Bachelor's Programme in Social Education

Study programme code BACVPL

ECTS credits 180

Admission requirements Higher Education Entrance Qualification or prior learning and work experience

General description and profile of the programme Objectives: The objective of the Social Education is to educate user oriented and reflective professionals. They will be qualified to work as milieu therapists as well as doing habilitation and rehabilitation work with people with physical, psychological, and/or social disabilities who want and are in need of these kinds of services. Mentally disabled people will remain a central target group for the Social Education work. An overall objective is that disability nursing training will help develop the students' ability to understand the needs and wants of the individual as a basis for practising the profession in future. Furthermore, disability nursing training, within the framework of the general development in welfare, will help promote good living conditions and a high quality of life for people with various functional disabilities. Being able to encounter/help functional disabilities resulting from a mental disorder has been and will remain an important learning objective in the training of authorised social educators. Through the programme students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes and skills that promote co-operation with the functionally disabled, close contacts and any other persons involved in these situations. The students will also learn to critically relate to various theoretical and practical aspects of social education work. As part of a wider initiative at the faculty, the Bachelor´s Programme in Social Education will emphasise perspectives in public health that are relevant to the programme. It will particularly focus on knowledge about living conditions and behavioural habits that promote physical and mental health. Contents: The programme consists of 13 courses. Each course is described in guidelines which are available for the students at Fronter. The guidelines include learning objectives, contents, literature, work-requirements, skills training and required way of studying. The contents of the courses are described in accordance with the National Curriculum's core subjects and sub-topics, referred to as 1C, 2A, 4D, etc. The Bachelor Programme in Social Education is divided into four main subjects. These are: 1: Topics in law and social sciences 2: Psychological and Educational subjects 3: Topics in health sciences 4: Environmental work and Habilitation and Rehabilitation work. The curriculum is in accordance with the National Curriculum and Regulations for 3-year Social Education ("Rammeplan og forskrift for 3-årig vernepleierutdanning", fastsatt av Utdannings- og forskningsdepartementet, 2005)

Specific arrangements for recognition of prior learning (formal, non-formal and informal) Arrangements for the recognition of prior learning are described in the information on the institution under "General arrangements for the recognition of prior learning (formal, informal and non-formal)".

Examination regulations and grading For a description of the examination regulations, see the Examination Regulations of the University of Agder.

For information about the Norwegian grading system, see ECTS credits and grades. Specific information on grading for each course is found in the individual course descriptions.

Graduation requirements The Examination Regulations of the University of Agder regulate the graduation requirements for each programme of study.

Learning outcomes After completing their study, the students will have acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes (= competence) that should enable them to offer services to people with different disabilities. The professional practice should be built on the notion of equality and respect for the integrity of the individual as well as focusing client participation. The competence of Authorised Social Educators is based on the integration of theoretical - and practical studies, and they must be able to document, quality assure, and evaluate their own work (= knowledge and skills objectives). The students should actively relate to research in the field and be able to interpret and evaluate research results that are relevant to the development of practical social education work.

