Ng`uni Phydes Kaunda from the University of Zambia spent autumn 2025 at the University of Inland Norway: "A Journey of Learning, Inclusion, and Global Connection"
I am a teacher educator by profession, working in the higher education sector in Zambia. My area of specialisation is Special Education, with a particular interest in inclusive education, teaching learners who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. I currently teach diploma and undergraduate students at Zambia Institute of Special Education (ZAMISE), where I contribute to preparing future educators to create inclusive learning environments that respond to the diverse needs of learners.
My journey to the University of Inland Norway (INN) was made possible through the DIALOGUES Project, funded by the European Union. As a PhD student at the University of Zambia, I was privileged to be selected as one of six students to participate in the Blended Mobility PhD Programme at INN. The programme focused on capacity building in digital tools, multilingualism, literacy, and sign language, areas that strongly connect with my research interests and professional work in inclusive education.
I arrived at INN on 28 August 2025, and from the first day, I experienced a warm and welcoming environment. We were welcomed with an evening dinner that provided an opportunity to meet colleagues, share experiences, and begin building connections. The support and kindness we received made the transition into a new cultural and academic setting much easier.
The academic experience at INN was inspiring and enriching. The lecturers were supportive, knowledgeable, and committed to creating an engaging learning environment. Working alongside PhD colleagues from Norway and other backgrounds provided valuable opportunities for academic exchange, collaboration, and learning from different perspectives. The training strengthened my understanding of digital learning approaches, multilingualism, literacy development, and the role of sign language in promoting inclusive education.
Beyond academics, my stay at INN was also a cultural learning experience. Although Norwegian culture was different from what I am familiar with in Zambia, I found the environment welcoming and inclusive. I enjoyed learning about Norwegian society, education systems, and ways of life while sharing aspects of my own culture and experiences from Zambia.
One of the memorable highlights of my stay was an educational visit to Oslo Metropolitan University, where we explored another higher education environment and gained insights into teaching and research practices. We also had the opportunity to visit Lillehammer with Professor Anne Marit Danbolt, which was both educational and memorable. These experiences allowed us to appreciate Norway’s rich culture, history, and commitment to education.
My experience at INN has contributed greatly to my personal, academic, and professional growth. It expanded my understanding of international approaches to inclusive education and strengthened my confidence as a researcher and teacher educator. The knowledge, networks, and friendships developed during this mobility experience continue to influence my work in Zambia, particularly my efforts to promote quality education for learners who are Deaf and those with diverse learning needs.
I am currently collecting data for my PhD research and have been able to apply the knowledge and skills gained from one of the courses offered at INN, Research Methods in Teaching and Teacher Education. The course has been invaluable in strengthening my research design, data collection, and overall approach to conducting rigorous educational research. It has given me greater confidence in carrying out my fieldwork and has significantly contributed to the progress of my doctoral studies. If all goes well, I look forward to graduating in 2027.
A stay at INN offers much more than academic learning. It provides an opportunity to develop professionally, build international networks, gain new perspectives, and reflect on how global knowledge can be applied within local contexts. For educators and researchers, such experiences can open new pathways for collaboration, innovation, and career development.
I am deeply grateful to the DIALOGUES Project, the European Union, the University of Zambia, and the University of Inland Norway for this valuable opportunity. My time at INN was truly an amazing and transformative experience, one that I will continue to draw upon throughout my academic and professional journey.
During spring semester 2024, PROFF PhD candidate Danelle du Plessis spent four months at the University of Birmingham: "a stimulating environment for manuscript writing, collegial lunches with fellow PhD students, and receiving invaluable supervision"
From March to July 2024, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Visiting Scholar Scheme at the University of Birmingham, located in the vibrant industrial city of Birmingham, UK. During my stay, I was hosted by Prof. Reza Gholami, an expert international advisor on the CERiTE project (Critical Examination of Race and Racism in Teacher Education) that my PhD forms part of. For four months, I called the Department of Education and Social Justice at the School of Education my home away from home where I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the department’s rich academic life. My stay was funded by the Norwegian Research Council under its programme, Coordination and Support Activity Support for Researcher Mobility.
