Could you please describe the conditions under which students write graduation theses today? How have things changed over the years?

Ken Larsson: As the number of students has increased over the years, their average knowledge and skills level has also changed. The average student in the past probably applied to a university with the notion that the acquisition of knowledge was the attraction and inspiration. In contrast, the average student today probably applies with the idea of opening future job opportunities. This is, of course, a very general statement, but there are strong indicators of its validity.

If you apply for higher education based on an attraction to the program of studies per se, you are probably more in tune with the academic way of thinking and working, and thus more prepared for the thesis work. It is much harder for students who are mainly motivated by enhanced job opportunities.

It is getting increasingly harder for the students to master academic thinking and way of working that is a big part of writing your theses, and that we are developing this system to support students in this activity.

Why do you say that today's students have to get by with fewer resources?
In the age of the Internet, far more information is accessible to them.

Ken Larsson: In all university education we are facing an educational challenge in which there are more and more students but with less resources available for each student. The costs for staff and premises are increasing faster than the revenue available for each student. To manage this, universities need to be inventive in adopting new pedagogical methods and ICT.

We regard the thesis work in similar terms as we view the distance learner. There are a lot of similarities: They usually work on their own; they are supposed to manage their own work, and so on. So by incorporating experience from developing online courses into the design of a support system for the scientific process, we believe that this could be beneficial for the student as well as the thesis supervisor.

The students have never before had access to the amount of information now available on the Internet. But this also means that the student needs to be trained to handle this amount of information; it is easy to get lost in the ocean of information. It requires knowledge of the procedures and methods to harvest this big pool of information.

How has the thesis supervisor's work changed?

Ken Larsson: I think the supervisor today has to spend more time on basic skills that in many cases are not academic in addition to those that are. If the students on average are less used to using academic methods and writing, it is natural that you need to spend more time on basic skills needed to succeed in the thesis project.

Is the amount of supervision and direction that students require today more or less than in the past?

Ken Larsson: It is hard to say, but the fact that you have less time available for each student, and the student on average is less prepared for the task, means that you probably end up giving more direction and spending more time.