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Sibelius Academy Guide for Doctoral Studies in Music: X Instructions for pre-examiners and examiners of the thesis: Applied study programme

X DEMONSTRATION OF PROFICIENCY IN THE APPLIED STUDY PROGRAMME: INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRE- EXAMINERS

  1. THE NATURE OF THE APPLIED STUDY PROGRAMME

The objective of the Applied Study Programme is for the doctoral candidate to develop specialised knowledge and skills through a music-related research and development project. A doctoral project in the Applied Study Programme has either an artistic orientation or a research orientation. The main topic or idea of the project is called the “core application”. Each doctoral candidate prepares a portfolio consisting of Components related to the core application, as defined below. Together, the Components must cover, describe, and demonstrate the relevance of the core application in some meaningful manner.

A person with an Applied Study Programme doctorate is trained to develop and realize new high-level products and outputs, such as applications, methods, practices, facilities, skills, media, equipment, and know-how. According to his/her artistic or research orientation, he/she has acquired high-level scholarly, artistic, methodological, pedagogic, and technical capabilities. He/she is well versed in gathering, producing, applying, and critically evaluating information, typically in a multimedial context. He/she is capable of co-operating with national and international operators, not only in his/her own field of specialization, but also across boundaries. He/she is able to communicate the outcomes of his/her work to different audiences.

The Demonstration of Proficiency: outcomes on different levels of abstractness

In the Applied Study Programme, a Demonstration of Proficiency typically contains elements representing three different levels of abstraction:

  1. First-level outputs are immaterial and abstract. At this level, the candidate discusses the theoretical concepts central to the project and conceptualises its primary outputs, such as new theoretical innovations, views, knowledge, skills, and other competencies to be developed during the project.
  2. At the second level, the candidate articulates the first-level outputs into practical applications, such as new methods, practices, recommendations, or action guidelines.
  3. The third level consists of tangible implementations or demonstrations of the core application in practice. These may include, for example, articles, textbooks, and other learning materials, music editions, recordings, teaching demonstrations, concerts, compositions, instruments, technical equipment, lectures, multimedia products, and software.

Testing the results

The applicability of the results and the acquired knowledge and skills must be tested. Testing can involve, for example, well-documented arrangements where the results are applied in practice, or peer-reviewed publications. The Demonstration of Proficiency must contain descriptions of the Testing procedures and their results.

A summary Report included in the Demonstration of Proficiency

In addition to other relevant materials, the Demonstration of Proficiency must include a Report, describing the core application and explaining how it has been realized. The Report must cover, for example, the context, starting points, background assumptions, objectives, previous work on the subject matter, links between such work and the current project, and methods. Describing how the core application is tested is also a natural component of the Report. Furthermore, the Report must describe how the portfolio Components are linked to the core application and how the Components constitute a whole.

The Demonstration of Proficiency does not have to contain the exact components described above; likewise, the structure of the Report does not have to follow the exact order given above.

 

2.PRE-EXAMINING A DEMONSTRATION OF PROFICIENCY: BACKGROUND

In the Applied Study Programme, examining a Demonstration of Proficiency takes place in two stages:

(1) pre-examination, and, (2) the Public Examination. The pre-examination stage ensures that the portfolio Components submitted as the Demonstration of Proficiency fulfil formal requirements and that the general level of the project is sufficient.

A unique feature in pre-examining an Applied Study Programme Demonstration of Proficiency is that some portfolio Components may already have been individually pre-examined before the actual pre- examination process that takes place in the final stages of the doctoral project. Components such as concerts, teaching demonstrations, lectures or other types of event are pre-examined prior to the events themselves and are considered to be pre-examined ‘for good’. The pre-examination statements on the individually pre-examined portfolio Components will be submitted to the pre- examiner upon request.