From my office on the 4th floor of the Education building, I enjoyed a direct view of the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, fondly known as ‘Old Joe.’ This iconic landmark on the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston campus comes with a legend: walking through the tower's archway while it chimes is said to bring bad luck to your degree – a risk I avoided! With Old Joe in sight, the School of Education provided a stimulating environment for manuscript writing, collegial lunches with fellow PhD students, and receiving invaluable supervision from Prof. Gholami. I participated in research group activities with the Birmingham Research Group on Education Policy (BREP), where I presented some preliminary findings at the roundtable event on “Curriculum, Teaching, and Contested Education Policy in the 2020s” alongside established scholars and PhDs.
As a Visiting Scholar, I had the privilege of engaging with the School’s renowned research centres, among them the Centre for Research in Race and Education (CRRE), known for its work on racism and racial inequality. Highlights of my time included seminars on “Making Race Research Count in Education,” as well as book launches on key topics such as The Future of Inclusive Education: Intersectional perspectives and Race and Education: Reproducing white supremacy in Britian authored by leading scholars Valentina Migliarini and CRRE director Kalwant Bhopal. The wide range of stimulating talks, seminars, and discussions as these added great value to my research.
During my time abroad, I also had the chance to travel to Uppsala University for the first Nordic Conference on Racism and Education. I was thrilled to attend this event with keynote speaker, Prof. Kalwant Bhopal from the University of Birmingham’s School of Education. This conference offered a platform for me to present and receive feedback on the manuscript I had been working, “Racializing processes in learning, teaching, and professional contexts: A critical race intersectional approach to Norwegian education.” It also allowed me to experience the ways that Nordic and international scholars are engaging and addressing issues of race and racism in education, connecting my experiences at both my academic ‘homes’ at the time.
As summer approached, my time as Visiting Scholar was winding down. My final month in Birmingham focused on disseminating and receiving feedback on the progress I had made. I presented my work, “Race-evasive practices in Norwegian Schools: Counter-narratives of Racial Minority Teachers in the institutional maintenance of colour-blind racism,” at the School of Education’s annual conference, the School of Education Research and Scholarship Conference. It was a fitting conclusion to an incredibly rewarding stay and the perfect way to transition to the summer break back in Norway.
From August to November 2023 Gwen Mutolwa, Christine Georg Mwanza and Wise Mwelwa visited PROFF and Hamar: "We are going back to Zambia so enriched with research and academic analytical skills"
Since 2017, 14 PhD students from University of Zambia has visited PROFF as part of the collaborative NORPART project between University of Zambia and INN. The project is called Literacy and education in mulitlingual settings. From August to November 2023 Gwen Mutolwa, Christine Georg Mwanza and Wise Mwelwa, visited PROFF and Hamar.
Summing up their stay, they write:
"Our quest for enhanced wealth of knowledge in a diverse international outlook especially regarding analytical skills and research techniques and approaches much needed in our ever-evolving society motivated us to seek for such a rare opportunity of being guest students at PROFF. During our 3 months stay at INN, we attended the following courses: Digitalization and Practices of inclusion, Introduction to qualitative and quantitative research studies, Multicultural Pedagogy in Kindergarten, School and Teacher Education and library course. We are going back to Zambia so enriched with research and academic analytical skills, research collaboration strategies, renewed educational pedagogies with great exposure to digitalization, the much needed skills in today’s global village context."
Their PhD projects are as follows:
- Christine Mwanza: Indigenous Philosophies and the School Curriculum: An analysis of the Representation and Integration of Indigenous Knowledge and Pedagogies in the Zambian School curriculum
- Wise Mwelwa: Analysing the balance of power in the teaching of grade 10 English in multilingual classrooms
- Gwen Mutolwa: Teachers' application of the Communicative Methodology in the Teaching of English grammar in multilingual classrooms
Delphine Franco spent two months as a guest PhD student in Hamar in 2023: "It was undoubtedly my colleagues at INN who made my time in Hamar truly wonderful"
Why did you want to be a guest PhD student at PROFF?
