D. La Constitución Política de 1949.
4- El Gobierno de Calderón Guardia.
3.1. Academic requirements
The teaching is principally provided by researchers who contribute to the development of the subject/discipline.
Findings
[The OT- Euromaster does not directly employ any staff. Core staff are employed by, and subject to, the personnel policies of their institution. The Memorandum of Cooperation between
Hogeschool van Amsterdam and each institution is the key mechanism for maintaining the academic standards.]
The audit panel examined the CVs of the education staff. From that and from the interviews during the site-visit, the audit panel is very positive about their academic (and professional!) background and quality.
15 Out of 23 of the core staff (65%) have a PhD and five more are enrolled in PhD programmes. Three quarters are active researchers who contribute to the development of occupational therapy and occupational science. Others are leaders in the profession because of their educational, clinical or management expertise and their national policy work. Their CVs highlight the esteem in which they are held by their professional and academic colleagues. This variety of experience contributes to the professional credibility, as well as the academic development of the programme. They are, for example, invited to give key note addresses at international conferences and conduct
international methodological courses; members of editorial boards of scientific journals and recipients of prestigious national academic and/or professional awards, as well as members of international organisations, such as the International Society of Occupational Science. Some of the staff have received awards for their expertise, such as a national teaching fellowship in the UK, and a royal decoration for services to occupational therapy in the Netherlands. The students benefit from the breadth and depth of experience that these staff bring both to the organisation, and to design and delivery of the master programme.
Judgement: good
The audit panel motivates their judgement as follows.
To the audit panel the most striking feature of the staff is that their composition reflects both the strong academic focus of the master course and the international professional OT practice, being the context of the master course.
In a consortium framework - in particular in an international consortium- with many lecturers having a small appointment, fragmentation of focus and approaches lie in wait. Therefore managing and guiding the staff deserve special attention to secure the consistency within the entire master course. The audit panel observed that the executive programme management team (scientific director, education director and 6 module coordinators) succeed in
safeguarding the required consistency in the OT programme. Not only through formal tools (contracts, module designs and the like) but also and in particular through effective communication and through the quarterly meetings.
3.2. Quantity of staff
Sufficient staff are deployed to realize the desired quality of the programme.
Findings
The staff comprises the Programme Management Team (two directors and six module
coordinators) and the Core Staff who teach and examine the OT-EuroMaster. Core staff fulfil two or more educational tasks (i.e. lecture, supervise and mark module assignments and/or examine the thesis). Currently, there is 23 core staff employed by the four partner institutions. This will increase when the fifth partner, Zurich begins teaching in 2010. Currently, each module lasts 10 weeks and each institution is paid for 245 hours of teaching, supervision and marking. The staff student ratio is 1:20. Calculating the whole time equivalent (WTE) for staff is complicated because of the module structure and also because of the variable intake. Overall, there is a total 2.5 WTE for 50 students (2 cohorts) at one time. Each institution is paid the equivalent of 0.4 WTE for hosting the modules including the thesis. 0.9 WTE is allocated to the scientific and educational directors and the administrative office.
Judgement: sufficient
The audit panel motivates their judgement as follows.
The staff student ratio (1:20) indicates that the consortium has sufficient capacity to execute the entire master programme according to the consortium’s standards.
3.3. Quality of staff
The staff deployed are sufficiently qualified to ensure that the aims and objectives regarding the contents, didactics and organisation of the programme are achieved.
Findings
Each participating institution is responsible for the provision of qualified academic staff, and funding staff development for the master course, as laid down in the Memorandum of
Cooperation. According to the CVs, the audit panel examined, all institutions involved appointed highly qualified lecturers. Moreover, the Scientific Director, being a senior researcher from the Karolinska Institutet, takes overall responsibility for the scientific quality of the entire master course: monitoring the academic focus and the scientific quality of each module (content, literature and assignments) and scrutinizing the evaluations of the students and the external examiners. The audit panel thinks this, again, proves that the consortium takes the quality of the staff very serious and it mirrors the Board’s policy to develop occupational therapy as an academic discipline within Europe. Staff development workshops regarding didactics are regularly held. In May and autumn 2009 the subject will be the implementation of the SOLO-taxonomy. (see annex 10, Staff development plan). This is to ensure that everyone understands the implications for teaching, learning and assessment. The SOLO-taxonomy will also be included in the induction of new core staff and in future staff development workshop to review and refresh existing staff about this educational innovation.
Judgement: good
The audit panel motivates their judgement as follows.
As far as organisation, communication and education are research are concerned, the Programme Management Team and the education staff are fully equipped to ensure the quality of the master course and to implement the education- & research programme in an adequate way.
4. Services
4.1. Facilities
Housing and facilities are adequate to achieve the learning outcomes.
[Each of the partner institutions is responsible for providing the physical, on-line and human resources required for the OT-EuroMaster.]
