Pekka Launonen, Ikali Karvinen ja Elsa Keskitalo
UAS Master’s degrees cover 90 study points, of which the share of the thesis work is 30 study points. The education is executed during three semesters, i.e. during a year and a half. The students usually get their degree while working. As the extent of the thesis work is on one third of the total study point extent of the education, also many other studies have partly been designed to support the thesis work process.
The thesis work is a research and development project, the meaning of which is to be of use in the development of working life. The aim is to create new models for action and work methods for working life. In the UAS Master’s degrees, the thesis work process is guided by the principles of inclusive action research: the student, the working life actors and the supervisors of the thesis act together to solve complicated and challenging problems of working life. The UAS Master’s degree thesis work follows the principles of university of applied sciences PROD activity.
Thesis work is carried out in teams
Working on and supervising the theses takes place in thematic groups. An attempt is made to form the groups or teams in such a way that all the students carry out their work for the same work place or the same community. It is also possible that the works of the thematic group are focused on several different work places or on the student’s own work place. Also, other learning tasks of the UAS Master’s degree study programs can be linked with the thesis work themes and the subject matters wished for by the work places.
Carrying out the thesis work is realized as a tight and guided process over three semesters. The following describes the progress of the phases of the process. However, depending on the topic and the implementation method of the theses, there may be differences in the progress schedule. Implementing the thesis work is supported by research, development and innovation studies of the study program during the first and second semesters.
The taking-off point is that, before the process begins, Diak representatives negotiate with work places on topical themes which one wishes to research and develop. Due to the working life cooperation of study programs, the processes can be slightly different in the social and health care sector and the humanities and educational sector. The actual thesis work process commences in theme workshops, where thesis topics agreed on in advance with working life partners are presented. On the basis of these themes, student groups are formed in which the theses are realized. In the thesis work process, the student’s own interests, readiness and learning aims are taken into consideration.
The following phase is the idea workshops, where the students present, on the basis of the themes agreed on, ideas for development projects. The students, the supervising teachers and the representatives of work places participate in the workshops. As a result of the idea workshops, the thesis topics are specified, and they are agreed on with a written agreement of Diak and the work places. After this, the students familiarize themselves with the earlier research and development projects pertaining to the topic, and compile a literature survey on these. The preliminary idea for the thesis work is documented as an idea paper. Guidance on the idea paper is given in the context of thesis guidance and R&D teaching.
At the end of the first semester, plan workshops are held, where the students present the plans for the realization of the theses in work places. The students, the supervising teachers and the representatives of work places participate in the workshops. After the approval of the plans, data collection and the practical phases of development activity can begin. At this phase, one also applies for the needed research permits. The research and development plans for the thesis work are compiled in accordance with the instructions given in the context of thesis guidance and R&D teaching, and are stored on the learning platform according to the given schedule.
The second semester is the phase of information acquisition and analysis as well as action and experimenting. The focus of implementation and guidance is in work places and three occasions of group guidance take place during the seminar. At the end of the second semester, the student must have the major part of the data at his/her disposal, in order that he/she can move on to the phase of results compilation, reporting and publication.
During the third semester, the results of the thesis work are published in the work places, and they are evaluated from the viewpoint of the work places and the university. The result will be service development proposals and new models of action based on research and action. The thesis work is reported in writing as articles or a report, and information on the results is given on Diak webpages, and the results are presented in seminars and professional journals.
The results of the research and development project are published in such a way that they are of use in the development of working life. The results can be published in working life and/or in Diak publication seminars, in which representatives of working life participate. A report is compiled on the thesis work, which is published in Theseus. Alternatively, instead of a published report, it is possible to compile an article, which will be published in Diak publications or other publications.
Study points in UAS Master’s degrees are divided into three units, each of ten study points. The aim is that the student attains ten study points of thesis work studies for each semester. It is agreed that the ten study points for the first semester have been completed when the idea paper for the thesis work and the research and/or development plan for the thesis work has been approved. It is agreed that the corresponding ten study points for the second semester have been completed when the student has collected the data required for the thesis in research-oriented thesis work, through which he/she can progress into analysis, or when he/she has, correspondingly, in actional thesis work, carried out, as agreed, an intervention in the work place. It is agreed that the ten study points for the third semester have been completed when the student has approvedly published his/her thesis work in a manner agreed on, and when he/she has presented the work orally in a manner agreed upon and participated in the maturity test. The maturity test is taken in accordance with the current DIAK degree regulations.
Keskitalo, E. (2015). Osallistava tutkimus ja kehittäminen ylempien ammattikorkeakoulututkintojen tki-viitekehyksenä. Teoksessa R. Gothoni, S. Hyväri, M. Kolkka ja P. Vuokila-Oikkonen (toim.), Osallisuutta, oppimista ja arviointia. Diakonia-ammattikorkeakoulun TKI-toiminnan vuosikirja 2015, (s. 191-222). Saatavilla https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/87751
Keskitalo, E., Vuokila.-Oikkonen, P., Karvinen, I. & Launonen, P. (2016). Osallistava toimintatutkimus työelämän muutoksen tuottamisessa. Teoksessa A. Mutanen, M. Kantola, H. Kotila & L. Vanhanen-Nuutinen (toim.), Hyvä elämä. Käytäntö, tutkimus ja ammattipedagogiikka.(s. 228–245). (Turun ammattikorkeakoulun Tutkimuksia 44). Saatavilla http://julkaisut.turkuamk.fi/isbn9789522166081.pdf