Master’s Program in Behavioral Science - Specialisation in Innovation and Implementation Programme description

The Master's Program in Behavioral Science comprises 120 ECTS credits in accordance with § 3 of the National Regulations Relating to Requirements for a Master’s Degree, appointed by the Ministry of Education and Research on December 1st, 2005. A successfully completed program leads to the degree Master of Behavioral Science /master i atferdsvitenskap.

The study program is established in accordance with the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges of 1 April 2005 and Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University 26 June 2012.

A specialisation in one of the two specialisations; in Concepts and Applications and in Innovation and Implementation forms part of the master’s degree program. The name of the specialisation will appear on the diploma alongside the name of the degree: Master of Behavioral Science. The specialisation in Concepts and Applications is taken full-time over two years, while the specialisation in Innovation and Implementation is taken part-time over a maximum four years.

The program teaches modern behavioral science. The term behavioral science has no agreed-upon definition and may refer to different things in different settings. When used as part of the current program, the term should be understood in the context of the idea that a natural science approach to human behavior is both interesting and important to explore. Aspects of natural science relevant for this master´s program in behavioral science include a focus on empirical investigation, the use of experimental methods, and resulting empirically defined units of analysis. Behavioral science aims to explore and develop a natural science approach in several domains, including in conceptual development and philosophy, in experimental analysis and other parts of basic science, and in the application of scientific principles to generate desirable change. A type of behavioral science called behavior analysis is central to the program. Behavior analysis is concerned with investigating systematic relationships between the environment and behavior and considers both public and private events. Behavior analysis may be viewed as a selectionist science taking into consideration both phylogenetic, ontogenetic, and cultural phenomena.

The knowledge, skills and competence from the program are useful when designing, implementing, managing and documenting processes of change for individuals and in systems. Interventions taught in the program are empirically based and well suited for measuring and assessment of outcomes.

The program comprises compulsory common courses, compulsory specialisation courses and elective courses, in addition to the master’s thesis. While the specialisations share the overarching learning outcomes, the specialisation in Concepts and Applications contains more compulsory theoretical courses, and the specialisation in Innovation and Implementation emphasizes practical implementation and reporting skills to a greater degree. A more detailed overview of the program’s structure for each specialisation is given under the section Content and structure.

Students and faculty share the goals of OsloMet for sustainability and environmental friendliness.

Master’s Program in Behavioral Science - Specialisation in Innovation and Implementation (BSII)

The specialisation in Innovation and Implementation aims to provide students with an overview of basic concepts in behavior analysis, and to prepare them for implementing an innovative practical project in a workplace, organization or institution, which will serve as the basis for the master’s thesis. The objective of this project is to introduce what are the best practices in the chosen field. This specialisation has a 40 ECTS compulsory course package, with 20 ECTS elective courses (two courses each worth 10 ECTS) and a master’s thesis worth 60 ECTS.

With a lighter load of compulsory courses, students must seek out and study the scientific literature that will be most relevant for their project work. The thesis will be a project report of the work they have done, describing in details the whole process including evaluation, and written in such a way that the project can inspire and guide others with similar challenges in their work. Projects reports, including an executive summary, will be available to the public in a project bank.

Career opportunities and post-graduate studies

Graduates of the program will usually have a set of professional skills from their undergraduate studies, and the program enhances and adds value to those skills. Graduates have found rewarding work in a variety of settings both in the private and public sector. Former students are working in the fields of:

• general, special, and higher education
• health and social services
• leadership an human resource management
• scientific research

(The list is not exhaustive)

The program prepares the graduates for Ph.D. studies.

The master program is accredited by Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI).https://www.abainternational.org/accreditation.aspx

Everyone who wishes to take a bachelor’s degree in paramedic science in order to practise as a paramedic, or as the starting point for further studies.

