Specialisation Phase
The Specialisation Phase is the second
and concluding part of the Master's Programme. The Core Courses must be successfully
completed before the Specialisation Phase can formally begin.
The Specialisation Phase consists of two aspects:
(a) theoretical focusing relative to the
specialisation area chosen by the participant for his or her Final Project; and (b)
successful execution of the Final Project,
including a significant amount of practical work with respect to a real-life problem.
Theoretical focusing takes the form of
course-work and an advanced literature study or directed study, which is closely linked to
the Final Project. This course-work may precede the Final Project in which case a clear
distinction is established between theoretical preparation and application of the acquired
knowledge and skills in the Final Project. More common, however, is time sharing between
the Elective Courses and the Final Project.
The student will in this case combine the completion of the Elective Courses with carrying
out the Final Project, on the understanding that during the initial stage of the
Specialisation Phase, the time investment on the Elective Courses is emphasised.
Subsequently, during the final stage, completion of the Final Project will consume most of
the available time.
During the Specialisation Phase the participant will be supported by a mentor. The mentor is a member of the teaching staff of the area of the chosen Specialisation. The mentor supervises the Final Project and advises the student with respect to the selection of the Elective Courses and the planning of the Specialisation Phase.
Theoretical
Focusing
This component equals 12 SP or 480 hours of study load. The participant chooses one of the
six specialisation options: Curriculum, Instruction,
Instrumentation, Organisation & Management, Evaluation, or Training
Systems Design for Human Resources Development (HRD), as his or her major focus.
In the on-campus programme,
this period is mainly allocated during the January-March period. Through distance
education, however, the theoretical focusing may span more than six months.
The participant can satisfy the requirements in this phase through (a combination of) several options, that are arranged in agreement with the mentor. The specialisation packet, however, is bound to the following conditions:
- A minimum of 6 SP should be selected from Elective Courses or other assignments (i.e. directed studies) that are offered by the Department in which the student will specialise. In most cases these 6 SP equal two elective courses or directed studies, consisting of tutoring sessions, reading and self-study, (in some courses) laboratory work, and an assignment. Most of the courses are offered in an on-campus mode as well as through distance education.
- A mandatory literature study (and subsequently a written analysis of the literature) or directed study that prepares directly for the Final Project. This component has a workload of 3 SP and consists normally of occasional tutorials with the faculty member involved. It should provide a theoretical foundation for major design decisions within the Final Project. In this component, the Faculty mentor is the examiner. Although the literature studies and directed studies are mainly tailored to individuals, they may be organised for a group of students with similar interests.
- A maximum of 3 SP may be used to acquire practical skills (e.g. using authoring software, using statistical packages). However, this option is limited to those acquired skills needed for the Final Project, and practicing these skills will be done on the basis of a design assignment or equivalent that has a difficulty level that complies with the overall level of an Elective Course. This assignment has to be approved by the mentor. In addition, the result of the assignment should be in the form of a written report that contains a description of the problem, the approach adopted to solve the problem, and a properly reasoned justification of the way in which the problem has been solved.
Special arrangements through participation in appropriate Elective Courses offered by other educational institutions may be discussed.
Specialisation Areas
- Organisation & Management
- Curriculum
- Instruction
- Instrumentation
- Evaluation
- Training Systems Design for HRD
These areas cover two types of Specialisation perspectives. One perspective concerns the
design levels represented by the Programme's Core Courses. This reflects the educational
and research profiles of the Faculty's Departments (Curriculum, Instructional Design,
Educational Management, and Educational Measurement & Data Analysis). The second
perspective cuts through these design levels forming a cross section of the above
mentioned profiles, and concerns corporate training (Training Systems Design for Human
Resource Development)
Please note that the
(per Specialisation) listed Elective Courses reflect the state-of-the-art for the current class. Based on the dynamic and tailor-made characteristics of the Programme, the overview may change, depending on such variables as the needs of the participants or the content-related developments in the area of educational and training systems design.Final Project and Thesis
As the culmination of the Specialisation Phase (and equivalent to 12 SP or 480
hours of study load) each participant must carry out a project that concentrates on
aspects of design relative to an educational or training problem in his or her own work
setting. This approach aims at mutual benefits, both for the participant as well as for
the participant's supervisor or employer. The project must include evaluative and
reflective aspects, be grounded in a theoretical framework, and must relate to a stated
design problem and an appropriate literature review. The project must be described in a
thesis and defended before an examination committee.
Supervision and individual monitoring are critical aspects of this phase, and are
organised to provide appropriate and flexible support to the participants. Also in case
the participant completes the MSc Programme through the on-campus option, some or all of
the project work may be carried out in the participant's home/work setting. If so,
arrangements must be made for regular electronic communication.
Supervisory committees have to include someone familiar with the participant's work situation, in order to relate his or her design work to local circumstances. Here again, flexible arrangements will be made for the sharing of supervision. If products of some sort are developed as part of the project work, students will be asked to contribute a set of the products to the archives of the Master's Programme, in order to build a collection of reference materials for subsequent use within the Programme.
Other programme elements
Click on a link below to learn more about the main phases of the programme (or elements
thereof).
- Introductory Module
(2 weeks)
- Core Phase (18 weeks) - 6 Core Courses
- Specialisation Phase
(24 weeks) - 6 Specialisations
- Organisation & Management - Curriculum - Instruction - Instrumentation - Evaluation - Training Systems Design for HRD
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© University of Twente, 2002