The main goal of my research stay was to learn from and exchange experiences about the design and implementation of virtual reality simulations in teacher education. After some e-conversations with Karen Parish, I knew INN was the place to be to enhance my knowledge on this topic. In addition, the timing was perfect for witnessing first-hand the implementation of the dialogue simulator, which focuses on parent-teacher conversations. In addition, I also wanted to learn more about the highly regarded Norwegian educational system. And what better way to do that than by visiting it in person?
What academic program did you have during your stay?
I took part in the first two seminars that were part of a PhD course in teacher education. Furthermore, I took the B.6 - Writing for publication – course and attended a ‘how to publish’-session organised by Pamela Helder where I also met Susan Nacey. While each of these three courses/seminars/lectures focused on different topics, they provided me with a wealth of valuable insights that I can apply to elevate the quality of my dissertation.
Other experiences in Hamar?
Although the snow, ice, and cold initially took me by surprise and limited my mobility, Hamar gradually won my heart. Besides the beautiful and tranquil Lake Mjøsa, the lovely city library, the cosy dining, coffee, and drinking establishments, and the 'touristy' spots, it was undoubtedly my colleagues at INN who made my time in Hamar truly wonderful. I had numerous enjoyable formal and informal conversations, was taken along to formal and informal gatherings and events, and could count on a friendly word or a smile every day, even though I'm not fluent in the language. This experience and the city itself will forever hold a special place in my heart.
What do you do now?
I am currently in the final stages of completing my doctoral dissertation, with plans to defend it in a few months. Additionally, I continue to serve as a teaching assistant at the Department of Educational Sciences at Ghent University. However, due to the demands of the dissertation's finalization, my teaching responsibilities have been temporarily reduced.
Looking back: How can a stay like this benefit the PhD work and your career?
In addition to the substantive value this stay had on my research itself, which I referred to earlier, this stay has also broadened my international focus and perspectives on education worldwide. This international outlook has put certain matters into greater perspective and has contributed to a more open-minded view on a variety of themes. Daring to step out of your comfort zone and temporarily live in a country and stay at a university where you don't speak the native language presents certain challenges and encourages a more problem-solving mindset. It undoubtedly contributes to a greater level of independence as well.
Chiara Astrid Gebbia spent three months as a guest PhD student in Hamar in 2019: "I knew PROFF was the place to go to be able to craft my research in a more robust way"
Chiara Astrid Gebbia was a guest PhD student at PROFF for three months during the spring semester 2019 travelling on a Erasmus+ grant. Chiara defended her thesis Metaphors and Lexis: from a Cognitive Approach in Translation to the EFL Classroom in June 2020 at Universities of Palermo and Catania, Italy.
Why did you want to be a guest PhD student at PROFF?
My main reason for a PhD stay at PROFF was to refine my knowledge in metaphor and English language teaching. After meeting Susan Nacey at the Metaphor Festival in Amsterdam, I knew PROFF was the place to go to be able to craft my research in a more robust way.
I also wanted the opportunity to confront myself with a foreign environment. Coming from Sicily, Norway was the most different experience I could dream of.
What academic program did you have during your stay?
I attended the PhD course The Professional Focus of Teacher Education Subjects (6 ETCS). It opened a wide range of possibilities for possible future research in Teacher Education. At the end of the course, we also presented a paper to put into practice what we learned. It is so that I got acquainted with the wonderful world of teachers’ narratives. “Metaphors in Teachers' narratives: Paradoxes and Struggles of a Profession” was, indeed, the title of my essay.
Other experiences in Hamar?
Besides enriching my professional background, spending three months in Hamar in the middle of the harshest of winters for a Sicilian was a wonderful personal experience. I had never thought that Norwegians would turn into such amazing dancers to walk on frozen streets. To my surprise, in Norway the sun takes so long to set that you are gifted with several minutes to enjoy the beautiful colors on the Mjøsa. Being surrounded by such wonderful nature definitely improved the quality of my work. Social life played a huge part too. I was lucky to meet precious friends who made me feel at home.
