Contents and Structure

The RSUC master programme is part-time and module based. It consists of five modules over the course of tree years. Each module begins with a course session, usually two weeks long, and is followed up by written assignments deepening and exercising the themes of the module. This programme is equivalent to two-thirds of a full-time programme, and most students work in addition to their studies.

The first module (A) gives a general introduction to core educational themes such as knowledge, learning, and teaching. A full spectrum of research methods is then introduced and practiced in Module B, ranging from interviews and observations to analyzing texts, including phenomenological as well as ‘post-modern’ orientations. In the following modules (C – D), the programme content is more and more focused on the research interests and questions of each student. The final module (E) consists in students completing their master thesis project. This module begins with a week course on academic writing. During modules C and E the students receive qualified mentors advising and assisting them in their research efforts.

All instruction and discussions are held in English, while written assignments and the master thesis can be delivered in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German or English. The study programme uses an electronic learning platform, where information and most of the literature on the reading lists is made available, and where all written assignments are to be submitted. See www.rsuclearn.com.
From autumn 2012 the RSUC master programme offers one common study option, open for students from all fields of education.

Modules overview

This module structure is partly revised compared to earlier years, and is valid from autumn 2012. See the Student Handbook for information regarding the previous module structure.

Being on a module

Modules last from one to three weeks, where students and lecturers spend intense days of work and study together. The daily program begins after breakfast, when students meet for a half-hour session in small groups to reflect on the theme of the upcoming two-hour lecture. The lecture itself is focused on various themes in educational theory and research methods, held by lecturers from Norway and abroad.

The morning lecture is followed by a session of artistic activities, usually music or movement. This in turn, is followed by individual or group exercises related to the theme of the module. These exercises allow the student to work through the presented ideas and concepts, digesting new thoughts, and putting them into context. As is the case with almost all educational research, the challenge is to combine experience with theory in order to gain new insights. Later in the day articles and book chapters from the reading list are studied and discussed. Meals, coffee brakes and evenings are potential arenas for social networking, lively discussions or private reflections.

For many students, it is important to be able to spend the course session weeks away from daily obligations, allowing for in-depth study, as well as practice in the challenging task of becoming an educational researcher.