of developing greater insight and understanding of the topic.

Managing the situation and the self

Any personal insights need to be situated in the reality of practice. Students
need to consider how they, and all others involved in practice, manage the act
of providing the service. The influence of these insights on the students
personal perspective should be made explicit in the dissertation.

Implications for practice and the future

The review should contain insights that inform the students practice. Students
may want to identify areas of current practice that require further research,
exploration and development. In addition, students may also identify their own
educational needs or those of their colleagues. The review reflects a students
personal perspective within the context of practice at a given period in their
career. It may be useful to articulate how a personal perspective might be
implemented, evaluated and developed in the future.

There are several types of literature which may be relevant to the extended critical review;
actual research studies, systematic reviews, policy based literature and critical expert
commentaries. The student should demonstrate an ability to critically identify the type of
literature involved, in addition to critical evaluation. This would include, for instance, an
ability to comment critically on approaches taken within research studies.
These guidelines are only indicative and students may decide to cover additional or
different aspects of the topic. The structure of the review will be determined by the
approach to the topic adopted by each individual student, with a relevant thematic
approach justified by the student. It is more important that students produce a review that
provides a detailed critical analysis of an element of practice rather than strictly adhere to
a rigid list of contents.
In summary, a well structured review will clearly demonstrate the student journey through:
problem formulation; literature location, identification and selection; literature appraisal
and interpretation; implications for practice and further work; critical acknowledgement of
limitations of the review.

OPTION B Practice Based Reflective Account

The assessment involves production of a reflective account that identifies and critically
appraises the strategies for understanding contemporary practice from a theoretical point
of view. The dissertation will focus on the particular practice issues that govern service
delivery, the development of an innovative practice or the political/social/cultural context of
health care.
The purpose of the reflective account is to give each student an opportunity to undertake
a detailed exploration of a chosen aspect of practice. Students are expected to critically
examine the topic from a range of perspectives such as; personal experience, empirical
evidence, professional and popular literature, policy documents, electronic information
and any other type of information deemed appropriate by the student. Whilst all evidence
is legitimate, the usefulness of evidence should form part of the act of analysis. Students
use the evidence to illustrate and support the development of their personal perspective
on a selected topic.
The reflective account gives students an opportunity to develop a unique insight into a
topic through engaging in a personal account of some aspect of practice. The end result
of the reflective account should be a personal perspective on a selected topic.
The process of producing this reflective account can often alter students insights into a
topic. The reflective account allows students to acknowledge these changes by
articulating how thinking on the topic has influenced development of the reflective
account. This is reflexivity. For example, one insight can result in a decision to examine a
different aspect of the topic that the student had not previously considered worthy of
examination. This process needs to be openly discussed in the reflective account.

The reflective account might cover the following:

Context for the topic
Rationale for choice of topic based on personal experiences, local or national
policy changes or information about the students area of practice.

Personal theory

Development of personal insights into practice based on discussion of a wide range of

materials selected from a variety of sources deemed relevant by the student for
inclusion in the reflective account.

Reflexivity

Within the reflective account students may wish to discuss the use of reflexivity as a
way of acknowledging the influence analysing experiences has had in both gaining
insights into a topic, as well as developing the structure of the reflective account. The
student may want to utilise their colleagues or clients interpretations of a topic as a
way of developing greater insight and understanding of the topic.

Moral, legal and ethical considerations, personal and professional politics

A range of different moral, legal and political influences can be included. It is important
that their relevance is articulated, particularly their influence on developing insight into
the topic and the nature of the personal insights produced.

Managing the situation and the self

Any personal insights need to be situated in the reality of practice. Students need to
consider how they, and all others involved in practice, manage the act of providing a
service. The influence of these insights on the students personal perspective should
be made explicit in the dissertation.

Implications for practice and the future

The reflective account should contain insights that inform the students practice.
Students may want to identify areas of current practice that require development. In
addition, students may also identify their own educational needs or those of their
colleagues. The reflective account reflects a students personal perspective within the
context of practice at a given period in their career. It may be useful to articulate how a
personal perspective might be implemented, evaluated and developed in the future.

10

This list is only indicative and students may decide to cover additional or different aspects
of the topic. The structure of the reflective account will be determined by the approach to
the topic adopted by each individual student. It is more important that students produce a
reflective account that provides a detailed critical analysis of an element of practice rather
than strictly adhere to a rigid list of contents.

11

OPTION C: Practice Development

This assessment provides students with the opportunity to engage in the planning stages
of a practice development. Students will demonstrate their abilities to:

Critically reflect in and on practice and the process of practice development.

Manage the identification and planning of change within their practice setting.

Appraise and integrate appropriate forms of knowledge to support the process of

practice development.

In the first stage of the process, students will critically reflect and theorise about their
practice in a variety of ways, for example through a critical incident technique or analysis
of current practice. Whatever approach, it is important that there is a clear rationale for the
choice of innovation in clinical practice.
The next stage of the process involves students in a practice based critical review of the
literature, surrounding the topic and leading to the rationale and focus of the practice
development. The dissertation will then move on to provide an action plan to guide the
process informed by change theory and the change process.
The last stage of the process requires students to critically evaluate their learning to date
during the process of innovation, for example, knowledge of self, the relationship between
knowledge and practice and efficacy of the innovation. Formal evaluation of the innovation
is not possible due to the constraints of research governance, particularly related to the
process of ethical approval, and is not necessary because students are only asked to
plan for a change in practice. However, students should identify an anticipated strategy
for the evaluation of their chosen practice development. Within the dissertation, students
should discuss issues for future development such as the implications for future practice
and the recommendations for the team, profession, and organization; opportunities for
dissemination, possible directions for research and audit, and the students own
personal/professional development.

12

An Important Note about Data Collection:

Data collection is usually reserved for research projects.
Your dissertation is not research and so Primary data collection must not take place as
part of your dissertation (for any of the three dissertation options).
To clarify:
In its simplest form data may be described as Primary or Secondary.
"Primary" and "secondary" are terms used to define data relative to the purpose by
which the data were collected originally.

Primary data

- data collected for the need at hand.

Primary data is information which is created for the first time and there is no previous
source available. It is collected directly through methods such as surveys, interviews,
focus groups or observation. Primary data collection may be subject to research
governance and ethical approval.

Secondary data

- data collected for another reason but is being reused to

address the need at hand.

