Postdoctoral Fellow

Universitetet I Oslo; Oslo; On-site; NOK 595,000 - 670,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Exercise allowance

Good pension scheme

Career development

Job summary

Universitetet i Oslo’s Department of Education invites applications for a three- or four-year Postdoctoral Fellow position to investigate collaborative learning and AI in higher education.

The project uses design-based research to study how AI tools affect learning, with collaboration from the KITE research group and other faculties.

The fellow will build a research portfolio, contribute to learning sciences, and pursue an associate professor pathway.

Qualifications

• PhD in learning sciences, educational sciences, educational psychology or human-computer interactions studies.
• English proficiency required; Norwegian is an advantage for study design and data analysis.
• Background in design-based research and AI in higher education preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct a design-based research study using AI tools and infrastructures.
• Collaborate with the KITE research group and other faculties as relevant.
• Develop a career plan and contribute to interdisciplinary research in learning sciences and AI.

Skills

Strong collaboration

Communication skills

Independent work

Education

PhD in learning sciences or related fields

Job description

Are you interested in Collaborative Learning and Artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education?

Applicants are invited for a three- or four- year Postdoc position at the Department of Education, University of Oslo.

We are seeking a candidate with deep insight and interest in investigating the interaction between collaborative learning processes in specific knowledge domains in educational sciences and AI tools and infrastructures.

Different types of AI (generative and domain specific intelligent technologies) change the conditions for student learning in higher education. The position is anchored in the learning sciences a field in rapid development. The field needs to improve both descriptions, understanding, and explanations about the interaction that takes place between students, content, context and AI. The learning sciences is an interdisciplinary field of knowledge, building on learning-theoretical principles but also capitalizing on research from various other subfields – educational psychology, sociology of education, design studies or computer science, and more recently, learning analytics and AI in education.

GenAI have the last years changed important parts of the knowledge infrastructures for students in higher education. Multiple resources contribute to form their learning trajectories. To navigate and use multiple resources increases the complexity for students learning processes and demands for agency and cognitive efforts change. Today we have limited insight into students’ processes and outcomes with AI within specific areas in higher education.

This postdoc project is planned as design-based research (DBR) study based on different AI tools and infrastructures. Design-based research is a specific design approach that has been developed in the learning sciences over the last 30 years. It implies that researchers and practitioners collaborate in the design, implementation and analysis of the project. They will usually have different roles in the different phases of the projects, and a DBR study usually runs in several iterations to improve the students’ learning opportunities.

The project will be implemented in collaboration with the senior members of the KITE research group (se link to KITE below) and, if relevant, members of other research groups at the Faculty of Educational Sciences.

The study will be conducted with students at the Faculty of Educational Sciences and, if relevant during the project period, with students from other faculties at University of Oslo.

The project will be part of the portfolio of KITE’s AI related projects in the TRUST center (se link below). Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the contact persons for guidance in the preparation of their application and project proposal.

UiO/ Anders Lien

More about the position

The appointment is a fulltime position for a period of three or four years. In a four-year position 25% of the time is devoted to teaching duties, usually in the form of teaching activities at the department. The main purpose of the fellowship is to build a research profile and competence that qualifies the postdoctoral fellow to apply for a position as associate professor within their disciplines. The position will also provide other competence with relevance for the postdoctoral fellow's further career.

Please see the guidelines concerning appointments to post-doctoral and research positions at the University of Oslo .

If the Postdoctoral Fellow does not already have educational qualifications that meet the requirements for an associate professor position, UiO shall facilitate the acquisition of such competence during the employment period.

A career plan shall be developed for the Postdoctoral Fellow, specifying the competencies the Postdoctoral Fellow should acquire. UiO is responsible for following up on the career plan and ensuring that the Postdoctoral Fellow has access to career guidance throughout the postdoctoral term.

• The applicants would need to have PhD in either; learning sciences, educational sciences, educational psychology or human-computer interactions studies.
• The focus of the PhD-thesis needs to contain knowledge areas such as learning theory, cognitive theories with applications on studies of learning, design of learning environments, design-based research methods, digitalization and AI preferable in higher education, but background in K-12 studies might also be of relevance. Applicants with PhD thesis that involves studies of interaction with intelligent technologies will be given priority.
• Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defense of the doctoral thesis being approved.
• Proficiency in English is required. Fluent and written communication in Norwegian would be seen as an advantage in the work with the study design and data analysis.

Personal skills

• Strong collaborative and communication skills
• A commitment to work towards the project’s common goals
• Ability to work focused and independently

Jarli & Jordan / UiO

We need different perspectives in our work

UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no .

We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon applicants with diverse background, variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for colleagues that could contribute to advanced research in the field of collaborative learning with AI.

We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).

The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports. More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here .

We offer

• Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development.
• A professionally stimulating working environment
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours.
• A workplace with good development and career opportunities.
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
• Salary in position as Postdoctoral Fellow, position code 1352 in salary range from NOK 595.000 - to NOK 670.000 per annum -, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.
• Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.

Formal regulations

The best qualified candidates will be invited for interviews.

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we cannot, you will hear from us.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow period at the University of Oslo.

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we cannot, you will hear from us.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

UiO/ Anders Lien

About The University of Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 27 400 students and 6 900 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.The Department of Education was established in 1938 and is one of three departments at the Faculty of Educational Sciences. Research at the department is characterized by interdisciplinarity and encompasses a broad range of human learning across the entire life course, from early childhood education and care to higher education and workplace learning.

The breadth of our research is reflected in our bachelor’s and master’s programmes, which also include an international master’s programme. IPED currently has approximately 90 staff members, comprising around 40 academic full-time equivalents, 30 doctoral research fellows and 20 administrative full-time equivalents. The department has about 700 students.