Elise Øby Kristiania University College, Norway

Elise Øby is an associate professor at Kristiania University College, Norway. She holds a PhD in mathematics and a master’s degree in organization and leadership. Her Masters study employed qualitative research. She has held academic positions in multiple universities and colleges in Norway. She has also worked in public administration and held a management position at a university college. She started her academic career teaching mathematics and statistics across a variety of study programs including teacher education, finance, and business administration. Her teaching experience also includes courses in mathematics and physics taken by engineering students. In engineering, statistics (and therefore mathematics) are considered a tool more than the issue of interest in itself. Using mathematics and statistics as tools to learn about how the world works and how to make decisions based on empirical data collected from and about that world, rather than as procedures to solve constructed mathematical/statistical problems, sparked her interest in the field of research design and research methods in the social sciences. Her current teaching includes courses in research design, quantitative methods, and qualitative methods. She has an interest in  enabling students and researchers to design research in such a way that the findings from that research is credible, reliable, trustworthy, and defensible.