Secondary data is published data and data collected in the past or by other people and is
readily available data like data from website statistics and audit, which was collected by
others but can be reused.
E.g. If you are doing Option C and intend to support your rationale by using data to
support your Practice Development plan, you could use organisational data such as
accident statistics, infection control audit data mortality rates etc. (remembering to
anonymise the source), but you could not approach the patients or staff to create new
data.
PLEASE CLARIFY ANY QUERIES WITH YOUR SUPERVISOR.

13

Marking criteria Level 6 CPD framework

Presentation & Structure

90-100 MASTERY /
OUTSTANDING

STUDENT ID NUMBER:
10%
Understanding
30%
and use of
knowledge
Mark awarded
Mark awarded
Meets assessment criteria within the word limit,
Demonstrates superior
with excellent presentation. Correctly referenced.
understanding of the
Satisfactorily maintains confidentiality of persons
subject. Breadth and
and location.
depth of reading is
evident.

80-89
OUTSTANDING

Meets assessment criteria within the word limit,

with excellent presentation. Correctly referenced.
Satisfactorily maintains confidentiality of persons
and location.

Demonstrates outstanding
understanding of the
subject. Breadth and
depth of reading is evident

70-79 EXCELLENT /
ABOVE AVERAGE

Meets assessment criteria within word limit, good

presentation. Correctly referenced. Satisfactorily
maintains confidentiality of persons and location.

Demonstrates excellent
understanding of the
subject. Breadth and
depth of reading is evident

60-69 ABOVE
AVERAGE

Meets assessment criteria within word limit, good

presentation. Most references correct.
Satisfactorily maintains confidentiality of persons
and location.
Mainly meets assessment criteria within word limit,
satisfactory presentation. Many references correct,
with some minor inaccuracies. Satisfactorily
maintains confidentiality of persons and location.

Demonstrates good
understanding of the
subject. Breadth and
depth of reading is evident
Demonstrates satisfactory
understanding of the
subject. Satisfactory
evidence of appropriate
reading.
Demonstrates satisfactory
but limited understanding
of the subject. Evidence of
reading from a limited
range of appropriate
literature.
Demonstrates limited
understanding of the
subject. Little evidence of
reading from appropriate
sources.

50-59 AVERAGE

40-49
SATISFACTORY

Meets some assessment criteria within word limit,

satisfactory presentation. Many references correct,
with some minor and major inaccuracies.
Satisfactorily maintains confidentiality of persons
and location.

30-39 FAIL

Majority of assessment criteria not met or partially

met. May not have adhered to word limit guidance.
Poor presentation and/or structure. Many
references incorrect or absent. Fails to maintain
confidentiality of persons and location.

20-29
UN
SATISFACTORY

Assessment criteria not met. May not have

adhered to word limit guidance. Poor presentation
and/or structure Many references incorrect or
absent. Fails to maintain confidentiality of persons
and location.

10-19
UN SATISFACTORY

Assessment criteria not met. May not have

adhered to word limit guidance. Poor presentation
and/or structure Many references incorrect or

Demonstrates limited or
inaccurate understanding
of the subject.
Unsatisfactory use of
evidence from a limited
range of sources.
Demonstrates lack of
understanding.

STUDENT NAME
Critical analysis

50%

TOTAL
Reflection &
recommendations

10%

Mark awarded
Analysis and synthesis substantially
demonstrated in reasoned, insightful opinions.
Originality is evident in the inter-relationship
between theory and practice. Debates different
forms of evidence to critically analyse the
issues.
Analysis is substantially demonstrated in
reasoned opinions Some originality is evident in
the inter-relationship between theory and
practice. Debates different forms of evidence to
analyse the issues.
Analysis is well demonstrated in reasoned
opinions. Some originality is evident in the
inter-relationship between theory and practice.
Appraises different forms of evidence to
analyse the issues.
Some analysis is demonstrated in reasoned
opinions Demonstration of the inter-relationship
between theory and practice. Reviews different
forms of evidence to analyse the issues.
Satisfactory analysis is demonstrated.
Demonstrates some insights into the subject
area. Demonstration of the inter-relationship
between theory and practice. May use different
forms of evidence to analyse the issues.
Limited analysis is demonstrated Demonstrates
some insights into the subject area. Limited
attempt to demonstrate the relationship
between theory and practice. May use limited
forms of evidence to describe the issues.

Mark awarded
Evidence of reflection, independent
thinking, problem solving and decision
making. Produces clear recommendations
and/or new perspectives for the discipline.

No or limited analysis is demonstrated.

Demonstrates minimal insights into the subject
area. Limited or no attempt to demonstrate the
relationship between theory and practice. May
use limited forms of evidence to describe the
issues.
No analysis is demonstrated. Demonstrates no
insights into the subject area. Limited or no
attempt to demonstrate the relationship
between theory and practice. May use limited
or unsatisfactory forms of evidence to describe
the issues.
Very descriptive, demonstrates no insights into
the subject area. No attempt to demonstrate
the relationship between theory and practice.

No or limited evidence of reflection and

problem solving. Produces limited
recommendations and/or new perspectives
for the discipline.

Evidence of reflection, problem solving and

decision making. Produces clear
recommendations and/or new perspectives
for the discipline.
Evidence of reflection and problem solving.
Produces clear recommendations and/or
new perspectives for the discipline.
Evidence of reflection and problem solving.
Produces clear recommendations and/or
new perspectives for the discipline.
Evidence of some reflection and problem
solving. Produces appropriate
recommendations and/or new perspectives
for the discipline.
Limited evidence of reflection and problem
solving. Produces limited but appropriate
recommendations and/or new perspectives
for the discipline.

No or very limited reflection and problem

solving. No recommendations and/or new
perspectives for the discipline

No or very limited evidence of reflection. No

or inappropriate recommendations for the
discipline.

14

0-9
UNACCEPTABLE

absent. Fails to maintain confidentiality of persons

and location.
Assessment criteria not met. May not have
adhered to word limit guidance. Poor presentation
and/or structure. Many references incorrect or
absent. Breaches professional confidentiality code.

Poor use of evidence to describe the issues.

Demonstrates no
understanding.

Assessment criteria not addressed.

No evidence of reflection included, no

recommendations made.

