Due to budget cuts, the students are not allowed to work alone on the major tasks. Co-writing requires less guidance and is cheaper for the school. – I want to write about what I want and work in my own way, says Vårin Dagsgard Marstein. The 20-year-old is studying together with her friends Sara Rumen Krotev and Anine Simensen Hermo in the second year of international studies at Høgskolen i Innlandet. Outside of school, Marstein is head of Innlandet SU, but speaks out as a student in the matter. Photo: Frode Meskau / news – Creative freedom is further restricted if you have to deal with another person. I think co-writing will make it more difficult for people to be able to write good bachelor theses than if you did it yourself, says Krotev. NSO: – Totally absurd Leader of the Norwegian Student Organization (NSO), Kaja Ingdal Hovdenak, is not aware that such forced co-writing has happened or is happening at other schools or studies. They react strongly and believe that the students’ study quality is in danger. – I think it is completely absurd that we make decisions on the basis of simply cutting costs, rather than professional assessments. Kaja Ingdal Hovdenak is head of the Norwegian Student Organization (NSO). Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news – It goes without saying that it goes beyond the quality of the education; that students do not have the opportunity to delve into their own areas of interest and run a project from start to finish on their own. She expects the institutions to receive more money from the government to ensure the quality of the studies going forward. The DG has also mentioned the matter. Teacher: – Devastating Associate Professor Gjermund Forfang Rongved at international studies at Høgskolen i Innlandet, reacts strongly to the fact that the change has fallen over their heads. Photo: Frode Meskau / news – A particularly important thing that you get the opportunity to do at the end of three years of study with us is to immerse yourself in a topic of your choice and write an independent bachelor’s thesis. He says it is a study with many different disciplines, which requires you to work independently. – But now they are forced to cooperate. It will result in much poorer learning, and be destructive to our studies, he believes. Associate professor Gjermund Forfang Rongved, however, says that he hears that the management has called the study program managers to a meeting next week, and hopes this means that the management now wants to meet students and staff, and find a reasonable solution. Photo: Frode Meskau / news He has experience that at master’s degrees, in some places, they require that they have an independent work to show, and now the students do not get that. He believes there are many other ways to cut, which do not have the same negative consequences. – But introducing this particular cut is for us a red line, which will be, from my perspective, harmful to the quality of studies. That is why we have to find other solutions, he says. These studies are at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences Dean Marit Roland says all studies at her faculty must be combined with bachelor’s and master’s degrees due to budget cuts. These are the studies: Preparedness and crisis management Sustainability HR, management and digitization Law and psychology Marketing, communication and tourism Music Business Social studies, philosophy and politics Economics, accounting and innovation Read more. Must cut several millions Several colleges and universities had a negative operating result in 2023. The University College in Innlandet is one of those that must cut several tens of millions in operations next year. The management has not ruled out that the number of employees will have to be reduced. This year, the school will receive NOK 1.484 billion. Next year, the sum will be reduced by approximately 60 million. In June, the college announced that they had to withdraw 20 studies. Several universities had a negative operating result in 2023 These had a negative operating result, according to the student newspaper Khrono. NTNU –108 (196, -53) Volda University College –56 (6, 9) University of Southeast Norway -54 (65, -47) Western Norway University College -46 (7, -72) Inland University College -41 (9) , -17) University of Stavanger -40 (87, -37) University of Agder -22 (-14, 7) Nord University –21 (23, 8) Norges Hnadelshøyskole -9 (30, -6) Østfold University College –8 (31, -17) Norges Sports Academy -7 (6, -18) Left at zero: These had a positive operating result: UiT Norway’s Arctic University The University of Bergen The University of Oslo OsloMet The Art Academy in Oslo The Academy of Molde NMBU Architect and the Design Academy in Oslo Samisk university Source: Khrono – Writing a bachelor’s thesis and a master’s thesis together is one of several measures to cut costs, because our expenses are too high in relation to our income. At both the college and the faculty. Photo: Simon Skjelvik Brandseth / news Standing your ground In most studies it is common that you can choose whether you want to work together or work alone. Dean Marit Roland at the Innlandet School of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, says the decision on joint writing has been made and will not be changed. The faculty has four master’s degrees with various specializations, many master’s students and over 19 bachelor’s degrees. Some of these studies have had co-authorship, others have not. – As one of several measures related to changed framework conditions and lower incomes, we have introduced that all bachelor’s programs and all master’s programs must be written together. – It is an adaptation to an economic situation. It is not just joint writing that we have introduced, we have cut electives, we have combined a good number of courses, we have cut back on courses where we have less than a certain number of students who have signed up, says dean Marit Roland. Photo: Arne Sørenes Roland says that they have made savings both in the study portfolio, in ordinary operations and in administration. In addition to changes or measures related to externally funded research and education. – We try to both cut expenses and increase income. What do you think about co-writing a bachelor’s and master’s thesis? I think you should have the opportunity to choose for yourself. 😉 It can be nice with a collaboration, but then it should be on a professional basis.🙂 I have no opinion about it😊 Show result Do you think they are poorly informed – I understand that they have to save money, but at the same time have We were not told anything about this in advance. They have not asked what consequences this will have for us, says Vårin Dagsgård Marstein. The students say that it can be positive to collaborate, but list several reasons why one should not collaborate on such a large task. Vårin Dagsgard Marstein, Sara Rumen Krotev and Anine Simensen Hermo will not co-author the final thesis. Photo: Frode Meskau / news Among other things: Cheating, in that one of them uses artificial intelligence, for example. That the other person is not good at sourcing. Or that the other person doesn’t want to do a good job, and wanders away. – Writing a bachelor’s degree together can prevent people from applying for what they want, she says. Vårin Dagsgard Marstein and Sara Rumen Krotev react. Photo: Frode Meskau / news Dean Roland says she will look at the routines and the dialogue the college has had with the students, since they do not feel sufficiently informed. But the decision to co-write is thus fixed. The requirement does not apply to all the studies at the college in Innlandet, but the college does not have a comprehensive overview, says pro-rector education Stine Grønvold. Published 04/09/2024, at 11.16
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At Høgskolen i Innlandet, students must work together on bachelor’s and master’s programs – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
