VERB1100 Professional Identity and Professional Role Course description

This course familiarises students with the profession's history and field of work, as well as the professional role. The focus is on ethics, ethical dilemmas in professional practice and training in ethical reflection. The course introduces the topics of communication, applicable legislation of relevance to practising a health profession, interaction and cooperation. The students are familiarised with how language and culture can influence these aspects. The students are introduced educational pedagogy, motivation in learning and teaching, and the social educator's role as a health and social policy actor. The course is taught over six weeks.

The student must have been admitted to the programme.

On successful completion of the course, the student has the following learning outcomes classified as knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• can describe the development of social education as a separate profession
• can explain the role and function of social educators in cooperation with other professions
• can explain the rights of persons with disabilities and legislation of importance to the professional practice of social educators
• can explain the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• can describe important ethical theories and core values in habilitation and rehabilitation
• can explain inclusion, equality and non-discrimination to ensure equal services for all
• can describe important skills in communication, interaction and cooperation, and how they are influenced by language and culture
• can explain guidelines for preventing risk and threatening incidents, including sexual abuse
• can describe the social educator work model
• can explain different pedagogical theories on motivation and learning
• can explain cognitive and sociocultural development
• can describe relational skills that are important to the professional practice of social educators

Skills

The student

• can demonstrate relational skills in a group to promote cooperation
• can reflect on different pedagogical perspectives and approaches

General competence

The student

• can identify and reflect on relevant academic and ethical challenges in the professional practice of social educators

The teaching and learning methods include lectures, self-study, field trips, peer assessments, group work and various presentations. Digital learning resources will be made available to students in advance, and some of the time they spend at the university will be used to work on assignments and group work.

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• Individual reflection notes from a field trip (digital or physical) , up to 250 words. 
• Supervised group work on ethical reflection model, five hours, in groups of six students
  • Presentation of group work in seminar groups. Feedback on the presentation from fellow student(s) and the lecturer
• Individual reflection assignment on cooperation in the group, up to 250 words
• Individual reflection notes from psychology, motivation and development, up to 250 words

Individual written home examination, 5 hours, up to 2000 words

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

Grade scale A-F

Twenty per cent of the exam papers will be assessed by one external and one internal examiner. The remaining papers will then be graded by two internal examiners. The assessments from the first part are summarised to serve as guidelines for the assessments of the two internal examiners.

10 credits overlap with VERN1110/VERD1110/VERNL1110