Learning outcome

After successfully completing the course, the candidate will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge:

The candidate has knowledge of:

- Nurseries in an international perspective

- Professional knowledge as a dimension of leadership

- The significance of professional knowledge in professional practice and education

- The nursery’s content and role in a holistic educational perspective

- The importance of the professional knowledge role in strengthening the nursery as a learning organisation

- Practical knowledge as a framework for professional knowledge

Skills:

The candidate can:

- Use professional knowledge in leadership and human resource development in the nursery

- Discuss and consider the purpose of the nursery as an educational institution

- Read and reflect on new and current research nationally and internationally

- Use professional knowledge to enhance the nursery as a learning organisation

- Write scientific texts

General competence

The candidate:

- Has knowledge of and can relate critically and analytically to research within the nursery field

- Has insight into knowledge perspectives

- Can relate critically and analytically to perspectives on education policy affecting the nursery field

- Relate to the professional knowledge role to ensure a strong, reciprocal and equal relationship between theory and practice

Course Description

The nursery is an educational institution for children aged 0 to 6 years; the state framework for nurseries is intended to provide guidelines for content and responsibilities. Professional knowledge in relation to the nursery comprises both theoretical and practical knowledge. Professional knowledge plays an important role when implementing the mandate of the nursery, and in developing the nursery as a learning organisation. Selecting the nursery as a professionally-oriented choice will provide students with the opportunity to specialize in leadership positions within the nursery field; these may include being the leader of a nursery, or leader of nursery services in a municipality, or involved with research and development activities related to the nursery as a learning and development institution.

Teaching and Learning Methods

Lectures, seminars, study groups, student presentations and supervision.

Assessment Methods

The course includes two course assignments:

Course assignment 1 is an oral presentation of any scientific article from a scientific journal in the nursery field.

Course assignment 2 concerns two protocols from the study group discussions which are based on the syllabus literature.

For the final assessment requirement the student must submit an individual academic article.

The article should be based on an individually-chosen theme and should have a clear research question. The article should follow the formal requirements of a scientific text and demonstrate the student’s analytical and theoretical ability. The article should be 3200-4000 words long. It will be graded on a scale A - F.

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