MAATH4100 The Knowledge Base in Assistive Technology in Health Course description

The course provides a fundamental introduction to assistive technology in health (ATH) in an interdisciplinary, practice-oriented, and person-centered context, both at the individual and system levels within specialised health services and municipal health and social services. In the Nordic countries, ATH is referred to as 'welfare technology' and is applied in the fields of health-promotion, prevention and (re)habilitation. The course focuses on how ATH can assist individuals in achieving activity, participation, safety, dignity, and coping with everyday life. At the system level, the course emphasises how ATH contributes to cost-effective and sustainable health and social services in both the private and public sectors. Students will learn about models, theories, and ethical reflection to understand the interaction between humans, health, activity, participation, movement, and technology in various contexts. Additionally, students will gain insight into technological trends and future technology in Norway and internationally.

Students must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health and Technology - Specialisation in Assistive Technology in Health. The course can be taken as an elective course by students admitted to other master’s specialisations if there are vacant places.

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 discuss key concepts within the field of assistive technology in a national and international context
• can explain different types of assistive technologies
• can critically evaluate the use of various types of assistive technologies in health-promoting, preventive, therapeutic, and (re)habilitative work
• can describe methods, outcome measures (subjective and objective), and theories within movement and activity analysis
• can analyse the interaction between humans and machines/technology based on relevant theories and models

Skills

The student

• can apply needs analyses and user involvement in interventions with assistive technologies in interdisciplinary collaboration
• can use their professional background in interdisciplinary collaboration with private and public actors working with assistive technologies
• can conduct a project focusing on assistive technologies

General competence

The student

• can analyse, justify, and communicate ethical aspects of implementing assistive technologies
• can critically evaluate and communicate factors that hinder or promote the implementation of assistive technologies at the individual, system/service level, and in various contexts
• can contribute to knowledge development in collaboration with users, services, research and development environments, and industry related to assistive technologies

The course will use varied, student-active teaching methods. The course is organised in sessions of 3-5 days. Teaching and learning methods include lectures, seminars, digital learning resources, assignments, group work, oral presentations, and self-study. Students participate in demonstrations of technology for monitoring, activity, and movement analysis and learn how to conduct such assessments.

None.

Project examination in groups of two to four students, in the form of a written assignment of up to 4500 words. The project work spans the entire course.

The assignment can be submitted in English or a Scandinavian language.

Re-examination: If the assignment is graded F (fail), students have the opportunity to submit a revised version once.

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

Grade scale A-F

All answers are assessed by two examiners. An external examiner is used regularly, at a minimum of every third completion of the course. When selecting answers for external evaluation, a minimum of 10 percent of the answers shall be included, with no fewer than 5 answers. The external examiner’s assessment of the selected answers shall benefit all students.

3 credits overlap with VETEK6000 and 2 credits overlap with VETEK6100.