Master’s Program in Behavioral Science - Specialisation in Concepts and Applications Programme description

The Master’s Program in Behavioral Science comprises 120 ECTS credits in accordance with § 2-6 of the National Regulations Relating to the Universities and University Colleges Act, appointed by the Ministry of Education and Research on August 1st, 2024.

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 includes compulsory courses and elective courses, in addition to the master’s thesis. A more detailed overview of the program’s structure for each specialisation is given under the section Content and structure.

Master’s Program in Behavioral Science - Specialisation in Concepts and Applications (BSCA)

The program aims to give students a comprehensive overview of the science of behavior analysis. The specialisation consists of courses designed to provide general knowledge of the conceptual framework and philosophy of behavior analysis and complementary fields.The program has a 70 ECTS compulsory course package, with 20 ECTS elective courses (two courses each worth 10 ECTS) and a master’s thesis worth 30 ECTS.

The concepts of behavior analysis are generic, and not exclusively relevant for specific target groups or populations. Behavioral interventions in such diverse fields as behavioral economics, concept formation and complex human behavior, teaching special needs-students, organizational behavior management, clinical behavioral treatment, and behavioral safety and risk management provide practical applications of behavioral principles. These topics are included in elective courses to demonstrate the value of the behavioral approach. The theoretical grounding and practical applications provide a strong knowledge base for students to write their thesis, that usually describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of an intervention conducted under the time constraints and practical considerations of a one-semester workload.

Except for two compulsory seminars in research ethics, there is no attendance required. However, this is a demanding and exacting program, and students are advised to follow lectures and to participate in research or lab group preparations of their thesis.

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

Prospective students have a bachelor's degree and an interest in the science or philosophy of behavior, and recognize the need for effective behavioral interventions.

Anestesisykepleie innebærer å ivareta pasienten som skal gjennomgå kirurgi eller undersøkelser som krever anestesi eller sedasjon, og til akutt og/eller kritisk syke pasienter. I forbindelse med operasjon og anestesi er pasientene sårbare for både fysiske og psykiske belastninger. Anestesisykepleiere har kunnskap, kompetanse og forutsetninger for å ivareta pasientens autonomi og selvbestemmelse i en høyteknologisk kontekst.

Anestesisykepleiefagets historiske utvikling er påvirket av generelle samfunnsmessige endringer, og er sterkt preget av de faglige oppgaver og utfordringer som faggruppen har blitt satt til å ivareta.

Profesjonell ivaretagelse av pasienten krever at en er oppdatert i aktuell forskning og kvalitetsarbeid (fagutviklingsarbeid, kvalitetssikringsarbeid eller kvalitetskontrollarbeid) knyttet til anestesisykepleierens funksjons- og ansvarsområder, og ved dette forstå betydningen av forskning og kvalitetsarbeid i klinisk anestesisykepleie.

Prosjekteksamen i form av en prosjektbeskrivelse til masteroppgaven ligger i dette emnet.

I dette emnet utgjør selvvalgt pensum til sammen 1000 sider.

Opptak til studiet.

MASANPRA10 Praksisstudier i anestesisykepleierens funksjons- og ansvarsområder, trinn 1, 10 stp. og MASY4050 Vitenskapsteori, forskningsmetode og kvalitetsarbeid, 10 stp., må være bestått for å kunne fremstille seg til eksamen i dette emnet.

Etter gjennomført emne har studenten følgende læringsutbytte, definert i kunnskap, ferdigheter og generell kompetanse:

