As a PhD student within the Technology Enhanced Learning and Innovation (TELI) group of the Welten Institute you will design and develop innovative, experimental prototypes based on scientific methods. You perform literature studies, field research (steps 1 & 2), and, in close collaboration with stakeholders, design, develop, and evaluate prototypical intervention tools to experiment with effects on influencing people’s perceptions and/or behaviour (steps 3 & 4). You will define appropriate research methods and instruments and together with the project team perform studies on the effects of your interventions. You will collect data about your findings and publish your research results in journal and conference publications. 

You will perform your research as independent as possible, however in close collaboration with your daily supervisors and promotor, as well as with the project team, stakeholders and the institute’s staff.

A Master of Science (MSc.) in Computer Science or comparable fields and experience with one of the following domains: Learning or instructional Sciences, Psychology, Pedagogy or similar fields. You have technical skills and are capable of developing small-scale digital prototypes for experimental use. You are interested in doing research with multi-modal sensor-based infrastructures. You are interested in field research and have an affinity and/or experience with research and knowledge of both qualitative and quantitative (statistical) research methods. Preferably, you have a background in or an affinity with the learning sciences.
On a more personal level, you are result-oriented, pro-active and you appreciate practice-oriented research. You have good oral and written communication skills, preferably both in English and in Dutch. You are an enthusiastic and decisive person who is capable of working both independently as well as in a (multidisciplinary) group context.

Fixed-term contract: Temporary position for 4 years.

The PhD student will be initially appointed for a period of 15 months. The appointment will be extended to four years when progress and performance are good. The salary is € 2.222,= gross per month in the first year and is expected to increase to € 2.840,= in the fourth year, for a fulltime appointment, contingent on satisfactory performance

The OUNL provides good secondary benefits such as training, mobility, part-time employment and paid parental leave.

Temporary position for 4 years.

Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences

Studying online anywhere in the Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders
The Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL) is the university in the Netherlands where students study part-time and follow online and activating education in bachelor and master degree programmes in seven fields of study. Characteristics of the education are openness, flexibility and quality. Enhancing the study success of students is an important point of focus. More than 14.000 students are studying at the OUNL and it has 600 employees. The OUNL has a network of regional study centres in the Netherlands and in Belgium (Flanders). The head office is situated in Heerlen.
The most modern technologies and educational insights are applied in bachelor and master programmes and courses and also in projects and programmes with partners. Nationally and internationally the OUNL plays a key role in the innovation of higher education. Education and research are closely interrelated which guarantees that the current state of science is applied. The OUNL not only invests in research in the various academic disciplines, but also in research in the field of learning, teaching and technology. 

Satisfied students
For several consecutive years, the OUNL has achieved a top position among the fourteen Dutch universities in the National Students Survey, the Dutch university guide ‘Keuzegids Universiteiten’ (in which the ratings by students and experts of the bachelor studies of the fourteen universities are compared), and the Dutch university guide ‘Keuzegids Masters’. In addition all studies score high in the rankings of the universities for these studies. All ratings 

http://www.ou.nl

Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
The faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences is strong in education and research. The faculty offers scientific bachelor and master studies Psychology and a master Educational Sciences. Four different master studies Psychology are offered: Work and organizational psychology, Health psychology, Clinical psychology and Lifespan psychology. The research programme of the scientific field of psychology is positioned within one of the four afore-mentioned fields of study of psychology. The Welten Institute is the research centre for learning, teaching and technology. It is a department of the faculty which plays an important role in research into the innovation of education and professionalization of teachers, both nationally and internationally.

The research project
The research is mainly financed via the research project FearFighter, funded in the research focus 2018 “De Veilige Stad / Safety in Urban Environments” of  the Open University of the Netherlands. The project is a joint effort of the Welten Institute’s research group on technology-enhanced learning innovations (TELI) in cooperation with the faculty of management sciences and technology (MST), the Heerlen City Council and the Centraal Bureau for Statistiek (CBS).
The project addresses the problem that individual fears, feelings or perceptions of unsafety do not always match the real safety situation. Fears may lead to irrational decisions and behaviour, such as avoiding certain places at certain times although looking at factual data it is not more dangerous than at other places. Amongst possible reasons for these irrational decisions are that perceptions were based on incomplete or wrong data, wrongly interpreted data, or missing awareness about existing data and no chance to compare these perceptions against these trustworthy data. FearFighter addresses selected aspects of safety and delivers a mobile app to support individuals in rational decision making by raising awareness for data in relation to safety (available data sources, reliable data sources, interpretation of data, safety issues involved with data) and by providing reflection support to compare these data with their perceptions. Therefore this project pilots a digital solution for involving and educating citizens about safety aspects in a data-driven way. This piloted prototype supports individuals to counter detected irrational fears through reflection support and, additionally, to contribute to collection of data.
In a four step research plan the project sets up to do:
Step 1: identification of data sources related to safety (emerging smart city perspective)
Step 2: identification of existing fears vs real threats
Step 3: development of prototype ‘mobile app’ intervention for reflection support, based on outcomes of step 2
Step 4: evaluation of prototype ‘mobile app’ intervention with stakeholders
The project also welcomes research on aspects of data handling and fear as related to computer science and psychology. These include for instance privacy aspects when gathering and processing (personal) data, data security, and how rational data can impact fear caused by irrational feelings.