 

3.THE PRE-EXAMINATION PROCESS

The pre-examiners are assigned by the Academy Board They must hold at least the position of a Docent (Visiting Professor, Adjunct Professor, University Lecturer), or must possess comparable scholarly, artistic or other qualifications and merits. A person who has supervised the doctoral candidate’s work cannot also be assigned as his/her pre-examiner. The pre-examiners issue a reasoned statement on the Demonstration of Proficiency within three months of receiving the material. If there are portfolio Components that have already been individually pre-examined, the pre-examiners are to exclude them from their statements. The statement is addressed to the Academy Board and submitted to the presenting official. Based on the statements of the pre- examiners and the language examiner, the Academy Board grants permission for the Public Examination of the Demonstration of Proficiency.

 

4.ON THE CONTENTS OF A PRE-EXAMINATION STATEMENT

A pre-examination statement must not be conditional. It must either approve the Demonstration of Proficiency or reject it. In the former case, the pre-examiner may include suggestions for corrections or additions in his/her statement. The shortcomings, however, if left uncorrected, must not be serious enough to warrant non-approval of the Demonstration of Proficiency. The pre-examiner may suggest only improvements that can be easily incorporated into the Demonstration of Proficiency.

In his/her statement, the pre-examiner should discuss the following aspects:

  • the overall level of the Demonstration of Proficiency; clarity of its objectives; relevance of the methods chosen for the project; skill in using the methods; the consistency of the results
  • the significance of the results for the field in question; the practical potential of the results from the point of view of applicability
  • the coherence of the entire Demonstration of Proficiency
  • familiarity with and utilization of the relevant professional literature of the field or area of the project
  • compliance with norms of research ethics and responsible conduct of research
  • linguistic form
  • the sufficiency of the doctoral candidate’s own contribution if the Demonstration of Proficiency contains co-authored publications or other portfolio Components prepared in collaboration with others.

It is desirable that the statement contain a summary of the Demonstration of Proficiency with the following elements: the topic, the nature of the project, key findings and merits, the overall quality, and observed faults. Finally, the pre-examiner states whether he/she deems the Demonstration of Proficiency to be ready for Public Examination. If the pre-examiner so desires, he/she can attach a list of minor shortcomings and mistakes to the statement. The list must be mentioned in the statement.

 

DEMONSTRATION OF PROFICIENCY IN THE APPLIED STUDY PROGRAMME: INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXAMINERS

  1. THE NATURE OF THE APPLIED STUDY PROGRAMME

The objective of the Applied Study Programme is for the doctoral candidate to develop specialised knowledge and skills through a music-related research and development project. A doctoral project in the Applied Study Programme has either an artistic orientation or a research orientation. The main topic or idea of the project is called the “core application”. Each doctoral candidate prepares a portfolio consisting of Components related to the core application, as defined below. Together, the Components must cover, describe, and demonstrate the relevance of the core application in some meaningful manner.

A person with an Applied Study Programme doctorate is trained to develop and realize new high-level products and outputs, such as applications, methods, practices, facilities, skills, media, equipment, and know-how. According to his/her artistic or research orientation, he/she has acquired high-level scholarly, artistic, methodological, pedagogic, and technical capabilities. He/she is well versed in gathering, producing, applying, and critically evaluating information, typically in a multimedial context. He/she is capable of co-operating with national and international operators, not only in his/her own field of specialization, but also across boundaries. He/she is able to communicate the outcomes of his/her work to different audiences.

The Demonstration of Proficiency: outcomes on different levels of abstractness

In the Applied Study Programme, a Demonstration of Proficiency typically contains elements representing three different levels of abstraction:

  1. First-level outputs are immaterial and abstract. At this level, the candidate discusses the theoretical concepts central to the project and conceptualises its primary outputs, such as new theoretical innovations, views, knowledge, skills, and other competencies to be developed during the project.
  2. At the second level, the candidate articulates the first-level outputs into practical applications, such as new methods, practices, recommendations, or action guidelines.
  3. The third level consists of tangible outputs that implement or demonstrate the core application in practice. These may include, for example, articles, textbooks, and other learning materials, music editions, recordings, teaching demonstrations, concerts, compositions, instruments, technical equipment, lectures, multimedia products, and software.

