Programme design definition of learning outcomes/competences Construction of curricula: content and structure Selection of tipes of assessement Definition of degree profile Identification of resources Programme quality enhancement
Selection of teaching and learning approaches Evaluation
and improvement (on the basis of feed-back and feed forward)
Source: Gonzalez, J. & Wagenaar, R. (2005). Tuning Educational Structures in Europe II, Universities contribution to the Bologna Process. Publicaciones de la Universidad de
Deusto. Bilboa, Spain. p. 30 and 277
one can seldom start at step1 and then move on to step 2, 3, etc. This is not a linear process; rather it is advisable to have a more dynamic ap- proach since different elements of the curriculum infl uence each other. Although the stages below are presented lineally, during the real work- ing process it is advisable not to follow these strictly and by step:
1. Defi nition of Degree Profi le
Gonzalez and Wagenaar (2005, p.291) defi ne the following premises when developing the degree profi le:
The degree programme has a clearly defi ned profi le which is based on the demands set by an academic degree on the one hand and by the needs of society on the other hand by taking the future labour-market of graduates (of the particular programme) into consideration
Based on advice from UNESCO (1995) the WFOT Minimum Standards suggest that curriculum development be based on the Local context of the educational programme. The local context should be described and include information on:
Tuning Ocupational Therapy.indd 70
— Students entering the programme — Local health and welfare needs — Local view of occupation
— Local health and welfare, disability and legal systems and services — Local occupational therapy history
Details of this procedure are to be found in the WFOT document (Hock- ing & Ness 2002, p. 8, Hocking & Ness 2004b, p. 11)
Based on the local context, the programme and an occupational perspec- tive, it is advised to describe the Philosophy and Purpose. This is the core of the programme and should be refl ected in all other elements of the educational programme such as the curriculum content and sequence, educational methods, fi eldwork, educational facilities and resources and educators. (Hocking & Ness 2002, p. 21-27) For clarifi cation, it may be helpful to differentiate between the occupational therapy philosophy and the educational philosophy and purpose of the programme. The educational philosophy should refl ect occupational therapy philosophy, e.g. in seeing occupation as central to learning including an active stu- dent learning approach.
Defi ning the degree and profi le also includes decisions regarding the academic level of the programme (fi rst, second or third cycle) and the relevant competences. It is important to note that the TUNING process provides suggestions for this, including European generic and subject specifi c competences, however it is up to each country to follow these suggestions. It might be that some countries want to formulate their own competences or choose not to include the competences suggested through the TUNING process. However it is recommended that the com- petences for each programme be defi ned as clearly as possible as these may be used in the future in the process of evaluating those graduates who want to demonstrate their abilities in applications for positions, as well as postgraduate education, in other countries. Because of this it is advisable to make conscious and clearly stated decisions if the pro- gramme/national guideline differ from the TUNING competences. In many ways, it is a jigsaw puzzle to compose the degree profi le, which is so fundamental, not only for the programme, but also as a starting point for a team of educators. Therefore, it might be a good idea to include as many educators as possible in this process of describing the degree profi le.
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The following is an example of the Philosophy and purpose from Sør- Trøndelag University College:
The occupational therapy programme at Sør-Trøndelag University College (HiST) is based on the view that all people have a basic need for activities of daily living, and right to occupational justice and participation in society. It is through everyday activities at home, work, learning and play that we foster health, wellbeing and identity.
The occupational therapist’s most important tool is to enable participation through the persons’ own occupations and involvement. The basis for the education is a broader perspective on health emphasising mastery, problem solving, a sense of meaningfulness and fi tting in with one’s environment. The education emphasises the practice of occupational therapy in persons’ natu- ral environment at work, home, school, kindergarten and local community. The purpose of the occupational therapy programme, according to the Norwegian standard curriculum, is to educate occupational therapists who are qualifi ed to:
— Enable persons’ wishes, occupational justice and social participation in play, learning, work and everyday activities
— Emphasize persons’ potential and remaining abilities in order to promote health
— Work in relation to the individual, at-risk groups and the general public — Work in general health, vocational health, public health, the health of
children and elderly people, mental and somatic health
— Undertake promotion of health, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, ha- bilitation and maintenance
— Work in sectors in health and the social services, culture and education — Work with an international perspective complying with international stan-
dards for education in occupational therapy — Work in an ethical and client-centred manner
— Take a professionally up-to-date and forward-looking approach to the work, based on research
— Work in dialogue with the fi eld of clinical practice and in conformity with the legislation in effect
Core concepts throughout the programme are: — Client perspective and client participation
— Meaningful occupation and the right to participation — Evidence-based practice
Source: Ness, N.E., Alsaker, S. & Redzovic, S. (2005). Curriculum for Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Therapy. Programme for Occupational Therapy Edcuation. The Faculty of
Health Education and Social Work. Sør-Trøndelag Univeristy College. Trondheim, Norway
Tuning Ocupational Therapy.indd 72
2. Indication of Resources
All educational programmes are different in relation to resources. Eco- nomical funding is an obvious resource, but «indication of resources» also relates to other relevant issues that have to do with the uniqueness of each education institution such as:
— Physical environment and buildings
— Technical equipment (technical aides, AV- and IT-resources, library) — Social resources (sports clubs, cafeteria)
— Human resources (special interests and knowledge of educators, pro- fessions and expertise available)
— Resources in the institution of higher education such as opportunities for collaboration with other disciplines, programmes or faculties, IT and library-service, international network
— Local resources in fi eldwork and supervision
Questions related to this item might be: What is possible to realise in our programme? What is desirable? What is coherent with the philoso- phy and local needs/context? It is important that this item is related to the more ideal planning described in the fi rst item regarding the degree profi le. The programme can never be better than the available material and human resources. The refl ections of resources should therefore be realistic, but also indicate what can be special or unique to this specifi c programme
3. Construction of Curricula: Content and Structure
From experience, this part of curriculum design is the most challenging and requires a lot of time in planning and in refl ection on the outcomes and consequences of decisions made.
Relevant questions here are:
— Should the programme be subject based in a traditional way (anat- omy, pathology, sociology, occupational therapy etc) or as modules throughout the programme with integrated subjects in each module? How is it possible to integrate occupational knowledge with biomedi- cal knowledge and social-humanistic knowledge (see Competences no. 1-4)?
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— What are the names and focus of each module and how many ECTS for each? How does this fi t to the local context and the philosophical profi le?
— What is the best sequencing of modules to gradually develop the necessary knowledge and skills?
The WFOT minimum standards (Hocking & Ness 2002) and the TUNING competences and cycle level descriptors open the way for a modularised curriculum where knowledge is integrated. In many ways this is advis- able since occupational therapy has its unique way of integrating or syn- thesising knowledge from different sources, such as biological, medical, human, psychological, social, technological and occupational sciences (Competence no. 3)
There are as many ways of organising a curriculum as there are oc- cupational therapy programmes, but here is an example of how Sør- Trøndelag University College has divided the modules and arranged the sequence: