Curriculum 2013 – SYF13SJ (in English)

LAUREA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

Degree Programme in Health Promotion, Knowledge Management of the Future, SYF13SJ

Ylemmät ammattikorkeakoulututkinnot

Knowledge Management of the Future in the Social and Health Care Sector

Knowledge Management of the Future in the Social and Health Care Sector (90 credits) leads to a Master’s degree
in the social and health care sector. Depending on their earlier degrees, the graduates will have the title Master of
Health Care or Master of Social Services. The education will be provided at the Laurea University of Applied
Sciences’ Lohja units, and it will take two years to complete.
 Knowledge Management of the Future in the Social and Health Care Sector is suitable for actors in the public,
private and the third sector. The programme is intended for students who wish to develop into future-oriented agents
of renewal in their work. The renewal focuses on developing the operating methods and processes of knowledge
management but also on developing service innovations relevant to customer insight in the future.
 The degree programme will impart a capacity to apply a research and development oriented approach to projects
that combine a vision of information management in social and health care, an understanding of user and customer
needs and knowledge of service-centred ICT architectures. The graduates will have a capacity to work in various
expert, superior, development or planning tasks in the public or the private sector.
 The studies will be arranged as blended learning that uses online pedagogy and various media. Thanks to the
flexible study arrangements, the participants will be able to study while working. Prior learning will be recognized
and taken into account when planning the students’ personal learning paths, and missing competences will be
complemented as necessary.

Degree programme structure

Curricula at Laurea are composed of modules and study units. A module refers to a broader area of expertise which
the student typically will master after completing a number of study units (courses) in this particular area.
 The degree programme curriculum (90 cr. in total) consists of compulsory advanced professional studies (40 cr.), a
Master’s thesis and related work (30 cr.) and elective studies (20 cr.) (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Structure of the Knowledge Management of the Future programme

In their advanced professional studies, the students will learn more about applying theory to practice, analytical
skills, skills in project management and participation in research and development as well as information and
communication skills. Advanced professional studies are divided into three modules: Customer-orientedness and
customer insight 10 cr., Basics and methods of future information management 20 cr., and Foresight and future
management 10 cr., 40 credits in total.

Advanced professional studies

In this degree programme, the students will complete their theses as practical research and development
assignments or as part of Laurea's development projects in the world of work. In their theses, the students should
demonstrate their mastery of workplace development activities and an ability to combine their professional
competence, knowledge and competence in research and development methods at a profound level into an ability
to develop and study the world of work and its development processes.
 To complete the degree, the student must take a maturity test in the field of his or her thesis that demonstrates his
or her expertise in the field and skills in Finnish or Swedish. The studies in research and development competence
that are part of the thesis are included in the module on Research and Development (30 cr.).

Master's thesis


                                                                                      1. year            2. year
OP                   STUDIES                                                                    60                 30
F031                 CUSTOMER-ORIENTEDNESS AND CUSTOMER
                     INSIGHT
F7045                Customer-oriented development of new services                               5
F7046                Legal aspects of information management in social and                       5
                     health care
F032                 BASICS AND METHODS OF FUTURE INFORMATION
                     MANAGEMENT
F7047                Treatment chains and process flows of the future                            5
F7048                The renewing information management service                                 5
                     package for customers in social and health care
F7049                Information management architectures                                        5
F7050                Using information technology in developing social and                       5
                     health care processes
F030                 FORESIGHT AND FUTURE MANAGEMENT
F7051                Competence in visualisation of future and foresight                         5
F7052                Change control and management skills                                        5
F033                 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT - THESIS
F7021                Thesis                                                                     15                 15
F034                 ELECTIVE STUDIES
                                                                                                60                 30
F031 CUSTOMER-ORIENTEDNESS AND CUSTOMER INSIGHT, 10 cr

Description:
The module will familiarise the students with the latest concepts and theories of customer-oriented service business
and its applications in the world of work as well as with developing their personal skills in encountering customers
and recognizing their own strengths. The module is an introduction to the legislative framework of information
management in social and health care sector and to ethical action.


