Development of Advanced-Level Programme Structures
This project is about developing one or more programme structures with interlinked course offerings that allow a combination of freedom of choice and depth of subject matter while course offerings are reviewed/restructured/ reduced/planned differently.
Background and problem definition
At CBH there are Master's programmes with a relatively small number of students, which at the same time offer a large freedom of choice with many different courses. This means that there are courses that consistently, or at times, have a small number of students offered specialized education.
There is a need to explore how a programme structure (or different programme structures) can be designed that continues to offer freedom of choice but also deep subject knowledge.
What we want to achieve
We want to evaluate one or more programme structures with connected courses that allow for a combination of freedom of choice, subject depth, and the progression of knowledge and skills. Based on the results of this project, the programme structures for the two programmes Macromolecular Materials (TMMMM) and Molecular Science and Engineering (TMVTM) are likely to be modified at a later stage, resulting in the creation of new courses and the updating of course structures.
Challenges
- Limited number of master students and a large number of courses on the advanced/master level
- “GRU economy in balance”
- Inefficient recruitment of international master students (see Figure 1)
Suggestions for improvement
In continued work, we plan to focus on:
- Revision/development of programme structures for smaller Master's programmes (Master programmes in which the course selection is flexible and the breadth of the subject wide vs. Master programmes where the progression in the subject is central.
- Development of course structures by investigating varied forms of teaching.
- Review & revision of work process for recruitment of international & national Master's students.
Results and lessons learnt
A new course structure has been developed for the master's programme Macromolecular materials. The goal is to continue the development of the new course structure by developing the subject content, learning activities, varying forms of examination, laboratory elements, improve and ensure the progression of the knowledge and skills that students gain from the programme, undertake a review of all courses on the programme, establish teaching teams, evaluate the new course structure.
There is also a need to develop a programme specific recruitment strategy that is not only adapted to the individual needs of the programme, but that also takes advantage of the technological developments in our modern society.
Next step
We intend to continue this work within the framework of Future Education.