After completing the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Paramedic Science, the candidate should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate

• has broad knowledge of human anatomy, physiology and pathophysiological processes, and responses to illness and injury
• has broad knowledge about clinical examination, tentative diagnostics and medical and non-medical treatment of women in labour, acutely ill and injured patients, and people with mental health disorders and/or addiction problems
• has broad knowledge of pharmacology relating to the paramedic’s function and areas of responsibility
• has broad knowledge of relevant laws, regulations and ethical perspectives and can reflect on these in their professional practice
• has knowledge of injury mechanisms, structure of joint emergency interoperability, management and risk assessment in connection with work in the ambulance service and in the Norwegian overall protection organisation
• is familiar with the ambulance services’ place in the emergency and health services, the discipline’s history, traditions, distinctive nature and social responsibility
• has knowledge about patient safety, communication with patients and next of kin, and interaction across disciplines, cultures, with minority language speakers and enterprises and levels in the health service
• is familiar with research and development work in the discipline and has a basic understanding of evidence-based practice, including research ethics, research design and methods for collecting and analysing materials
• has knowledge about microbiology, infectious agents, infection risk and measures to prevent infection

Skills

The candidate

• can identify, observe and assess symptoms and signs of illness and injury, mental health disorders and substance abuse and provide medical and non-medical treatment in a responsible manner
• can, based on own examinations and assessments, refer the patient to the best effective level of care
• can drive an emergency vehicle in accordance with the applicable guidelines
• can work at, and take charge of, the response at an accident in cooperation with own personnel and other emergency services
• can recognise, document and report signs of neglect and abuse, with particular focus on children, elderly people and vulnerable individuals
• can carry out independent work in line with principles for health promotion and preventive work and in accordance with general hygiene and infection procedures
• can reflect on their own professional practice in accordance with relevant laws, guidelines and user participation, and search out and receive guidance with regard to their own conduct and professional practice
• can handle birth outside of hospital, including taking care of the mother and the new-born baby
• can use medical emergency equipment and communication tools and assess the usefulness of digital tools
• can document own practice with focus on comprehensive health services, including record-keeping, non-conformity reports, reporting adverse events and statutory notification of other authorities

General competence

The candidate

• is familiar with the health service’s role in emergency preparedness, and can contribute to preventive preparedness work, evaluation and follow-up after incidents and exercises
• is familiar with new thinking and innovation processes that are relevant for the paramedic discipline and can actively contribute in the development of the discipline and the paramedic’s role in society
• can apply and reflect on the connection between public health, social inequality, work inclusion, a good working environment and equitable health services, and see this in connection with ethical and discipline-related issues
• can plan and carry out projects that take place over time, work independently, in teams and across disciplines, to acquire skills and contribute to improved patient safety and the provision of comprehensive health services
• can exchange points of view related to key subject matter, orally and in writing, facilitate learning through simulation and skills training and thereby contribute to good practice

Varied and student-active teaching methods are used in the program. The languages of instruction are Norwegian and English. Textbooks, reading packages and digital course sequences are in English.

Good learning outcomes primarily depend on the students’ own efforts. Student effort includes benefiting from teaching and academic supervision; following this up with independent work in the form of theoretical studies, and, when relevant, practical skills training. The program is demanding, and requires consistent effort during the whole semester. The most important work and teaching forms used in each course in the program are described below. Individual course descriptions state which work methods each course employs.

Personalized System of Instruction (PSI)

The Innovation and Implementation specialisation provides students with digital course sequences constructed from the principles of Personalized System of Instruction, PSI. This is a teaching program that builds verbal/conceptual repertoires by going from basic to advanced concepts with no gaps in between, and where student progress is contingent on mastering previous learning units at a certain level before the next unit is made available. This will, with required readings matched to the course content and dedicated sessions for teacher’s response to student questions, allow for a certain degree of self-pacing, making this suited for part-time students with different demands on their time than full-time students. The complete content of each course will be broken down into course sequences that build upon the previous one, with a mastery test at the end of each sequence. A success rate of 80% allows the student to continue to the next sequence.

The course sequences replace lectures and workshops for those who are in the Innovation and Implementation specialisation, but students are welcome to participate in all teaching and learning activities, irrespective of their specialisation.

