Introduction

The curriculum for the 3-year Subject Teacher: Education in the Arts study programme at Telemark University College (TUC) builds on the national curriculum for the 3-year "Subject Teacher: Education in the Arts" national curriculum established by the Ministry of Education and Research on 3rd April 2003. The curriculum is a binding document for teachers and students, and the intention is that they will utilise it to develop an effective subject teacher study programme.

Students who successfully complete the study programme will be qualified for positions in arts, crafts and design at primary and secondary schools, folk high schools, culture schools and further education institutions; they will also be qualified for positions involving dissemination activities at arts and cultural institutions and workshops.

Target Group and Admission Requirements

General admission requirements.

A police certificate must also be submitted before the start of the study programme.

Aim of the Programme

The study programme will confront students with both academic and personal challenges. The programme will focus on the student’s individual development within a diverse range of artistic expression and materials, and prepare the student for their profession as a teacher of arts, crafts and design. The student’s development within the field of study is a necessary prerequisite to becoming a good teacher. Consequently, creative work constitutes a core area of the study programme. Students should have a reflective attitude towards their own creative work as well as to that of others and to the dissemination of arts, crafts and design. In order to become an effective teacher and guide of children and adolescents in their creative work using various materials it is important to have a reflective attitude towards, and knowledge of, both the subject and the role of the teacher. Subject-teacher students at the Faculty of Art, Folk Culture and Teacher Education will be encouraged to participate in current debates on theory and culture, aesthetics and pedagogy, which will provide a context for their creative activities.

The subject teacher study programme at Notodden provides students with professional breadth and depth. Telemark University College is one of only two institutions to offer this study programme in Norway, and the Faculty of Art, Folk Culture and Teacher Education has developed a broad range of study options for the last year of the study programme, when students pursue a specialisation course. Within Norway, many of these specialisation courses are only offered at this faculty.

The subject teachers in arts, crafts and design have an important responsibility in schools and the voluntary cultural sector in relation to promoting aesthetic values and inspiring children and adolescents to use and develop their creative abilities. The study programme will provide a foundation for developing both professional pride and identity.

Curriculum and structure

The nominal length of study for the full time study programme Subject Teacher: Education in the Arts is three years. The size of the various study units is represented by ECTS credits. 60 ECTS represent one year of full time study; consequently, the Subject Teacher programme comprises 180 ECTS.

Students who successfully complete the study programme will be awarded a Bachelor’s degree, which will meet the admission prerequisite for a two-year Master’s degree programme. Telemark University College offers a Master’s degree programme in Art and Design Education at the Notodden campus.

The study programme offers students the possibility of shaping their studies according to their academic interests and on the basis of the type of school they wish to work in their future careers.

The study programme consists of:

Obligatory subjects during the 1st and 2nd years of study

• Foundation Course 70 ECTS
• Art and Design Culture 15 ECTS
• Scientific Theory 5 ECTS
• Pedagogy 30 ECTS

The obligatory part of the study programme includes subject didactics (10 ECTS). Subject didactics is studied in relation to both the Foundation Course and the course in Art and Design Culture. ICT comprises 15 ECTS, and is included both as a subject providing practical skills and one which will enable artistic expression in the form of digital images. Development research will also be included in the obligatory part of the programme, which will focus on the field of practical training.

Optional courses in the 3rd year of study

Students may select a 60 ECTS specialisation course in their third year of study. When selecting the optional course the student will profile their qualifications in relation to level and subject area. The faculty will decide which specialisation courses are offered from year to year, and if courses are overbooked students will be selected for the course in question on the basis of their previous grades.

The specialisation course in the third year of study offers students the possibility to engage in independent exploratory work to a substantial degree, using materials, methods and theoretical approaches through their own professional development. In the academic year 2008/2009 the university college is offering the following specialisation programmes (60 ECTS):

• Digital Image processing and Visual Communication
• Clay – Art and Design 2
• Drawing and Image Communication
• Textiles – Art and Design
• Wood and Metal – Art, Handicrafts and Design
• Folk Art

Practical training is included in all three years of study but is not represented in terms of ECTS credits.

Studies model for the 3-year Subject Teacher: Education in the Arts programme:

Interdisciplinary teaching and teaching across study programmes

Some of the learning material which relates to several different subjects that are taught in the Subject Teacher programme will be considered in the interdisciplinary teaching related to the various year levels. Parts of this learning material is common to several student groups studying arts, crafts and design and other arts subjects at the Faculty of Art, Folk Culture and Teacher Education. Consequently, the teaching will be offered as joint lectures during the 3 years of studies. The topics for this joint teaching are:

• Aesthetic learning processes
• Cultural understanding
• Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary aspects
• Documentation
• R&D work

Much of this subject material represents natural aspects of the subjects in the Subject Teacher programme, and the lectures therefore follow the plan for subject teaching and practical training. Literature for this interdisciplinary teaching is included in the literature list of the various subjects, and is given partly as special lists in the individual courses.

Joint professional themes will be included in the course of studies and will be organised within the framework of the individual programme subjects when this seems natural. They will also be included within the period of practical training or as interdisciplinary sessions in the form of “theme days” (“stop-days”).

The table below illustrates professional themes at the Faculty of Art, Folk Culture and Teacher Education with suggestions regarding which subject will be mainly responsibility for organisation.

External activities

With regards to interdisciplinary theme days, Open Door – organised by the Department of Art and Design each year (usually in March) – is of special importance. All the students are involved in preparing and participating for this public event at the start of the year.

Other types of external activities which constitute part of the studies and involve students and subject teachers may include exhibitions at galleries and other localities, providing information concerning the programme to possible groups of applicants etc. The faculty also arranges Science Days.

ICT instruction

ICT instruction includes both subject-specific software such as image-processing programmes and digital tools, as well as general software such as word-processing programmes. The faculty uses Classfronter, a web-based platform for learning, and students will be given instruction in how to use it.

Internationalisation

During the course of the study programme there will be at least one study trip abroad, so that students will have an opportunity to experience how art and design is taught in educational institutions abroad.

Students will also be given the opportunity to study parts of the programme abroad. Telemark University College is associated with NORDPLUS, Nordflo and Edda that offer students the option of studying at an equivalent educational institution in Denmark, Finland, the Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland or Sweden. This exchange may be accommodated at various points during the course of the study programme, preferably during the second year of study. The principle of time parity applies, i.e. the student will be awarded the equivalent number of ECTS credits. Mobility and travel grants are available.

It is also possible to take the practical training part of the course abroad, preferably during the third year of study. Please refer to the university college’s web page, Practice Plan: http://www.hit.no/EFL/Praksisadministrasjonen

Conditions for exemption/equivalency/adaptation

Foreign students who are part of an exchange programme at TUC/ Faculty of Art, Folk Culture and Teacher Education will be offered a 50-hour introductory course in Norwegian.

Cooperative partners

The Department of Art and Design has an agreement with Norsk Form which provides students with the opportunity to participate in various types of projects related to the subject and school. The faculty has a cooperation agreement with Telemarksgalleriet (The Telemark Gallery). This provides students with free admission to the gallery’s exhibitions, including registration. Moreover, Telemarksgalleriet and the faculty are cooperative partners in mediation teaching and exhibition arrangements.

Teaching and Learning Methods

Throughout the study programme students will experience varied teaching and learning methods, described in the curricula of the various subjects. Throughout the whole of the study programme efforts will be made by the student group and the teaching team to relate the following elements to each other: professional art and design, theoretical knowledge, practical and creative skills and didactic reflection. Both in creative work using specific materials, and in the theoretical and didactic aspects of the programme the key words explore, review and analyse, and mediate will be central for study activities.

