MERG4200 Complex Interventions in Work and Everyday Life Course description

Language of instruction: Norwegian

This course deals with the theoretical foundation of the development of complex interventions to promote health, activity and social participation. The students will also work on critical analysis of theories in the context of their own research topic. The course builds on the course MERG4100 and is based on theories on activity, participation and inclusion. Such theories can contribute to an understanding of relevant challenges that can arise in people’s everyday and working lives, and of what can contribute to good health and participation. The students will learn how theory forms the basis for what questions they will ask, which methods they will use to find the answers to the questions, and how they can interpret the answers they find. The students will have an opportunity to continue work on the topics from this course in the elective course MAVIT5300 Knowledge Translation.

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Degree Programme in Health Sciences - Specialisation in Occupational Therapy.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• can analyse everyday and working life in relation to health and participation in society on the basis of different perspectives and theories
• can assess facilitating factors and barriers to participation in working life
• can assess technology/welfare technology in conjunction with interventions in everyday and working life
• can discuss relationships between people, activity and the surroundings in the context of everyday and working life

Skills

The student

• can analyse and apply chosen theories and models related to interaction in everyday and working life between people, activity and surroundings
• can assess and use results from primary and secondary intervention research to promote participation in everyday and working life
• can develop knowledge about individual interventions and programmes that use facilitation, including technology, in order to promote participation in everyday or working life

General competence

The student

• can use theory to reflect on the significance of activity patterns, lifestyles, culture, age, social background and gender for participation in everyday and working life

The course will use varied, student-active work methods. The teaching is organised into two five-day sessions. Work and teaching methods comprise lectures, seminars, digital learning resources, assignments, group work, oral presentations and self-study. Throughout the course, students will work on a written assignment related to a topic of their choice. The written assignment is to describe and document relevant theories that can form the basis for understanding the student’s chosen topic. The chosen topic can later become the focus of the student’s master’s thesis. At the teaching sessions, the students will present their home assignments and receive feedback from fellow students and lecturers. The students will also receive one hour of individual supervision from occupational therapy departmental staff, preferably from the future supervisor of the student’s master’s thesis. This hour is included in the 20 hours dedicated to supervision of the master’s thesis. The written assignment forms the basis for the examination assignment.

None.

An individual project examination in the form of an assignment that is developed during the course. Scope: Up to 3,500 words, including references.

Resit examination: If the student is awarded the grade F (fails the written assignment), he/she will be given one (1) opportunity to submit a reworked version.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Grade scale A-F.

At least 20% of the examination papers will be assessed by an external examiner together with an internal examiner. The remaining papers will be assessed by two internal examiners. The external examiner’s assessment should benefit all students.

The course overlaps by 10 ECTS credits with MAERGD4000 Interventions in Everyday Life and Work, 20 ECTS credits.