Distriktsvennlig barnehagelærerutdanning

An increased need for, and a national focus on, developing decentralised and flexible education is the background for the establishment of the district-friendly early childhood education programme (DBLU) at the University of Agder. This is a decentralised scheme spanning four years, consisting partly of sessions at the university, partly of physical gatherings in three regions in Agder with Zoom lectures, and partly with Zoom lectures where students attend individually. Due to the limited physical meetings between UiA staff and students, a coordinator arrangement was established, where each region has an appointed coordinator with a background in early childhood education. These coordinators oversee the organisation of physical gatherings for students with Zoom transmission from subject teachers and act as a liaison between UiA and the students. This project presents an evaluation of this coordinator arrangement, including interviews with 10 informants, comprising teacher education administration representatives, subject teachers, and students. The evaluation reveals that the coordinators play a crucial role as facilitators and intermediaries, providing significant practical support and ensuring effective information flow. They also contribute academically and in teaching by offering relevant reflections and cases from early childhood contexts and supporting group work, clarifying course material for the students. Moreover, they play a key role in supporting the students' psychosocial learning environment by offering encouragement and motivation. One of the factors identified as critical for the success of the scheme is cooperation and communication, with coordinators' experience documents, filled out after each gathering, highlighted as a valuable tool in collaborative processes. The students benefit from the arrangement by developing a positive relationship with a coordinator, a person who provides continuity and coherence in their education and creates a certain predictability in an otherwise fragmented scheme. For the staff, the benefits include the reassurance that students are being followed up, and it offers an opportunity for physical presence from UiA's side, enabling close monitoring. There are some challenges associated with the role, such as ensuring sufficient time and resources for collaboration, and clarifications around the coordinator role. Due to this ambiguity, the potential of having a coordinator with expertise in early childhood education might not have been fully utilised, as it is generally expressed that they could contribute even more with their expertise to the students. This would require greater collaboration between coordinators and subject teachers in the planning phase, which in turn necessitates structures and resources that support such cooperation. A main conclusion of the report is that the coordinator arrangement in the DBLU, as currently organised with sessions without subject teachers, is essential for providing a successful decentralised study programme and effective student follow-up.