MAERN5910 Master Thesis Course description

Language of instruction: Norwegian/English

Under supervision, the students will conduct an independent research, quality improvement or development project, or a literature study. Students can choose to write the master’s thesis individually or in pairs. On application, large, interdisciplinary innovation projects can be written in groups of up to four students. Students can also apply to write the master’s thesis with students from other specialisations if they so wish, provided that the scope of the master’s thesis is the same. If more than one student work on the master’s thesis together, each student’s contributions must be documented. The thesis can be written as a monograph or as a scientific article on a specialised topic.

MAVIT4070/MAxxx4070 must be passed before the master's thesis can begin.

All compulsory courses in the programme must be passed before the student can submit their master's thesis for assessment.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• has advanced knowledge of their area of study and can identify relevant issues to clarify the need for research and professional development
• has in-depth knowledge of the research process

Skills

The student

• can analyse relevant theories and issues to initiate a research, quality or development project
• can use relevant research methods in their own work
• can analyse and deal critically with various sources of information and use them in scholarly arguments in their own research, quality or development project
• can carry out a limited, independent research, quality or development project in accordance with applicable norms for research ethics

General competence

The student

• can communicate relevant issues, analyses and conclusions from their own research, quality or development project to both the general public and academia
• can contribute to new thinking, innovation processes and evidence-based practice in the health services and in health-promoting work

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.

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

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 teaching takes place with in-person attendance on campus. 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.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with. There is an opportunity to reuse self-produced text from MAVIT4070 in the master's thesis without self-citation.

The exam in the course consists of two parts: a project report in groups of 3-5 students and a joint oral presentation. The exam parts are weighted 50/50.

1) The project report must have a scope of 10 pages. Font and font size: Calibri 12 points. Line spacing: 1,5. The approved citation style APA for assignments must be complied with. Students are required to contribute equally. The report must be submitted before the oral presentation.

2) The oral presentation is prepared through a process-oriented workshop and is presented with the entire class. Active participation is required from all students in the preparation and completion of the presentation in order to pass this part of the exam.

The students will receive feedback and grade on both their project report and on the oral presentation after the oral presentation. Both exam parts must be passed in order to pass the course.

Groups awarded a fail grade are given one opportunity to submit an improved version of the project report for assessment. A student with valid absence from the oral presentation may attend a postponed individual oral 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.