Learning platform and teaching in practice
The Master in Design is structured to provide knowledge, skills and general expertise reflecting the breadth of the field today, as well as in-depth knowledge on the topics the research community anticipates becoming highly relevant in future.

As with any higher education, the programme is based on the student’s’ degree of independence and willingness to immerse themselves in academic challenges over time. Kristiania’s mission is to communicate specialist knowledge and facilitate students’ learning, but the learning itself takes place in individual students based on their own work.

Course coordinators plan working, teaching and assessment methods to ensure good interaction between these. The sum of teaching and students’ own efforts in the courses will lead to the overall learning outcomes of the programme (described in Chapter 2).

Each course on the programme is unique. Some courses focus on acquiring knowledge, others focus on developing specific skills, while others in turn look to link theory and practice to contribute to higher levels of professional abstraction and reflection. This requires a flexible approach to teaching and the uniqueness of each course will form the basis for educational facilitation.

Key to this qualification is a critical and exploratory approach to the field and specialisations. In design, learning outcomes are often achieved by “thinking” using the hands/body, preferably in dialogue with the teacher. This results in an exchange between creating and reflecting, asking questions and commenting, and can contribute to new insight and invite students to challenge established truths. Teaching can take place both in the classroom and in workshops.

Project work in groups and individually is a consistent working method on this programme and is often accompanied by academic supervision from teachers. The learning materials used to support learning vary from theoretical literature to other sources of knowledge, such as artistic and design projects, media and methods. On some courses, teachers will determine the learning materials, while on other courses, students are required to identify relevant sources of knowledge.

In order to illustrate and realise different work situations and scenarios that students are expected to manage and to contribute specialist expertise in the field, relevant knowledge, new perspectives and promote students’ expertise in analysing relevant academic, professional and research ethical challenges, the programme utilises external teaching resources from private and public sector enterprises and other research communities in addition to Kristiania’s own academic staff.

The most important working and teaching methods encountered by students are:

Lectures/dissemination and instruction
Academic supervision and formative assessments
Case, group and/or project work
Workshops and seminars
Study groups and assignment work
Independent practice/lab work/practical work, individually or in groups
Independent academic work with the syllabus and other sources
Other student activities, including presentations, plenary discussions and dissemination
Business contact and supervised professional training (elective)

Examination and assessment methods
In addition to scheduled teaching, students can access academic resources from Kristiania, including administrative staff, librarians, digital learning resources (e.g. online films and software training) and student mentors. These may be contacted by individual students as needed.

In addition to literature and assistance with literature searches, the library also offers various training courses in academic writing.

The programme uses a variety of assessment methods, both throughout a course and on its completion.

Formative assessment takes place throughout the courses and on an ongoing basis throughout the programme and will generally take place in connection with teaching. The purpose is to provide students with feedback on completed work so that they can further develop their work. Feedback is provided by the teacher/academic supervisor (assessment for learning) and fellow students (assessment as and for learning). Formative assessments may be provided in different situations and take different forms, the most commonly used being academic supervision. Peer assessments by fellow students are also frequently used, as this contributes to learning both on the part of the assessor and the student being assessed.

Summative assessment – the examination – is assessment of learning and looks at the degree to which students have acquired the knowledge, skills and general expertise defined in the learning outcomes described for the course. The submitted or presented work will be assessed by an examiner and the outcomes of the assessment will be included in the grade transcript. The examination methods at Kristiania are defined by the examination office.

The main examination methods encountered by students are:

Oral examination
Portfolio examination
Master’s project
Production examination

Compulsory activities are defined for certain courses. Compulsory activities must be approved before you can take an examination. Such activities may include requirements for one or more works to be submitted (coursework requirements) and/or requirements for participation in defined activities and/or lectures and/or compulsory supervised professional training.

Compulsory activities are graded as Approved/Not Approved and the right to take an examination in a course with compulsory activities requires any such activities to have been graded as Approved. Students will otherwise lose their right to take the examination for the course until the activities have been assessed as Approved.

Further information about assessment methods can be found in each course description. Further provisions relating to assessments and examinations have been set down in the Regulations concerning admission, courses, degrees and examinations at Kristiania.

Kristiania has established systems to safeguard and further develop the quality of all aspects of educational programmes. Students are key contributors to this work by participating in course evaluations and learning environment surveys.

Study program MDE

Master in Design