The teaching of knowledge and skills is one of the main tasks of a teacher. An effective teacher needs to be engaged in the subject, and to be able to arouse interest, curiosity and enthusiasm in his/her students. In order to achieve this the teacher needs to meet the students at the level of their development in relation to their needs, wishes and ideas, knowledge and skills. During the course of his/her studies the student will come into contact learning methods and teachers that challenge them, both in relation to their personal development and didactic reflection, and to the development of their professional skills and knowledge. The study programme challenges the student to actively build up his/her skills and to gain knowledge of processes related to various forms of artistic expression.

The learning environment in the workshops is built upon the presence, participation and responsibility of the individual students, who should aim to create an active learning community.

The programme’s learning methods will contribute to the student being able to use the practice period in a school to gain knowledge and try out the subject in everyday school situations, learn to work independently and in groups and experience progression in his/her studies.

Programme requirements

• Requirements regarding obligatory participation in various types of teaching, supervision, interdisciplinary projects, courses and study trips will be specified and described in each subject’s year plan/semester plan/period plans.
• Requirements regarding the completion of practical training will be described in detail in the programme’s practice place.
• With regard to assessment and the examination the curricula will provide descriptions regarding completed and approved coursework requirements.

Guidelines for obligatory attendance in studies at the Faculty of Art, Folk Culture and Teacher Education will be valid for parts of the study programme. The student is responsible for documenting attendance in the obligatory parts of the study programme, and keeping himself/herself informed with regard to whether he/she is in danger of falling below the minimum attendance requirement. Failure to meet the attendance requirement may result in the student not being allowed to continue on the study programme or to sit the examination. This will be considered in connection with a student’s rights and responsibilities as described in Telemark University College’s examination regulations and the Norwegian Universities Act § 40 and § 46.3.

Quality and students’ classes

The Subject Teacher: Education in the Arts study programme is organised in such a way that all the students belong to a specific class. Teaching in the class will be maintained by a teacher team in which one specific teacher is particularly responsible for leading the class.

In order to ensure the quality of the study programme the following measures will be used:

• Individual teaching plans will be drafted and individual supervision will be given in relation to the study programme as a whole, and in relation to the individual subjects and practical training.
• Evaluation of the study programme and critical evaluation by means of joint planning and assessment in class or at year level.
• Meetings with student representatives.
• External evaluation of the study programme.

Student participation/academic affairs committee

Each class has a student representative and a deputy. These representatives participate in the faculty’s democratic processes. The class also has its own academic affairs committee which consists of 2-3 students who function as a link between the teaching team and the class. When appropriate the committee may participate in team meetings in order to discuss matters in connection with planning and the class’s activities. The students will also choose representatives for course committees in Pedagogy, Arts and Design and joint lectures (3rd year of study).

The academic affairs committee and the course committees must have at least one meeting per semester. The subject teacher and class leader are responsible for ensuring that representatives are appointed and for arranging the first meeting. Minutes will be recorded at the meetings. These will be delivered to the programme coordinator and the head of the department.

Participation in the class’s and campus’ democratic processes is both a student right as well as a responsibility.

Theory and Practical Training

The practical training component is an important part of the study programme. Students will be given the opportunity to lead and guide children and youth in the subject, and in theme and project work where art and handicrafts are in focus. In cooperation with the mentor, practice school and the subject teachers students will be able to organise stimulating learning environments for pupils of various ages and from different types of schools. The aim will be to provide pupils with a learning environment where they may develop skills, knowledge and satisfaction in and curiosity about their work through artistic forms of expression.

A principal aim of the practical training period is to provide students with the opportunity to become acquainted with the challenges and requirements which teachers meet in the various professional situations involving pupils. The practical training period will prepare students for the complete range of responsibilities a qualified teacher must master in their work. Teaching skills will be developed through teaching of subjects at the university college in close contact with the mentor in the field of practical training, and through reflection and cooperation with co-students. Participation in the practical training, including preparation, execution and follow-up work is obligatory.