F7045 Customer-oriented development of new services, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• recognize, and thoroughly master, the ethical meanings of the life experience of customers from different cultures
 • act independently as innovative developers of services in different national and international organisations and
operating environments
 • use and master creative and innovative models and development methods for problem-solving in service business
 • evaluate and develop service quality in a customer-oriented manner
 • assume responsibility for renewing and developing their own and their organisation’s learning in work with
customers

Contents of the study unit:
• skills in encountering customers and ethical customer insight
 • communal ethical action in different customer relation environments
 • creative approaches and innovativeness in service development
 • competence in developing service business models and methods

Study unit description:
The study unit teaches the students to encounter the customer at a profound level, with a versatile understanding of
the meanings and interfaces of communal and ethical action in work with customers. The knowledge base in service
development is broadened and deepened, drawing on theoretical models and methods of innovative development.


F7046 Legal aspects of information management in social and health care, 5 cr

The student is able to:
After completing the study unit, the students will:
 • have an idea of the legislation on work with customers that governs social and health care and its key principles
and contents
 • master the contents of general and specialist legislation on information management, data protection and
confidentiality
 • master the key contents of legislation relevant to service provision
 • master the basics of social and health care sector legislation that determines the duties and responsibilities of
professionals.

Contents of the study unit:
• legislation on the customer’s position in health care
 • legislation applicable to social and health care professionals
 • duty to provide services
 • data protection and security legislation
 • ethical action in information management
 • information management legislation
 • procurement legislation

Study unit description:
During this study unit, the students will familiarise themselves with the customer’s position and basic rights in the
service system, examine the legal basis of service provision methods and duty to provide services, practices
determined by data protection and confidentiality legislation as well as the duties and responsibilities of
professionals in social and health care.
F032 BASICS AND METHODS OF FUTURE INFORMATION MANAGEMENT, 20 cr

Description:
In this module, the students will be offered a thorough introduction to the competence required to master the
concepts, systems and process flows of information management in the social and health care sector. They will
build up their knowledge of information service packages that support the promotion and maintenance of citizens’
welfare and health and aim to prevent illnesses, including the development of these services. They will develop
expert skills in evaluating the management of a health care customer’s information as part of information
management services, and build up their competence in information system architecture ranging from basic health
care to specialist care and the private sector. They will focus on controlling information management services as
well as on application and development competence in national and international contexts. The students will also
familiarise themselves with information management architectures in the Finnish social and health care sector.


F7047 Treatment chains and process flows of the future, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• understand and master information management terminology
 • be able to recognize and evaluate structures in the operating environment of social and health care, service
provision policies and processes and change needs in society and organisations
 • recognize the impacts of treatment chain and information flow processes and identify development needs in which
the perspective of promoting health and welfare is emphasised in decision-making processes between various
organisations and actors.
 • be able to model processes and evaluate the mechanisms and impacts of changes in the actions of various actors
and customers
 • be able to evaluate the impacts of treatment paths and chains in promoting health and welfare as well as the
benefits gained, financially and in terms of user and customer satisfaction in national and international contexts.

Contents of the study unit:
• key concepts, operating areas, actors and process flows of information management in the social and health care
sector
 • nationally defined operating environments, structures and networks in the social and health care sector
 • process flow models and forms in the public and the private sector
 • social and health care quality systems
 • description and analysis of process flows
 • improving service availability and customer initiative by means of ICT solutions
 • control of and policies for the future of social and health care in national and international contexts

Study unit description:
The students will build up their competence in describing and developing customer-oriented information
management process flows. They will be able to evaluate and develop descriptions of customer treatment chains
and treatment paths within the fields of various actors. As their expertise expands, they will be able to renew,
develop and evaluate a changing operating environment to ensure that it will meet future challenges in national and
international contexts.


