MLEST2400 FoU-oppgave. Fordypning i selvvalgt område Emneplan

After completion of the course, the student will have acquired the following learning outcomes, defined as knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• has knowledge of the historical and epistemological issues connected to different perspectives on the role of digital technology in terms of information and misinformation
• has and understanding of the methodological, philosophical and interdisciplinary topics that are embedded in digital spaces and can distinguish between related methodologies and philosophical standpoints
• understands and can critically evaluate the mechanisms and research around the challenges facing education in relation to digital spaces

Skills

The student

• can identify, examine and analyse current issues and challenges facing education in addressing issues around the influences of digital technology and polarised discourses
• is able to analyse and discuss complex methodological, philosophical and interdisciplinary issues in their own thesis in light of the course content

General competence

The student

• can recognize how trends and patterns in micro, mezzo and macro discourses shift practices in education
• can identify and discuss relationships and conflicts between more general scientific theories and this particular field of research
• can critically evaluate complex issues related to the effects of digital technology on information and misinformation

Course sessions include lectures, discussions, small group exercises, and text feedback sessions. The course is planned to take place over three consecutive days. In lectures and discussions, students will be introduced to relevant theories and methods. Candidates are expected to participate in all learning activities. Candidates are expected to give oral feedback on other students’ work.

Etter å ha gjennomført dette emnet har studenten følgende læringsutbytte definert i form av kunnskap, ferdigheter og generell kompetanse:

Kunnskap

Studenten

• har kunnskap om sentrale problemstillinger for fagområdet design, kunst og håndverk, nasjonalt og internasjonalt.
• har kunnskap om estetiske læreprosesser og tverrfaglig arbeid som grunnlag for profesjonsutøvelse.
• har kunnskap om ulike uttrykks- og formidlingsformer innen de praktiske og estetiske fagene.
• har kunnskap om ulike metoder innen forskning og utviklingsarbeid med relevans for praktiske og estetiske fag.

Ferdigheter

Studenten

• Kan anvende fagteori og internasjonal forskning om fagdidaktikk og praksiserfaringer som drøftingsgrunnlag i egen undersøkelse.
• kan utvikle problemstilling, planlegge, gjennomføre, dokumentere og kritisk reflektere over et avgrenset prosjekt.
• kan vise praktisk håndlag i arbeid med materialer, teknikker og uttrykksformer.
• kan anvende egnede metoder for gjennomføring av en avgrenset undersøkelse, behersker akademisk skriveform og viser innsikt i forskningsetikk.

Generell kompetanse

Studenten

• kan anvende faglig og profesjonsfaglig innsikt for å drøfte de praktisk estetiske fagene som del av allmenndannelsen og vurdere muligheter og utfordringer med samarbeid på tvers av ulike skolefag og læringsarenaer.
• kan kommunisere om faglige problemstillinger, analyser og konklusjoner innen et avgrenset fagområde.
• kan anvende sin profesjonskompetanse til å stimulere til kulturforståelse og til å aktualisere tverrfaglige tema som demokrati og medborgerskap og folkehelse og livsmestring.

The candidate will write an individual paper based on the presentation and the comments by the student and staff, of 3500 words (+/- 10%) plus a reference list. The paper must be written in English, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish.

New and postponed examination

In case of a failed exam/valid absence, the candidate may have a new exam under the same conditions when a new/postponed exam is arranged. If the paper is graded with "fail", the candidate must submit a revised version within a given time limit.

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

The learning outcomes serve as criteria for assessments. The grades are "pass" or "fail".

The paper will be assessed by two course coordinators, except in cases where the exam is written in Norwegian, Danish or Swedish the essay will be examined by one of the course coordinators and a member of the academic staff involved in the PhD-program with relevant expertise on the course topic.

Target group

This PhD-course is open for candidates at the PhD Programme in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education, PhD candidates from other relevant programmes, and academic employees.

Admission requirements

The admission requirement is a five-year master’s degree (three years + two years) or equivalent qualifications in teacher education, other pedagogical education, educational science, development studies, or other education on equivalent level in subjects relevant for teacher education.

In case of a large number of applicants, PhD-students enrolled in the PhD Programme in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education will be prioritized, then students in other PhD programs, then academic employees at the Faculty of Teacher Education and International Studies.

Those applicants who are not enrolled in the PhD Programme in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education will have to send a summary of approximately 400 words with relevant information about their own PhD project or other project/sphere of interest containing the topic, methodology, theoretical approach, how far they are in their PhD work and why this particular subject is relevant for their project.

While many young people use digital technology to speak out for marginalized groups in society, fight for the environment, for equal rights and other matters around social and civic responsibility, others may be drawn to rising populist and nationalist ideologies leading to challenges for teachers in navigating these sometimes conflicting and complex terrains. This requires that educators understand not only information but also misinformation (e.g. fake news). For educators, questions about how children and young people’s participation in social and digital relations undo and reshape the pre-existing boundaries of their everyday microsystems become crucial to understand. What is more important is how such reshaping can contribute to rethinking (predefined) ideas about what knowledge is important, especially within an educational setting.

This course seeks to provide an opportunity for PhD students to think deeply about these issues in complex and interrelated ways. The course focuses on:

• How studying the impact of digital technology in education differs from research fields such as computer science, political science and sociology.
• Providing a foundation for future researchers in education to understand the methodological, philosophical and interdisciplinary topics that are embedded in digital spaces.
• Examining how the teaching and learning process is changing as a result of online activities that affect students from the earliest grades to the most advanced policy spaces in education.