Course content

The course consists of work with the Master's thesis in vocational education. The suject has no scheduled teaching.

The thesis constitutes an independent academic research project supervised by academic staff. The thesis should be original, follow established research ethical principles, presenting clear theoretical and methodological choices, engage critical thinking, and demonstrate clear communication. The research topic, research question, theoretical framework and methodological design for the thesis will be decided by the student in consultation with the supervisor.

The master's thesis with practical/creative assignment consists of a creative/practical exploratory project. It includes a corresponding written component. Both parts should have a clear connection and complement each other. The creative/practical part can be presented as a practical task, such as a teaching module, a vocational demonstration, a digital product, a practical workshop, or another suitable format approved by the supervisor.

All students are entitled to conduct the Master’s thesis individually. In certain cases, it may be appropriate to write the thesis in pairs. This is determined in consultation with the course coordinator and supervisor and should be noted within the research proposal offered by the students.

The master's thesis has a scope of 45 credits, equivalent to 1.5 semesters of full-time study.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

The candidate has

• Advanced, specialized knowledge about relevant theories and current research within the chosen vocational education area.
• Thorough understanding of research as creative/practical exploratory work and dissemination.
• Thorough knowledge of academic thinking, research methods, research ethics, and specialized knowledge of the chosen research method(s) applied in the master's thesis.
• Advanced knowledge of the requirements for an academic study and the academic genre within the vocational education research field
• Thorough understanding of reference systems and the formal requirements for academic texts

Skills

The candidate can

• conceptualize and execute an independent research project aligned with research ethics and formal requirements under supervision
• Independently employ relevant methods for vocational education research.
• locate relevant scholarly literature and critically assess various information sources

• Independently carry out and present a research project with a creative, practical or exploratory component
• Independently present results from a research project with a creative, practical or exploratory component and link these to theory
• Use referencing systems in accordance with the existing standards

General Competence

The candidate can:

• apply academic knowledge and skills to address vocational education issues
• Disseminate independent research using the field's expressions and characteristics
• Engage in professional and educational discussions, initiate developmental processes, and contribute to innovation within vocational education
• Benefit from supervision

Learning methods and activities

The course primarily consists of seminars, presentations, individual work, and supervision. Supervision is mandatory for the master's thesis and is conducted in collaboration with the appointed supervisors. Students are required to participate in master's seminars and present and discuss their master's projects.

For collaborative writing, students must have a written agreement (a specific form) beforehand. The agreement involves both students and the supervisor. The thesis must include a process document detailing the collaborative process, including responsibilities and work distribution. This process document is taken into consideration by the examiners of the thesis.

Compulsory Activities

• Oral presentation
• Supervision
• Participation in master's seminars

All compulsory assignments must be approved in order to submit the master’s thesis.

Further on evaluation

The form of assessment in this course is a practical/creative output and a written master's thesis, which is assessed by an internal and external examiner according to grade scale A-F, where grade A-E is a pass and grade F is fail. The practical/creative output and the written component must be clearly connected and investigate the same problem area. An overall grade is given for the practical/creative output and the written work.

The practical/creative part must be done in accordance with guidelines and requirements given by the course coordinator and supervisor.

Collaborative work has joint assessment on both the creative/practical and written parts, but the grade is individual, with students having individual appeal rights.

The scope of the written component should be between 15,000-20,000 words. Front page, preface, summary, table of contents, bibliography, tables and appendices are in addition.

All courses in the study program must be passed before the practical/creative part and the written master's thesis and can be completed and submitted.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

Recommended previous knowledge

All first-year courses in the Master in Education program, vocational studies, should be completed before undertaking this course.

Required previous knowledge

Special Conditions

Requires admission to the study program: Master of education (MDID) - vocational studies.

Required previous knowledge

The course requires admission to the Master in Education program, vocational studies. The compulsory requirements in DID3203 Theory and Project Design must be approved, but the exam need not be passed.

Course materials

Individually chosen reading material in agreement with the supervisor.