Course Objectives

Objectives, major course unit III

Students will develop a critical and reflective attitude to the positions and practices within their own profession. Moreover, they will independently be able to perform professional childcare work, and document, justify and critically evaluate their work.
Students will gain understanding of how the child care worker is able to positively affect the living conditions of vulnerable children and young people, and also how living conditions are affected by local, national and international conditions. Students should be able to contribute and participate in interdisciplinary co-operation efforts, from the individual to the system level, and have an understanding of the importance of science for their own academic work.
The objectives of major course unit III are drawn from the stated objectives of the national curriculum with regard to the general part of the health and social worker’s educational programmes and the education-specific part of the child welfare educational programme.

When students have completed major course unit III, The Reflective Social Educator, they will:

• Be able to examine scientific questions and participate in professional development, implementing new ways of working on the basis of research and other forms of innovation and have an understanding of the importance of their own personal and professional development.
• Be able to justify their actions towards users, other professional workers, and employers from a scientific theoretical and research methodological viewpoint.
• Be able to develop knowledge and understanding of welfare policy priorities and be aware of the consequences of these.
• Be able to perform case handling which is based on administrative principles and the relevant laws and which attends to the needs and rights of the users.
• Develop the capacity for participation and involvement through having knowledge of the main objectives and policy instruments in children and youth policy, and be able to assess these critically and function as a supplier of conditions for decisions made in the support apparatus and in relation to the political authorities.
• Know how to be a team player and also how to cooperate with users and other professional groups.
• Be able to map and analyse the relationship between social conditions and the life-situations of vulnerable children, young people and their families.
• Gain insight into how organisational conditions may affect the execution of professional responsibilities.
• Be able to read research reports and use research results in practising their profession.
• Further develop a critical perspective of, and the ability to reflect on, their own position and role in professional practice.

Major course unit III, The Reflective Social Educator, includes three assessment assignments. If an assignment receives a failing mark, students will be permitted to submit a new assignment within a single academic year. Please refer to the course descriptions for more information.

Course Description

COURSE UNIT 9: CRITICAL REFLECTION

30 ECTS

When students have completed course unit 9 they will:

• Display understanding of current discourses in their own field.
• Have knowledge of scientific theory and methodology to serve as a basis for specialisation.
• Have an understanding of the subject’s core areas and core concepts.
• Demonstrate the ability to cooperate across professional, organisational and cultural dividing lines.
• Show a reflected understanding of disability as a social and cultural phenomenon.
• Display the ability to manage conflicts.
• Have insight into organisational conditions and political guidelines for service development for the appropriate user groups.
• Be able to assess childcare work in relation to developments in welfare policies.
• Acquire knowledge of how the execution of professional responsibilities and professional knowledge is formed by modern and global processes.
• Be able to assess the execution of professional duties and professional knowledge in the context of cultural complexity, and further develop an understanding of a critical perspective and reflective attitude to their own professional group’s methods, roles and positions.
• Become acquainted with the work regarding practical experience and the Bachelor’s thesis in course unit 10.

The content of the course unit embraces the areas of organisational theory and public administration practices, scientific theory and research methodology, interdisciplinary collaboration, and discourses on key core areas within their own field of study.

Teaching and Learning Methods: Self study, lectures, reflection and discussion assignments, group work, and written and oral presentations.

Assessment methods: The course unit 9 has two assessment assignments and one documentation assignment.

Course unit code: 070-073 9-1

Assessment assignment 9-1: Organisation, system and welfare policies

The assignment focuses on the relationship between organisational framework conditions and carrying out professional roles. Individual response (2000 words). A graded mark which counts for 15% of the course grade (10 ECTS):

Course unit code: 070-073 9-2

Assessment assignment 9-2: Critical reflection

Students will answer one of two given assignments, which will focus on the central themes of the course. The assignment texts will provide students with the opportunity of making a critical assessment of the relationship between the execution of professional responsibilities and the creation of knowledge, and scientific perspectives and research-methodological traditions.
Group response (4000 -5000 words). Graded mark which counts 25% of the final grade (20 ECTS).
Course unit code 070-073 DO4: Project description of practical training studies and Bachelor’s thesis

The project description is the first step in the work that will result in the final Bachelor’s thesis (assessment assignment 10-1). The project description should clarify the purpose of, and contain a plan for, the period of practical training, and the subsequent work on the Bachelor’s thesis. The project description must therefore be in accordance with the guidelines for assessment assignment 10-1. Individual response or group response. Group responses must be approved by the course teachers in advance. Before students may start on course unit 10, they must first submit the document assignment. Comprehensive guidelines for all three assignments are described in the course description.
COURSE UNIT 10: PROFESSIONAL SPECIALISATION – PRACTICAL TRAINING STUDIES AND BACHELOR’S THESIS

30 ECTS

When students have completed course unit 10 they will:

• Have a critical perspective regarding the practice of their own profession.
• Exhibit the ability to examine professional problems in a systematic and reflective manner.
• Be able to exhibit an independent ability to document, quality control and assess their own work.
• Further develop knowledge and understanding of the importance of science for professional development, by engaging in the work on a Bachelor’s thesis.

The content of course unit 10 is related to the relevant topics for practice studies and the Bachelor’s thesis. The period of practical training will be arranged so that it will be possible to relate it to the Bachelor’s thesis, and it will also be possible to apply to carry out the period of practical training abroad.

The student’s area of specialisation and practical training placement should be professionally challenging and relevant in relation to the core areas of the respective professional groups.

Teaching and learning methods: Practical training, supervision, lectures, self-study, group work and written and oral presentations.

Course code 070-07P2 Subject specialisation and practical studies
The objective of the practical studies is for students to gain experience of practical childcare work, develop ethical reflection and review their knowledge, attitudes and skills.

The practical studies will contribute to the development of students' skills in the profession in various areas, and serve as preparation for their future professional roles.

The practical studies comprise 16 ECTS credits of course unit 10.
Students must first receive a passing grade for their practical studies before they can submit their Bachelor’s thesis.

Assessment methods: Course unit has one assessment assignment.

Course unit code 070-073-10-1

Assessment assignment 10-1: Bachelor’s thesis and oral examination

The Bachelor’s thesis comprises 14 ECTS credits and is based on the period of practical training. During the period of practical training, students will apply professional childcare expertise in planning, implementation and evaluation of their work at the placement institution. Students will obtain the necessary data regarding the work that will be carried out.

The Bachelor's thesis must be carried out in groups or individually. Group assignments must be approved by the course teachers in advance before they start work on the documentation assignment DO 4, project description of practical training studies and Bachelor’s thesis. Individual response: 6000 - 8000 words. Group response: 8000 – 10, 000 words. Letter grade together with the oral examination constitutes 60% of the grade for major course unit III and 14 ECTS credits. The title and grade of the Bachelor’s thesis will be entered on the diploma.

The individual oral examination will be based on the Bachelor’s thesis. In addition, the student may be asked questions from the obligatory or self-chosen syllabus for major course unit III, and central concepts and themes from the major course units I and II. The Bachelor’s thesis must receive a passing grade prior to taking the oral examination. The grade for the written part of the Bachelor’s thesis will be announced before the oral examination. The oral examination may influence the grade for the assessment assignment 10-1.

Comprehensive guidelines are described in a separate policy document.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean