The Dissertations at a Distance project formally began on 1 October. We’ve received ethical approval for the research, and have met once as a project team. Phil & I also met last week to plan first steps, which includes a programme of reading and discussion that I’m especially looking forward to.

Some questions that have emerged from our preliminary discussions, and which we want to explore further:

• What does it mean to have a teacher, and be a teacher, in the context of dissertations at a distance? How do supervisors and students consider issues such as trust, guidance, and support?
• What significance does the materiality of the teacher, the campus, and the university hold for students at this stage of their studies?
• How do students experience working independently as similar to or different from other parts of their programme? For example, is isolation a factor, and in what ways?
• What dimensions of time (for example disrupted time, quality time, sustained time) are experienced as important by online distance students at dissertation stage?
• What creates stability during the dissertation process, and what creates disruption?
• How do people feel about their dissertation experience, looking back?
• What is the nature of the dissertation? Is it a process, a product, a performance?