Are you wondering why students would take part in student teams that work on real-life challenges outside the curriculum? Do you want to find out what they learn and what roles educational institutions could play in these challenges? How experiences of these challenges can be used by the university? Then this vacancy might just be something for you!

The aim of the proposed postdoc project is to conduct an evaluation study on current student challenges in the WUR context, offered outside the curriculum. Important topics that the project aims to investigate are students motives to engage in extracurricular challenges, the roles and learning processes students engage in during these challenges, the role that content and other characteristics of challenges play in these learning processes and the conditions and support that universities and other stakeholders provide during these processes.
The Education and Learning Sciences (ELS) chair group conducts the study, and the project resides under the 4TU Centre for Engineering Education, that disseminates and stimulates educational innovation in the wider 4TU context. As postdoc, your supervision lies by senior staff of ELS.

You will strengthen our team when you:

• have a PhD preferably in educational/learning sciences or a closely related discipline (educational psychology, innovation sciences), and future ambitions in science
• have experience with research on (Dutch) higher education, student-centered learning, learning outside the classroom and/or entrepreneurship education, formative assessment, and have written scientific publications on these topics
• are creative and innovative
• are a hardworking networker who loves working in a team in an international context and with a variaty of stakeholders (such as commisioners, teachers or coaches, etc.)
• are dedicated, open for receiving feedback and able to take the perspective of others.

A role in other innovation projects and education is possible, depending on wishes/needs.
This position requires an excellent English language proficiency (minimum CEFR C1 level). For more information about this proficiency level, please visit our special language page .

We offer you a meaningful job until the end of 2021 (first a 6 month contract and upon positive evaluation an extension for the remainder period of the project) at WUR, at the Education and Learning science group. The organization has good and flexible employment conditions, including good education and training facilities. This will be a position for 0.5 fte. In case other tasks are also taken up, an additional contract may be opted for.

We will reward you with a market-based salary. You have the opportunity to work more hours to save for additional holidays. The salary will depend on the qualifications and experience with a gross minimum of € 2.709-, and a maximum of € 4.274,- based on 38 hours, in according to the Collective Labour Agreement of Wageningen University (scale 10).
In addition we offer:

• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% fixed-year allowance
• Excellent training opportunities and secondary working conditions
• Flexible working hours and vacations can in consultation with colleagues be settled so that an optimal balance between work and private is possible
• An excellent pension scheme via ABP
• 232 holiday hours, the ability to purchase and good supplementary leave arrangements and an individualized model to compose part of your working conditions and a bicycle plan
• sports facilities available on campus which can be used against a small fee.

Wageningen University & Research stimulates internal career opportunities and mobility with our internal recruitment policy. There are ample opportunities for personal initiative in a learning environment. With us you get a versatile job in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

Wageningen University & Research

The mission of our University is to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life. Within Wageningen University & Research, nine specialised research institutes from the Wageningen Research Foundation and Wageningen University have joined forces to help answer the most important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment.

With approximately 30 locations, 6,500 employees, and 12,000 students, it is one of the leading organisations in its domain worldwide. An integrated approach to problems and the cooperation between various disciplines are at the heart of the unique approach of Wageningen. We have been named Best Employer in Education category 2019-2020.

Click here for more information about working at Wageningen University & Research.

The Education and Learning Sciences (ELS) group aims to understand and facilitate the enhancement of human potential in response to global challenges, in particular those in the domain of food and life sciences through research and education. Research focuses on learning trajectories, learning environments, learning processes and outcomes and relations between these elements.
More information about Wageningen Campus you can find here.