15

Turnitin Originality Report

The Analysing Knowledge for Practice (AC6630) module uses the academic software
Turnitin to help students avoid any unnecessary problems.
Turnitin is a software facility that will read your work and compare it to previously
submitted assignments, as well as internet articles and websites, and also other published
media such as journal articles. Following the comparison you will receive something called
an originality report; this will highlight any problem areas and also give you a percentage
score indicating the amount of similarity between your work and the work it has been
compared to.
You should use Turnitin for a draft copy, after which you will have the opportunity to rectify
any problem areas that have been identified. You should also use if for your finished piece
of work as a final check, although no changes can be made at this point. The full
originality report from this second comparison must be included with both your dissertation
hard copies when you hand them in.
The Turnitin facility is in the assignments section of the E learning portal which will allow
you to submit a draft copy of your assignment and a copy of your finished work before
submission to the College.
If you experience difficulty with the originality report there are helpful guides available in
the e-learning portal, these can be accessed by clicking on the student help button. Once
you have submitted your draft copy, and received your originality report, you will be
familiar with the system, however if you have difficulty generating your final report please
contact your dissertation supervisor who will endeavour to assist you.
Important things to remember about generating your originality report
Be aware that the report for your first draft will be generated quickly. However, the second
report, for your finished assignment may take between 24 and 72 hours to be generated.
You must ensure therefore that you submitted your final work to Turnitin well before the
published submission date.
On the Blackboard (E Learning site) you will find in the assignments/assessment section a
Manual on how to use the Turnitin facility. You will then see 2 sections for Turnitin - one is
for drafts of your work and the other is for the final version of your work. It is the Turnitin
report of the final version that you MUST submit with your assignment
You should be aware of the consequences of any academic misconduct; this
includes Plagiarism, Collusion, Falsifying data, dishonest practice, (see the CPD
Programme Handbook and also Assessment Regulations for Northumbria Awards
(ARNA)).

16

Submissions
Students are personally responsible for submission of their work, even if they entrust this
task to others (which you are advised not to do).

Late Submission
Extensions beyond the deadline given for assignments are not normally permitted.
However, if for some reason you find you find you are unable to comply with the assigned
submission date there are two options to consider: Agreed Late Approval or Personal
Extenuating Circumstances.
Agreed Late Approval:
You will be provided with a submission date for your assessed coursework which will have
been devised to allow sufficient time for completion of the work before the deadline. If
there are good reasons why you are unable to meet the agreed deadline, you should
contact the email address hl.latesubmissions@northumbria.ac.uk to request an Application
for Authorisation for Late Submission of Assessed Work.
When you have completed the form, return it with your circumstances outlined in the
comment box, and any required evidence.
Return to the same mailbox: hl.latesubmissions@northumbria.ac.uk and cc the module lead,
and both your supervisors.
You will then be provided with a revised date for submission.
This will then be picked up by a member of the staff and student support team. They will
reply to you and inform your lead module tutor of your revised submission date.
Should you require any further assistance please contact your primary supervisor in the
first instance.

Any request for a Late Authorisation MUST be made 2 weeks before the
submission date
If you are a MAHSA student in an area with low internet access and cannot submit a late
authorisation form yourself, please contact your MAHSA programme leader who will
advise you or help you complete the form and send it in on your behalf

17

Personal Extenuating Circumstances (PECs):

These are serious factors outside of your control that have adversely affected your ability
to perform on your programme of study and it is your responsibility to bring such factors
to the attention of the Progression and Awards Board (PAB) if you wish them to be taken
into consideration when determining your end of year result.
An extension under PECs can only be agreed by the PAB. In all cases the appropriate
forms must be accompanied by independent corroborative evidence that supports your
claim (e.g. doctors note, death certificate, hospital report). The PEC form is available
online from the Northumbria University website (see below), and contains full guidance
notes, which you are advised to read thoroughly.
The PECs form, evidence and tutor statement are considered by a specially convened
committee, which assesses whether the claim is valid or invalid.

Where claims are

assessed as valid this decision (but not details of the claim) will be forwarded to the
Progression and Awards Board.
All information is treated as confidential and is made available only to the personal (or
named) tutor, administrative staff dealing with the claim and members of the PEC
Committee. You may if you wish submit a confidential statement direct to the Chair of the
PEC Committee. The form, evidence and tutor statement are considered by a specially
convened committee, which assesses whether the claim is valid or invalid. Where claims
are assessed as valid this decision (but not details of the claim) will be forwarded to the
Progression and Awards Board.
The PEC process is distinct from the process for approval of late submission of work.
Where you have been given an extension and completed the work you should not then
submit a PEC claim unless you feel that the circumstances affected the quality of the work
produced.
Further guidance and the relevant forms are available from:
http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/qualitysupport/assess/assproc/
(The links are on the left hand side of the page)
Find further advice in The Student guide to extenuating circumstances affecting
assessed work available from the page accessed from the URL above.

18

NB:
Poor planning/management of time, holidays, work commitments or computer problems
are NOT valid reasons for a late submission.
Authorisation must be obtained before the published submission date.
If an assignment is submitted after the hand in date and has not been approved for a late
submission it will be marked as 0%.

Module team & External Examiner

Programme Leaders:
Sylvia Ritson:
s.ritson@northumbria.ac.uk
Sandie Faircloth: sandra.faircloth@northumbria.ac.uk
Director of Programmes:
Dr Su McAnelly:
su.mcanelly@northumbria.ac.uk
External Examiner: Nichola Barlow,
Senior Lecturer, Course Leader Nursing Studies
University of Huddersfield,
Email : N.A.Barlow@hud.ac.uk
Information for Students on External Examiners
External examiners are appointed to provide independent confirmation of academic
standards and student achievement. They also ensure that the assessment process is
rigorous, fair and equitable to all students. This means that students can be confident that
a Northumbria award is comparable to a similar award from another UK university.
To carry out this important role external examiners must have appropriate subject
expertise either as experienced senior academic staff in other universities, or within their
profession.
Information (name, position, institution/organisation) on external examiners appointed to
the programme will be made available to students in programme documentation, eg
module guides/ programme handbooks. In line with national guidance, students (or their
representatives) must not attempt to contact an external examiner. External examiners
have been asked to report any instance of this to the University.
External examiners are required to submit a written annual report. Northumbria gives
serious consideration to all issues raised in these reports as part of the quality assurance
process. External examiner reports, and actions taken in response, will be shared with
students.
Please contact your programme leader or course representative if you have any queries
on this.