Teaching methods The programme integrates different fields, which along with more specific professional subjects in social intervention work, constitute social education and disability nursing competence. The study programme is mainly based on the educational principle of subject-integrated education. Furthermore, the curriculum will also be based on the principle of Problem-Based Learning (PBL), which is another closely related educational principle. This means that much of the instruction is given as study group supervision. There will be individual skills training as well as in groups. Clinical studies: The programme consists of four periods of fieldwork (plese refer to course structure diagram and the courses VER105, VER205, VER304 and VER305). Field work and skills training comprise a total of at least 60 credits, of which 50 credits are to be directly client-centred. All main subjects may form the basis for fieldwork. Fieldwork is divided into four periods of clinical studies: 1: Client-Centred Home-Based Fieldwork 2: Fieldwork of Nursing and Caring 3: Fieldwork of Environmental Work, Habilitation and Rehabilitation Work 4: Practical Research Project related to the Bachelor's Thesis Students will receive hands-on experience working with the mentally disabled/retarded in at least one of the periods of clinical studies. Skills training: Students will learn skills, among other things, during the various periods of clinical studies. In addition, time has also been allotted for training certain core skills. Skills are trained both individually and in groups. Skills training is compulsory. Course requirements: Course requirements may include written report assignments or verbal presentations to fellow students, lecturers and in some cases also other interested parties. The course requirements may be group or individual assignments. Supervision is usually offered in relation to the course requirements. Assignments which are regarded as "not approved" will have to be rewritten within a set deadline. Not fulfilling the compulsory course requirements (exam requirements), may require alternative course requirements or the student not being allowed to sit the exam. Course requirements are related to both theoretical instruction and practical training. Attendance: The Programme of Social Education includes three teaching methods: 1: Theory / classroom instruction 2: Practical instruction related to a workplace 3: Skills training, group work, agreed hours of supervision and presentations/ implementation of work requirements Practical instruction/training (2) requires 90 % attendance. In cases where this requirement can not be met, students may apply to undergo practical training at another date. Skills training (3) is compulsory. The timetable / course brochure will specify the instruction this applies to. Students must make up the classes they have missed, or they must be able to document this knowledge in another way during the semester in which the instruction has been given. The lecturer and the programme co-ordinator will explain how and when such instruction is to be made up or documented. Literature: The syllabus comprises approximately 11,500 pages of reading, 10,000 of which are determined by the university and approved by the university´s administrative bodies. The university may make adjustments to the list of required reading during the course of the programme. Each student will also select 1,500 pages of reading. The syllabus selected by the student must cover the four main discipline areas and include at least one book or article from each area (please see "Contents"). The reading must contain at least two books or articles in English. The syllabus selected by the student must be approved of by the university before a predetermined deadline (5th semester, 3rd year). Submission of the self-selected reading list is considered as a course requirement. Students will be questioned on the self-selected syllabus at the VER305 examination at the end of the third year. For more information please consult the reading list for each course.

Assessment methods Compulsory assignments and work requirements will be given during the programme, e.g. written report assignments, presentation of own work, skills training and clinical practice. The assessment methods will reflect the working methods. Portfolio, oral and written examinations will be used. Clinical studies will be assessed according to guidelines.

Student exchange The programme allows for student exchange in the 5th semester (3rd year). The students may follow alternative courses abroad, and also all or parts of the instruction in Social Education at University of Agder, if this is possible as regards the technology available in each host country.

Requirements for continuing in the study programme The students must have passed all the theoretical first year exams of the study programme, to sit for exams in the second year. The students must also have a pass in the course VER105 Client-Centred Home-Based Fieldwork, at the end of June in the first year. The students must have passed at least 30 ECTS credits of the theoretical second year exams, to sit for theoretical exams in the third year. The students must also have a pass in the course VER205 Fieldwork, Nursing and Caring, at the end of June in the second year. The students must have passed all the second year exams, in addition to VER304 Fieldwork of Habilitation/Rehabilitation in order to take the course VER305 Field Work based 'Research' Bachelor`s Thesis. Please refer to the list of Prerequisites in each Course Description. The students can apply for exemption from the progression demands (according to the directions 'Forskrift om studier og eksamen ved Universitetet i Agder', 22. June 2005, last modified on 18 June 2008, § 24 (2)).

Occupational profiles of graduates and access to further studies Professional goal: A fully trained disability nurse can work in the community health and social services and in kindergartens and schools. Many disability nurses also work in mental health care, in drug rehabilitation, investigative work among adolescents, in the child welfare services, in habilitation/rehabilitation, at community/governmental centres of competence and work with refugees. Further education: Relevant further education includes interdisciplinary continuing education as well as studies for Master's degree in fields such as mental health work, educational guidance, rehabilitation/habilitation, sexology, public health work, education/special education, administration and management, goal-oriented environmental work, social work, and other social services.

Qualification awarded On successful completion of the study programme, students are awarded the degree of Bachelor of Social Education and are qualified to apply for authorisation as an Authorised Social Educator under the Health Personnel Act.

Other information Certain expenses are related to the study programme. E.g. activities course for the disabled, stay in practice, and instruction located to places outside the Campus in Arendal. Regarding compensation for student travels related to field work, please see information at Fronter.