At CLS we conduct research on learning and communication, on knowledge sharing and knowledge organisation. Put simply, we are interested in how researchers communicate their research, how teachers teach, how students learn and how teaching and learning can be developed and improved.
Contribute to Chalmers’ objective of world-class doctoral programmes
Doctoral programmes at Chalmers should be of the highest international standard. The work of all doctoral students should be characterised by scientific depth, the ability to see their work from a broad societal perspective and a good ability to communicate research findings to the outside world. We at CLS contribute to this through our Generic and Transferable Skills (GTS) activities. GTS provides training for doctoral students in areas such as communication, teaching, leadership, and research ethics.
We provide interdisciplinary working groups and outreach activities to enable doctoral students to create new networks to test, practise and enhance their communicative collaboration skills. The aim is to enhance the personal and professional skills that help researchers to gain visibility in the labour market, take on complex societal challenges and contribute to a sustainable society.
Report series about communication in higher education
This series publishes research reports on themes relating to the broad theme of communication and learning in higher education.
Interdisciplinary research environment
CLS is a small but rapidly growing research environment at Chalmers. This is an area where we work closely together, both literally and metaphorically. This allows us to tackle research questions together as soon as they arise, create collaborations as a matter of course and benefit from each other’s expertise.
CLS research in the fields of engineering education research and learning linked to communication and language contributes to understanding the conditions for learning, teaching and communication in higher education and research, primarily in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics – STEM. Our research in library and information science contributes to a better understanding of strategic publishing and problematising gender in the context of the publication of research.
Graduate School with two specialisations
In 2020, CLS launched the Graduate School of Communication and Learning in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics – STEM. The Graduate School’s doctoral students are involved in doctoral programmes and research in areas such as intercultural communication, scientific communication, cooperative learning in innovative learning environments and cooperative writing in engineering education.
The Graduate School has two specialisations:
• learning associated with communication and language, and
• learning in the context of engineering sciences.
Both rely on practical and applied research.
In addition to the department’s own doctoral students, CLS also regularly hosts interdisciplinary doctoral students. They are based in another department but want to focus their research on either learning or communication in their area of study.
Read more about our Graduate School here
The graduate school SPETS
CLS also participate in the graduate school SPETS (Studies on Professional Education and Training for Society) constitutes a national arena for research and doctoral training on professional education and professional development. The overall aim of SPETS is to strengthen the knowledge base for professional education and to extend discussions and cooperation both nationally and internationally.
Professional education refers to vocational programs, e.g., engineering education as well as programs that lead to credentialing professions like teacher education and healthcare education as well as education leading to an artistic degree. Doctoral education is also accommodated within SPETS' focus, as are internal professional development efforts for teachers and researchers working in higher education.
Within SPETS, current research is conducted on the conditions of the university and higher education, on research and teaching, supervision, and learning, on education policy and digitization. Within the SPETS arena, several important and current knowledge deficits in society have been identified for which new research is needed.
Read more about the graduate school on Lund University’s website
Six research themes
Research groups at CLS represent constellations of researchers collaborating on a common theme and are composed of researchers who collaborate flexibly on a variety of research-based goals such as co-authoring of conference papers, scientific articles, outreach initiatives, and funding applications
Click on the respective theme if you want to know more.
- Internationalization of Higher Education
- Learning and teaching in Higher Education: self- and social regulation, metacognition, and affect
- Writing development in integrated content and learning (ICL) contexts
- Writing in doctoral education, scientific writing, and science communication
Critical perspectives on identities, policies and practices in Higher Education - Digital learning and teaching
Input from visiting researchers
Both temporary and more regular visiting researchers promote CLS’s collaborative and internationalisation work and develop our research networks, both at individual and departmental level.
There is more information below about the visiting researchers who have chosen to come to CLS.