UiA’s music environment can become a national spearhead for creative education
The academic community at UiA’s Department of Popular Music is among six selected finalists competing to become a new national Centre for Excellence in Education.
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There were 28 candidates who applied to become a Centre for Excellence in Education (SFU) in 2022. Six of the applications have been shortlisted. Among the six shortlisted is the Department of Popular Music at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Agder (UiA).
Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Marit Wergeland.
The department is applying for SFU status with the project CreaTeME, which will promote and further develop the creative use of technology in music education. Dean Marit Wergeland at the Faculty of Fine Arts thinks that being chosen as a finalist is a victory in itself:
“I am very proud that our application is among the six finalists. It is a fantastic recognition of the expertise in our academic environment”, she says.
Expert committee to visit finalists
During September, the expert committee appointed by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) will visit the institutions of the finalists. After the visit, the committee will recommend which of the applicants should be awarded Centre for Excellence in Education. The final designation of centre status will take place before the end of 2022.
Head of the international expert committee that assesses the applications, Professor Rolf Hughes, told hk-dir.no in June this year that the finalists have managed to turn visions into good and concrete plans. Many of the applications have innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to important issues.
“There is a wide geographical spread of finalists, which shows that excellent academic environments are not exclusive to big cities”, Hughes told HK-dir.no.
Facts about SFU
- An academic community with the status of Centre for Excellence in Education (SFU) can demonstrate excellence and innovative practice in education. This is a national initiative to promote R&D-based education and teaching.
- Through the SFU initiative, leading academic communities in Norway are awarded resources to further develop their teaching and education. The initiative is a long-term effort to stimulate the development of education and innovative approaches to learning in higher education at the bachelor’s and master’s levels.
- The initiative was established in 2010 and is funded by the Ministry of Education and Research. The Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (formerly Diku) has managed the scheme since 2019. From 2020, there will be twelve centres with the status of Centre for Excellence in Education.
- At the University of Agder, the learning community MatRIC has been awarded SFU status for the period 2013-2023. MatRIC works to strengthen the teaching of mathematics in higher education.
(Source: diku.no)
Of great value, regardless of outcome
At the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dean Wergeland and everyone involved at the Department of Popular Music are now preparing for the visit of the expert committee. Wergeland emphasises that all the work done in relation to the SFU application is of great value, regardless of the outcome.
“There is much in place for our academic environment to become a driving force in the creative use of technology in music education, both nationally and internationally. And we will continue to develop the academic environment and expertise, regardless of what happens with the awarding process later this year.”
She also points out that the department has been working in a targeted and systematic fashion over time to challenge existing educational models and to facilitate entrepreneurship and student active learning.
“The department is characterised by a willingness to change and a commitment to providing students with a future-oriented education. This is particularly important when the students enter a constantly changing labour market, where technology both poses challenges and provides opportunities”, says Wergeland.