F7048 The renewing information management service package for customers in social and health care, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• understand and be able to evaluate processes and ERP systems related to decision-making in the context of a
social and health care sector patient information system
 • be familiar with and able to evaluate the contents and structures of a patient’s treatment information relevant to
multiprofessional work and the significance of terminology use in information systems
 • have and extend their knowledge of social and health care sector information management services as a whole
 • in cooperation with experts, be able to develop and design new e-services in a customer-oriented manner and
applying communal methods
 • be able to draw on the latest scientific information in the development area in applying information to development
efforts
Contents of the study unit:
• information structures/contents and terminology in social and health care sector documents,
 • principles of processing patient documents
 • trends and outlook for social and health care sector information management systems and services
 • social and health care sector e-services and service design
 • renewal mechanisms of customer-oriented service packages
 • communal and interactive service development

Study unit description:
The students will build up their competence in developing the information service process of the patient/customer in
the service instance and their skills in evaluating the management of a health care customer’s information as part of
the information management service. In this unit, the students will be introduced to creative service design and
development competence related to e-services as well as application and development competence in community-
oriented design of new e-services.


F7049 Information management architectures, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• be familiar with and able to describe the structures and basic architectures of ICT systems used in social and
health care
 • be able to strategically combine an in-depth knowledge of social and health care sector process flows and IT
solution models developed to support information management services
 • be able to anticipate new strategic approaches enabled by ICT development in the social and health care sector
and to lay a conceptual foundation for the development and commissioning of innovative service solutions that rely
on information technology
 • have tools for evaluating the efficiency and quality of ICT-based solutions.

Contents of the study unit:
• hardware platforms, information networks, applications and user interfaces as components of the information
system
 • service-oriented architecture (SOA)
 • Architectures and functionalities of various social and health care sector information systems (maintenance,
cooperation, administration)
 • planning and evaluation of usability in social and health care sector information systems
 • evaluating the impact, cost-effectiveness and quality of information systems

Study unit description:
The students will be extensively introduced to the service architectures of social and health care sector information
systems, enabling them to understand basic technological solutions and to analyse critically how various ICT system
solutions can support social and health care sector activities. This study unit will lay a conceptual foundation for the
unit ”Using information technology in developing social and health care processes", which will impart further
expertise in the user-centered development of systems.


F7050 Using information technology in developing social and health care processes, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• have extended their competence in social and health care towards understanding the possibilities offered by IT
solutions developed to support process flows and information management services and the goals set for these
 • identify development needs in their own organisation and be able to innovatively recognize the IT elements on
offer for setting up new services and developing old ones
 • have developed into persons skilled in the broad evaluation of the efficiency and quality of ICT-based solutions
and strategic agents of change.

Contents of the study unit:
• role of information systems in improving social and health care sector processes and quality
 • administration and supervision of information systems and services for health, improvement of their strategic and
operative standard
 • customer-oriented information services, supporting networks and independence
• linking health promotion services to technologies used by the customer (e.g. mobile devices)

Study unit description:
The students will learn to map and critically assess the possibilities offered by ICT for improving the efficiency of
operation, accessibility of services and quality in social and health care. The study unit will also impart a capacity for
customer-oriented definition of the requirements of new information services and gauging the benefits to be
achieved through combined knowledge of the social and health care sector and information technology.


F030 FORESIGHT AND FUTURE MANAGEMENT, 10 cr

Description:
In this module, the students will develop their skills and competence related to working methods and techniques of
the future. The students will get a grasp of change management and control tools that will enable them to set a
course for the future of information management both in Finland and internationally, in an open-minded and future-
oriented manner and in cooperation with the work community and the organisation’s strategic management


F7051 Competence in visualisation of future and foresight, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• involve the actors, stakeholders and partners of the organisation in participatory recognition and systematic
mapping of information that points the way to the future
 • examine the organisation as an open and learning system
 • involve the actors, stakeholders and partners of the organisation in participatory efforts to communally interpret
information that points the way to the future
 • reinforce future-oriented self-directiveness

Contents of the study unit:
• strategic awareness and future thinking
 • weak signals, megatrends and scanning the operating environment
 • action theory and communicative planning
 • self-organisation, self-directiveness
 • systemic, processual and evolutionary perspectives to development

Study unit description:
In this unit, the students will explore the organisation as an open and learning system, familiarise themselves with
various sources of information on the future, analyse the organisation as an operating system and look for ways of
drawing on the organisation's internal resources and network relationships as a starting point for participatory and
future-aware development.
 Study unit contents:


