Elisabeth Hovdhaugen

Research areas

• Studies in higher education
• Retention, dropout and completion of higher education
• Educational trajectories
• Educational systems, movements between levels of education
• Comparative and international studies
• Time students spend studying
• Measurement of student satisfaction and achievement
• Learning outcomes
• Educational reforms
• Completion and progression in upper secondary education

Educational background

• 2012, PhD Sociology, University of Oslo
• 2001, Masters in Sociology, University of Oslo
• 1998 (Autumn), UC Berkeley, Exchange student, Sociology
• 1998, Masters in Political science and International Studies, Uppsala University
• 1997, Bachelors in Sociology, University of Oslo

Co-employment

• 2002-current Researcher/senior researcher at NIFU (Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education)

Higher education and employment history

• I have a PhD in Sociology, the theme for the thesis was dropout in higher education and I defended my thesis in 2012. I have worked as a researcher since 2002, initially mainly in the field of higher education but later also in research on upper secondary education. I have been part of the evaluation team for the two latest large reforms in higher education and upper secondary education (Kvalitetsreformen and Kunnskapsløftet). I also have experience in working on international projects, as a participant in the consortium for Eurostudent IV (EU-based study), as the national project leader for AHELO (OECD study), and as teammember of a project for the European Commission, HEDOCE (Higher Education Dropout and Completion in Europe). I’m currently involved in another project for the European Commission: ETER (European Tertiary Education Register), which have been running since 2013.
• While doing my PhD I was a visiting scholar for one year (2008-09) with Professor Philip Altbach at the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. In 2012 I was a visiting scholar for two weeks at Centre for Research on Education Systems, with Professor Richard Teese at the University of Melbourne.

Teaching

• 2007-2008, 2010-2017: PED4031 Spørreskjemametodikk (surveymethodology)
• 2015-2017: PED4031 Introduksjon til eget forskningsarbeid
• 2015-2017: PED4031 SPSS, introduksjonskurs
• 2015: UTVIT1500
• 2017: PED4040

Ongoing projects

• Part of the team in the project Quality in Norwegian Higher Education: Pathways, Practices and Performances