19

Presentation of Written Work

The standard of written work is important to the achievement of module outcomes. The
nature of the module requires an academic approach to presentation of material. Students
are expected to submit TWO copies of the dissertation, which display the following
characteristics:

Cover sheet with: Name, student number, date, module name, title of the work, names
of supervisors, option choice and the declared word count (excluding reference list
and any appendices).

Contents page.

The work should be double spaced, both margins indented to 26 mm (one inch).

The pages should be numbered, with numbers aligned to the right.

Correct use of abbreviations, appendices and index/content pages.

Referencing must conform to the Harvard system and must be consistent throughout
the paper, including the reference list.

Correct identification of page numbers should be given for any direct book quotations.

The work should be bound so that it cannot fall apart for example stapling in a plastic
cover or thermally bound.

Attention must be given to structure, organisation and English grammar and

expression.

The module assessment has a maximum word length of 10,000 words. You should not
exceed this limit. Students who exceed the word limit will be penalised. Students will also
be penalised for incorrect referencing.
Use you checklist at the back of this handbook to ensure you have complied with all the
requirements.
Word limits are important in maintaining parity and you should not exceed the word limit
that is clearly stated for each module. Students who exceed the word limit will be
penalised accordingly.
The Word Limitation for your dissertation is 10,000 words, and must not be exceeded.
Please supply a word count on the front of your assignment.
Words over
Up to 10% greater than specified

Penalty
5 marks

20

10% or more

10 marks

Use of your completed and marked dissertation by future students

Many current students wish to see good examples of recent dissertations done by
students on this degree course. There are some examples of student dissertations in the
MAHSA library.
When dissertations are written and marked by Northumbria University the copyright of the
dissertation belongs to Northumbria University. This means that Northumbria University is
allowed to let other students see the dissertations, for example, in libraries. However the
university does not normally do this without the students permission. It is difficult to
obtain individual permission for this for each member of each cohort so:
IF YOU DO NOT WISH YOUR COMPLETED, MARKED DISSERTATION TO BE MADE
AVAILABLE IN LIBRARIES, INCLUDING THE MAHSA LIBRARY, THIS SHOULD BE
CLEARLY STATED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF YOUR DISSERTATION.
An example of how this might be written is:
I do not want this dissertation to be made available for the benefit of future students.

Assurance of confidentiality/anonymity in assessed work

In the submission of the module assessment, all efforts must be made to protect the
identity of individuals, workplaces and employing authorities, including within appendices,
evidence within workplace portfolios.
The identification of one or more individuals in either a written assessment or other form of
assessed presentation to examiners or others without prior written informed consent could
constitute a breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 and/or PSRB regulations and may
lead to referral in that assessment.

The identification of workplaces or employing

authorities could also constitute a breach of required confidentiality/anonymity if it leads to

the identification of, or harm to, those organisations.
Any exceptions to this expected standard for formative and summative assessment must
be clearly stated in the guidelines for that specific assessment.

21

Penalties for breach of confidentiality

The overarching programme handbook provides specific guidance on penalties and
responsibilities of students and states:
Instances where the identification by name of an individual or individuals has taken place,
other than:

with informed consent

by the citation of published work
by information in the public domain

will normally result in the maximum of the pass mark for the module. However, in
instances considered to be of a serious nature, this may result in a mark of zero.
Instances where identification of workplaces or employing authorities has taken place,
other than:

where this has been agreed between the students employer and a the
Programme Manager
through the citation of published work
through information in the public domain

may result in the work receiving a maximum of the pass mark for the module.
The final decision as to the degree of severity and the penalty awarded rests with
the Examination Board.

PLEASE NOTE:
For the reference of programmes regulated by professional, statutory or regulatory
bodies:
In addition, in both pre and post qualifying programmes where the professional body has
stipulated that it would be unacceptable, a breach of confidentiality or anonymity in
assessments may constitute professional misconduct. In such cases the University may
be obliged to report breaches to the relevant professional, statutory or regulatory bodies.

22

Guidelines for Student Supervision

Student supervision forms an essential feature of the module irrespective of choice of
assessment. The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure parity in students experiences
of supervision whilst undertaking the production of the dissertation.
Responsibilities

The student will be responsible for communicating with their supervisor. Ensuring that
you gain the supervision needed to complete your dissertation is your responsibility.
To facilitate this process you must complete a dissertation proposal form (appendix A)
and a dissertation progress form (appendix B) and submit electronically via e-mail to
your supervisor by the dates specified:

Dissertation Proposal Form submitted to supervisor and your MAHSA mentor by:Friday 29th August 2014
Dissertation Progress Form submitted to supervisor and your MAHSA mentor by:Friday 7th November 2014
Dissertation Excerpt submitted to supervisor and your MAHSA mentor by:Friday 9th January 2015

Communication with the dissertation supervisor in addition to these key stages is the
responsibility of the student.

The supervisor will be responsible for responding to student communication within a

reasonable timescale.

A maximum of 1.5 hours can be spent on dissertation supervision for the duration of
the module.

Nature of supervision
Supervision entails advising students on the structure and content of the dissertation. This
includes the literature review, report writing, and, where relevant, production of
professional knowledge.

23

The purpose of student supervision is to assist students to:

Manage the assignment

Student and supervisor will normally negotiate an appropriate topic for the students
assignment.

The supervisors role should be to guide and advise students. The

supervisor will mark the students assignment.

Proof-read assignments

Supervisors will normally judge the coherence of students plans for the structure and
content of the assignment. Supervisors will not proof-read draft copies. Students should
negotiate the time-scale for producing work and receiving feedback with the supervisor.
The nature of feedback, either in written or verbal form, will be at the individual
supervisors discretion, appropriate to students needs.

