EPN-V2

MAART5200 Professional Identity and Development Course description

Course name in Norwegian
Profesjonell identitet og utvikling
Study programme
Master's Programme in Visual and Performing Arts - part-time
Master of Aesthetic Practices in Society - part time
Weight
10.0 ECTS
Year of study
2025/2026
Course history

Introduction

Ongoing focus on professional development and self-reflection skills is a crucial part of art therapist’s professional identity. It ensures the ethical and high quality of practice since therapeutic relationship is one of the main effecting factors in art therapeutic working alliance. This course focuses on developing student’s self-reflective skills with art-based methods. Different forms of contemporary art media, such as digital tools, are used in addition to traditional art materials and methods.

The course aims to aid professional reflection and discussion of the whole three-year long study process. The goal is to integrate the gained knowledge, theoretical perspectives, practice experiences and art therapy skills into the personal professional identity that can have impact on the future practices. The students will develop their unique professional agencies that enables them to effect on the current educational, social- or healthcare practices and interact innovatively with interdisciplinary professionals.

Recommended preliminary courses

Etter fullført emne har studenten følgende læringsutbytte definert som kunnskap, ferdigheter og generell kompetanse:

Kunnskaper

Studenten

  • Har kunnskap om barnehagen som organisasjon, personalledelse samt samarbeid med foreldregruppen og andre samarbeidspartnere
  • Har kunnskap om pedagogisk ledelse, ledelse av barnegrupper og personalet
  • Har kunnskap om ledelse av utviklingsarbeid i barnehagen med vekt på veiledning og pedagogisk dokumentasjon for refleksjonsprosesser
  • Har kunnskap om yrkesetiske problemstillinger forbundet med lederrollen

Ferdigheter

Studenten

  • Kan selvstendig og i samarbeid med andre planlegge, begrunne, gjennomføre, dokumentere og evaluere det daglige pedagogiske arbeidet
  • Kan selvstendig lede veilednings- og samarbeidsprosesser i pedagogisk arbeid og i utviklingsarbeid
  • Kan velge egnede tilnærminger og metoder i arbeidet med utviklings, endring- og læringsprosesser
  • Kan lede faglige prosesser for å utvikle barnehagen som lærende organisasjon

Generell kompetanse

Studenten

  • Kan selvstendig formidle faglig kunnskap til personalet, foresatte og eksterne parter som er forankret i relevant forskning og barnehagens samfunnsmandat
  • Har innsikt i hvordan strukturelle og kulturelle forhold legger rammene for og innvirker på ledelse, endring- og utviklingsarbeid og gjennom dette å bidra til god praksis
  • Kan kritisk vurdere betydningen av relasjonell forståelse og kompetanse og mestrer kommunikasjon med personalet, foresatte og eksterne samarbeidspartnere
  • Har evne til å reflektere etisk over egen lederrolle, barnehagens rolle i samfunnet og organisasjonens balanse mellom tillit og kontroll

Required preliminary courses

Admission to the master programme.

Learning outcomes

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 critically evaluate aspects of professional identity and development based on experiential learning, professional reflection and interdisciplinary discussion
  • can integrate theoretical, practical and experiential professional knowledge and create a coherent picture of a complex whole  

 Skills

The student:  

  • can apply methods of art therapy to enhance professional development and self-reflection skills to understand and ethically evaluate problematic practice situations
  • can critically reflect different perspectives in interdisciplinary practices and find creative solutions on professional challenges
  • can analyse and communicate art-based knowledge professionally in multidisciplinary context

Competence

The student:

  • can integrate knowledge, theoretical perspectives, practice experiences and art therapy skills into the personal professional identity
  • can contribute on innovative interdisciplinary professional co-operation and quality development of future services
  • has developed advanced skills to communicate professionally and lead self-reflective professional development

Teaching and learning methods

The course is combining campus seminars and distant learning. Teaching and learning methods include lectures, workshops and skills training in the form of practical art therapeutic assignments. The course will use varied art-based and student-active learning methods. It includes both personal experiential workshops and professional experiential workshops.

Between the seminars, the students will work with a project assignment that will later be presented and discussed in the group. The results of this project will be presented in the exam.

Course requirements

The following coursework must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam:

  • participation in seminars, compulsory attendance of 80 %
  • art therapy project presentation to fellow students and teachers

Course requirements can be conducted in English or in Scandinavian language.

Assessment

Individual oral exam, at campus or distantly, which consists of:

  • individual oral presentation 10 min and 15 minutes of discussion

The exam answer can be given in English or a Scandinavian language.

Permitted exam materials and equipment

All aids are permitted.

Grading scale

Graded scale A-F.

Examiners

Barnehagesektoren har i dag stort mangfold i eierskap, størrelse, organisering, personal- og barnegrupper. Dette mangfoldet stiller ulike krav til ledelsen i barnehagen. Kunnskapsområdet vektlegger den pedagogiske lederrollen og tar opp ledelse, samarbeid og utvikling. Ledelse inkluderer pedagogisk ledelse, personalledelse og ledelse av endrings- og utviklingsarbeid. Pedagogisk ledelse innbefatter lærings- og utviklingsprosesser i personalgruppen og i barnegruppen i samarbeid med personalet. Samarbeid omfatter også møter med foresatte og eksterne instanser.