Collaborative discipline-based education research projects, across partners and across disciplines.
Building a research stronghold to strengthen university science education
The USE Center will profoundly change Danish university science education by bridging cutting-edge research with practical classroom teaching university-science curricula.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for University Science Education (USE Center) is established with an overarching vision - To create an international stronghold for university science education research and development.
The mission of the center is to strengthen science education at Danish universities. Partly by enhancing the excellence and capacity of discipline-based science education research, and partly by enhancing quality of curriculum, competences of teaching faculty, and learning of students.
When the mission is completed, international science education researchers, teaching faculty in science programmes, and their management will look to Denmark and know that there is a vibrant front-line environment for both research and development of university science education. More than 2.000 teachers and the 15.000 students at science programmes in Denmark will receive long-term benefit from dynamic science-teaching ecosystem in Denmark, characterized by innovative teaching practices, a strong sense of scholarly community around teaching, and a tangible shift towards research-informed teaching strategies.
Why create the USE Center?
The world needs excellent university science programmes more than ever before. But science programs face serious challenges through high non-completion rates, and the limited tradition for professional competence development related to teaching makes it difficult for science programs to continuously address emerging challenges.
Solutions to these challenges can only be relevant and sustainable in the long-term if they are based on discipline-based educational research rather than on anecdotal experience or tradition. Initiatives have to be aligned with state-of-the art knowledge about student learning.
This requires stronger capacity in Denmark for research-based improvements of science teaching practice done together with teachers and students and with a starting point in the particularities of the individual science disciplines.
What are the core activities of the USE Center?
To complete the mission, USE will coordinate four core activities:
USE-SCHOLAR
Funding for eleven PhD students at the three partner environments.
USE-CHANGE
Research-based competence development and dissemination activities for teachers and educational leaders.
USE-EXCHANGE
Funding for international professors visiting the Danish environments and travel grants for Danish USE researchers and teachers from the university science programs going abroad.
How is the USE Center organised?
The USE Center links a center hub at the Department of Science Education (IND), University of Copenhagen (UCPH), with interdisciplinary research groups in satellites at the University of Aarhus (AU) and the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), and with leading international environments as strategic partners.
What is the timeline for the USE Center?
The center will run over five years with an optional Phase Two of three years. The total budget is expected to be DKK125 (Phase One) + 75 (Phase Two) millions. Recruitment of the Center Leader will take place during 2024.
Vision
To create an international stronghold for university science education research and development.
Mission
To strengthen science education at Danish universities by enhancing the:
- excellence and capacity of discipline-based science education research.
- quality of curriculum, competences of teaching faculty, and learning of students.