Lectures

Lectures are primarily used to introduce new subject matter, provide an overview and highlight main elements and links within different topics, and also to communicate relevant issues.

Seminars

Seminars emphasize dialogue and discussion between the subject teacher(s) and students in order to stimulate the student's academic development. Verbal presentations by students and discussions are emphazised. In connection with MALK5900: Master's thesis (60 ECTS), seminars are held where scientific and methodological aspects of the master's theses are presented and discussed. The students receive feedback from their fellow students and teachers, which enables them to learn from each other. Research-related issues, methods and academic supervision are among the topics discussed in the seminars. Seminars for MALK5900 will be conducted on digital collaboration platforms.

Interteaching

Interteaching is a technology of classroom instruction based on the principles of behavior analysis. The Interteaching method includes pre-session reading; discussion of pre-determined questions in pairs with perambulating instructors; summarizing lectures based on questions from the discussions, and data collection including student evaluation of each session.

Written assignments

Written assignments vary according to learning outcomes, course content and work methods. The assignments usually consist of written work, in the form of essays, reaction papers or reviews of literature, or multiple-choice tests. The coursework requirements ensure steady academic progress and stimulate the students to acquire new knowledge; testing their knowledge, skills and competencies against the standards of the course outcomes. Coursework requirements get feedback from instructors and are specifically designed to give students practice in academic writing and prepare them for thesis work.

Simulation/laboratory exercises/skills training

Simulation/laboratory exercises/skills training is used to design and execute learning experiments, giving hands-on experience with basic learning processes and experiments.

Self-study and student cooperation/group work

Clinical practice placement makes up about one-third of the programme and is divided into periods of placement in the ambulance service and in different parts of the primary and specialist health services.

The placement periods are intended to give students competence in integrating theoretical and evidence-based knowledge with clinical understanding. In clinical situations, the students also learn about patients’ and next of kin’s user knowledge. Clinical training is an important qualification arena for developing clinical competence. Students will continuously alternate between theoretical in-depth studies, simulation and skills training at the university and clinical training in the field of practice in order to develop clinical competence.

Practice placement arenas for this programme are mainly located in Oslo and Eastern Norway. The students may need to commute to and from the location of the practice placement. Students must comply with the practice placements guidelines for work clothing. Special requirements for tests or vaccination may be applicable at some practice placements institutions.

Clinical training

The practical part of the programme totals 37 weeks. The majority of these, 24 weeks, are made up of supervised clinical training in the ambulance service. The remaining 13 weeks are spent in different places in the primary and specialist health services.

Placement in the ambulance service

The clinical training is split into two courses in the second (16 weeks) and third (8 weeks) years of the programme. This training is supervised, which means that a supervisor from the ambulance service follows up the student throughout the training period. This is carried out in cooperation with a contact lecturer from the university. Separate training documents have been drawn up for the placement periods. The learning outcomes from the course descriptions are specified in these documents. The document is intended as a tool for the student and supervisor to actively link the clinical training to the learning outcomes, and to document the student’s progress. This is used as a basis for assessment in cooperation with the contact lecturer from the university.

Clinical training in the primary and specialist health services

This training is spread over approximately thirteen weeks in the fifth semester. The aim is for the student to gain increased understanding and experience with patient care pathways in other parts of the medical emergency chain in primary and specialist health services. Relevant training establishments can include municipal health services, somatic and psychiatric hospital departments, specialised hospital departments, substance abuse care, mobile teams, and private actors. In addition to the training itself, the course consists of seminars, simulation and skills training, teaching, writing reflection notes, and working in study and reflection groups. Parts of the clinical training can be replaced by simulation and skills training at OsloMet if this provides a better opportunity to ensure that learning outcomes are achieved.

The student will be taken care of and guided by different health personnel at the various training establishments. To ensure continuity, students will have regular contact with a university teacher throughout the training period. The final competence will be assessed in a concluding exam seminar with a practical-oral group exam.

