Bachelor's Programme in Occupational Therapy Programme description

Digital competence is a key factor in ensuring the employability of candidates in all professions vital to our society. This course will provide a fundamental understanding of our digital world. It gives an overview of how technology affects our lives and the way we work, as well as our social structures, work patterns and individual preferences contributing to shaping technology. Social media, digital governance, and eHealth are all examples of how technology has profoundly changed our everyday lives in the last few decades. An understanding of the benefits and limitations of technology is vital in any profession, regardless of field or specialty. In this course, students will acquire the basic knowledge required to harness the potential of technology and identify the opportunities to use technology to foster inclusion and participation in an increasingly diverse and multicultural society. They will also learn to recognize its limitations and potentially harmful consequences on work and society, and grapple with the social, ethical and moral issues that arise as technology becomes both increasingly complex and integral to the way our society functions.

Kandidaten har etter fullført bachelorstudium i ergoterapi følgende totale læringsutbytte definert i kunnskap, ferdigheter og generell kompetanse:

Kunnskap

Kandidaten

• har bred kunnskap om aktivitetsvitenskap og sentrale aktivitetsteorier og -modeller i ergoterapi
• har bred kunnskap om hvordan aktivitetsanalyse og meningsfull aktivitet brukes målrettet og metodisk for å fremme mestring og selvstendighet i hverdagslivet
• har bred kunnskap om hvordan personers aktivitet, deltakelse og helse påvirker hverandre og inngår i samspill med omgivelsene gjennom livsløpet
• har bred kunnskap om ergoterapeuters tilnærming på individ-, gruppe- og samfunnsnivå innen helsefremmende og forebyggende arbeid, habilitering og rehabilitering, behandling og palliasjon
• har bred kunnskap om forutsetninger for aktivitetsutførelse, blant annet vurdering av fysiske, psykiske, kognitive og sosiale funksjoner
• har kunnskap om forsknings- og utviklingsarbeid og kan oppdatere sin kunnskap innen ergoterapi
• har kunnskap om ergoterapifagets historie, utvikling, egenart og betydning i samfunnet, nasjonalt og internasjonalt
• har kunnskap om FNs bærekraftsmål og konvensjoner som Norge er tilsluttet

Ferdigheter

Kandidaten

• kan beherske aktivitetsanalyse og ergoterapeutiske arbeidsprosesser gjennom kartlegging, intervensjon og evaluering
• kan analysere og tilrettelegge psykososiale, strukturelle, teknologiske, digitale, kulturelle og holdningsmessige forhold for å fremme inkludering og deltakelse
• kan tilpasse hverdagslivets aktiviteter for å utvikle, gjenvinne eller opprettholde ferdigheter, aktivitetsvaner og aktivitetsroller
• kan bidra til universell utforming, og kan tilrettelegge og tilpasse omgivelsene for å fremme selvstendighet, helse og livskvalitet
• kan foreta faglige vurderinger, fremlegge problemstillinger, begrunne valg og justere handlinger i tråd med kunnskapsbasert praksis og bruke kilder på en korrekt måte
• kan ta utgangspunkt i det som er meningsfull aktivitet for den enkelte person og anvende dette i habilitering, rehabilitering, behandling og palliasjon

Generell kompetanse

Kandidaten

• kan anvende oppdatert kunnskap om det nasjonale helse- og velferdssystemet, lover, forskrifter og veiledere i sin tjenesteutøvelse
• kan drøfte faglige, etiske, juridiske og sosialpolitiske spørsmål
• kan veilede og undervise klienter, studenter og kolleger individuelt og i grupper
• kan identifisere og handle i forhold til kulturelle faktorer som er relevante for god ergoterapeutisk profesjonsutøvelse i et mangfoldig og globalisert samfunn
• kan følge ergoterapeuters yrkesetiske retningslinjer for å fremme personers rett til aktivitet og deltakelse
• kan bidra til tjenesteinnovasjon og systematiske og kvalitetsforbedrende arbeidsprosesser
• kan lede og koordinere tjenester, initiere og bidra til tverrfaglig samarbeid

No additional course-specific requirements.

Increasing globalisation of the labour market and rapid social changes make international professional experience and knowledge of languages and cultures more and more important. Internationalisation contributes to raising the quality of education and strengthens the academic community in the programme, at the same time as it prepares the students to become global citizens. We understand responsible global citizenship to mean attitudes and values, a way of thinking about ourselves and others, an awareness of how our actions affect others, respect and concern for the well-being of others and a commitment to certain types of actions to meet global challenges (cf. the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Leask, B., 2015).

A focus on multicultural and global issues in the programme prepares the student to work professionally in a multicultural society. International academic literature provides the students with specialised terminology in English and relevant knowledge of international relevant professional trends.

Internationalisation takes place both through activities on campus in Norway and through exchanges to institutions abroad.

Students can normally take up to six months of their programme abroad. Students can go on exchanges in the 4th, 5th and 6th semester in connection with the courses ERGOBPRA2, ERGOB3900, ERGOBPRA3 and ERGOB3000. Similarly, foreign students can arrive in the spring semester and take the courses ERGOB1060, ERGOBPRA1 and parts of ERGOB3000 together with first and third year occupational therapy students, in addition to the courses Technology and Society and Public Health and Health Management, which can be taken together with other students at OsloMet.

Reference is made to the criteria that apply to student exchanges and the information about stays abroad.

