Job career
My more than 20 years' experience in research and education, originates from several organizations and countries. Below my professional story in a nutshell.
University of Stavanger (UiS) - Since 2016 I have been working at the University of Stavanger, first as a Director of the Learning Environment Center and from 2019 as a Professor in Education at the Department of Education and Sports Science, including Teacher Training. I continue to hold an Adjunct position at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL).
The University College Stord/Haugesund (HSH) in the west-coast of Norway was the next exciting phase (2010-2015) in my career, now a Professor in Education at the Faculty of Teacher and Cultural Education. I was pleased to be again involved more closely in working with students. Challenging and inspiring at best! I was teaching Master's students in "ICT in learning" and the third/final year kindergarten teacher students. I also initiated several R&D projects during my five and half years at HSH, most of them supported by Nordplus. The largest project was "Skills development for realizing the workforce competence reserve" (SkillsREAL), financed by the Research Council of Norway.
Commencing January 2017, HSH merged together with Bergen University College, Sogn og Fjordane University College into Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, HVL.
Commencing January 2017, HSH merged together with Bergen University College, Sogn og Fjordane University College into Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, HVL.
In 2003 I moved to work in IRIS - International Research Institute of Stavanger - from Brisbane, Australia, and worked there until 2011. I had a learning-rich, dynamic and very challenging career in IRIS, the first year as a Senior Researcher and then as a Head of Research in the area of competence, organizations and management. During these years my research continued under the umbrella of lifelong learning. The last years marked a stronger focus on the inseparable connection between learning and innovation at the context of work and organizations. My research was mostly been targeted to enterprises as well as to education, especially at school-level. Besides local and regional, my research continued and strengthened as international, especially in the context of the European Union and the Nordic countries. At the time I started in IRIS, the name of the organisation was RF, Rogaland Research. From the start of 2006, RF was reorganized related to the establishing of the University of Stavanger (UiS). The latter became the new 50% owner of the new IRIS.
During all the years I worked at IRIS (and earlier in RF), I was involved in some student work at the University of Stavanger (UiS) as a supervisor and a sensor for for Master's studies. Most of the students were studying Change Management at the Faculty of Social Sciences but some have also come from the centers at the Faculty of Arts and Education. I was also involved in cooperation related to development of research and of education (engineering) at Faculty of Science and Technology. During the years 2008-2009 I had part-time, temporary appointments as an Associate Professor at the National Centre for Reading Education and Research, and as a Senior Advisor at the Centre for Continuing Education. Both of these appointments took place in relation of new developments at this new university (est. in 2006).
The end of the year 2002 suddenly opened up a wonderful possibility to a visiting period in Australia. The thought of visiting Australia had been cooking in the family already for quite a while. A good preparation for the visit for our daughter was her excellent study on Australia and Oceania in geographic at the junior high school - although, at that point, there was nothing concrete in sight regarding a visit to the Ozzie-land. Both professionally and personally the half a year period in Brisbane and at the QUT were a success. I was involved in some cooperation and in educational development work regarding studies targeted to learning in and for working life. The period also allowed me to update my own knowledge as well as to focus on writing. And, our daughter made lots of lifetime friends and truly enjoyed her studies at the Kelvin Grove High School.
VOX - the Norwegian Agency for Lifelong Learning - was NVI, Norwegian Institute of Adult Education, as I started working there in the summer of 1999. In the beginning VOX was named 'the Norwegian Institute for Adult Education', with a research unit in Trondheim (the former NVI) and headquarters in Oslo. Along with me moved the European Union 4th framework research project WORKTOW - Working Life Changes and Training of Older Workers - from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland to Norway. My VOX research years (until 2003) were mostly about completing this EU-research as well as about starting an International research project focusing on lifelong learning and its outcomes of and for women (funding here came from the Japanese Ministry of Education). Other than that I learned a lot about the pains of reorganization, especially when establishing a new national "conglomerate", and about using sports couches and their principles in such a process! When it comes to Trondheim, these years were a fantastic learning experience to the whole family, about life - especially working life - and people in Norway. Life was good, working life - well, definitely different from Finland, and people were very friendly and joyous. Somehow, though, I quite soon concluded that, the mountains are high and the Atlantic is huge, and in between there is a small and a rather unique nation, Norway, at that time rather limitedly bothered by the world outside!
As a part of my studies towards my Doctorate Degree, a great opportunity landed to my lap: a year 1992-1993 as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Michigan (UM), Ann Arbor, USA. UM was then one of the top-10 universities in the USA. This year was one of the most learning-rich years in my life, both when it comes to my research education and life, and life-management skills overall. Our daughter, then five years, started school there, learned to speak, read and write in English, beside her these former skills in Finnish. We experienced a lot, made fantastic friends and carry the lessons learned with us throughout our lifetime!
The University of Jyväskylä (JyU), Finland, is in many ways my professional Alma Mater. A good one! The studies from a candidate (starting 1979) to a Master's and Licentiate, and later Doctor in Education (1998), were highly formative years for me. The about 10 years' involvement (1988-1999) in work at the JyU in the areas of research, education and development, laid a solid foundation to my later career. Surprisingly perhaps, many of the research themes I started working with during those years, have not become in any ways outdated by the time I am writing this, in 2011. Indeed, quite the contrary, as what comes to lifelong learning and the demographic change!