24

About Writing
Introduction

Writing is a skill that is usually taken for granted on academic courses. Students are
taught the course content and then expected to transform this into elegant written form
using supposedly natural writing skills. Students pick up and share the same attitudes,
being happy to avoid thinking consciously about their approach to writing. However,
experience with written work shows that writing is nearly always students' biggest
problem. In most cases, work could have been better presented, fails to make maximum
use of the student's material, and so loses marks.
Your object, in writing, is to communicate with an intended audience. Improvement in
writing skills will lead to more effective communication. It will also help you to think more
clearly since good writing cannot be separated from clear thinking. In working to improve
your writing you will also be working to organise and clarify your ideas.
This section will first consider the emotional problems caused by anxiety about writing
ability. It will then discuss ways in which you can improve your writing skills. Most of this
discussion will be concerned with the use of a structured approach to writing. The next
part considers the use of word-processors to facilitate a structured approach before
examining the use of chapters in the dissertation structure before finally discussing use of
the first person in the dissertation.
Emotional aspects of writing
Writing problems are associated with the twin diseases of writer's block and writer's
splurge. Writer's block, as Becker (1986), points out, is an almost universal disease about
which there is a conspiracy of silence. Writers want to appear fluent and so are often
reluctant to confess to difficulties. Since writing is a solitary activity it is possible for
everyone to suffer in secret and imagine that they are unique.
Writer's splurge usually follows writer's block. In this condition the writer works at frenetic
speed expressing whatever comes into his head without thought to purpose, logical order
of ideas, repetition or balance. The idea of reading through what he has written is
unbearable and editing, if undertaken at all, is a perfunctory ritual. Above all, no-one is
allowed to see the work until it is too late to alter it in case the writer should be sent back

25

to square one.
The two diseases can be explained in Freudian terms. Writing is an activity in which one's
thought processes are exposed to public scrutiny. Any writer who is not exceptionally
gifted or totally conceited feels vulnerable to imagined ridicule and demolition of his
efforts. The resulting anxiety can be handled by not thinking about its source with block
and splurge as the likely results. Alternatively, the anxiety can be faced. Fortunately,
although most of us are not capable of becoming gifted writers, it is relatively easy to
improve your writing skills without an expensive course of psychoanalysis.
Improving your writing skills
1.

You should be aware of any anxiety about writing and realise how common and
natural it is. Good time planning and a structured approach to writing (see below)
will reduce the anxiety and make writing an enjoyable activity.

2.

You should try to submit rough drafts of your work to a sympathetic reader whilst
you still have time to modify it. The reason for this is not that the reviewer can write
better than you. He almost certainly can't. But, as a relatively uninformed reader,
he can give you a consumer's report on what he can't understand, what is boring
and what seems to have been omitted. You will be too close to your work to be
able to see it through the reader's eyes.

3.

Poor writing is the most common reason for academic under-performance. Poor
time planning is the most common reason for poor writing. Most students underestimate how long it will take them to write up their work. This is partly wishful
thinking as it is easier in the short-term to put off doing something which is difficult
and worrying. When deadlines loom, fatigue and anxiety loom and writing quality
deteriorates. You are unable to benefit from advice which your supervisor can give
you as you don't have time to act on it.
Very often this means that credit for a lot of hard work is lost because you can only
be credited for the finished written product not for work which is in your head or
your rough notes or which is not expressed clearly. The antidote is to overestimate the amount of time you will need and to under-estimate the amount of
time you have available.

26

4.

You should adopt a structured approach in which you write according to a formal
plan and include this plan explicitly in the finished work. A structured approach is
indispensable in writing a long piece of work such as a dissertation.

Writing (and reading) a long essay is qualitatively different to writing a short essay. When
writing a short essay you can carry the structure in your mind or even allow it to develop
as you write. With a longer piece of work it becomes impossible to retain purpose,
structure, balance and style informally. Similarly, it is much easier for the reader to follow
your argument if you inform him about the structure of your essay at its beginning and
then signpost the structure throughout the essay.
By developing an explicit structure and communicating this structure in the finished
product you will make writing as easy as possible for yourself. The structure allows you to
break the total task down into manageable modules, knowing in advance what you intend
to achieve in each section, how each section contributes to your overall aim, and how
many words you can afford to use.
In a long piece of work it is easy to get bogged down in one aspect of the problem and
then be forced to neglect others. Techniques of structured writing are also invaluable for
shorter essays even though you may have been able to get away with ad hoc impulse
writing. Explicit structure informs both reader and writer of what you intend to achieve both
in the essay as a whole and in each section. Perhaps the most important benefit is that
you cannot express clearly what you wish to achieve without first thinking through what
you wish to achieve. Explicit structure enforces clarity of thought. You are strongly
advised to adopt a structured approach to writing the dissertation.

A structured approach to writing

A structured approach to writing should consist of the following four stages:
a.

Clarification of the aims of the essay.

b.

Development of a plan of how you are going to achieve your aims in the
essay.

c.

Incorporating the plan in sections of the essay

27

d.
Editing.
a. Clarification of the Aims of the Essay
Clarification of aims should be considered in terms of WHAT is to be communicated to
WHOM. With set essays, the aims are initially defined by the question but will need
elaboration and interpretation. Whilst this may seem like a truism, it is unfortunately the
case that many essays do not address the question set because the writer simply
regurgitates whatever he can remember most easily without regard to its relevance to the
problem in hand.
With dissertations it is necessary to clarify the main purpose of the essay and then relate
the whole discussion to this. For example, many dissertations contain excellent analyses
of a practice related problem and literature review but unfortunately there is no apparent
connection between the two. Loss of direction is inevitable if you do not write with an
explicit aim and ensure that this aim guides each part of the work.
The WHOM question requires you to envisage the impact of your writing on the intended
audience. The audience will share some but not all of your background knowledge and
will probably get bored and confused rather easily. Empathising with the reader is a key
writing skill. You need to form a judgement about how much the reader knows and how
much you can take for granted. This is a difficult question on which you will receive
differing advice from academic staff.
Good advice is to assume that the reader is moderately intelligent but knows nothing
about your subject! You will therefore need to define concepts under discussion and
illustrate them with relevant examples. It is important to USE the theory to analyse the
problem the essay is concerned with, illustrating with concrete examples, since this will
not be obvious to the reader. Many essays do just the opposite, providing a general
statement of a theory which readers are already familiar with but not discussing how the
theory is to be used to help understand practice. In general, aim to inform your reader but
not to bore your reader.
b. Development of a Plan in Relation to the Aims
The nature of the plan will depend upon the problem and how you decide to tackle it.

28

There is no one right way of planning an essay.

However, some important general points about formal aspects of the structure can be
made. Firstly, your writing should have a beginning, middle and an end. This may seem
like another truism, but many student essays only have middle. You need an introduction
in which you elaborate the aim of the piece and state how this aim is to be achieved in the
essay and a conclusion in which you summarise your argument.
Inexperienced writers are often afraid to produce introductions and conclusions in case
they are accused of repetition. However, they underestimate the difficulties inherent in
communication. A succinct introduction provides an overview of the entire argument.
This makes it easier to understand the significance of each part of the essay in relation to
the whole. A conclusion highlights the most important parts of your argument. Many
writers neglect the conclusion because they have run out of steam or use the conclusion
to introduce new ideas which they have only just thought of. Lack of a final conclusion is
as frustrating as a piece of music without its last note. Such essays seem badly thought
out and are often marked down.
In longer pieces of work, such as a dissertation, each section should have a beginning,
middle and end. Secondly, you should try to incorporate a logical structure in your plan so
that each section draws on the argument of the previous one. With a longer, more
complex, piece of work you will need to organise the sections hierarchically with sections,
sub-sections, sub-subsections, etc. Finally, you need to get a balance between the
lengths of the sections of the essay with their length related to their importance in
achieving your aims.
c. Incorporating the Plan in the Structure of the Essay
The plan should be explicitly visible and highlighted in the essay. This can be done
through a brief, clear statement of the aim of the essay and a summary of the plan in the
introduction, a statement of its aims at the beginning of each section, a brief summary and
conclusion to each section, a recap of the plan in the concluding section of the essay and
the use of headings and sub-headings for sections of the essay. How many of these
devices you use will depend upon the length and complexity of the essay. Long pieces of
work such as your dissertation will benefit from the use of all of them.

29

d. Editing
As Becker (1986) points out, the key to successful writing is being prepared to redraft your
work until it reads as well as possible. You should not expect to be able to develop your
ideas in the first draft and to express them clearly at the same time. You should read and
edit each section of a long essay before going on to the next one as you will rapidly forget
what you were trying to achieve. Editing should not stop until you can read the entire
section without altering anything. When the essay is finished you should edit it as a whole
with particular reference to inconsistencies in terminology and unnecessary repetitions.
The main aim of editing is to improve the clarity and economy of your writing. To test for
clarity ask yourself whether a member of your intended audience could easily understand
what you have written. To test for economy, ask whether you could convey the same
meaning in fewer words.
Writing style is developed through habit and example. Unfortunately, the style of much
social science writing is not worthy of emulation. Becker suggests several principles that
can be used to improve style:
i. Substitute active for passive verbs wherever possible
Passive constructions are more convoluted than active ones and vaguer in that they allow
the agent to remain unspecified, e.g.
'Nurses are not expected to take medical decisions'
allows the writer to avoid discussing who is doing the expecting.
ii. Avoid unnecessary words
We all develop verbal mannerisms that reassure us but add nothing to the meaning of
what is being written. They usually have the function of distancing the writer and so
reducing his sense of insecurity but in an empty ritualistic way. For example, a formula
like:
'In my view ...'
is redundant because any statement not attributed to another person must be the writer's
own view. Similarly, polite disclaimers of the form:
'The evidence suggests that there may be a relationship between ...'
add nothing unless the reasons for doubt are spelt out, e.g. how else the evidence might
be interpreted.

30

iii. Avoid repetition

In an effort to make him/herself clear the author may rephrase what he has already said.
Repetition bores rather than clarifies and it would be better to work at making the original
statement as clear as possible.
iv. Make the structure support the content
Your main points, whether in the essay, a section, a paragraph or a sentence, should
stand out from subsidiary or supporting points. One way to do this is to put the main points
at the beginning of a module. Don't force the reader to wade through less important
material to get to the point. Don't save the best point until last for a dramatic denouement.
The reader will probably lose interest and miss your main point entirely.
v. Support abstract concepts with concrete details and examples
The social sciences are notorious for long abstract words. You need to use them if you
want to generalise theoretically. But unless they are applied to the topic and illustrated
with concrete examples they will be a meaningless substitute for thought.
vi. Check and revise the structure of sentences and paragraphs
When you write a first draft you are trying to do two things at the same time, to formulate
your ideas and to express them clearly. The human brain is not good at carrying out two
complex tasks at the same time. As a result your first draft is likely to be below your best
in terms of style. Common problems are:

Sentences which are over-long and convoluted.

Incomplete sentences.

Spelling atrocities and malapropisms (e.g. 'appendages' instead of appendices

repeated throughout an assignment).

Poor punctuation.

Use of word processors

Use of a word-processor will not produce structured writing and it is possible to write at a
high standard without a word-processor. However, use of a word-processor will make the
mechanics of structured writing much easier to handle and will amply repay the
investment of time and money. With a word-processor it is easy to reorganise the order of
blocks of work, and to make stylistic changes. Above all it is easy to make changes after
viewing a printout of the finished product.

31

You can use a word-processor to work in a structured way. Begin by thinking about the
aims of the essay. Then divide the discussion into a small number of major areas and type
titles for these into your word-processor. Remember that you always need to start with
'Introduction' and finish with 'Conclusion'. It is important to note that the word processor
helps you to structure the dissertation, but that you need to identify that structure. The
next section considers how the use of chapters can help introduce this structure.

Use of chapters
For chapters of a dissertation, you shouldn't need more than 3 or 4 headings between the
introduction and the conclusion. Then estimate the relative importance and complexity of
each area and allocate an approximate word estimate for each area to be discussed. You
can now work within each section, generating sub-headings within sections before writing
them if necessary (e.g. for dissertations). It is not necessary to start with the first section. I
usually start with the section I feel most confident about, in order to break the ice, and
write the introduction and conclusion last.
If a section of the essay turns out to be longer or shorter than estimated, you can choose
whether to edit the length or modify the plan. The plan is only an initial guideline.
However, in general, you should try to avoid straying from the plan too far as it reflects
your considered view of the essay as a whole.
Words can be easily taken for granted as the communication tools used every day. We
use language every day. We were all taught to write when we were little, and learned
more and more through our school and nurse training days. Yet writing is a complex
process. There are many ways to write because each writer can tailor their writing style
appropriately to the work in hand. And each piece of writing belongs to the writer, while it
is being crafted.
The dissertation will require many students to be both writer and subject of the
dissertation. You will be reflecting on episodes (these might be seemingly minute) within
practice in order to:

32

Gainfully explore issues/incidents that have perplexed, exhilarated, puzzled, surprised,

and/or worried you.

Draw out knowledge and skills embedded within your actions, which perhaps you
didnt know you had.

Share that knowledge-in-action with other practitioners within the group; and benefit
from theirs.

Perceive ways of building on the understandings gained.

