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CALL – /Closed till 2019/
… 1. General information about the Tuning Academy and the Short-Term Visits Initiative The International Tuning Academy has been established with the aim of
(1) making the results of all Tuning and Tuning-related projects accessible to the academic community and (2) stipulating research on Tuning-related topics.
The present call is launched by the Deusto headquarters of the Tuning Academy: Deusto International Tuning Academy (DITA), University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain. In the framework of the different TUNING projects a methodology has been developed for (re-)designing, developing, and implementing first-, second- and third-cycle university degree programmes, as well as for evaluating and enhancing the quality of programmes of higher education. The TUNING methodology helps all the stakeholders understand higher education curricula and make these comparable. The five focus lines of the Tuning educational projects have been as follows:
– Generic competences,
– Subject-specific competences,
– The role of credits as an accumulation system and means of measuring students’ workload
– Approaches to learning, teaching, and assessment appropriate for competence-based learning; and
– The role of quality enhancement in the educational process (emphasizing systems based on internal institutional quality culture).
. The Short-Term Visits Scholarship Scheme has been established in order to bring together academics who have already been exploring Tuning-related topics, and PhD students/junior academics interested in researching one of the four broad topics outlined below, thus further consolidating Tuning-related research as a distinct domain within the general area of higher education studies. . Research projects we are looking for will focus on one of these 4 topics:
1) analysing and evaluating the impact produced by the Tuning projects at the level of particular higher education programmes/institutions/countries/regions
– How can the impact be measured? What could be the indicators? – What was the impact in a particular department/ university/ country/ region? Or in two different departments/ universities/ countries/ regions? (and why?) – Case studies and/or theoretical model(s))
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. 2) approaches to learning, teaching and assessment of generic competences – concrete examples of what is done within higher education degrees accompanied by enhancement proposals based on both theoretical and empirical data
– Research on how certain generic competence(s) seem to be developed; on ways of helping students develop one or a number of generic competences that work – In which contexts? Under what circumstances? What is the evidence? – What are the “myths” that do not have empirical support? – How can a generic competence be assessed (a particular generic competence in a particular context) – both in terms of assessing students to help them learn and assessing to see what they have learned? – Research on peer- and self-assessment; development of assessment literacy; engaging students in the assessment process; assessment of internship/placement periods; assessment of competences developed outside the formal context; students’ perspective on development and assessment of competences; use of ICT; online context; – How generic are generic competences?;
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3) staff development initiatives that facilitate implementation of competence-based approaches – critical evaluation of their appropriateness and how well they meet the needs of different stakehoders; identification of staff development needs which are not met;
– What support (in terms of staff development initiatives) is needed to implement a competence-based approach? What has been shown to work/not to work? – Are there different groups of staff each of which might need different support (in terms of staff development)? Which ones and why? – How to identify the staff development needs and monitor these? – What staff development needs seem to be “universal” and which depend on the context? Which context? – What staff development needs are not met? – Online versus face-to-face modes; local versus global approach; etc.
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. 4) curriculum reform and incorporation of the Tuning approach in institutional and national policies.
– Case studies – How exactly the Tuning approach has been incorporated into an institutions and/or a national policy in a concrete case? – What are the resources needs to implement competence-based approach at a level of one university department? at the level of the whole university? – What factors help and which act as obstacles?
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10 scholarships for 4-weak research visits are offered for those already pursuing research or interested in undertaking studies in any of the four research topics and interested in spending one month at DITA between October 2018 and June 2019. The four-week «writing retreat» will give the selected candidates the opportunity to prepare an article for an international peer-reviewed journal – Tuning Journal for Higher Education.
If you believe that your research project is closely related to the TUNING lines but is not included in any of the four broad research topics indicated above, you may still apply and your application will be considered. However, research projects within the four research topics will be prioritized.
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What is provided (apart from the funding)?
1) On-site access to DITA databases and the University of Deusto library (project data; survey data, including data with restricted access; library specialized on Tuning-related topics);
2) Methodological advice on research topic; and
3) Practical and logistic support while in Bilbao.
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2. Types of candidates/Eligibility criteria The Short-Term Visits Scholarships can be granted to:
1) young researcher enrolled in doctoral programmes elsewhere and focusing on a topic related to DITA’s current priority research lines (see above);
2) scholars holding a PhD and currently actively engaged in post-doctoral research on a topic related to DITA’s current priority research lines (see above), and
3) university staff not usually involved in research activities but interested in conducting research on one of the four topics.
. There are no limitations as to country of residence, nationality, age or gender.
The only formal limitation is a high level of English: selected candidates need to be capable of producing a high-quality academic article in English and of making their end-of-stay public presentation in English. (If you are pre-selected for the scholarship and English is not your native language, a short online interview will be conducted to make sure you can discuss your research topic in English).
