Jan 27 2015

Alumni spotlight: Inês Proença

Posted in Hedda Spotlights and Chronicles
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Hedda alumna Inês Proença

And the Spotlights are back! In this edition, Hedda student Enzo Rossi is asking a few questions from Inês Proença who is a Hedda alumna from Portugal. 

Inês graduated from the programme in July 2009. Previously she had carried out a four years bachelor degree in Languages and Business Skills in Aveiro (Portugal).

For her the Hedda programme was an excellent academic opportunity and at the same time made her dream come true: studying in 4 different countries and making friends from all continents.

She has moved to Brussels in September 2009 to do an internship in the European Commission (DG Education and Culture) and has been working in Belgium ever since, first as a project officer in ESMU – European Centre for Strategic Management of Universities, then for EFMD as a coordinator of activities in the Business Schools Services unit and more recently as the coordinator of the student mobility office (exchange programmes) at Université Libre de Bruxelles.

In her free time, she loves walking in the nature, reading, cooking, watching series, travelling and learning new languages.

What made you choose the Master programme in Higher Education?

To be very honest, it happened almost by chance. At that point I was doing an internship in Portugal and I knew I wanted to study further but I was not sure what exactly. One evening I opened the electronic newspaper of the University of Aveiro (which I rarely did as I had already graduated) and I saw the information for applications there. I found it interesting / an unusual field of studies. As I saw it only two days before the deadline, I did all I could to fill in the application but without much hope that I could actually be selected. I did not have a very clear idea of what the master in higher education was all about or what the professional perspectives were but I thought I would give it a try. It wasn’t until later when I was already in Oslo that I really discovered higher education as a field of study and I must admit that I loved it (and this is why I am still working in the field)! Another point that made me apply was the international dimension of the programme, having colleagues from all over the world. I can say that I made good friends for life and after more than 5 years we are all still in contact. I do not exaggerate when I say that this programme changed my life in a very positive way, academically, professionally and personally. (more…)


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Jan 23 2015

Call for participants: Workshop on Transnational Knowledge Relations and Researcher Mobility in the Gulf region

Posted in Conferences and Seminars

UAE_Dubai_Gulf_Research_Center_GRCInterested in researcher mobility, transnational knowledge cooperation and the Gulf region, or know someone who is?

GRCC (Gulf Research Center Cambridge)  is holding a funded workshop on “Transnational Knowledge Relations and Researcher Mobility for Building Knowledge-Based Societies and Economies in the Gulf”.

The workshop will take place 24-27 August 2015 at Cambridge University. The workshop is led by Dr. Jean Marc Rickli (King’s College London), Dr. Rasmus G. Bertelsen (University of Tromso) and Dr. Neema Noori (University of West Georgia).

This organisers highkight that the workshop will explore the intellectual relations and researcher mobility between the Gulf and the outside world with a specific focus on Gulf universities and other relevant actors such as think tanks, professional organizations, government organizations, and business communities.  They are also interested in knowledge networks that connect the Gulf to non-Western organizations, both public and private, in Asia and beyond.

This includes questions such as:  (more…)


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Jan 22 2015

Review: How emotions and gender can avoid the ‘echo chamber effect’ on web systems?

Posted in Guest Bloggers and Commentary
Filipa M. Ribeiro (University of Porto)

Filipa M. Ribeiro
(University of Porto)

Social network analysis has emerged in recent years as an important tool for examining social phenomena. In this review, Filipa M. Ribeiro, PhD researcher and science writer from University of Porto examines a recent dissertation on social network analysis that amongst else provides suggestions to how one can use social data and avoid the so-called echo-chamber effect. 

At a first glance, the dissertation entitled “Emotions and Recommender Systems: A Social Network Approach”, by Carlos Figueiredo from the University of Austin, Texas,  does not seem to relate to other fields than digital media. However, his research and considerations on the use of massive social data is useful for all fields, particularly education related fields as it deals with the current threats of using massive quantities of social data and social networks.

But first things first and let’s summarize the main strong points of this research work. First, the topic about the emotional implications of recommender system is of central importance to digital media and communication. (more…)


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Jan 19 2015

OECD data comparison tool

Posted in Resources and Info

OECD has just published a beta version of their new data portal.

The website provides a comprehensive search to examine and compare charts, maps, tables and related publications by the OECD.

The OECD collects data about various indicators in the OECD countries, under four key categories: indicators about educational attainment, educational resources, international student assessment (PISA) and youth inactivity.

The pages for each of the indicators provide explanations of data, and options to customize the datasets. Furthermore, you can view the data as a chart, or as a world map or in the form of a table. The site also allows to create embed code for the graphs and tables, allowing you to embed interactive directly on your page. We have embedded one example here:

For those studying OECD countries and wanting to use OECD data, the site looks to be a valuable resource to visualize and compare data.

Find the online tool for education indicators here.


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Jan 16 2015

Call for applications: doctoral fellowship at CSO / Sciences Po / CNRS

Posted in Opportunities in Higher Education

csoA three-year doctoral fellowship in sociology has been announced within the programme for higher education and research at CSO (Center for the Sociology of Organizations), Sciences Po and CNRS research unit.

The recipient of the PhD fellowship will have to apply for formal enrolment in the doctoral programs in sociology of Sciences Po in Paris. He/she will work under the supervision of Christine Musselin and Jérôme Aust.

The thesis project should focus on the policies for excellence in higher education, such as the Exzellenzinitiative in Germany or the Programme d’Investissement d’Avenir in France. It might deal with the genesis of these policies, the development of the instruments initiated in order to implement them, the way decisions were made, their impact on the higher education system (at any level: on the national landscape, on the university level, on the shop-floor,…). All these aspects might be covered within one country or only some of them in an international comparison.

Eligibility: The candidate will hold a master’s degree (or be able to get it before September 2015) and have training in sociology or political science. She or he should have experience in diverse empirical methods. A firm command of English and at least a working knowledge of French are required.

Deadline for applicants: 15th of March

Read more about the employment conditions and application procedure at CSO website


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