F7052 Change control and management skills, 5 cr

The student is able to:
• plan and organise operative activities
 • act in compliance with a selected strategic decision in changing situations
 • lead change management
 • lead systematic project work aiming to develop information management
 • as experts, assume responsibility for projects aiming to renew and develop the organisation’s competence

Contents of the study unit:
• the planning, implementation, evaluation and gauging of quality management/relationship with the development
and direction of processes
 • information management procurements and project administration
 • lifespan models of information system development: analysis, definition of requirements, implementation, testing,
training, commissioning, utilisation and maintenance, decommissioning
 • risk management, various planning and project management methods (agile methods, customer-oriented
planning, ensuring commitment)
• elements and stages of a strategic development project
• controlling the costs, quality and profitability of a development project
• system development performance indicators (KPI and SLA)
• needs to renew the organisation’s competence brought about by evolving information services

Study unit description:
The students will recognize the underlying values of their own managerial activities, their manner of managing and
their ability to lead people and manage networks, as well as familiarise themselves with the basics and methods of
strategic and operative planning and management.
 They students understand the methods of quality management as an instrument of development and a foundation
for activities. They will be introduced to leading information management procurements and projects and learn how
to influence the optimisation of well-being at work. They will familiarise themselves with the various steps and
methods of information management development projects and be able to set for them requirements that take into
consideration the users and customers as well as service quality and cost-effectiveness. They will be able to lead
projects and gauge the achievement of their objectives.
 .


F033 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT - THESIS, 30 cr

Description:
The objective of this module is to develop the students’ ability to apply research data and to draw on the selected
methods to analyse and solve workplace problems and improve their capacity for independent and demanding
expert work. The thesis should demonstrate the students’ ability to limit and discuss the selected development
target, a capacity for development-oriented thinking, command of theories and research and development methods
they will need in their work, familiarity with the theme of the thesis and literature in the field, ability for professional
communication and a capacity for long-term work and understanding of entities.


F7021 Thesis, 30 cr

The student is able to:
 The aim of the thesis is to develop the students’ ability to apply research data, to use selected methods for
analysing and solving workplace problems and to carry out demanding specialist tasks independently. The thesis
must demonstrate the students’ ability to define and process chosen development targets, a development-oriented
approach, mastery of the theories and research and development methods needed in their work, familiarity with the
thesis topic and related literature, skills in professional communication, the ability to work with long-term persistence
and skills in understanding things holistically.

Contents of the study unit:
•  carry out development work and applied research in their fields independently;
•  apply research information they have acquired in their theses, critically and analytically;
•  apply suitable information gathering methods in their development projects;
•  use chosen research and development methods and master related documentation and reporting;
•  evaluate and communally oppose other students' theses in terms of background, implementation, outcome and
   reporting, as in a research community;
•  work as experts in applied research and development teams;
•  gather information independently, and monitor, analyse and critically evaluate the development of professional
   practices and research data in their fields;
•  produce and apply information independently.


Study unit description:
 The thesis can be a research or development project that increases the student’s professional skills and serves the
development needs of the labour market. Theses that take the form of development projects can focus on new or
improved work processes, products, methods, events or artworks. The thesis can also be a development plan or
other plan, or a progressive report with development proposals.


F034 ELECTIVE STUDIES, 20 cr
Description:
The module includes 20 credits of elective studies, which the students can select based on their own interests and
learning needs. An agreement on the elective studies will be made while discussing the students’ personal study
plans.
 As a rule, the elective studies may be put together from the offer of Laurea Lohja and other Laurea units, or the
Master’s degree programmes of other units that are part of the FUAS Federation. For example, the studies can also
comprise participation in a R&D&I project or a conference. Prior higher education studies, including specialisation
studies whose contents have a link to the degree programme, may also be recognised as elective studies following
the RPL principle.
 Considering the objectives of the degree programme, it is recommended that the students mainly select elective
studies comprising
 - service business studies
 - social and health care sector information management studies
 - management studies
 - studies relevant to research methodology