Bj?rn Stensaker

Vice-Rector for Education
Image of Bj?rn Stensaker
Norwegian version of this page
Phone +47-22844472
Mobile phone +47-99707913
Room 554
Available hours Appointments
Username
Visiting address Sem S?lands vei 7 Helga Engs hus 0317 OSLO
Postal address P.O.Box 1092 Blindern 0317 OSLO

Professor Bj?rn Stensaker was appointed Vice-Rector for Education from August 2021-2025.

Other affiliations: LINK - Center for Learning, Innovation and Academic Development

Research interests

  • Policy developments and reform in higher education
  • Governance, organization and management of higher education institutions
  • Internationalization and international collaboration 
  • Academic development and quality improvement in higher education

Educational Background

2004: PhD, University of Twente, School of Business Administration, Technology and Public Administration
1993: Cand.Polit., University of Oslo (Political science)

Co-employment

1993 - current,  Research Professor, NIFU - the Nordic Institute for Innovation, Research and Education                                                         

Project funding

The Norwegian Ministry of Research and Education, The Norwegian Research Council, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Danish Ministry of Education, the Swedish Agency for Higher Education, European Commission, OECD, and a number of higher education institutions in the Nordic countries

I'm blogging with the rest of the team at Rector's blog.

Tags: Higher education, Policy, reforms, governance, Management

Publications

  • Blacklock, Joseph David; Baird, Jeanette & Stensaker, Bj?rn (2025). Evolutionary stages in risk-based quality regulation in Australian higher education 2011–2024. Policy Reviews in Higher Education. ISSN 2332-2969. doi: 10.1080/23322969.2025.2493115.
  • Fr?lich, Nicoline; Bleiklie, Ivar & Stensaker, Bj?rn (2025). Leadership communication during organizational transformation. European Journal of Higher Education. ISSN 2156-8235. doi: 10.1080/21568235.2025.2456871.
  • Stensaker, Bj?rn & Matear, Sheelagh (2024). Student involvement in quality assurance: perspectives and practices towards persistent partnerships. Quality in Higher Education. ISSN 1353-8322. doi: 10.1080/13538322.2024.2346358. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hybertsen, Ingunn Dahler & Stensaker, Bj?rn (2024). Affirmative and Non-affirmative Dimensions in Quality Assurance: Balancing the Accountability–Improvement Dilemma as a Matter of Trust and Learning. Educational Governance Research. ISSN 2365-9548. 25, p. 131–150. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-55116-1_6. Full text in Research Archive
  • Gornitzka, ?se & Stensaker, Bj?rn (2024). Players or Pawns? University Response to the Introduction of Plan S. European Review. ISSN 1062-7987. doi: 10.1017/S1062798723000583.
  • Misra, Debananda & Stensaker, Bj?rn (2024). Balancing control and legitimacy in higher education policy implementation. Studies in Higher Education. ISSN 0307-5079. doi: 10.1080/03075079.2024.2306340.
  • Stensaker, Bj?rn (2023). Rebuilding Collegiality? Faculty Peer Group Mentoring in Higher Education - Developing Collegiality through Organised Supportive Collaboration. Springer. ISSN 9783031374579. p. 209–214.
  • Stensaker, Bj?rn (2023). Policy Framing in Canada, the U.S. and Western Europe – A Comparison, Comparative Higher Education Politics. Policymaking in North America and Western Europe. Springer. ISSN 9783031258664. p. 313–324.
  • Woelert, Peter & Stensaker, Bj?rn (2023). The evaluative state, the evaluative society – and beyond. In Amaral, Alberto & Magalh?es, António (Ed.), Handbook on Higher Education Management and Governance. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 978 1 80088 806 7. p. 232–243. Full text in Research Archive
  • Stensaker, Bj?rn; Maassen, Peter & Rosso, Arianna (2023). The European University Initiative – investigating alliance formation and initial profile developments. Tertiary Education and Management. ISSN 1358-3883. doi: 10.1007/s11233-023-09125-y. Full text in Research Archive
  • Aksnes, Dag W.; Borlaug, Siri Brorstad; Eide, Thea & Stensaker, Bj?rn (2023). Exploring the relationship between departmental characteristics and research performance. Perspectives. ISSN 1360-3108. doi: 10.1080/13603108.2023.2227132. Full text in Research Archive
  • Stensaker, Bj?rn & Hermansen, Hege (2023). Global, Nordic, or institutional visions? An investigation into how Nordic universities are adapting to the SDGs. Higher Education. ISSN 0018-1560. doi: 10.1007/s10734-023-01047-3. Full text in Research Archive
  • Ruan, Jieyu; Cai, Yuzhuo & Stensaker, Bj?rn (2023). University managers or institutional leaders? An exploration of top-level leadership in Chinese universities. Higher Education. ISSN 0018-1560. 87, p. 703–719. doi: 10.1007/s10734-023-01031-x.