Kunnskap

Studenten

• kan analysere og evaluere anestesisykepleiens profesjonelle identitetsdannelse, egenart, fagområdets historie, tradisjon og plass i samfunnet
• kan vurdere anestesisykepleierens funksjons- og ansvarsområder i tråd med nasjonale og internasjonale anestesistandarder
• kan drøfte profesjonens etiske retningslinjer, inkludert krav til dokumentasjon av anestesi
• kan drøfte kunnskap om helsekompetanse, hvilken betydning kultur- og språkbakgrunn har for sykdomsfortåelse, pasientmedvirkning og pasienterfaringer innen anestesisykepleie
• kan drøfte kunnskap om kommunikasjon, opplevelser, reaksjoner og mestringsstrategier hos pasienter og pårørende
• kan drøfte kunnskap om ikke-tekniske ferdigheter
• kan drøfte anestesisykepleierens rolle ved pandemier, beredskap- og krisehåndtering ved større ulykker, terror og i krigs- og katastrofeområder
• kan vurdere kirurgiske metoders betydning for anestesi
• kan vurdere konsekvenser hensyn forbundet med leiring av pasient under anestesi
• har spesialisert innsikt i kunnskap om funksjon, kontroll, bruk og vedlikehold av avansert medisinsk teknisk utstyr innenfor anestesi- og akuttmedisin for å kunne håndtere avvik og ivareta pasientsikkerhet
• kan drøfte kommunikasjon og samhandling på individ-, gruppe- og organisasjonsnivå  
• kan analysere betydningen av fagspesifikt og tverrfaglig samarbeid og kommunikasjon, samt ledelse av eget fag
• kan analysere fysisk og psykososialt arbeidsmiljø, stressreaksjoner og mestringsstrategier, og hvordan arbeidsbelastninger kan forebygges og reduseres
• har avansert kunnskap om pedagogiske prinsipper i undervisning og veiledning til kollegaer og studenter

Ferdigheter

Studenten

• kan bruke relevante metoder for å ivareta god pasientbehandling samt tilpasse kommunikasjon og samhandling ut fra pasienters og pårørendes helsekompetanse og språklige bakgrunn
• kritisk vurdere og bruke egen kompetanse og situasjonsforståelse for å yte omsorg, fremme helse og velvære for den enkelte pasient, i samsvar med lover, forskrifter, retningslinjer og rammer for yrkesutøvelsen 
• kan analysere og ta selvstendig stilling i etiske dilemmaer og kommunisere disse ut i faglige diskusjoner
• kan bruke anerkjente pedagogiske prinsipper til å veilede og undervise pasienter, pårørende og kollegaer 

Generell kompetanse

Studenten

• kan bruke sin forståelse om økonomiske og organisatoriske rammer for å sikre forsvarlig pasientbehandling
• kan kommunisere og fremme anestesisykepleierens avanserte kliniske rolle og funksjon i helsepolitiske og profesjonelle sammenhenger for øvrig

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.

Web-based work and teaching methods

Several forms of digital learning resources are used in the program, such as digital textbooks, digital lectures, video clips, tests, and assignments. These resources can be used to prepare for teaching sessions, during seminars using Interteaching, and as part of self-study. This form of teaching requires the students to meet prepared for the scheduled teaching sessions. Interaction can also take place digitally. Students from both specialisations will have access to digitalised versions of the course content. For the digital course sequences, feedback on details of course content, and supervised discussion groups will be available during pre-determined time periods.

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.

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

Learning requires a high degree of self-paced activity and self-study, including both individual work and cooperation with fellow students. Through activities such as exchanging ideas, presentations, discussions, writing assignments and problem-based assignments, students will be stimulated to learn by communicating knowledge and experience, expressing their own opinions and, together, reflecting on their own attitudes, actions and understanding of the field. Students are encouraged to take initiative to schedule and actively participate in study groups to promote learning. Information about the activities in the institute’s research groups is presented at the start the program, and students are encouraged to take part in the lab activities in the research groups. For each course, the students are responsible for readings.

Alle hjelpemidler er tillatt så lenge regler for kildehenvisning følges. 

Gradert skal A-F.             

Ved gruppeeksamen gis det en felles karakter for alle studentene i gruppen. Ved karakteren F kan studenten(e) levere omarbeidet versjon av oppgaven 1 gang.

Hver besvarelse vurderes av 2 sensorer, hvorav 1 sensor må være ekstern.

10 studiepoeng overlappende med ANEST6100/MANES5100.