3. Application procedure In order to be considered for a Short-Term Visit Scholarship you need to
(1) complete the Online Application Form in English and
(2) email your CV (in English) to mariayarosh@deusto.es
The Online Application Form does not allow partial completion (saving part of information and returning to the Form later to continue its completion). Therefore, you need to have the following texts ready before you start completing the Form:
1) A very short summary of your Research Proposal (max. 7 lines or 560 characters with spaces)
2) A more detailed Research and Study Visit Plan (max. 3 pages with 1.5 spacing or 8,641 characters with spaces). For elements to be covered, read the respective Online Application Form instructions carefully (“Research and Study Visit Plan” section).
. The deadline for submitting applications is 30 April 2018. No applications completed after 23:59 Central European Time on 30 April 2018 will be considered. . 4. Selection principles An international selection panel will evaluate the applications taking into consideration the following criteria:
1) Quality of the research project proposed and its appropriateness in terms of DITA’s research priorities;
2) Research record of the candidate;
3) Potential for long-term collaboration.
No certificate of English proficiency is required from candidates, but the level of English will be taken into consideration because successful candidates must be able to produce academic publications in English.
Pre-selected candidates will be notified by 18 May 2018 and will be required to submit a detailed outline of the article (which they plan to prepare as a result of their stay at Bilbao). The detailed outline will need to be submitted by email by 18 June 2018. The final selection results will be announced after the revision of the detailed outlines and a short online interview by 2 July 2018.
No additional reasons for decisions will be given. . . 5. Notification Pre-selected candidates will be notified by email by 18 May 2018. The final selection results will be published on the Tuning Academy website and emailed to all applicants no later than 2 July 2018. Unsuccessful candidates will be welcome to reapply for the next call (in a year). . 6. Handling of personal information Personal data of applicants and grantees will be stored electronically in DITA’s computer files only to the extent necessary for the administration of the applications and scholarships. . 7. Funding The Short-Term Visits Scholarships consist of
– a standard health insurance for the 4 weeks,
– full or partial reimbursement of the travel costs for a return ticket (up to 500 euros), and
– accommodation and maintenance support (Option 1 or Option 2).
No additional money for travel or congress participation will be made available to visiting researchers. The health insurance is issued and paid for by the University of Deusto. The return ticket is purchased by the visiting researcher and is then reimbursed (if the total cost does not exceed 500 euros) or partly reimbursed (up to the sum of 500 euros) by DITA. Any changes the researcher needs to make after the ticket has been purchased are to be covered by the researcher. The accommodation and maintenance support accommodation is transferred to the grantee upon his/her arrival to Bilbao and the grantee is then responsible for paying the accommodation fee to the accommodation provider directly.
Option 1: Accommodation at the Halls of Residence of the University of Deusto (individual room, full board 28-30 nights of stay)
Option 2: Accommodation is booked directly by the researcher, who is also responsible for his/her own maintenance. A one-off transfer of 1000 euros is made to the researcher’s account upon his/her arrival in Bilbao.
. If the visiting researcher does not comply with the Study Visit Plan and requirements as stipulated in “Visiting Researcher Agreement” (to be signed first electronically and then in hard copy upon arrival in Bilbao) the scholarship may be cancelled and the visiting researcher will be obliged to reimburse the cost of both monthly allowance and travel. . 8. What is required of successful grantees Successful grantees must:
Research:
1) regularly update DITA on their research progress before coming to Bilbao and in the period between the end of research visit and the publication of the resulting article(s);
2) present the main outcomes of their research (1) to the DITA staff during the first week of the stay, and (2) in an open presentation during the last week of the stay (an end-of-stay oral presentation in English open to the university community and to the Tuning research community);
3) submit a high-quality research article to the Tuning Journal for Higher Education prepared during the Research Visit (to be submitted within 3 months after the end of the Research Stay in Bilbao) and work on any revisions necessary for the article to be accepted for publication;
4) notify DITA of any publications and/or presentations on Tuning-related topics during and after the visit; and
5) acknowledge DITA Short-Term Visit Scholarship Scheme in all such publications and/or presentations.
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Logistics:
1) email a completed electronic copy of the “Visiting Researchers Agreement” to confirm the acceptance of the scholarship;
2) inform DITA of any documents they need from DITA in order to apply for a Spanish visa, if relevant;
3) agree on the period of the visit (after the data have been collected!)
4) purchase their return ticket and present DITA with the required documentation for reimbursement (of up to 500 euros);
5) sign a hard copy of the “Visiting Researchers Agreement” upon arrival in Bilbao.
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9. Contact details For any questions, doubts or queries, please contact Maria Yarosh at mariayarosh@deusto.es . 10. Self-funded researchers Applications for self-funded research visits are accepted anytime. Those interested should follow the application guidelines and their applications will be considered against the same criteria as applications for Short-Term Visit Scholarships. The visit period will need to suit both the researcher’s and DITA’s agendas. .