spring 2023
SVF-8067 Designing research with relevance for the practice field - 5 ECTS
Course content
Practice relevance, practice led research and innovation have increasingly become guiding principles for developing high-quality research and for assessing research impact.
Students will be introduced to the main arguments for these principles, and to different approaches to design sound research projects in cooperation with frontline social services, service administrators, policy makers and service end-users.
Challenges for developing practice relevant research will be discussed from the perspectives of both academics and practitioners.
Lectures will discuss how to identify gate keepers to the services, how to identify research topics with relevance to the practice field, and common challenges encountered when building a net of respondents.
Students are encouraged to evaluate critically the contribution that they expect their own research project to make for the practice field.
Objectives of the course
The students have the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge
The student:
- has state-of-the-art knowledge about the demand for practice relevance of research in public service provision in general, and in social services in particular.
- can make an informed choice about the most appropriate among a variety of approaches to ensure and enhance the relevance of high-quality research projects for different stakeholders in the practice field.
- can contribute to the discussion about reconciling academic standards with the call for practice-led, practice-oriented and practice-relevant research.
Skills
The student can:
- design and conduct sound research projects that meet the knowledge needs of different stakeholders in social service provision
- negotiate between the standards for high quality research and the knowledge demands from practitioners, policy makers and end-users.
- communicate research results effectively to different stakeholders in the practice field.
Competence
After the course, the student
- is conscious about the premisses for academic knowledge production and knowledge needs in social service delivery and policy making
- can make informed choices to enhance practice relevance of research.
Teaching methods
Teaching methods include lectures by academics and different stakeholders in the practice field. PhD-students are expected to present their ongoing research and to assess the relevance of their work for the practice field and/ or policy making.
The duration of the course is three days (22,5 hours).
Recommended reading/syllabus
Pensumliste for SVF-8067 Designing research with relevance forthe practice field - V23Examination
Examination: | Grade scale: |
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Assignment | Passed / Not Passed |
Coursework requirements:To take an examination, the student must have passed the following coursework requirements: |
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Mandatory participation | Approved – not approved |
More info about the coursework requirements
Participation is mandatory, and candidates are expected to attend all days of teaching. A minor absence (up to 20 %) can only be accepted under certain circumstances and upon application. In the event of absences that are not approved, candidates will lose their right to have their essays assessed.More info about the assignment
The exam will consist of a written essay between 4000 and 6000 words. The essay must be written in English or Norwegian.
In the essay, students must
- discuss expected or experienced challenges in getting access to the field of inquiry and in organizing a net of respondents.
- assess the implications of their project for different stakeholders in the practice field, including policy makers
- discuss strategies to enhance practice relevance.
The essay must be handed in for assessment no later than two months after the end of the course. A passed essay is a precondition for being awarded the 5 ECTS. The essay will be graded by the course lecturers.
The exam will be assessed on a Pass/Fail basis.
- About the course
- Campus: Tromsø |
- ECTS: 5
- Course code: SVF-8067
- Responsible unit
- Fakultet for humaniora, samfunnsvitenskap og lærerutdanning
- Kontaktpersoner
-
Walter Schönfelder
Professor i sosialt arbeid og barnevern, leder for Norges forskerskole for sosialt arbeid og barnevern (NORWEL)
+4777620828
97603850
walter.schonfelder@uit.no -
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