Clarify the definition of the thesis at your faculty and in your degree programme. Some faculties and programmes view a Bachelor’s thesis as a literary review designed to help students practise framing a research question, while other faculties and programmes consider it a small empirical study.
The supervision of a Bachelor’s thesis often takes place in connection with a Bachelor’s seminar. In the role of supervisor, you will also teach the class. Performing supervision work in connection with a seminar has the advantage of offering students both individual guidance and peer support through group discussion. You should require attendance and active participation from your seminar students in accordance with the regulations of your faculty and degree programme.
Focus on offering clear, practical advice on the key areas of thesis work. You will probably be supervising students who have never completed a thesis before. Completing a Bachelor’s thesis is often the first time students need to practise framing and implementing a research project. They may have very little experience of independently retrieving information and writing academic texts.
Divide the thesis project into steps and create a schedule paced and supported by the seminar meetings. The thesis will be completed step by step as the seminar advances. Process writing instructions for you and the students will be published soon (link to be inserted here). The supervisor plays a dual role by supporting a goal-oriented general process while supporting each student’s individual activity. Starting from the choice topic, a thesis is often a personal assignment for students. At best, the resulting motivation and sensation of capability spread to all areas of study and life in general.
As a teacher, you are in charge of guiding the discussion and peer feedback. Request the students provide constructive, clear feedback that tangibly helps others make headway with their thesis. Encourage students to talk about their difficulties. Discussing solutions together can help the whole group with their thesis work.
As the thesis and seminar work advance, students learn many generic and expert skills (a link to the new table published by the Centre for University Teaching and Learning table will be inserted here soon). As a supervisor, you can help students identify the expertise they accumulate during their studies by pointing out the generic and expert skill honed in your class and under your guidance and by paying attention to the students’ evolving expertise.
Often enough, some of the seminar classes can be replaced with individual supervision meetings, which can be relatively short in the case of a Bachelor’s seminar. Tell students to come to their private supervision sessions prepared and having completed specific thesis work. Focus on what is most important for making headway, take the students’ questions seriously and thank them for their progress.
Sometimes students need a lot of support. Supervision situations can be challenging at times. Discuss your workload with your colleagues and supervisor, if necessary. If you are concerned that any problems a student clearly struggles with during the thesis process are related to reasons beyond your control, encourage the student to seek help.