PhD on Learning Analytics for supporting student well-being

Irène Curie Fellowship

No

Department(s)

Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences

Reference number

V39.5981

Student well-being has been a topic of concern in higher education. Are you interested in designing and evaluating ways to (unobtrusively) monitor and analyze student well-being?
Are you interested in tailoring interventions and feedback towards students to optimize their academic resilience?

Consider applying for the PhD position on learning analytics for supporting student well-being at the Human-Technology Interaction Group (HTI) of the School of Innovation Sciences.

The project

Student well-being has come under pressure in recent years and the pandemic situation, combined with the trend towards more blended and online learning, made this issue more salient. At TU/e and other Dutch universities, study stress and a high workload create the need to monitor well-being more efficiently and to empower students to manage their resilience.

In this PhD project, you will use learning analytics to monitor and improve student well-being in higher education in blended courses. In the first phase, you will develop predictive models based on students' online behavior (e.g., clickstream data) to monitor student well-being.
These prediction models will be evaluated across different student groups. In the second phase, you will iteratively design and develop feedback, such as learner dashboards, as part of larger interventions aimed at strengthening students' academic resilience. You will take into account the relevant scientific theories and empirical findings on educational interventions that target student well-being. These interventions and feedback will be personalized using information on an individual student's learning process. The final interventions will be evaluated in selected courses at TU/e in field experiments.

The research group

The Human-Technology Interaction (HTI) group is part of the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences (IE&IS). The HTI group concentrates expertise in social sciences - particularly psychology - and engineering, studying technology in the service of human wellbeing within the broader context of a socially and ecologically sustainable society.

• Recently completed (or be close to the completion of) a Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Psychology, Educational sciences, or a related field that shows an interest in both data analysis as well as psychology.
• Demonstrable experience in conducting empirical and/or experimental research, including knowledge of and demonstrable experience with applying (state-of-the-art) statistical techniques.
• Experience with data wrangling (e.g., in R, Python).
• Excellent mastering of the English language and good communication skills. Note that there is no Dutch language requirement.

We expect you to:

• further develop the project proposal based on academic literature, and in collaboration with educational stakeholders
• design empirical (field) studies
• design lab/online experiments
• statistically analyze data obtained from field studies and experiments and report on results
• communicate practical implications of your research to specific stakeholders/the general public
• present the findings of your research at (inter)national scientific conferences
• publish papers in internationally renowned academic journals

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months. You will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process .
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.

About us

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow. 

Information

More information about the HTI group can be found at https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/innovation-sciences/human-technology-interaction/ .

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more?
Please contact the hiring manager dr. Rianne Conijn m.a.conijn[at]tue.nl or dr. Uwe Matzat u.matzat[at]tue.nl.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact Kim Spinder - van Puijenbroek (HR Advisor), pz.ieis[at]tue.nl.

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page .

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including the contact information of two references.
• Master thesis (or any other report that shows your academic writing).

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.

Please keep in mind you can upload only 5 documents up to 2 MB each. If necessary please combine files.