What do you do now?
I am currently a postdoctoral research fellow in Cognitive Translation at the University of Agder, also in Norway. My previous experience in Hamar, which provided me with a better knowledge of metaphor translation and of the country, was most probably determining in getting this prestigious and rewarding position in another wonderful part of the country.
Looking back: How can a stay like this benefit the PhD work and your career?
Without the supervision of Juliet Munden, and especially of Susan Nacey, I would not be the researcher that I am now. They taught me what a PhD really means and how to structure solid research. They did so by posing challenging questions that pushed me to think differently, in a very constructive way.
Fríða Bjarney Jónsdóttir has visited Hamar as a guest PhD student twice, in 2018 and 2022: "Even though both visits were short, I participated in doctoral symposiums, enjoyed reciprocal discussions with colleagues, introduced my research project and gave a lecture about the Icelandic preschool system to teacher students".
Fríða Bjarney Jónsdóttir has been a guest PhD student at PROFF in two periods of two weeks, spring 2018 and autumn 2022. Fríða works at the Department of Education and Youth in Reykjavík, directing the Centre for Innovation in Education, while she is also a PhD student at University of Iceland with the PhD project: Give wings to voices; The preschool as a just learning space for communication and understanding.
Fríða writes:
"Being a guest PhD student at PROFF provided me with invaluable opportunity to meet colleagues sharing the same research interest: preschool education and multilingual children. One of my supervisors is Lars Anders Kulbrandstad emeritus Professor at INN. He has been very generous introducing me to his colleagues at the university and that has resulted in a wonderful network of researchers and friends from Hamar and beyond.
Staying in Hamar through different phases of my project provided me with the opportunity to learn from academic work of researchers from similar research field. Even though both visits were short, I participated in doctoral symposiums, enjoyed reciprocal discussions with colleagues, introduced my research project and gave a lecture about the Icelandic preschool system to teacher students. Furthermore, I enjoyed the wonderful facilities at INN and got valuable time to focus on my project away from personal and work duties back home.
Elaine Millar from Universidad de Cantabria in Spain was a digital guest PhD student at PROFF during the COVID pandemic in 2021: "Not even a global health pandemic could prevent Susan Nacey from welcoming me into the fold of INN!"
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Elaine is a PhD candidate at Universidad de Cantabria in Spain with the PhD project Exploring Linguistic Research Influence in Mainstream English Language Teaching: The Case of Multi-Word Verbs.
Why did you want to be a digital guest PhD student at PROFF?
I’m interested in the role of metaphor in English language education, and while reading for my thesis, my supervisor Julia Williams-Camus introduced me to the work of Susan Nacey. I was keen to learn more about Susan’s research, and we arranged for me to visit INN University as a guest PhD student. Unfortunately, COVID-19 meant that the research stay had to be transformed into an online placement, but it turned out that not even a global health pandemic could prevent Susan from welcoming me into the fold of INN! Over the three months, I received supervision, attended courses, and participated in digital activities with PROFF’s research groups (English Language in Use and Language Teaching and Learning in Multilingual Contexts).
What academic program did you have during your three months?
I took a 6 ECTS credit course which forms part of the INN specialized doctoral program in teaching and teacher education: The professional focus of teacher education subjects. It helped me to expand my knowledge in topics related to evidence-based practice, knowledge about language, and subject content for English language education.
What do you do now?
I work as a teaching assistant at Universidad de Cantabria, and I will be defending my thesis very shortly
Looking back: How can a digital stay like this benefit the PhD work and your career?
I learned a great deal about metaphor and Nordic perspectives on educational themes. I also got to meet some wonderful people. This was really motivating and helped me approach my thesis in a way that would not have been likely otherwise.
INN University and international exchange
On our website, you can find pages for international students, information about educational exchange, and contact information to our international coordinators.