AEC Pop and Jazz Platform 2024 (Odense, Denmark)  

We have observed that many students enrolled in higher music education programs lack the necessary skills to work independently, which often leads to difficulties in completing larger artistic projects. Moreover, they face challenges in assessing their own work and making independent, high-quality artistic choices. The objective of this project is to assist struggling students, enhancing their abilities and confidence. Degree projects in Swedish higher music education include independent artistic music projects that are designed following the same guidelines as any other higher education courses. These courses have clearly defined learning outcomes, which are developed with extensive work to ensure that both students and teachers can easily comprehend them. It is also crucial for examiners to understand the intended learning outcomes and how they will be evaluated. Therefore, the learning outcomes must be carefully selected to ensure they are relevant, clear, examinable, and realistic. This means that the set of learning outcomes must be achievable for the students. Moreover, these outcomes should serve as a basis for the planning, follow-up, and quality assurance of teaching. Our project approach is designed to prioritise the needs of students and provide them with clear and specific learning outcomes that empower them to evaluate their own progress confidently. We have developed a4-step model for students to assess their progress in independent projects. The model highlights the importance of effective communication, practical knowledge application, critical reflection, and performance evaluation as essential skills for student success. While we focus on music production education in our study, these methods can also be applied to other subjects in higher education. In our presentation, we will discuss this model and its implications for students completing their degree projects. We would like to invite you to join us in this conversation.