In Norway alone, there are 300,000 students in higher education. Approximately 66% of these students have mandatory or voluntary internships. The largest fields requiring mandatory internships are within teaching, health, and social sciences. Current internship practices heavily rely on manual processes with limited digital support, resulting in a time-consuming approach that also poses vulnerabilities and security risks.

The fundamental elements of Nansen result from a series of DIKU/HK Dir funded research projects within the higher education sector, focusing on supporting research guidance methods and technology. The Nansen project will involve a mapping effort in collaboration with the higher education sector. Mapping the internship process in various professional education programs will lead to the development of a specification that forms the basis for designing the Nansen Practice Activity System.

The purpose of the Nansen Project is to establish collaboration between the higher education sector and the professional field, leading to the completion of a Practice Activity System (PAS) supporting both the academic and administrative activities related to internship programs. The project’s goal is to simplify and streamline administration, increase levels of privacy and data security, and enhance the quality of student internships.