Review by Swedish Higher Education Authority complete

The Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) presented the result from the national evaluation of the subject teacher programmes (ämneslärarprogram) on Wednesday. Two specialisations of the subject teacher programmes at the School of Education and Communication at Jönköping University were part of the review: subject teacher with focus on social science and subject teacher with focus on Swedish language.

UKÄ has reviewed the subject teacher programmes from two perspectives, both with regards to the education in general teaching knowledge in the programmes (the educational science core) and also with regards to the different programmes’ foci.

Jönköping University has received “high quality” in both the subject teacher programme with focus on work in year 7–9 in social studies as well as the subject teacher programme in social studies with a focus on work in the upper secondary school. The same result has been given for the education science core in these two specialisations. The education science core in the subject teacher programme in Swedish language with focus on work in the upper secondary school also received “high quality”.

Each review area has a number of subcategories. When it comes to the subject Swedish language there are eight subcategories, whereof two received “questioned quality”, and will have to be reviewed. One part is how the university ensures that research in the subject benefits the students, and the other part concerns, among other things, how the progression in the subject’s theory and method is examined. Jönköping University now has a year to analyse these deficiencies and determine what measures are appropriate to remedy them.

“The UKÄ reviews help us locate areas of improvement for which we are grateful. The aim is, of course, that these deficiencies will be caught in our internal quality work – which we continuously work to improve – but it is good that the areas for improvement are highlighted even further,” says Robert Gunnarsson, Vice President of Education at Jönköping University.

Last year, the teacher training programme for elementary school and pre-school at Jönköping University were reviewed and in those reviews Jönköping University – as only one out of four from a total of 25 universities – received “high quality” throughout the whole review.

“From experience we know that there can be small margins between high quality and questioned quality. We have analysed UKÄ’s review thoroughly and our focus will be to clarify and correct those areas that UKÄ deem as unsatisfactory. The students who are studying at the subject teacher programme will not be affected by this in any way,” says Marie Öhman, Dean and Managing Director of the School of Education and Communication.

For more information;

Robert Gunnarsson, Vice President for Education at Jönköping University,
Telephone: +46 36-10 13 75
Email: robert.gunnarsson@ju.se

Marie Öhman, Dean and Managing Director at the School of Education and Communication,
Telephone: +46 36-10 15 00
Email: marie.ohman@ju.se

Weronica Ader, programme manager for subject teacher programmes at the School of Education and Communication,
Telephone: +46 36- 10 13 72
Email: weronica.ader@ju.se