Testing the results

The applicability of the results and the acquired knowledge and skills must be tested. Testing can involve, for example, well-documented arrangements where the results are applied in practice, or peer-reviewed publications. The Demonstration of Proficiency must contain descriptions of the Testing procedures and their results.

A summary Report included in the Demonstration of Proficiency

In addition to other relevant materials, the Demonstration of Proficiency must include a Report, describing the core application and explaining how it has been realized. The Report must cover, for example, the context, starting points, background assumptions, objectives, previous work on the subject matter, links between such work and the current project, and methods. Describing how the core application is tested is also a natural component of the Report. Furthermore, the Report must describe how the portfolio Components are linked to the core application and how the Components constitute a whole.

The Demonstration of Proficiency does not have to contain the exact components described above; likewise, the structure of the Report does not have to follow the exact order given above.

 
2.EXAMINING A DEMONSTRATION OF PROFICIENCY: BACKGROUND

In the Applied Study Programme, examining a Demonstration of Proficiency takes place in two stages:

(1) pre-examination, and, (2) the Public Examination. The pre-examination stage ensures that the portfolio Components submitted as the Demonstration of Proficiency fulfil formal requirements and that the general level of the project is sufficient.

Based on the statements of the pre-examiners and the language examiner, the Academy Board grants permission for the Public Examination of the Demonstration of Proficiency. The Academy Board assigns one or more examiners for the Public Examination. The examiner(s) may, together with the Chair of the event, determine in advance how the examination is to be conducted. In case of more than one examiner, they may, if they so wish, issue a joint statement.

A unique feature in examining an Applied Study Programme Demonstration of Proficiency is that some portfolio Components may already have been examined individually. These Components, such as concerts, teaching demonstrations, lectures or other types of event, are examined immediately after they take place, and are considered to be examined ‘for good’. The examination statements on the individually examined Components are submitted to the examiner of the Public Examination upon request. Further, these statements are to be submitted to the Academy Boards Division for Doctoral Education and research together with the statement(s) of the public examiner(s). The statements on the individually examined Components will affect the final grade determined by the council.

 

3.EXAMINATION STATEMENT

Within one month of the Public Examination, the examiner(s) issue(s) a reasoned statement on the Demonstration of Proficiency, excluding portfolio Components already examined individually. The statement is to include an assessment of how well the doctoral candidate defended himself/herself in the Public Examination. The examiner(s) are not to include such criticism in the statement that the candidate did not have the opportunity to respond to in the Public Examination.

It is desirable that the statement contain a summary of the Demonstration of Proficiency, with the following elements: the topic, the nature of the project, key findings and merits, the overall quality, and observed faults. The examiner(s) must conclude the statement with either a recommendation for approval and a suggested grade, or a recommendation for non-approval.

The statement must be addressed to the Academy Board´s Division for Doctoral Education and Research. and submitted to the presenting official.

 

4.GRADE

The Grade Committee convenes immediately after the Public Examination. Its task is to propose to the Academic Council either an approval of the Demonstration of Proficiency and a grade, or the non- approval of the Demonstration of Proficiency.

The Grade Committee consists of the Chair of the Public Examination, examiner(s) and a representative appointed by the Academy Board. The examiner(s) and the Council-appointed member are entitled to vote. The Chair is entitled to vote only if he/she has not supervised the candidate’s work.

In its grade proposal, the Grade Committee must also consider the statements on the previously individually-examined portfolio Components. The grade can be one of the following: “not approved”, “approved”, or “passed with distinction”. Only a truly high-standard Demonstration of Proficiency can pass with distinction. The grade “passed with distinction” provides that:

  • the Demonstration of Proficiency is exceptionally praiseworthy
  • the results of the project are essentially original
  • the results are exceptionally significant for the field in question
  • the candidate defended his/her project at the Public Examination in an excellent manner.

The Grade Committee does not have to be unanimous. If it isn't, each member entitled to vote will write a justification for his/her opinion. The Academy Board´s Division for Doctoral Education and Research approves and grades the Demonstration of Proficiency on the proposal of the Grade Committee.

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