BVV3010 Creative methods and activities in child welfare and social work Course description

Creative methods in child welfare and social work is an international course for students taking the Bachelor Programme in Child Care and Welfare, the Bachelor's Programme in Social Work and students from OsloMet’s international partner institutions. All teaching and skills training, and the pertaining project report, will be in English if students from abroad are participating.

Knowledge and experience related to creative and aesthetic work methods will be in focus, and the course also covers knowledge of human rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In small groups, the students will plan and carry out a project in the field of practice based on activities and creative, aesthetic methods.

The student must have completed and passed the second year of the Bachelor Programme in Child Care and Welfare Work or the Bachelor's Programme in Social Work.

Knowledge

The student:

• has knowledge of how and why creative and aesthetic methods can be used in child welfare and social therapy work
• has knowledge of how activities and aesthetic forms of expression can be linked to human rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• has knowledge of child welfare and social work in a multicultural perspective
• has knowledge of how aesthetic learning processes/methods can challenge people to reflect on their own attitudes, allow self-development and expand professional understanding
• has knowledge of how to help children and young people to understand their experiences and feelings and put them into words through aesthetic and symbolic expression

Skills

The student:

• can employ activities that promote play, learning, inclusion, mastery and participation
• can apply knowledge and professional judgement in multicultural settings for children and young people
• has an understanding of how creative and aesthetic methods can shift boundaries and make room for self-reflection and alternative ways of thinking and acting
• can cooperate and work on tasks in international (multicultural) and interprofessional contexts

General competence

The student:

• has knowledge of their own creativity and how to develop creative solutions in professional interaction with children and young people in child welfare and social work
• has knowledge of how to develop and apply creative solutions and use aesthetic methods in professional interaction with children and young people in arenas for child welfare and social work
• has knowledge of the importance of being able to communicate in English in a multicultural and interdisciplinary knowledge area
• has knowledge of the importance of cooperating with other professional groups

The course is taught through lectures, self-study, group work and other teaching methods as needed. The students will plan and carry out a project in small groups, where creative and aesthetic methods are used in work with children and young people. A large degree of student activity is required throughout the course. The course will be taught in English if students from abroad are enrolled.

No coursework requirements/compulsory activities.

The exam consists of a group project report and an oral presentation. The report should build on experience the students acquire through the course and from carrying out the project in the field of practice.. The report should be around 15 pages in length, +/- 10%. The font and size should be Calibri 12 pt with a line spacing of 1.5. The approved APA reference style for academic writing should be followed. The oral presentation is prepared through a process-oriented workshop prior to the exam with the entire class.

The report and presentation are evaluated together, and active participation from all students in the preparations and execution of both the group project report and the oral presentation is required to pass the exam.

Candidates who do not pass, or who have a valid absence from the written exam, can sit for a resit/deferred exam. Students who do not participate in preparations or who have a valid absence from the oral part of the exam will complete an adapted individual presentation.

If there are students from abroad participating in the course, the oral presentation will be conducted in English. Project groups with students from abroad will write their project report in English.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Pass/fail.

The course provides a basic introduction to qualitative and quantitative methods, with relevant criticism of the methods. It focuses on systematic observation and registration of behaviour that can form the basis for research and for implementing measures. The basis for change work and scientific research is that the data the research is based on are valid and credible.

Different systems used to map behaviour will be examined. Qualitative data collection and analysis will be illustrated using a relevant selection of academic approaches. Emphasis will also be placed on the ethical assessment of psychological data collection.

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 can

• account for basic areas of use for qualitative and quantitative research methods
• give an account of interviews in qualitative psychological research
• account for different qualitative analysis methods
• explain key concepts in data collection
• explain the choice of behavioural dimension
• describe different behavioural mapping systems and areas of application
• explain the necessity of using experimental designs
• describe different N = 1 designs
• describe central principles in research ethics

Skills

The student can

• describe different observation methods used in psychology
• measure the agreement between observers (IOA)
• use common registration methods
• analyse collected data and presenting these in a graph
• discuss similarities and differences in ethics and method within basic research and applied behavior analysis

General competence

The student can

• describe advantages and disadvantages relating to qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis
• discuss ethical issues linked to data collection and observation
• describe judicial factors that affect data collection and observation, with particular weight on consent, exchange of information and storage​