Study Guide

Objective

You can recognize the phases of a lifestyle change
You can recognize the factors affecting a lifestyle change
You understand how a lifestyle change can be supported
You can describe the principles of a motivational interview
You can give feedback motivationally

Content

What are the phases of a lifestyle change?
What are the factors to motivate to lifestyle change?
How can the strengths be recognized?
What kind of challenges can be encountered in lifestyle change?
What does resilience mean?
What are the lifetraps and why these are important to recognize in the lifestyle changes?
How to support a lifestyle change?
What is motivational interviewing?
How do you give feedback motivationally?

Materials

Reading material for the independent track includes the following:
- Miller & Rollnick 2013 Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (as appropriate)
- Avery, Whitehead & Halliday 2016 How to Facilitate Lifestyle Change: Applying Group Education in Healthcare (as appropriate)
Other possible material is specified in the Learn platform of the course.

The learning material for the scheduled and blended tracks is specified in the Learn platform.

Teaching methods

Scheduled track:
You attend the contact classes which include for example lectures, simulations, study visit and assignments. The assignments are completed individually and in small groups. In addition, you practice small group counseling. Your timetable bases on the class schedule and deadlines of the assignments.

Blended track:
Blended track is possible if you can develop your skills relating to the course objectives in your work. In this case, please, contact the teacher (Sari Laanterä) before the course begins. That way it is possible to assess if
• the blended track is possible in your work.
• you need to demonstrate your competence.
• you need to attend some parts of the course to complete your competence.

If you have completed previous higher education studies or gained work experience that match the learning outcomes and content of this course, you can apply for the right to demonstrate your competence. In case you want to apply for the recognition of competence for the entire course (5 ECTS credits), you need to submit an e-application to the course teacher. In other cases, please send an informal application with certificates to the teacher via email at the beginning of the course at the latest. Please, pay attention that your email describes how your skills meet the learning outcomes and content of this course.

Independent track:
In case you choose the independent track, you carry out an Exam test independently.

Please, note that you need to choose your learning track at the beginning of the course.

Employer connections

The scheduled track involves the study visit to Saimaa Stadiumi and simulations in the school environment. These simulations include motivational interviews and the cases base on working life. In addition, there is small group counseling during this course.

Working life contacts on this course can also relate to completing the course through the blended track and recognition of competence. There can also be an alumni visit, expert lessons and assignments from a real working life organization. In this case, there is also feedback by the representative of the organization.

Exam schedules

The scheduled track has an assignment instead of the exam. The timetable for this assignment is set at the beginning of the course.

In case of the independent track, you take the exam through the Exam system according to your own individual timetable.

The timetable of re-attempts is in the Learn platform.

Student workload

This course covers 5 ECTS credits = 135 hours.
These hours are divided as follows for the scheduled track:
10 hours contact classes,
10 hours exercises, simulations and counseling,
115 hours independent studies including the assignments and preparing for the lessons.

Content scheduling

The contact classes are voluntary and you can also follow them online. It is compulsory to attend the counseling. Counseling requires taking initiative and responsibility, in other words abilities needed in entrepreneurship. This course also includes interactive exercises.

Further information

The teacher of the course is Sari Laanterä (sari.laantera@xamk.fi)

Evaluation scale

1-5

Assessment methods and criteria

You get spoken feedback during exercises. The grade of this course bases on written assignments that are evaluated numerically and you get feedback for it. In addition, peer feedback and self-assessment are used on this course and assessment relies on a specific assessment matrix introduced in the beginning of the course.