MA student position "Neurodiversity in higher education", 2-year part-time (50%) position at the University of Akureyri (UNAK).
We are looking for a highly committed, enthusiastic master's student for a 2-year part-time (50%) position to support the project “neurodiversity in higher education” at the University of Akureyri (UNAK) in Northern Iceland. The position will start in the fall of 2024. The project was initiated by Ass. Prof. Grischa Liebel at Reykjavík University (RU) and will be carried out in close collaboration with his team and with Bifröst University (BU).
The prospective student will be admitted to the Research Master in Psychology under the supervision of Prof. Yvonne Höller at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Akureyri. The project is funded by the collaboration fund of Icelandic Universities.
The University of Akureyri (UNAK) offers a friendly working environment at one of the most beautiful research locations in the world, with many nearby leisure activities. Yvonne Höller leads a highly motivated and very nice team performing research at the BA, MA, and PhD level in topics of seasonal affective disorder, EEG technology, epilepsy, air pollution – and now also neurodiversity.
Neurodiversity describes variation in brain function between individuals, including conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or Dyslexia. Neurodiversity is common in the general population, for example, about 10% of the Icelandic population have Dyslexia. Neurodivergent individuals face substantial barriers in society, e.g., due to difficulties in communication or reduced attention span. In higher education, struggles to succeed are well-documented. However, while neurodivergent conditions have traditionally been considered as disabilities, neurodivergent individuals often exhibit strengths in comparison to neurotypical individuals.
Following the Universal design for learning principles where pedagogy is changed for all students we aim at improving the learning outcome for neurodiverse and non-neurodiverse students alike in selected courses. We propose to start the project in Fall 2024. We will conduct three rounds of interventions, based on materials that are based on scientific evidence, are co-created with neurodivergent students, and that are continuously optimised. Universal design for learning principles include, e.g., more flexibility and choice, information presentation in multiple modalities (verbal, visual, text), encouraging students to express themselves in alternative ways (written or oral), and allowing assistive technologies and information and communication technologies, among others.
Under the supervision of Yvonne Höller at the Department of Psychology at UNAK the student will:
Approval of registration for Master studies is a condition for employment. A minimum GPA of 7,25 for the BA in the Icelandic grading system is an entry requirement for the program.
Applications including a CV, Bachelor and other relevant Diploma copies in English, 2 contacts of reference (e-mail/phone), and a motivational letter or video (as a link) should be sent to: Prof. Yvonne Höller, yvonne@unak.is.