Tarja Irene Tikkanen
Professor i pedagogikk
Institutt for grunnskolelærerutdanning, idrett og spesialpedagogikk
Bio
Background and academic interests
Tarja Tikkanen is an internationally renowned researcher investigating lifelong learning in the context of working life. Within this wide scope, major topics for her research have been: job-related competence (skills, knowledge, attitudes) in general, and in the context of the digital transformation and technology-rich work environments, in particular; participation in job-related learning, and; organisational learning and leadership from a learning organization perspective. She has been exploring these issues from different perspectives and within different sectors (private and public enterprises, such as kindergartens, schools, also trade unions). She gained her PhD in 1998 from the Department of Education, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, with her Minor in Social Policy. She became full professor in 2011.
Her current work in RDI is related to digital transformation in society in the context of education, particularly in the areas of technology-enhanced learning as well as skills and competence in teacher education and schools. This work involves dynamic collaboration with a wide network of Nordic and European researchers and educators, aiming at contributing to quality development in higher education in general, and in teacher education and training in particular, to support teacher educators' development of their Professional Digital Competence (PDC, defined as PfDK in Norway).
Current position
- Professor in Education, Department of Education and Sports Science (Teacher Education), University of Stavanger
- Since 2020: the representant of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Stavanger, in the Thematic Working Group for Teacher Education in the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU). - More of ECIU Education here.
International Fellowships
- Invited Visiting Fellow at the Faculty of Education, QUT Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, January-July 2003. Visiting the OVAL Research Centre, University of Technology UTS, Sydney in June 2003 (one-day seminar 16.6.2003
- Fulbright-scholarship 1992-93, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Rackham Graduate School/PhD).
Research and dissemination
Most of Tarja's research work is international and comparative, primarily Nordic and European, but also wider international. She has solid experience on managing, coordinating, and contributing to regional and national R&D projects in Finland and Norway. She has had a range of expert assignments for the European Commission and the Nordic Council, also to the OECD, and been frequently invited to contribute as a scientific expert, together with expertise contributions to policy and practice.
Tarja has published widely on her research, including editorial work, e.g. for CEDFOP/EU and special issues in scientific journals.
ORCID orcid.org/0000-0001-5952-3875
Current projects
2023-2026: "Skills partnerships for sustainable and just migration patterns" (SKILLS4JUSTICE) financed from the EU call HORIZON-CL2-2023-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-03: Global Shortages and Skill Partnerships Specific conditions. Local Project Leader at UiS. Project Coordinator Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania. Partner,s from the EU countries France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, and from non- EU countries Turkey, UK, Norway, Noth Macedonia, Ukraine, and Ethiopia. Target group youth and young adults aged 16-35 years. Related to the EEA-project EmpowerVET.
2021-2023: "Vocational education and training, migration, social exclusion, empowerment, social integration (EmpowerVET)" EEA Baltic Research Programme Grant. Local Project Leader at UiS. Project Coordinator Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania. Partners: University of Latvia, Tallinn University, Estonia, University of Stavanger, Norway. - See an article in Education+Training.
2020-2023: "No teacher educator left behind (NOTELEB)" - Erasmus+ Strategic partnership for the development of innovation/Higher Education (2020-1-NO01-KA203-076495). Project leader & coordinator. Partners: TUB/Germany, Tallinn University/ Estonia, University of Jyvaskyla/Finland, NTNU/Norway. - Project Card
Completed projects (selection)
2020-2023: "Digital competence in teacher training in the Nordic countries" - Nordplus (NPHE-2020/10184). Project leader. Coordinator: University of Stavanger (NO). Partners: University College Copenhagen (DK), Tallinn University (EE), University of Jyvaskyla (FI), University of Iceland (IS), Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL/NO), NTNU (NO), Linnaeus University (SE).
2020: "Future-oriented and pedagogic use of AR-technology and D-modelling in schools." (Framtidsrettet og pedagogisk bruk av AR-teknologi og 3D-modellering i grunnskolen) ? Regional Research Fund, Oslo (RFF Oslo). Coordination: Ludenso. Partner: University of Stavanger. Report: Framtidsrettet og pedagogisk bruk av AR-teknologi i grunnskolen
2020: "Impact of public authorities and educational technology on development of professional digital competence in teacher education and schools" - The University and College Network for Western Norway (UH-Nett Vest). Project coordinator. Collaboration with NLA University College, University of Bergen, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), and Volda University College. - See an article in NJDL.
2014-2018: Skills development for realizing the workforce competence reserve (SkillsREAL). THe Research Council of Norway (RCN/NFR). Project Coordinator. Carried out in collaboration between HVL (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, former HSH), Reading Centre at the University of Stavanger, and Norce (former International Research Institute of Stavanger, IRIS), with Scientific Advisors from partner universities in Finland (JyU), Sweden (LIU) and Australia (Griffith University). - Project Poster (in Norwegian).
2012-2017: A case study A Small Step Strategy to Boost Integration of Digital Technology in Learning and Teaching at an Upper-Secondary School (published in E. Elstad (Ed.) Digital Expectations and Experiences in Education), as a part a large research project Learning in the 21st century: Capitalising on students' digital strengths; compensating for desired capabilities 2012-2017 (NRC 218245). Principal investigator in the case study. Project coordinator HVL.
2014-2016: Promoting learning and development in multisensory environments with assistive technology solutions (SPEDUTEC). NORDPLUS Higher Education. Project leader.
2012-2013: Curriculum in kindergarten? Language learning and use of ICT with small children (CHILDICT). NORDPLUS Horizontal. Project leader.
2012-2014: Promoting competence building in Service Design through Touch-points (PRO-COMPETENCE). NORDPLUS Higher Education. Norwegian coordinator. Project Coordinator: Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Finland.
2008-2010: CM ProWork Transfer project on competence management. An Innovation Transfer project under the Leonardo da Vinci Programme (LLP/EU). Norwegian coordinator. Project Coordinator: the Fraunhofer Institute (IAO), Germany.
