ACIT5900 Master's Thesis Course description

The master's thesis is a specialized individual research project.

In addition to the research and thesis work, there will be a series of workshops on the academic writing and effective communication of the thesis project. Students will develop an awareness of the conventions of academic writing and the writing process and use a range of analytical tools and methods to develop their writing and writing practices as part of writing their thesis.

The course focuses on planning, documentation and evaluation of interventions based on applied behaviour analysis. The primary focus is to promote mastery of functional skills, independence and improved quality of life for service recipients. Students are expected to integrate knowledge from previous courses and explain their choice of assessment tools, target behaviours, mearsurement techniques, experimental designs, and interventions. Social validity must be assessed, and the choices must be in accordance with the applicable rights and legislation. In this course, students will put several of the theoretical principles from VERB2200 into practice. The course is taught over ten weeks.

Passed the first year of the programme

On successful completion of the course, the student has the following learning outcomes classified as knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• can describe the responsibilities of different parties and professions in a professionally sound target selection process
• can explain how to facilitate supported decision-making, participation and self-determination in a lifespan perspective
• can explain how skills can be established and maintained in a lifespan perspective
• can outline how to facilitate maintenance and change of behaviour at individual level through assessment and testing, description of interventions and evaluation of results
• can describe functional assessments
• can describe interventions based on behaviour analytic principles to prevent and reduce challenging behaviour
• can describe how to implement behaviour analytic principles in staff training
• can describe lawful and professionally sound case processing for individual decisions concerning services pursuant to the Health and Care Services Act

Skills

The student

• can apply selected assessment methods to prepare interventions based on behaviour analytic principles
• can carry out, in cooperation with others, a satisfactory planning and target selection process with an emphasis on the service recipient's wishes and self-determination
• can formulate goals at different levels in interventions based on behavior analytic principles
• can determine appropriate methods for collecting data and selecting a design, and present data from interventions
• can apply up-to-date knowledge of the health and welfare system, legislation, regulations and guidelines in their practice to ensure that service recipients receive equal and professionally sound services
• can apply up-to-date knowledge of laws and relevant guides in relation to coercive measures and use of force
• can provide behaviour-specific feedback to fellow students in connection with oral presentations

General competence

The student

• can discuss academic, ethical and legal issues associated with interventions based on behaviour analytic principles
• can communicate academic subject matter orally and in writing
• can explain methods for systematically obtaining information about the experience and knowledge from different parties

The teaching and learning methods include lectures, self-study, assignments based on cases, supervised group work and practical skills training.

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• Submission of written preparatory work to supervised group work in groups of six, up to 1,500 words
• 100% attendance in supervised case-based group work
• Oral presentation of case analysis, selection of target behaviours and training curriculum in supervised group work
• Individual oral presentation of target behaviour and training curriculum based on case analysis in groups of six students. Feedback from fellow students based on set criteria.
• Individual project description for self-modification project, up to 1,000 words
• Individual oral presentation of self-modification project in groups of six students. Feedback from fellow students and lecturer based on set criteria.
• 100% attendance in three days with skills training

Individual written home examination over five days, up to 3,200 words

Grade scale A-F

Each answer paper is assessed by an external and an internal examiner.