Practical training 1st year of study, autumn semester:

1 week observation practice, primary level

5 days interval practice/adaptable practice

Practical training 1st year of study, spring semester:

Practical training 2nd year of study, autumn semester:

3 weeks practice including preparation and follow-up work, lower secondary level

Practical training 2nd year of study, spring semester:

3 weeks practice including preparation and follow-up work, lower secondary level

Interdisciplinary project aim at period of practical training

Practical training 3rd year of study, spring semester:

3 weeks practice including preparation and follow-up work, upper secondary school, folk high school or other relevant practice.

Please refer to the university college’s Practice Plan for more information:

http://www.hit.no/main/content/view/full/27040

Assessment Methods

The forms of assessment are varied and reflect the programme’s learning methods. In other words, they include both practical and theoretical aspects and subject-specific characteristics. The student’s artistic production, documentation of working processes and visual presentation ability will be included in the assessment. Professional student-centred learning methods will be ensured by providing training in explanation, documentation and presentation.

Formal and informal continuous assessment will be given, and the final assessment will reflect the programme’s practical aspects. Each individual curriculum will describe the methods of assessment that will be employed. Assessment criteria will be given. The assessment methods used for the practical training are described in the Practice Plan.

Suitability assessment

All the teacher study programmes include a suitability assessment. Suitability assessment is included as part of the total assessment of the student’s professional and personal aptitude and pedagogical skills which will enable him/her to function as a teacher.

Continuous assessment of suitability will be carried out throughout the whole of the study programme in accordance with specific assessment criteria which are described in the Regulations for Suitability Assessment for teacher education study programmes established by the Ministry of Education and Research 10th October, 2005 pursuant to the Norwegian Universities’ Act, no. 15, § ,4-10 sixth section, 1st April 2005.

Students with special needs regarding final assessment and/or written examinations must give notice of this as soon as possible after the start of the study programme, so that arrangements may be made to accommodate them in accordance with their rights as described in Telemark University College’s examination regulations § 10.

Final assessment

The student will be assessed in relation to given competence aims:

Assessment criteria:

In presenting work for the examination the following requirements must be met:
Examination after the 1st year of study:

Portfolio assessment and possibly including written documentation:

Examination after the 2nd year of study:

Portfolio assessment and possibly including written documentation:

"Coursework" constitutes:

Examination after the 3rd year of study:

Please refer to the course plan for optional courses during the 3rd year of study for more information regarding the examination in the third year.

Diploma and transcript of grades

The diploma for the Subject Teacher: Education in the Arts study programme includes all the study units which the student has completed, and which have been allocated grades. Students who do not complete the whole study programme may obtain a transcript for the examination protocol for the study units which have received passing grades. If the practical training has not be completed or passed then this will be entered on the transcript of grades.

A graded mark from A-F will be entered on the diploma, where A represents the highest passing mark, and E the lowest. All assignments must receive a minimum grade of E in order to receive a final passing grade. All the parts of the examination and courses must receive a passing mark in order to receive a final passing mark for the examination. Please refer to Telemark University College’s examination regulations for more information.

Obligatory attendance

Large parts of the study programme have obligatory attendance requirements; information regarding attendance is provided in the year plans, semester plans and period plans. Guidelines for obligatory attendance in studies at the Faculty of Art, Folk Culture and Teacher Education will be valid for parts of the study programme. The student is responsible for documenting attendance in the obligatory parts of the study programme, and for keeping himself/herself informed with regard to whether he/she is in danger of falling below the minimum attendance requirement. Failure to meet the attendance requirement may result in the student not being allowed to continue on the study programme or to sit the examination. This will be considered in connection with a student’s rights and responsibilities as described in Telemark University College’s examination regulations and the Norwegian Universities Act § 40 and § 46.3.

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