BV3100 Professional practice – Professional work and critical reflection Course description

This course comprises supervised professional practice in a workplace where the student will gain experience with work of relevance to child care and welfare. The course also includes one seminar that prepares the student for practical training, one mid-term seminar, and one that summarises and concludes the training period. During the practical training period, the students will gain experience that promotes the integration of theory and practice, academic progress and personal development. Under supervision, the students will practise using critical and ethical reflection as well as practical skills.

Practical training is unpaid.

Language of instruction is Norwegian.

The student must have completed and passed the second year of the Bachelor Programme in Child Care and Welfare.

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

Knowledge

The student

• has knowledge of how the different places of practice are organised and the mandate that governs their activities
• has broad knowledge of interdisciplinary, inter-agency and interprofessional cooperation
• has good insight into how child welfare work is carried out in a power context
• has broad knowledge of applicable legislation of relevance to the field of practice
• has broad knowledge of how children’s and parents’ participation can be facilitated and how this is done where the student have their practice
• has knowledge of and can assess the risk of undesirable incidents and is familiar with methods for following this up systematically
• has knowledge of professional ethics, ethical values, dilemmas and issues that has relevance to where the student have their practice
• has knowledge of service development and innovation processes at the place of practice

Skills

The student

• can prepare, implement and evaluate conversations and cooperation with children and their families
• can plan, implement, document, evaluate and communicate measures in cooperation with children and/or parents (depending on the place of practice) based on the child’s best interests
• can cooperate across professions and fields of work
• can apply knowledge-based methods, theories and professional judgement in the best interests of the child and family in social therapy and other child care and welfare work
• can document their own learning process
• can master written genres in use at the place of practice
• can use their experience and knowledge to critically and ethically reflect on their own and the service’s practice

General competence

The student

• has knowledge of and experience in investigating, adapting and implementing child care and welfare work in an ethical and professionally responsible manner, as well as in analyzing and evaluating child care and welfare work
• can document and communicate professional assessments verbally and in writing
• has knowledge of and the ability to safeguard the rights of children and their families
• has knowledge that contributes to ensuring equitable services in a diverse society
• has insight into and the ability to identify ethical dilemmas and can give grounds for professional and ethical decisions
• can critically reflect on their own and the service’s practices, and take part in professional discussions
• has knowledge of and the ability take part in and benefit from guidance
• can reflect on how their own life experience and values can be challenged when encountering other people’s perspectives, positions and cultural backgrounds
• can demonstrate understanding, empathy and recognition when working with children and their families in vulnerable life situations

The course is centred around adapted practical training where the students must engage in, cooperate and reflect on their own and other’s experience. The students are appointed a supervisor at the practical training establishment and will receive individual supervision once a week. At some practical training establishments, the students may also receive group supervision, which will compensate for some of the individual supervision. The students will be followed up by a contact lecturer from the programme in the course of the practical training period, both individually and in groups.There are three assemblies at the university: a practice preparation seminar before the practice, a mid-term seminar, and a practice concluding seminar after the practice. These assemblies consist of lectures combined with group work.

The following coursework requirements/compulsory activities must have been approved for the student to take the exam:

• Coursework 1: Attendance at the pre-practice seminar and mid-term seminar.
• Coursework 2: Creating personal learning goals.
• Coursework 3: Reflection paper - description of a practice event and critical reflection on the event.
• Coursework 4: Work placement period

Absence is only accepted in connection with illness and/or leaves of absence approved by the university. The maximum limit for absence is 20%; see the rules for practical training. The supervisor must document attendance in practical training.

The student's working hours are stipulated on the basis of the normal working hours for the workplace in question.

The attendance requirement for compulsory teaching activities is 80%. If a student's absence exceeds 20%, a coursework requirement is set to compensate. If a student's absence exceeds 40%, they lose the right to take the exam.

Each student is responsible for ensuring that their attendance is documented. The length of the teaching days will vary, and it is each student's own responsibility to stay informed about the teaching schedule.

All required coursework must be completed and approved by the given deadline in order for the student to take the exam.

If the work placement is not approved, the student must also obtain approval for attendance in pre-practice seminar and mid-term seminar, and has the personal learning goals and reflection paper approved again, as the requirements are linked to the specific placement/ work placement period.

The exam in the course is an individual written home exam with a scope of 10-12 pages which the student work on during the period of practice. The assignment is distributed during the pre-practice seminar and must be submitted shortly after the practice concluding seminar.

To pass, students are required to use more than two literature sources (relevant academic and/or research literature) in addition to the mandatory course literature in their exam submission.

Candidates who fail the practical training assignment can submit a reworked version as a resit exam once. Candidates who fail twice must submit a new research question.

Any resit or rescheduled exams will be organised in the following semester.

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

Pass / Fail.

All exam papers are assessed by one internal and one external examiner.

Birgitte Nyblin-Austgulen