PhD position on the effects of Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning on Higher Education Institutions in Europe.

The PhD position is offered within the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS), which is an interdisciplinary research institute with a strong international reputation. Its research, education and consultancy activities focus on higher education and research policy at the institutional, national and international levels. More information on CHEPS can be found at http://www.utwente.nl/mb/cheps/
      
Job specification

We are seeking a PhD candidate (4 year terms) to join a research project on the “Effects of Centers for Excellence in Teaching and Learning on the Teaching Function of Higher Education Institutions” (Project-acronym CETLFUNK).

The project CETLFUNK is part of the funding scheme “Begleitungsforschung zum Qualitätspakt Lehre” funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Reserarch (BMBF). More information on the funding scheme can be found on this webpage: www.hochschulforschung-bmbf.de

CETLFUNK will be an international comparative study on the effects of centers for teaching and learning. Teaching and learning have gained more attention of managers and other stakeholders of higher education institutions across Europe. Different strategies and instruments have been implemented to achieve excellence in teaching and learning. In Germany this has led to the establishment of Centers for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The CETLFUNK project aims to investigate the effects of such centers in terms of: 1) changes in the understanding and definition of quality in teaching and learning; 2) changes in teaching and learning processes; and 3) changes in the organizational structures of higher education institutions. The study will be based on eight in-depth case studies of higher education institutions in Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
      
Your profile

You should ideally have:

• a master’s degree in sociology, public administration, political science or related   fields;
• strong research skills in qualitative research methods;
• experience in conducting in-depth interviews;
• affinity with multidisciplinary research;
• knowledge in the field of higher education and/or quality assurance is an advantage;
• experience in communicating with project partners, ministries, funding agencies, etc.;
• fluency in German and English, in particular excellent knowledge of the German language (written and spoken) is required because of the reporting to the BMBF and the contact with German institutions. Dutch language proficiency is very much welcomed.   

Our offer

As a PhD candidate you will be appointed for a full-time position for a period of 4 years, at the end of which you must have completed your PhD thesis. The starting date for the PhD candidate is as soon as possible. The gross monthly salary for a PhD increases from € 2.083,- in the first year to € 2.664,- in the final year (in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities). In addition, the University of Twente offers additional attractive employment conditions.

The PhD candidate will join the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies, a department at the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social sciences (BMS) of the University of Twente, which offers an inspiring, multidisciplinary environment. Besides collaborating closely with the colleagues in CHEPS, the PhD candidate will become a member of the Twente Graduate School and – potentially – of the Netherlands Institute of Government, which both offer postgraduate training opportunities.

Application and information
To apply for this position, we invite you to send us a motivation letter, your resume (CV), a list of your publications (if applicable), as well as an essay in German language of no longer than 2 pages. This can either include your view on the CETLFUNK research project or (the translation and/or summary of) a short paper you have written recently (last two years). These documents have to be uploaded in the University of Twente application system before the 1st of October 2014 (http://www.utwente.nl/vacatures/en/). Interviews will take place between October 10th and 15th, 2014. Parts of the interview will be done in German.

Bitte beachten: Bewerbungen müssen! über das Bewerbungssystem der Universität Twente eingerecht werden. Link: http://www.utwente.nl/vacatures/ und dort nach der folgenden Ausschreibung suchen: PhD position on the effects of Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning on Higher Education Institutions in Europe.

For more information on this position please contact Andrea Kottmann: e-mail: a.kottmann@utwente.nl, telephone: +31 53 489 4250/+31 53 489 3263

web: http://www.utwente.nl/mb/cheps/The%20Cheps%20Team/