Course syllabus for Observation and Documentation

Observation och dokumentation

Essential data

Course code: 2LG073
Course name: Observation and Documentation
Credits: 3
Form of Education: Higher education, study regulation of 2007
Main field of study: Not applicable
Level: GX - First cycle
Grading scale: Fail (U) or pass (G)
Department: Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology
Decision date: 2016-11-03
Revised by: Education committee CLINTEC
Last revised: 2023-10-10
Course syllabus valid from: Spring semester 2024

Specific entry requirements

For admission to semester 2 apply that student may remain with no more than 15 credits from previous semester in The Study Programme in Speech-Language Pathology

Outcomes

On completion of the course, the student is expected to be able to:

  • plan and implement documentation of communicative situations by means of instrumental methods (video and sound recordings) and non-instrumental methods
  • handle collected material in a correct way and discuss ethical aspects of video and sound recordings
  • use relevant terminology and relevant tools to process, annotate and analyse video and sound recordings

Content

The course gives an overview of use of video and sound recordings for observation and documentation. Different types of observation techniques and non-instrumental methods for documentation of communicative behaviours are concerned. The course includes lectures and laboratory elements about recording technology (inter alia microphone placement, microphone type, recording level, recording environment, room acoustics, camera placement and illumination) and the students will also carry out own observations and recordings in the field.
The course also gives experience in software for processing, annotation and analysis of video and sound recordings. Furthermore it includes a lecture about research ethics, form for informed agreement and other ethical aspects around recordings and a lecture about the role as an observer. The course is completed with a group discussion and experience sharing about the role as an observer and recording leaders illustrated with example from own recordings.

Teaching methods

The education consists of lectures and image seminars. Furthermore, observations and recordings outside of timetabled time are included.

The examiner decides if, and how, absence from compulsory parts can be compensated. Study results cannot be reported until the student has participated in compulsory course elements or compensated for any absence in accordance with instructions from the examiner. Absence from a compulsory educational component may mean that the student cannot take the opportunity until the next time the course is given.

Examination

The course is examined through an individual written assignment, joint written assignments and active participation in a group discussion..
Final review is based on experiences and reflections from all components in the course, including recording and home assignments in the course.

Students who do not pass a regular examination are entitled to re-sit the examination on five more occasions. The second examination is the following regular examination in the course. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination is given. Each occasion the student participates in the same test counts as an examination. Submission of a blank exam paper is regarded as an examination. In case a student is registered for an examination but does not attend, this is not regarded as an examination.

In case of the existence of special reasons, or need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to depart from the syllabus's regulations on examination form, number of examination opportunities, possibility of completion or exemption from compulsory educational elements, etc. Content and intended learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities must not be altered, removed or lowered.

Transitional provisions

The examination can be carried out according to an earlier literature list during a period of one year after the date of a renewal of the literature list. Students will be allowed to take the examination up to one year after the closing of the course.

Other directives

The course is given as principal rule in English but can be given completely or partly in Swedish if the circumstances admit it.

The course is carried out by The Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University, where all teaching in the course is also given.

Course evaluation will be carried out according to the guidelines that are established by the Committee for education of basic and second cycle.

The course cannot be credited in a degree together with another course the student has completed and passed which completely or partly corresponds to the contents of this course.

Literature and other teaching aids

  • Svec, JG; Granqvist, S, Guidelines for selecting microphones for human voice production research, 2010 Ingår i: American journal of speech-language pathology [Elektronisk resurs]., Rockville, Md. : American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, ISSN: 1558-9110, LIBRIS-ID: 11338519, 19 (2010) : 4, p. 356-358,
  • The softest sound levels of the human voice in normal subjects, Sramkova, H; Granqvist, S; Herbst, CT; Svec, JG, 2015 Ingår i: The journal of the Acoustical Society of America., New York : American Institute of Physics for the Acoustical Society of America, 1929- ISSN: 0001-4966, LIBRIS-ID: 3402251, 137 (2015) : 1, p. 407-418,
  • Styler, W, Using Praat for Linguistic Research, University of Michigan Linguistics, 2016 http://savethevowels.org/praat/UsingPraatforLinguisticResearchLatest.pdf,
  • User Guide for ELAN Linguistic Annotator., The Language Archive, MPI for Psycholinguistics, The Netherlands., http://www.mpi.nl/corpus/manuals/manual-elan_ug.pdf,