Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences

Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (INN University) is home to over 14,000 students and 1,000 employees, and has campuses in Lillehammer, Hamar, Elverum, Rena, Evenstad and Blæstad.

INN University aspires to build strong and enduring academic and research environments that will spearhead regionally, nationally and internationally. We are developing a new and better institution with high academic and pedagogical quality, aiming at achieving university accreditation by 2021.

Our vision is "Stronger Together".

The Faculty of Social and Health Sciensces at Inland NOrway University (INN) invites applications for a PhD research fellowships in health and social sciences - the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in the teaching of students’ skills training

About the position

The Faculty of Social and health sciences at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (INN) invites applications for a PhD research fellowship. The position is available from 1. October 2021. The place of work is Elverum. The period of the fellowship is normally three years, with possibility of a fourth year involving mandatory work amounting to 25% distributes over the period of employment. This is contingent on the candidate’s qualifications and preferences, as well as the department’s needs in terms of teaching and other student-related tasks.

The successful candidate will be admitted to the PhD programme Health and welfare (under accreditation) at the faculty, and doctoral projects must contribute to the faculties aims of strengthening the knowledge base in the field of this programme. The doctoral project will be linked to a research group at the faculty.

About the research field and content of the fellowship

Doctoral projects

Candidates must qualify for admission to the university’s PhD programme, and the doctoral education is carried out within this programme. Applicants who already hold a PhD will not be considered.

The academic and research community supporting the doctoral programme with supervision and research training comprises a number of professors and associate professors working in the relevant academic fields.

Project description

The applicant must submit a project proposal based on the description of the research field and the content of the fellowship, including a proposed progress plan explaining how the research work will be carried out, as well as the theoretical and methodological frameworks that the applicant plans to employ. The project description, including the reference list, is not to exceed 10 pages. The format must be A4 with 2 cm margins, 11-point font Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman) and single-line spacing. For the list of references and any image text, 9-point font may be used. The project description may be written in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish or English. The academic quality of the project proposal will be a significant consideration in the shortlisting of candidates for interview.

The thematic focus of the PhD position is ‘Virtual-reality technology as a method in students’ skills training’. VR-technology is described as a unique educational tool because it unites cognitive, visual, and auditory comprehension, and the use of VR-technology changes the role and function of the teachers. There are different questions to be investigated:

How do students experience systematic training with VR in different scenarios and is it a supplement to their professional development? How should the learning process be assessed? Is VR a teaching method suitable for the development of formative and summative assessment of students, and how do teachers in their role access VR as an additional teaching method? What kinds of competences will be important for future teachers in professional education?

The PhD position is expected to investigate VR-technology as a didactic and pedagogical teaching method in skills training of students in health-education programmes, primarily nursing, social work, or social pedagogic nursing, from the perspectives of both the students and the teachers.

The position is linked to institute for Health and nursing science.

For more information:

• Head of institute Liv Ødbehr, email: liv.odbehr@inn.no or phone + 47 62430269
• Vice dean of research Anne-Stine Dolva, email: anne-stine.dolva@inn.no or phone +47 61288024

Qualifications

Eligibility requirements

To be accepted to the doctoral program, applicants must normally have a master’s degree in a health or social work profession, or in a relevant discipline (for example psychology, sociology, pedagogic).

The applicant must have a strong academic background. For applicants with qualifications from Norwegian educational institution, the weighted average grade should normally be a B or above. In cases where some or all of the courses taken are awarded a pass/fail grade, applicants may be admitted subject to evaluation on an individual basis.

Language

Good presentation skills in both Norwegian and English, orally and in writing, is a requirement.

Assessing which candidate is best qualifies for the position will be based on a total assessment of educational background and other eligibility requirements as otherwise stated in the advertisement.

How to apply

Your application and CV must be registered electronically. Click the “Apply for position” button.

The application must include:

• Application letter (registered in jobbnorges form). In the application letter, please provide the topic of the project, a description of your background and your motivation for the position.
• Relevant educational background and experience (registered in jobbnorges from).

We kindly request that you enclose the following:

• Project description
• Copies of academic diplomas and transcripts
• A list of publications, where applicable
• Any other documentation you would like us to consider

Attachments must be uploaded as separate files. If the attachments in total exceed 30 MB, these must be compressed prior to upload. Documents submitted after expiry of the deadline will not be considered in the evaluation of your application.

The government workforce must, to the greatest extent possible, reflect the diversity of the population. Therefore, the university’s personnel policy aims to achieve balance in terms of age and gender, and to recruit individuals with disabilities and recruit from ethnic minority groups. The government workforce must, to the greatest extent possible, reflect the diversity of the population. Therefore, the university’s personnel policy aims to achieve balance in terms of age and gender, and to recruit individuals with disabilities and recruit from ethnic minority groups. The person appointed must abide by the instructions applicable to the position, the university’s internal administrative policies, and the laws, regulations and agreements that otherwise apply to the position at all times.

We offer

• An exciting and challenging job at a developing institution, dedicated colleagues and a supportive working environment
• The position is paid and placed in position code 1017, PhD candidate in the Government Salary Regulations

For more information about INN University as an employer, please see here.

Apply for position