You will do this through reflection:

1. In action.
2. Through explorative writing.
3. Through discussions of that writing.
4. On action affected by 1, 2, and 3.
5. On perception of theory as affected by 1-4.
6. On appropriate theoretical/professional texts youve read, as affected by 1-5.
7. On alternative texts (fiction, poetry, spiritual, radio, philosophy, TV, advertising, etc.) in
the light of 1-6.
8. On the new links formed between previously isolated themes/theories.
9. In action, as affected by 1-8.
This kind of enquiry will probably not provide right answers, but it may throw up
invaluable questions, startling links, fresh light on relationships, new angles on hitherto
unquestioningly held views. The effect on future action, however, may not be
straightforward. Expect to be surprised, or even unsettled for a time! Many practitioners
respond to this writing and reflection process by exclaiming I didnt know I knew that!
Reflecting in this fashion opens you to confusion and not-knowing, leading to
vulnerability. This can either result in defensive attitudes as a coping strategy, or an open
evaluation that will lead to change and development. Issues arise sometimes through the
writing, which would normally be felt to be too threatening to expose to the possible
ridicule or censure of others. Yet instead of losing face, other members of the group
describe similar experiences, a compassionate understanding and offer of support in
creating a strategy for future action(s) based on these various experiences.

33

The product of your reflections in some students dissertations will require students to
challenge one of the assumptions made about academic writing, the use of the first
person. The next section will help guide such students in how to write in the first person.
Writing in the First Person: Using the I Word
Writing in the first person means referring to yourself as I; or when reporting on
something involving colleagues, as we or our. There are times (such as now) when this
approach is appropriate when writing essays.
A dichotomy exists between the philosophy underpinning holistic patient care and the
perceived formal conventions of academic writing. Practitioners are encouraged to
develop therapeutic relationships with patients. This involves them in a warm, democratic
and caring relationship, in which he or she becomes subjectively involved in the care of
the patient. To satisfy course requirements, you have to write a reflective essay that may
involve analysis of a critical incident analysis. It is anachronistic to expect an academic
style in the write-up.
Hamill (1999) identified areas where it is appropriate to write in the first person:

Case studies.

Reflective journals.

Critical incident analyses.

Reporting qualitative research findings.

Preparing PREP submissions.

Submitting APL or APEL evidence.

Writing a personal opinion.

Consequently, the module team believes it is both inevitable and appropriate for
many students to write in the first person in the dissertation. The following
references provide further reading on the use of the first person in academic work.
Hamill, C. (1999) Academic essay writing in the first person: a guide for undergraduates,
Nursing standard, 13(44), pp. 38-44.
Webb, C. (1992) The use of the first person in academic writing: objectivity, language and
gate keeping, Journal of advanced nursing, 17, pp.747-752.

34

Library Services
There is a dedicated library service for distance learners - which helps you to access
material no matter where you are studying. Just click on the eLibrary tab at the bottom left
of the University webpage and follow the link to the part time or distance learners tab or
go to:
http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/info-ptdl
If you explore the eLibrary you will have access to over 22,000 electronic journals and a
range of specialist databases.
Finding your way through the extensive online collection is best managed using NORA
your library search engine. The materials NORA searches for you are tailor made to meet
your study needs. NORA will connect you to the articles you retrieve in your search if we
have a subscription or other means of access. NORA lists all the electronic journals we
have access to and provides links to those journals. The quickest way to explore the
library online is via the eLibrary tab from the University home page.
Please remember that you will need your university computer username and password to
log into NORA as this service has been specially developed for and is targeted to students
on Northumbria programmes
For more information about resources and services provided by the University
Library visit the web site at: http://northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/library/ or click on
the eLibrary tab from the University web page.
Using IT
Full details about IT Facilities and IT Help and Training, including Getting Started Help
Guides, are available via the Northumbria web site. You can enter the site as a current
student by clicking on the eLibrary tab and follow the link on the left of the page or go
direct to Ask4Help via: http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/acserv/ask4help/

35

Northumbria Skills Plus

Skills Plus - is a self-directed course that provides you with opportunities to develop skills
that will help you become an effective learner in higher education. It is a collection of
training materials and help guides that you can use to help develop your library, IT and
study skills.

You can choose the format or style of help that you want.

There are short tutorials that you can work through or, if you prefer, you can view a
brief video demonstration or use a printable help guide.

Access Skills Plus through the library webpages: www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus

Skills Plus sits within the eLearning Portal under the Study Skills tab
Finding Information on the Web for Your Assignments
As a student you may be overwhelmed with the information you can find by searching the
web. You need to evaluate web pages because the reliability and accuracy of the content
and the source of the information is not always immediately apparent. The Evaluating
Information section in Skills Plus will give you some help.
As well as using the Skills Plus materials, you might also want to look at the Virtual
Training Suite which provides free internet tutorials for all subject areas to help develop
internet research skills.
You can access these materials using the URL below:
http://nuweb.northumbria.ac.uk/library/skillsplus/types.html?l1-2

36

Northumbria University and MAHSA University

Bachelor of Science (Honours) Nursing / Health Practice Development
Check List for Submission of Teaching Block 4 Dissertation:
AC6630 - ANALYSING KNOWLEDGE FOR PRACTICE
This check list is for you to use when you feel you have completed your dissertation.
Use the marking criteria sheet (from the module handbook) during preparation of your dissertation.
On completion, go through the following check list before submitting your dissertation, ensuring that
you have dealt with all items to the best of your ability.
If you can answer positively and confidently to all items, then you can hand in your dissertation to
the Assignment Receiving Centre.
No

Item

1.

Front page cover sheet:

Northumbria University and MAHSA University identified
Programme title identified Bachelor of Science (Honours) Nursing Practice
Development or, Bachelor of Science (Honours) Health Practice Development
Module name: AC6630 Analysing Knowledge for Practice
Title of dissertation (optional)
Option chosen (A, B or C)
Student university number
Student IC number/passport number
Name of Primary supervisor
Name of Support supervisor
Date of submission
Actual word count:
including text and direct quotations,
excluding front page, contents page, acknowledgments, reference list,
appendices, Turnitin report)
Acknowledgements (optional)
Contents page
Double spacing used, left and right margins of 26 mm (one inch)
Page numbers inserted
Correct use of abbreviations (use the term in full the first time of use, and insert
the abbreviation in brackets afterwards, and then use the abbreviation only)
In-text citations are all included in the reference list at the end
Page numbers cited and quotation marks used for all direct quotations
All references in the end reference list are cited in the text
Reference list in alphabetical order (not using bullet points or numbering)
Reference list consistent in all aspects as per Cite them right
Appendices (if any) are referred to in the text and presented in order they
appear in your text
The full Final Turnitin report included, with text and similarity index
Securely bound
Word limit adhered to (no more than 10,000 words)

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Tick

For Option A only (Practice Based Extended Critical Review of

Literature), in addition to the above points 1-15, check the following
points 16-22:

37

16.
17.