The courses ERGOB1060 Evidence-Based Practice in Health Care and ERGOB1070 Technology and Society are taught entirely in English. Other courses can also be taught entirely in English to international students if required. The students can decide whether they wish to write their bachelor’s thesis in English or Norwegian. Students who go on exchanges must write their thesis in English if the exchange stay is in a country outside Scandinavia.

Students who undertake different activities with an international and multicultural angle may qualify for the 'Certificate of International Learning' (CIL). Read more about CIL on OsloMet's website.

After completing this course, the student should have the following learning outcome:

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student understands:

• the role of technological innovation with regards to consumption, economic growth and sustainable development, health and welfare
• the idea of digital citizenship, including digital rights and responsibilities, from a local, national and global perspective, both in general and in relation with their field of study
• the democratic principles behind e-inclusion and a universally designed society, both in general and with regards to their future professional practice
• the basics of information security, including precautions to guarantee safety and privacy for patients, clients and other technology users and stakeholders
• the basic ideas behind algorithms, and how their use may constrain or enable work processes and other aspects of everyday life the role that technology plays in professional practice within their profession or field of study.

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• understand the technological and societal aspects of a case in a specific domain
• discuss and present an overview of ethical challenges at the intersection of technology and society, including issues of integration, participation and multiculturalism
• give examples of how technology is used in the profession(s) related to their field of study, both at the national and the international level
• identify, respond to and limit the negative impact of unethical and harmful online behavior
• evaluate the possibilities and challenges of technological solutions used in the profession(s) relevant to their field of study and present those in a structured form
• retrieve information effectively and efficiently from a variety of online sources, critically assess its quality and credibility.

General Competence

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• be a valuable contributor to the design, planning and implementation of new technology
• be a positive agent of change in their own profession and field of study with regards to leveraging the potential of technology for individuals, organizations and the public sector
• participate in innovative processes involving new and emerging technologies and build skills in anticipating and adapting to technological change, and reflect on the human rights, legal, and ethical consequences of these processes
• actively engage with social, ethical and moral issues related to the development and implementation of technology
• reflect on technology use both within their field and from an interdisciplinary perspective
• communicate concepts and models related to technology use in a structured manner, both orally and in written form

Different forms of assessment are used on the programme that are adapted to the learning outcomes of the various courses. The forms of assessment used are intended to support learning and document that the students’ competence is adequate in relation to the applicable learning outcomes. During the programme, the students will be given advice and guidance and their performance will be assessed. It is important and necessary to assess students’ knowledge and skills often, so that the students receive feedback on whether their performance is in line with the programme's requirements and whether they have achieved the learning outcomes.

The assessment of exams and practical training is carried out in accordance with the applicable rules set out in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet and the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet.

The forms of assessment are described in each course description. All exams taken and the title of the bachelor’s thesis will be stated on the diploma.

Exams

Each course, except the three practical training courses, is concluded in the form of an exam. The assessment is based on the learning outcomes for the course, and what is assessed is whether the student has achieved the stipulated learning outcomes. The grades used are pass/fail or letter grades from A to F, with A being the highest grade and E the poorest pass grade. The grade F means that the student has failed the exam.

Most courses have coursework requirements that must be approved before the student can take the exam. See the course descriptions for more details.

Resit and rescheduled exams are carried out in the same manner as the ordinary exam unless otherwise specified in the course description.

For exams where a percentage of the exam papers are assessed by an external examiner, the external examiner's assessment shall benefit all the students. In such cases, one external and one internal examiner will first grade the selected papers. The internal examiner then continues grading the rest of the papers together with another internal examiner. The assessments from the first part are summarised to serve as guidelines for the assessments carried out by the two internal examiners.

Grades awarded for written exams can be appealed, cf. Section 5-3 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges. It is not possible to appeal the grades awarded for oral and practical exams. For a group exam, the result of an appeal will only have consequences for the candidates who submitted the appeal. This means that all members of the group do not have to participate in the appeal.

Assessment of practical training

Practical training is assessed as pass/fail. Assessment of practical training takes its point of departure in the learning outcomes in the course, the cooperation agreement and the formative assessment. The formative assessment, i.e. the assessment of the students’ knowledge, skills, general competence and suitability carried out during the period practical training, is summarised halfway through the period and at the end of it.

To pass the practical training, the student must have met the compulsory attendance requirement. The practical training courses require at least 90% attendance. The attendance requirement includes both the time spent at the practical training establishment and the teaching provided as part of the programme. The following also applies for absence:

• less than 10% absence: The student can complete the practical training course as normal.
• between 10–20% absence: The student can make up for the practical training/teaching missed, if this is doable. This must be agreed with the practical training supervisor and the contact lecturer at the university.
• more than 20% absence: The student must normally retake the practical training course. This will result in delayed progress in the programme.

If the student exceeds the maximum limit for absence, the practical course will be registered as failed and count as an attempt.

Suitability

Diplomas for the completed programme will only be awarded to graduates who are suited to practise the profession. A student who represents a potential threat to the physical or mental health, rights and safety of his/her patients and colleagues is not suited for the profession.

Suitability assessments are made on a continuous basis throughout the study programme, and will be included in the overall assessment of the students' professional and personal suitability for work as health personnel. Students who demonstrate little ability to master the occupational therapy profession must be informed of this at the earliest possible stage of the programme. They will be given supervision and advice on how to improve, or be advised to leave the programme. Special suitability assessments are used in special cases, cf. the Regulations concerning Suitability Assessment in Higher Education.