PPFO6100 Vocational Teacher Competences in Tertiary Vocational Education Course description

The purpose of the course is for the students to further develop their competence in their role as teachers in tertiary vocational education. In addition, the students shall develop their ability for critical reflective thinking and be confident and clear in their role as a teacher. The students shall be able to apply knowledge of vocational educational theory, vocational didactics and relevant results from research and development work to practical and theoretical issues, and be able to make well-founded choices.

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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 vocational education theory, vocational didactics and work methods relevant to the field
• has knowledge of adult learning
• is familiar with national and international research and development work of relevance to tertiary vocational education within the area of vocational pedagogy and the vocational field, and can update their expertise in the field
• is familiar with challenges related to place-based, web-based, and flexible educational pathways in tertiary vocational schools

Skills

The student

• can use the legislation and governing documents that are relevant to learning work in tertiary vocational education in Norway
• can use their knowledge of the vocation, vocational pedagogy and vocational didactics
• can plan, give grounds for and carry out varied learning work
• can tutor, assess and document students’ learning and development, and provide feedback that promotes reflection in learning work
• can familiarise themselves with specialist literature and take a critical approach to theories and sources of information

General competence

The student

• has insight into relevant tertiary vocational and professional ethical issues
• can build good relations with students and create a constructive and inclusive learning environment characterised by diversity and equality
• can disseminate and discuss issues relating to the vocation, vocational didactics and vocational pedagogy
• can use insight and engagement to motivate students in their learning processes
• can facilitate new ideas and innovation and the involvement of local businesses and the local community in the learning work

The course covers the following topics:

• Learning management in tertiary vocational education
• Planning, implementing and assessing learning work
• Learning environment, differentiation and adapted learning
• Adult learning
• Further development of own tertiary vocational teaching practice
• Tutoring and assessment
• Digital tools in teaching
• Change and development work

Varied forms of learning are used based on the principles of tertiary vocational didactics, e.g. practice-oriented learning, experience-oriented learning and problem-oriented learning. Sharing of experience is given emphasis in the programme. The students’ own tertiary vocational teaching practice will be key in their development and learning work.

Students will document four coursework requirements; these are linked to the learning outcomes. Two individual and two group-based requirements (can be adapted on justification to and special agreement with the lecturer). The coursework requirements concern both the student’s own tertiary vocational teaching practice and the learning community in the programme. The coursework requirements must be approved before the student can take the exam. Required coursework that is not approved can be reworked and submitted for re-assessment twice before the ordinary exam.

Coursework requirement 1: Planning and implementation of learning work (in groups of two or three students).

The purpose is to practise the inductive vocational teaching method relevant to planning and implementing learning work.

• Preparation of a folder comprising a supervision document, with a scope of 1,200 to 1, 320 words. A plan for learning work, with a scope of 1,000 to 1,110 words. Also a professional reflection on the completed work with a scope of 1,000 to 1,110 words.

Coursework requirement 2: Plan for teaching practice (individual)

The purpose is to practise systematic planning and conscious use of vocational pedagogy principles

• Submission of a well-founded plan for vocational teaching practice (20 days) using the ‘practice planner form’. The plan is prepared in consultation with the teaching practice tutor in the student’s own workplace. The plan must be assessed and approved by the person responsible for the course.

Coursework requirement 3: Assessment (in groups of two or three students).

The purpose is for the group to assess the tertiary vocational students learning work.

• Prepare a video presentation comprising the following: Assessment of at least three tertiary vocational students' work, including the information on what form the assessments have taken and a critical reflection on their own assessment work. Learning work is carried out in the student's own workplace. Scope: seven to ten minutes.

Coursework requirement 4: Digital reflection (individual)

The purpose is for the students to reflect on their learning outcomes from the programme.

• Prepare a video presentation comprising a professional reflection on the used pedagogical and didactical principles for learning outcomes as a tertiary vocational teacher. The reflection must be academically grounded on the course syllabus. Scope: seven to ten minutes.

Vocational teaching practice

Practical pedagogy for Tertiary Vocational Education comprises 20 compulsory days of teaching practice. For further information, see the programme description.

Presence in teaching activities

It is expected that students are present in all teaching activities throughout the study-period. In all a minimum attendance of 80 % is required.Students who, due to illness or another documented valid reason, do not meet to the requirement for participation, shall agree on alternative activity(s) in each individual case with the teacher.For further information, see the programme description.

In order to take the exam the four requierd coursework must be approved, 20 days of practikal traning completed and present in mandatory teaching activities.

The final examination involves an individual submission of a video presentation in either English or Norwegian. This presentation should encompass a professional reflection on the learning outcomes of the course, as outlined in the course syllabus. The scope of the video presentation is 15-20 minutes. The exam must be academically grounded on the course syllabus and references and literature sources chosen by the students from their tertiary vocational teaching practice.

Resits/rescheduled exams

A reworked version of the video presentation submitted for the ordinary exam is submitted for the first resit. A new video presentation must be submitted for subsequent attempts.

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

Grade scale A-F.

One internal and one external examiner are used.

The target group for the programme is vocational teachers affiliated to Noroff - School of Technology and Digital Media.

General admission requirements

Qualified applicants must document that they have achieved the Higher Education Entrance Qualification or equivalent prior learning and work experience.

The following requirements must be met in order to qualify to apply for admission on the basis of prior learning and work experience:

1. The applicant must be at least 25 years of age in the year of admission and cannot have achieved the Higher Education Entrance Qualification. Applicants must document one of the following:

• craft certificate or equivalent and at least two years’ relevant work experience, or
  • at least five years’ relevant work experience. Up to two of these five years can be replaced by relevant unpaid work, education, organisation work experience or similar.

2. Applicants must have adequate proficiency in English to be capable of completing the programme. This must be documented with, as a minimum, the subject English (140 hours per year) from a vocational upper secondary school programme or equivalent, passed with the grade 2 or better. Applicants whose first language is not a Nordic language must document that they meet the requirement for English language proficiency at a level corresponding to the Higher Education Entrance Qualification.

Relevant part-time work of varying scope and length can be converted into full-time in accordance with the applicable rules.

Special admission requirements

The applicant must be affiliated to Noroff - School of Technology and Digital Media through an employment relationship and work on educational development, learning work or counselling work for adults. This should be documented by an employer reference.