18.
19.
20.
21.
22.

A statement of the issue, its importance, supporting statistics (if available), the
background.
Discussion of how the students review fits with previous reviews (if any)
The approach taken by the student to the review, including the type of review
being done(broad or specific review), the question or statement, keywords, the
databases utilized, number of hits, inclusion, exclusion criteria.
An indication and rationale of the protocols (framework) selected to structure
the review
Common themes and conflicts identified from the literature and discussed in
relation to the general literature on the topic
Tabulated summary of the data from each article
Critical discussion of the findings
Discussion of the implications of the findings for practice, including whether or
not the evidence is strong enough to support change and development of
practice.
Conclusion
For Option B only (Practice Based Reflective Account), in addition to the
above points 1-15, check the following points 23-29:

23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.

Identification of a practice issue through reflection (e.g. critical incident) that

raises questions of ethical, professional, habitual, unsupported or un-evidenced
practice.
Choice of reflective model discussed giving the rationale and why other models
are not suitable.
Analysis of knowledge development and application
Literature review included and the review protocol (framework or model)
identified
Critical discussion of practice issue with each step of the model being utilized
and developed. Analysis and critical appraisal of appropriate theory.
Development of reflexivity discussed
Implications and recommendations for practice discussed and related to praxis
Conclusion
For Option C only (Practice Development), in addition to the above
points 1-15, check the following points 30-37:

30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.

Reflection from practice briefly described

Critical review of the literature allowing for the identification of the issue
emerging from practice and developed into a question or statement
Diagnosis of the need for change, with reference to practice and the literature
review within Practice Development framework
Clear identification of the proposed change in practice, policy etc. with
reference to the evidence identified in the literature
Identification of change theory and model of leadership with rationale for choice
including critical review of alternative change theories
Detailed discussion of action plan for the proposed change
Discussion of formal strategy for evaluation of the measuring of the
effectiveness of change
Conclusion

NB: nothing in this check list is to be interpreted as going against Northumbria University or
MAHSA University policies or regulations
Draft 5 DAH/SF/SS April 2013

38

Appendix A
BSc (Hons) Nursing Practice Development
AC6630 Analysing Knowledge for Practice - dissertation module
DISSERTATION PROPOSAL FORM
It is the students responsibility to make sure that the dissertation supervisor receives this
completed form by: Friday 29th August 2014
Students name:
Cohort number:
Contact details:
EMAIL ADDRESS
Primary Supervisor:
Support Supervisor:
Brief professional history including details of current practice:

Tick which one of the following options you have chosen to pursue for your dissertation:
OPTION A: Practice Based Extended Critical Review of Literature
OPTION B: Practice Based Reflective Account
OPTION C: Practice Development
In no more than 250 words provide a brief outline of your proposed focus for your chosen
dissertation option, including the aim of the dissertation and your proposed timeline:

Supervisor Feedback:

39

Appendix B
BSc (Hons) Nursing Practice Development
AC6630 Analysing Knowledge for Practice - dissertation module
DISSERTATION PROGRESS FORM
It is the students responsibility to make sure that the dissertation supervisor receives
this completed form by: Friday 7th November 2014
Students name:
Cohort number:
Contact details:
Clinical Area:
Primary Supervisor:
Support Supervisor:
OPTION A: Practice Based Extended Critical Review of Literature
The review should cover the following:
Context for the topic
The approach taken to the review
Reflexivity
Managing the situation and the self
Implications for practice and the future
Write brief notes on your progress to date under each of the above headings including
the aim of the dissertation and your proposed timeline:

Supervisor Feedback

40

Appendix B
BSc (Hons) Nursing Practice Development
AC6630 Analysing Knowledge for Practice - dissertation module
DISSERTATION PROGRESS FORM
It is the students responsibility to make sure that the dissertation supervisor receives
this completed form by: Friday 7th November 2014
Students name:
Cohort number:
Contact details:
Clinical area:
Primary Supervisor:
Support Supervisor:
OPTION B: Practice Based REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
The reflective account might cover the following:
Context for the topic
Personal theory
Reflexivity and heuristics
Moral, legal and ethical considerations, personal and professional politics
Managing the situation and the self
Implications for practice and the future
Write brief notes on your progress to date under each of the above headings and
include your structured plan and indicate at what stage of your plan you are at:

Supervisor Feedback

41

Appendix B
BSc (Hons) Nursing Practice Development
AC6630 Analysing Knowledge for Practice - dissertation module
DISSERTATION PROGRESS FORM
It is the students responsibility to make sure that the dissertation supervisor receives
this completed form by: Friday 7th November 2014
Students name:
Cohort number:
Contact details:
Clinical area:
Primary Supervisor:
Support Supervisor:

OPTION C: PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT

Critically reflect in and on practice and the process of Practice Development

Manage the identification and planning of change within their practice setting

Appraise and integrate appropriate forms of knowledge to support the process of

practice development.

Write brief notes on your progress to date under each of the above headings and
include your structured plan and indicate at what stage of your plan you are at:

Supervisor Feedback

Appendix C
BSc (Hons) Nursing Practice Development

42

AC6630 Analysing Knowledge for Practice - dissertation module

Contents list + 500 Word excerpt
It is the students responsibility to make sure that the dissertation supervisor receives this
completed form by: Friday 9th January 2015
Students name:
Cohort number:
Contact details:
EMAIL ADDRESS
Primary Supervisor:
Support Supervisor:
Tick which one of the following options you have chosen to pursue for your dissertation:
OPTION A: Practice Based Extended Critical Review of Literature
OPTION B: Practice Based Reflective Account
OPTION C: Practice Development

N.B You must agree with your supervisor what your excerpt will be

Contents list to go here (box expands as you type):

500 Words here (box expands as you type):

Supervisor Feedback:

43