VERN2110 Data Collection, analysis and Learning conditions Course description

In this course, students are given an introduction to topics that are important in order to ensure that people with various functional impairments can live good and independent lives. Applied behaviour analysis as a professional point of departure for mapping and analysis forms an important part of the course, as do assessments of care, training and change measures.

Approved required coursework in VERN1500/VERND1500 before starting the course is recommended.

Approved required coursework in: VEPRA10/VEPRAD10/VEPRAL10

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The student is capable of

• defining behaviour analytic principles such as reinforcement, stimulus control and motivating operations

• describing the use of behaviour analytic principles to promote socially valid behavioural changes

• describing and justifying training programmes that promote basic skills, activities of daily living and verbal behaviour

• describing the use of behaviour analytic principles to promote socially valid behavioural changes

• describing various types of functional analyses

• explaining methods for measuring behaviour and explaining why various observation and registration methods are suitable for different purposes

• describing the logic behind various types of single subject/N=1 experimental designs

• explaining legislation, ethics, norms and guidelines relating to measures based on behaviour analytic principles and functional analyses, including explaining issues relating to protection of privacy, duty of secrecy, social validity, user participation, self-determination and the use of force and power

• explaining how radical behaviourism, which entails philosophy of science and values in behaviour analysis, is relevant to measures based on behaviour analytic principles.

Skills

The student is capable of

• planning and justifying measures based on behaviour analytic principles that are intended to promote desired behaviour or reduce challenging behaviour

• planning and justifying the use of functional analysis

• measuring behaviour to document the effect of measures based on behaviour analytic principles

• evaluating the effect of measures based on behaviour analytic principles through inspection of visual presentations of single-subject/N=1 experimental designs

Competence

The student

• is capable of describing the use of behaviour analytic principles to promote socially valid behavioural changes

• is capable of explaining practical, normative and ethical issues of importance to deciding on, planning and implementing measures based on behaviour analytic principles

• has the necessary competence to independently implement and measure the effect of measures based on behavioural analytic principles

• is capable of using research articles and other specialized literature in his/her application of behaviour analytic principles to promote behavioural changes

The course includes lectures, supervised group work, workshops and self-study. The student must also participate in skills training, role play and video demonstrations. The student must take two multiple choice tests during the course: before the teaching begins, a pretest will be given to assess the students’ previous knowledge. The students later take a posttest to map each student’s learning/understanding of the teaching. Students can take the posttest up to three times.

The following required coursework must be approved before a student can receive a final assessment:

• pretest when the course begins

• participation in supervised group work

• one written individual assignment of no more than 800 words

• posttest at the end of the course

Supervised individual written exam, 4 hours

None

A grade scale with grades from A to E for pass and F for fail is used.

Two examiners