PhD studentship in Work Integrated Learning – Virtual Reality

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) is University West’s overarching profile and basic principle applied to learning, the exchange of ideas, and educational development. The government has assigned the distinguished task of developing WIL to University West. Work integrated learning in education and research develops new, relevant and advanced knowledge both within the academy and among its partners, which also benefits society in general. University West offers a wide variety of study programs, has a good number of applicants and the students show a high entry rate on the labor market. The main research environments at University West are Production technology, Learning in and for the new working life and Child and youth studies and is conducted in collaboration with the surrounding society. Campus is centrally located in Trollhättan with about 15,000 students and 675 employees.




PhD studentship in Work Integrated Learning – with focus on Virtual Reality for Sustainable Safety Training and Meaningful Learning in Industrial Contexts
The university is actively aiming towards equality and an inclusive work environment where diversity is seen as an asset.

Do you want to contribute to developing a new field of research? University West is the first university in the world that offers a postgraduate education program in Work integrated learning (WIL)!

The scientific work in the project

The purpose of the PhD project is to explore and produce scientific knowledge on how Virtual Reality (VR) technology can be co-designed and co-developed together with practitioners and stakeholders, to facilitate sustainable training procedures that enhances the organizations’ work-integrated learning processes. Specific outcomes shall thus help the organizations to increase employees’ sustainability awareness by concretizing more sustainable work-integrated learning behaviors and choices, as well as to allocate fixed resources to carry out real training scenarios in VR under secure circumstances. The outcomes of the project need to bridge practical relevancy through a joint effort between researchers and practitioners, with scientific knowledge that is viable for the fields of work-integrated learning and Information Systems.

Scientific domain: Work-Integrated Learning (WIL)

Work-Integrated Learning is an interdisciplinary, postgraduate subject with a connection to social science and humanities. The subject is defined by issues focused on the relation between work life and meaningful learning. Work life is broadly defined and includes other forms of work than traditional work-pay relationships. The concept of meaningful learning can be understood through change and socialization processes connected to knowledge and competence. Attention is given to learning conditions, organization, processes, content, forms, and consequences of digitalization for the practices. Research within this subject includes but are not limited to: work in change due to technology intervention, relation between technology, education and work, and social conditions for learning at the workplace. The focus of the studies can be individuals, groups, organizations, mechanisms, structures, in relation to technology and digitalization.

Doctoral degree program: Work-integrated Learning (WIL)

Research center: The PhD project will be conducted in close collaboration with other doctoral students and researchers in the Work-Integrated Learning research environment at University West, https://www.hv.se/arbetsintegrerat-larande/ 

The collaboration arenas of the project include large organizations from the industries of transportation and manufacturing. These arenas constitute collaborating parties and provide access to the empirical contexts involved in the project. In addition, the project provides state-of-the- art technical infrastructure, support, and digital competence through an internal lab known as ‘OpenLab’ at University West.

Job description: The research program includes, in addition to participation in third-cycle courses and other activities, implementation of an independent thesis work. Doctoral students shall primarily devote themselves to their own education. A doctoral student may, however, be engaged to a limited extent in education, research and administration, mainly within the department where the student is accepted. Such duties, before a doctorate has been conferred, may not occupy more than 20 percent of full-time working hours. (Higher Education Ordinance (SFS 1993:100) Chapter 5 section 2). The applicant will be associated with School of Business, Economics, and IT.

Qualification requirements:
The basic eligibility requirements for doctoral programs as set out in the Higher Education Ordinance are as follows:

- A degree at master’s level (one year).
- Completed courses totaling at least 240 university credits of which a minimum of 60 at master’s level or, substantially equivalent knowledge gained in some other way whether in Sweden or abroad.

The research and education board can for a specific applicant grant an exception from the basic eligibility requirement if special conditions are met, in line with the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 7 §39.

To fulfil the special eligibility requirements for a doctoral degree in Work Integrated Learning, a student must have acquired 90 university credits in a subject relevant Work Integrated Learning or have acquired corresponding knowledge in other contexts and a degree project of at least 15 university credits at master’s level or other written work of corresponding character and scope. The eligibility requirements may be fulfilled by studies in Sweden or abroad.

For more information, please read 3.1 and 3.2 in https://www.hv.se/globalassets/dokument---medarbetare/08.-mallar/general-syllabus-for-third-cycle-studies-in-work-integrated-learning-last-revised-2022-02-10.pdf Daybook nr U 2021/159

Selection: The basic factor for selection from among qualified applicants is the ability to profit from such a program. For more information please read 3.3 in https://www.hv.se/globalassets/dokument---medarbetare/08.-mallar/general-syllabus-for-third-cycle-studies-in-work-integrated-learning-last-revised-2022-02-10.pdf, Daybook nr U 2021/159

For more information about the project and the recruitment process, please read the full advertisement here: https://hv.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:493334/