Central coordination: The whole programme is coordinated by a central, administrative office in Hogeschool van Amsterdam, managed by the Education Director.
Accommodation: Each module guide gives detailed information about the facilities in each country. Facilities include teaching rooms, a dedicated study area, the library, computers, photocopying and the internet. Depending upon the institution, these facilities may be available in the evening and at weekends. The technological facilities and support varies according to the needs of staff and students.
Libraries: All students may access two, on-line libraries: at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences/University of Amsterdam and at Karolinska University, the main medical library in Sweden and one of the biggest in Europe. Students get full access to databases like CINAHL, AMED, MEDLINE and PSYCHINFO, the Cochrane Library and full text electronic journals. Access is permitted by an individual proxy-code that students can use from home. In addition, students use the libraries and specialist librarians at all the partner institutions during the contact time of the module.
KIDU: This web-based distance learning platform has been provided by the Karolinska Institutet since 2000. The platform, which can be accessed by students in their home country, is a key tool for e-learning, distance learning and independent study. KIDU allows communication between staff and students, between students, and with graduates. It is also a resource containing information about the programme, modules, the module evaluations, and all 100 theses. KIDU will be attuned to facilitate continuation of the action learning group at a distance as a natural extension of the ALG during the class work. In order to accomplish this, video conferencing will be introduced. Investigations will be made to allow lectures to be streamed on-line so they are available as a permanent resource for students.
Living accommodation: Students are responsible for organizing their own accommodation during the period abroad. The organizing schools provide advice and assistance in finding suitable, affordable accommodation in the module guides, which are up-dated each year. The students receiving an NFP grant can use the Housing Office of the University of Amsterdam/ Hogeschool van Amsterdam to get a student apartment.
The students’ feedback demonstrates their satisfaction with the teaching and learning facilities; the central coordination and single point of contact for administrative details. They particularly value their privileged access to high quality on-line and physical resources in different countries.
Judgement: good
The audit panel motivates their judgement as follows.
Housing, physical infrastructure, communication infrastructure, education infrastructure and research infrastructure are in view of the course objectives, adequate and they fully meet the needs of both staff and students.
From a technical and education point of view the performance of the web-based learning platform (KIDU) is outstanding.
The access to leading libraries and (OT)databases is very well-organised. Recommendation
The electronic resources are superb. However, at least in Amsterdam, the availability of hard copy core texts could be improved.
4.2. Tutoring
Tutoring and information provision for students are adequate in view of the study progress. Tutoring and information provision for students correspond to the students’ needs.
Findings
[Tutoring adult, highly motivated students with a professional background should not only meet the need for guidance but also, and in particular, respond to the ambitions and goals of the individual students, adult professionals after all. The audit panel observed that the consortium indeed arranged their tutoring in that way: supervision (being a feedback tool, related to the intended learning outcomes) is embedded in the programme, guidance (being an aid & assistance to individuals), only on request.]
Tutoring
1. The policy regarding the supervision of modules, module assignments and the thesis is given in the student handbook. The policy contains the tasks of the supervisor and co-supervisor, the response time standards and the entitlement to supervision. For example, students are entitled to eight supervision sessions about the thesis, spread over the two semesters in the second year. 2. Academic tutoring is provided by the module coordinator and members of the module teams. A supervisor is appointed at the beginning of the module to support students working on their assignments in their home countries. They mark the assignments and give formative and summative feedback.
3. A supervisor and co-supervisor is appointed for the thesis, one of whom holds a PhD. These are appointed by the Board on the recommendation of the Programme Management Team (i.e. the module coordinators and directors). Supervisors are recruited from all participating institutions. The supervisor supports the thinking processes of the students, gives recommendations for improving the thesis and ultimately approves the thesis as ready for the final examination. During the thesis module, the supervisor and student agree a research supervision contract, using a standard format, which outlines the responsibilities of the supervisor, the co-supervisor and the student.
4. The student evaluations show that there are a good formal as well as informal relationships between the students and the staff; with positive group dynamics and support. The programme aims to foster a culture of support, mutual exchange and academic discourse as this reflects the socio-cultural model curriculum.
Information
Information is given effectively and efficiently to students in a number of ways, including the website, the student handbook and detailed study guides for each module. The website contains general information about the degree programme and the application and admission process. This information is also provided in a printed brochure. The student handbook is comprehensive, containing details and the timetable for the whole degree programme, epitomising procedural transparency and staff-student accountability. KIDU is used to provide up-to-date information and messages.
Judgement: good
The audit panel motivates their judgement as follows.
In the audit panel’s view it is correct that the consortium and the students value the informal context highly. Informal contacts further the accessibility of lecturers which next enable them to ‘follow’ their students. Moreover, the audit panel observed that the consortium incorporated ‘supervision’ throughout the programme carefully and, according to the students, effectively. This also goes for the provision of information.