On April 29, 2024, the BURN project hosted a webinar titled "Latvian Experience in Syllabus Development," led by Dr. Anda Upmane, Associate Professor and Director of the Bachelor’s Program in Psychology at the University of Latvia. The webinar provided an in-depth discussion of the standards for training psychologists. It was particularly important to note that the bachelor’s program does not qualify graduates for professional practice; it prepares them for roles as research assistants, with a mandatory three-year research experience. In contrast, the two-year master's program, as per Latvian legislation since 2019, allows graduates to practice as psychologists and take a certification exam after one year of supervised practice.
A key segment of the webinar focused on syllabus development, specifically for the course "Introduction to Psychological Counseling" (6 credits). The analysis revealed the structure of the syllabus, outlining the skills and knowledge covered in the program. The main points included:
The syllabus meets Latvian legislative standards governing the roles of psychologists.
It defines 6-8 learning outcomes, which are assessed through two theoretical tests during the semester and a final exam that involves analyzing 12-15 case studies, requiring comments and demonstrations of counseling skills.
Grading is based on: 30% for participation in class, 20% for independent work, and 50% for the final exam.
The webinar also presented methodologies for logically distributing knowledge and evaluating skills within the course, explaining how these components synergistically support program readiness. Additionally, the Head of the Department of Psychology, Associate Professor Dr. Eva Stokenberga, provided insights into the methodology of syllabus mapping, illustrated with the example of the bachelor's program in psychology. This methodology helps instructors align course content with expected learning outcomes, promoting a comprehensive assessment of students' knowledge, skills, and competencies in accordance with pre-established standards.
More information about the project https://burn.kdpu.edu.ua/.