The Open Universiteit is a leader in the application of new learning technologies and educational concepts, both in its own right and through collaboration with partners. A key concept is competency-based lifelong learning in a virtual learning environment, which is flexible, personalised and of high quality. The Open University has 26.000 students and about 750 employees. The main campus is in Heerlen. Spread over the Netherlands there are 13 study centres and 3 support centres. There are also 6 study centres in Flanders.

The Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies (CELSTEC) is a Centre of Excellence in the fields of Learning Sciences and Technology Enhanced Learning. CELSTEC aims to research, develop and provide sustainable and evidence-based solutions for the advancement of learning at work, at school, at home and on the move. This is accomplished by combining state-of-the-art research in the Learning Sciences with the innovative powers of new media, mobile devices and the Internet. New solutions are extensively tested in our laboratories and in real practice, following the principles of open innovation. CELSTEC has got four programs: LEARNING & COGNITION, LEARNING NETWORKS and LEARNING MEDIA. It also runs a SCHOOL OF EDUCATION. In 2008 CELSTEC’s research programmes received the highest average score of all educational research programmes in the Netherlands. It has about 100 fte of staff. Under its former name “OTEC” (Dutch abbreviation of Educational Technology Expertise Centre), the institute gained worldwide recognition as a successful centre for research and innovation in the field. The history of the institute goes back to the early 1980's.

The Learning Media programme where this project is positioned has three foci, namely Immersive Media, Mobile Media and Social Media. The research is user-inspired, theory driven and application oriented.

For extending its research on Serious Games the Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies (CELSTEC) offers a post-doc research position.

POST-DOC RESEARCHER ON SERIOUS GAMES

(1,0 fte) temporary position for 3 years

Vacancy number CELSTEC/11034

The research focus will be on the technical aspects of serious games development. As a member of the serious gaming research team you will be responsible for the technical design and implementation of prototypical serious game scenarios to be used in experiments and pilots. This involves the use of existing (3D) game engines, scripting of game components’ behaviours, graphical pipeline, user profiling, multi-user synchronisation and the integration of external services, e.g. external data sources and video streams.

In addition you will be involved in two additional topics that are being researched by the serious gaming team, both linked with new approaches of supporting learners during gaming. One topic of research is the use of sensors for the establishing (hidden) user states. Sensors include bio-sensors for establishing physiological states (e.g. heartbeat) and sound and image pattern recognition tools for extracting affective states (e.g. mood, facial expression). The other topic is the use of language analysis technologies in games. As a first step these tools will be used for diagnosing written messages and assignments, so that during game play tailored, personalised feedback can be given. We expect you to focus on the technical implementation and integration of these different tools in game environments and become an expert for these.

Function-demands
A PhD in computer science, educational technology or related academic field.
Excellent programming knowledge and skills covering relevant OO-frameworks, scripting languages, databases and web services development.
Experience in interaction design and artificial intelligence.
Capability of integrating diverse hardware and software components.
Strong commitment to pursue an academic career.
Interest in serious gaming and educational technology.
The capability of publishing in high quality scientific journals.
Good communication skills; fluency in English (oral and written).

Salary
The maximum salary for a permanent and full-time position is € 4.374- gross per month conform VSNU standards and depending upon your qualifications and experience.

Station
Heerlen.

Information
For more information about this vacancy you can contact: dr. Wim Westera, Programme Director Learning Media,  tel.: +31 455762408, e-mail: wim.westera@ou.nl or Peter van Rosmalen, Associate Professor, tel.: +31 455762889, e-mail: peter.vanrosmalen@ou.nl

For additional information about the Open Universiteit and CELSTEC, you can visit our website:  www.ou.nl and www.celstec.org

The Open Universiteit offers flexible working conditions and good secondary benefits such as training, mobility, part-time employment and paid parental leave.

Application Procedure
Letters of application should be accompanied by a Curriculum Vitae. Please write the vacancy number both on the letter and the envelope and send the application to: Open Universiteit, Financial Administrative Servicecenter (FAS), P.O. Box 2960, 6401 DL Heerlen, The Netherlands. You can also apply by sending these documents via e-mail to solliciteren@ou.nl. Do not forget to mention the vacancy number.

Closing date: June 23, 2011