A B S T R AC T A great deal of value is placed on student research within universities, exemplified by the prominent role of the dissertation or extended written work at the end of many programmes, and the more general benefits of embedding research-based learning into a curriculum in order to develop higher-order learning. This article reports on a collaborative problem-based learning (PBL) activity undertaken by staff and students to run an undergraduate conference for first year students on how to develop a research culture. The aim is to better understand how students undertake research and how a research culture might be inculcated much earlier in undergraduate programmes.

This article is a reflection on one aspect of a research project on effective dissertation support at undergraduate level. Whilst the research project sought to investigate supervision practices across a range of subject areas, an interesting specific focus emerged in relation to dissertations in media studies, where practice and theoretical work can, and often do, intersect. This investigation discusses a range of issues around the experience of supervising and being supervised, within the context of ongoing debates about the relative position and status of practical and theoretical work in media studies. It suggests that a ‘collaborative learning’ approach to supervision might be a fruitful way forward.