FLKM5000 Master's Thesis Course description

The purpose of the master’s thesis is for the student to conduct an independent, scholarly work. During the work on the master’s thesis, students need to investigate a delimited topic using social sciencemethods over a limited period of time. The thesis must be based on one or several issues within the thematic field of the master’s programme: the relationships between international development, education, and sustainabilities in the Global South and relations between the North and the South.

The work on the master’s thesis forms the core of the programme, and the academic training must be seen in light of this. The master’s thesis gives the student the opportunity to document their competence at a higher level and make a contribution to the production of knowledge in the field. The work on the thesis is intended to help the student to read research results in a critical and reflective manner, develop methodological skills in the social sciences, and encourage independent research work. This should enable the student to see their work and its potential contribution in a wider context, to develop their ability to assess and take a stance on other scholarly contributions, including towards those that use other methods and theoretical approaches than those they have chosen to use themselves.

The main topic in this course is the design, evaluation, and testing of new and emerging user interfaces in international settings. This is developed in accordance with principles for universal accessibility and acquired through many practical exercises coupled with lectures presenting theories relevant to the field. The course will also provide both theoretical principles of Universal Design and hands-on experience on how to design and evaluate ICT systems using these principles.

Course will be held at partner institutions outside of Norway.

One half year of university studies (30 ECTS), in addition to the international summer school's general requirements. The requirement has to be met by application deadline.

After completing this course the student should have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student is:

• Knowledgeable of national and international legislation regarding the inclusion of all groups of users in society in various national and international contexts
• Knowledgeable on various physical and cognitive disabilities, universally accessible solutions for ICT in cooperation with users
• Familiar with ensuring access to ICT for everyone in high- and low-resource settings
• Familiar with various methods of knowledge acquisition through research and development works
• Familiar with Universal Design and accessibility concepts
• Able to implement Universal Design principles to design and evaluate systems
• Familiar with recent research and developments in Universal Design concepts, principles, legislations and emerging accessible technologies

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student has:

• Ability to identify barriers to usability in particular as they apply to business and government in low-, middle-, and high-income countries
• Ability to develop universally designed systems in resource-limited environments
• Proficiency at applying Universal Design principles in practice
• Ability to critique design processes from a Universal Design perspective

General Competence On successful completion of this course the student is:

• Proficient at using Universal Design principles in testing and evaluating ICT
• Proficient at applying Universal Design practices to ensure access to ICT for everyone
• Able to evaluate existing ICT systems according to Universal Design standards and principles
• Able to communicate Universal Design concepts in theory and in practical implementation

The course will take a project-based learning approach. Course participants will work in groups on a project and this project will be evaluated in the end of the course based on group presentation and final report.

This course is a fieldwork course that involves 12 weeks in-person instruction in a country outside of Norway.

None.

Portfolio assessment. The students submit a portfolio consisting of an individual term paper 4,000 to 8,000 words, and a 4,000 to 8,000 word group project report and oral presentation.

Each group may consist of 2-5 candidates.

The portfolio is graded as a whole and given one grade. The result cannot be appealed.

No support material is permitted in the exams.

The final assessment, the group project, will be graded on a grading scale from A to E (A is the highest grade and E the lowest) and F for fail.