Critical incidents

There is a relatively high possibility that the students will experience particular demanding and serious incidents during the placement periods. Measures have therefore been taken to protect the individual students by established peer support schemes. The students must therefore sign a consent form at the start of the programme confirming that they have been informed of the above. It is the students’ independent responsibility to contact the peer support scheme as needed to process critical incidents. If necessary, the student will be referred to the Student Welfare Organisation’s health service.

Certificate of competence for driving emergency vehicles

Students must pass both a theoretical and a practical test in driving emergency vehicles in order to complete the paramedic programme. The students must meet the requirements stipulated in Section 6 of the Emergency Vehicle Regulations before they can start the training. Among other things, this means that the students must a) document in the form of a medical certificate that they meet the medical requirements for a category 3 driving licence, b) have reached 20 years of age, and c) have held a class B driving licence continuously for the past two years.

During the second and third years of the programme, the students receive theoretical and practical training in groups. All students in the year group must have taken the theoretical and practical tests before completing the course PMEDPRA30 in the sixth semester.

The tests are organised and assessed by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. OsloMet will cover the costs related to the theoretical and practical tests up to three times. Students must pay for any further attempts. In order for OsloMet to issue the diploma, the theoretical and practical test must be passed within one year after the student has attempted the test for the third time.

For more information about the training requirements and the practical and theoretical tests in emergency vehicle driving, reference is made to the regulations relating to training, testing and competence in driving emergency vehicles (the emergency vehicle regulations – in Norwegian only).

All courses except MALKA213 and MALKA218 have one or more coursework requirements. Each assignment is graded Approved/Not approved. All assignments must be approved before the student can sit for the exam in each course.

Written assignments

The assignments are submitted digitally, and written feedback is delivered in the same electronic platform. When the coursework requirement is delivered according to deadlines in the course schedule the student has the right to receive feedback on the assignment. Assignments not submitted within the set deadline will be considered failed.

A student may submit the same obligatory assignment a maximum of three times. Failed assignments must be reworked before resubmission. If the second submission fails, the student is not eligible for the regular examination. The student is entitled to a third attempt before new/deferred exam.

If one or more assignments are not approved after three attempts, the student must attend the course the next time it is arranged, usually the subsequent year. Application for a fourth and final attempt to complete the assignment to sit for the exam are decided on an individual basis by the study administration in cooperation with the person responsible for the course.

All coursework in writing, including master’s theses, undergoes automatic plagiarism control on submission.

Attendance requirements

While there is no attendance required for lectures, this is a demanding program, and steady work is required throughout the courses.

Two research ethics seminars are 100 % attendance required before the thesis outline can be submitted. The seminars are taken place digitally and held annually, one each semester. It is recommended to complete the seminars during the first year of studies.

For all courses except MALKA213 Laboratory exercises – experimental analysis of behavior and MALK5000/MALK5900 Master’s thesis, there is a final individual written home examination. Exams are tailored to the learning outcomes, course content and teaching and learning methods.

The examination in MALKA213 is an empirical article based on experiments (project examination).

Exam questions are in English. Students may submit their exams in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English. All ordinary exams are held in the same term as the corresponding course.

All exams are evaluated and graded by two examiners, one from program faculty and one external to the program. The grading scale on all exams is: A (highest) to F (lowest) where A to E are the pass grades, and F is a fail grade.

All courses included in the specialisation are specified on the diploma, as is the title of the master’s thesis.

Assessments are carried out in accordance with the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges, Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet and Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet.

In accordance with Regulations Relating to Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet, external program supervisors are affiliated with this study program. The external program supervisors shall through feedback and advice contribute to ensuring that:

• the Master’s Degree program is a high-quality program judged by the standards for equivalent degrees at other national and international higher education institutions
• there is a coherence between the learning outcomes, teaching and forms of assessment
• there is a coherence between the different courses of the program
• the students’ knowledge and skills are tested and assessed in an impartial and satisfactory way.

The external program supervisors prepare a report that will be included in the department’s quality assurance work.

Approved by NOKUT on April 15th, 2004

Approved by the Board of Akershus University College on September 7th, 2004

Last amendments approved by the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences on April 17 2024