Suitability assessment requires NTNU to carry out continuous assessment of students' professional and personal qualifications for work as a teacher or as a professional in health or social care.

Norsk versjon - Skikkethetsvurdering

Form for reporting

Form for reporting doubt about suitability
The form must be submitted to NTNU's institutional authority.

Institustional authorities at NTNU - suitability assessment

NTNU in Trondheim

Adviser Bernt Nicolai Særsten: audiology, social education and child welfare work, biomedical laboratory science, physioteraphy, pharmacy, occupational therapy, midwifery, medicine, radiography, social work, nursing, learning diability nursing, paramedics, speech therapy, sign language.

Assistant professor Øyvind Haugan Lien: teacher education inn accordance with chapter 14 in "forskrift 23. juni 2006 nr. 724 til opplæringslova", psychology, special education.

NTNU in Gjøvik

Assistant professor Randi Stensby Lied: nursing, occupational therapy, radiography, paramedics. Associate professor Siv Sønsteby Nordhagen is Lied's substitute.

NTNU in Ålesund

Assistant professorBente Schei Skagøy: biomedical laboratory science, nursing. Assistant professor Sølvi Røsvik is Skagøy's substitute.

About suitability assessment

The Regulations relating to suitability assessment in higher education specify the criteria for suitability assessment. These criteria are general, and must be supplemented by qualified expert and professional judgement. For a student to be considered unsuitable, at least one of the factors described in the criteria must apply to such a degree that the student poses a potential danger to the lives, physical and mental health, rights and safety of pupils, patients, clients or users that the profession entails.

Suitability assessment must be conducted throughout the programme of study, and is continuously considered in both the theoretical and the practical part of the programme.

If there is doubt about a student's suitability, a special suitability assessment is required. This will be used in special cases when other formal and informal measures during the programme have not remedied the situation. The most important measure is in the programme itself, where the student may fail subjects or professional training. Students who show inability to master their professional training will usually fail this part of their education. If the institution sees that the student will be unable to complete or will have major problems in completing his or her programme of study, the student can receive guidance about this and may be advised to discontinue the programme.

Programmes of study at NTNU that are covered by suitability assessment

Suitability assessments must be conducted throughout the following programmes of study:

• Programme of professional study in medicine
• Programme of professional study in psychology
• Master's degree in pharmacy
• Teacher training for grades 1-7
• Teacher training for grades 5-10
• Five-year programme for Master of Philosophy and Education/Master of Science and Education (lektorutdanning)
• Three-year vocational subject teacher education
• Bachelor's degree in child welfare (barnevern)
• Bachelor's degree in audiology
• Bachelor's degree in physiotherapy
• Bachelor's degree - learning diability nursing (vernepleier)
• Bachelor's degree in nursing
• Bachelor's degree in biomedical laboratory science
• Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy
• Bachelor's degree in radiography
• Bachelor's degree in social work
• Programme of study in midwifery
• Educational theory and practice (teacher training)

Suitability assessment takes place continuously in both the theoretical and the practical part of the programme of study. All subject teachers and/or teaching practice supervisors/practical training supervisors are responsible for ensuring that students' suitability is assessed.

At the start of their studies, students must be informed about suitability assessment and what it entails.

Notification of doubt regarding suitability

Special suitability assessment starts with submission of notification of doubt in writing to the responsible member of the institution staff regarding the student's suitability. Anyone who is in contact with the student can submit notification of doubt. In most cases it will be a member of the teaching staff or practical training supervisor, but it could also be students or administrative employees who have been in contact with the student. The person who submits the notification of doubt may not be anonymous.

The responsible member of the institution staff is responsible for the process of dealing with notifications of doubt and for ensuring that as much information about the case as possible is gathered for possible investigation by the Suitability Committee. The student must be notified in writing that there are grounds for doubt about his or her suitability, and the student must be summoned to a suitability review. The student may bring one person to the review. The student must be offered extended supervision and guidance unless it is obvious that such supervision is not suited to helping the student.

Written minutes of the suitability review are to be taken, including a description of the case and, if relevant, plans for extended supervision and guidance of the student. If extended supervision and guidance do not lead to the necessary change and development for the student, the member of NTNU's staff who is responsible for suitability assessment must submit the case to the Suitability Committee. From this stage of the proceedings, the student is entitled to expenses paid by the institution for assistance from a lawyer.

Procedure in the Suitability Committee

NTNU has a Suitability Committee that consists of internal and external members. Cases submitted to the Suitability Committee must be accompanied by all the written documentation on the case. The committee must investigate the case in greater depth if necessary. The student must be notified of the date and time for the committee meeting well in advance and must be presented with the case information. The student must have the opportunity to present his or her views to the committee before the meeting.

The Suitability Committee prepares a recommendation to NTNU's Appeals Committee with an assessment of whether the student is suited or not, whether the student should be excluded completely or partly from the programme of study in question, as well as the length of the exclusion period and any conditions the student must meet in order to be allowed to resume the programme of study.

Procedure in the Appeals Committee

Based on the recommendation of the Suitability Committee, the Appeals Committee at NTNU may pass a decision on exclusion from the programme of study for up to three years if it finds that a student is not suitable for the profession for which he or she is studying.

The student may appeal the decision of the Appeals Committee to a joint Appeals Committee established to consider appeals on decisions about a student's suitability, among other purposes.

The Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service (NUCAS) is notified of the decision on exclusion. The decision will apply to all the country's educational institutions. This means that the student may not apply to or accept a place at equivalent programmes of study at institutions subject to the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges during the period of exclusion and that the student must apply again if the programme of study is to be resumed after the period of exclusion.

Right to coverage of legal expenses

The student is entitled to representation by a lawyer or other spokesperson from the date on which the case is brought before the Suitability Committee. The expenses for this are covered by NTNU based on the State’s fee scales.

Members of the Suitability Committee

The members of the NTNU Suitability Committee are appointed for three years, whereas the student representatives are appointed for one year. The members during the period 1 January 2020 – 31 December 2020 are:

• Academic Head of the Committee: Vice Dean Toril Forbord, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Trondheim
• Head of Studies: Associate Professor Anna Ruth Grüters, Department of Teacher Education
• Representatives of supervised professional training: Teacher Jan Åge Almaas, Flatåsen School and Associate Professor Guro Aune, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Trondheim
• Teaching staff: Assistant Professor Lars Andre Olsen, Department of Health Sciences, Ålesund and Assistant Professor Anne Grytbakk, Department of Social Work, Trondheim
• Student representatives: Herman Nesse, Teacher Education (01.01.23-31.12.23) and Ingvil Husby, Nursing (01.01.23-31.12.23)
• External representative: Senior Adviser Børge Haugseth

Secretary of the Suitability Committee: Senior Adviser - Jurist Anne Marie Snekvik.

See also

Regulations relating to suitability assessment in higher education
Circular F-14-06 about suitability assessment