About the positions

Two permanent full-time positions as Associate Professors (SKO 1011) in Social Studies Education are vacant at the Department of Teacher Education and School Research (ILS).

The positions are linked to the teacher education programmes at ILS (the 1-year graduate teacher education programme (PPU) and the 5-years graduate teacher education programme (Lektorprogrammet)). The successful candidates are expected to contribute to teaching with emphasis on the field of Social Studies Education, particularly on teaching and learning in the Social Sciences for grades 8-13 in Norwegian schools, including classroom management, assessment and differentiated instruction. Contribution to the efforts of ProTed, Centre of Excellence in Teacher Education is expected as well.

The successful candidates are also expected to conduct research in the field of Social Studies Education, with emphasis on education for citizenship, education for sustainable development, or diversity in education through participation in one of the three research groups; Challenges of Sustainability in Educational Research (COSER), Studies of Instruction across Subjects and Competences (SISCO), Teachers’ Professional Development and Educational Change (TEPEC). COSER’s focus is the relationship between education and today’s complex sustainability challenges. SISCO focuses on how knowledge cultures and instructional practices promote students’ learning. TEPEC has its focus on general aspects of teacher education in the context of national programs, and on international comparative research on teacher education.

Job description

• Contribution to COSER, SISCO or TEPEC research groups with the aim of publishing in national and international journals
• Contribution to project development and external fund raising
• Participation in national and international research networks
• Participation in planning, teaching, supervision and examinations in teacher education programmes
• Contribution to the development of Subject Didactics for Social Sciences in Teacher Education for grades 8-13
• Contribution to the efforts of ProTed, the Centre of Excellence in Teacher Education
• Research dissemination
• Administrative tasks

Qualification requirements

• Documented research competence as Associate Professor with specialization in the field of Social Studies Education. The minimum requirement is PhD or equivalent academic qualifications.
• Capacity to raise funds and lead research projects
• Proficiency in relevant research methods for teacher education
• Formal teaching qualifications, (i.e. documented competence in relevant educational theory and practice based on training or on teaching and supervision)
• Experience from schools grade 8-13 and/or from teacher training for grades 8-13
• Documented knowledge of and familiarity with the Norwegian or Scandinavian Educational Systems
• Advanced Norwegian (alternatively Swedish or Danish) and English proficiency, spoken and written
• Personal suitability and motivation

The criteria that will be considered are the applicant’s academic, professional and pedagogical qualifications, leadership and administrative qualifications, and personal qualifications including Norwegian, Swedish or Danish and English proficiency.

In the ranking of qualified applicants, the whole range of qualifications will be considered and assessed, including communication skills and personal suitability for the positions.

Appointment procedures, regulations on the requirements for formal teaching qualifications and a guide for applicants can be found on the following web page.

We offer

• Salary NOK 576 100 – 658 300 per per annum depending on qualifications in position as Associate Professor (position code 1011)
• A professionally stimulating working environment
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities
• The opportunity to apply for promotion to full professorship at a later stage only pertains to employment as Associate Professor

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• CV (complete list of educational background, prior positions, academic, professional and pedagogical activites and administrative experience)
• A complete list of publications
• Academic works (up to 10 publications); in addition to documentation of other relevant qualifications
• PhD Diploma
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

The application must be submitted electronically via the University of Oslo’s recruitment system Jobbnorge.no and must include a description of educational background, prior positions, academic, professional and pedagogical activities and administrative experience. We also request that applicants attach a complete list of their academic works, preferably in PDF format.

The application must be made in English or in a Scandinavian language.In addition to the electronic application, applicants are required to submit up to 10 academic works, including their PhD thesis and documentation of other relevant qualifications that they wish to be taken into account in the assessment.

In the evaluation of the qualified candidates the full range of these criteria will be explicitly addressed and assessed.

Interviews will be used in the appointment process, and applicants will also be required to give a trial lecture.

Formal regulations

The successful candidate who at the time of appointment cannot document basic teaching qualifications will be required to obtain such qualifications within a two-year period.

The successful candidate must demonstrate mastery of both English and one of the Scandinavian languages as working languages. If an appointee is not fluent in a Scandinavian language, the appointee will be expected within a two-year period to learn sufficient Norwegian to be able to participate actively in all functions the position may involve.

Please see the rules for Appointments to Professorships and Associate Professorships and Rules for the assessment and weighting of pedagogical competence.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

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

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

• Head of Department, Rita Elisabeth Hvistendahl, phone number: +47 22844030

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