Fredrik Backlund

About me

My main areas of interest are project management and process management, as well as organization wide improvement work. Based on different perspectives on project management, I am also interested in team development and group dynamics. Based on my teaching role, I am also devoted to pedagogical development, mainly focusing on problem-based, project-oriented and challenge-based learning.

Education

As a teacher, I have courses at basic and advanced level, for doctoral students and colleagues, as well as for companies and organizations in the form of commissioned training. As a way to be inspired and develop in the teaching role, I carry out continuous teacher exchange via ERASMUS+. For example, I have been to Valencia Polytechnic University (Spain), Aalborg University (Denmark), University of Toulouse and University of Lorraine (France).

Courses at basic level: Distance course in Lean (7.5 credits), Distance course CSR (7.5 credits), Basic course in project management (15 credits), and the Basic course for quality development ( 7.5 credits)

Advanced level courses: Operational quality management (7.5 credits), Customer-focused product development (7.5 credits), Advanced project management (7.5 credits), Integration projects (15 credits), Trends in industrial management - Operations management (7.5 credits), Applied improvement work (15 credits), Project in CSR (7,5 credits)

In addition I've supervised over 50 thesis degree projects (15 or 30 credits)

I've been the examiner and course supervisor in sevral courses.

I give also lectures and seminars within other educational programs and courses, mainly in project management and team development. In a course for doctoral students in project management (4.5 credits) I’m the teacher, course manager and examiner.

Research education & Supervision

I have supervised three doctoral students as an assistant supervisor.

In connection with doctoral/licentiate seminars, I have had the role of opponent, discussant, and part of the grading committee.

In the course 'Research Supervision Course' I have been involved as a teacher for several years. It is a compulsory course for anyone who wants to qualify as a docent. My role has been course coordination, seminars on project perspectives, and carried out examinations.

I give a course in project management for doctoral students (FOR043F, 4.5 credits), where I am the teacher, course manager and examiner. The course is largely based on problem-based learning, with the doctoral students' own research studies as cases. Participants learn different principles, methods and tools for planning and managing projects by applying them to their own 'Doctoral project'.

Over time, I have become more and more interested in doctoral education and the doctoral student's role and journey, based on a process and project perspective.

Pedagogical development

From the fall semester 2021 through the spring semester 2023, I was on leave from the subject, to work in the role of pedagogical developer within the university’s Educational Center (HPC). Prior to that I held this role part-time (20%) for several years.

As a pedagogical developer, I mainly developed and gave courses for the college (teachers and researchers), in my role as teacher and course coordinator in the following courses: Course Design (2 credits), Problem-Based & Problem-Oriented Learning (2 credits), Program Development I & II ( 1.5 + 1, 5 credits). In the Qualifying Course for University Teachers (4.5 credits) I’ve been one of the teachers. The course Open Network Learning (3 credits) is given by other universities, where LTU was a partner university for a time. My role was course coordinator for participants from LTU, as well as facilitator/coach for PNL groups.

In the course Problem-Based & Problem-Oriented Learning (HPC007) I am still the teacher and course coordinator. Other tasks at HPC have been writing project applications, creating podcasts (Examination podcast and Merited teacher), giving different types of workshops, as well as being a coordinator and support in the development of CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) as a pedagogical model at LTU.

Online courses and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)

I have developed four MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses):

1) Plan for project success

2) The Well-Working Team (together with Niklas Letho, LTU)

3) Allt kan bli bättre - Verksamhetsutveckling i små och stora steg ('Everything can be better - Business development in small and big steps')  [In Swedish]

4) Processorientering för hållbar verksamhetsutveckling ('Process orientation for sustainable business development') [In Swedish]

I have also been involved in developing and providing MOOC+. It is a form of education that can be compared to a study circle, where MOOC participants meet online during several seminars, with me as moderator.

Within Universeh I have developed an online course in Problem-based learning for teachers. More about my participation further down.

Podcast

'Samarbetspodden' is a podcast [In Swedish] where Niklas Lehto (Associate professor at LTU) and I discuss and delve into various areas regarding group and team development. We also have researchers or experts as guests in the studio to immerse ourselves in various themes. The overall idea and purpose of the podcast is to discuss different aspects and perspectives, often based on different models and theoretical concepts, turning them into something practically useful for the listener.

'Examinationspodden' is a podcast [In Swedish] where Marcus Strömbäck Hjärne (Educational developer at LTU) and I discuss different forms of assessment and examination with teahers at LTU.

Professional/Contract education, seminars and workshop

I have carried out professional/contract education, seminars and workshop for organizations and companies continuously, preferably in project and process management, and team development. Norrlandsnavet is a center for the development of business operations in northern Sweden in collaboration between the Kamprad Family Foundation and Luleå University of Technology. As part of this, I provide professional/contract training for small and medium-sized companies in northern Sweden.

Research Development

Research efforts have mainly taken place in connection with the three doctoral projects. Application work is currently underway, with a focus on challenge-based and project-based learning.

I have reviewed articles for the following journals: International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management (IJQRM), International Journal of Managing Projects in Business (IJMPB), Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research (SJER), Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management (JIEM), Project Management Journal (PMJ), TQM & Business Excellence, and Production Planning & Control Journal (PPCJ).

Projects and collaboration

UNIVERSEH is an interdisciplinary project and collaboration between several universities in Europe, with a connection to research and education related to space and the space sector. The overall aim is to facilitate mobility and support interdisciplinary programs and strengthen educational innovation and entrepreneurship.

Within UNIVERSEH, I have done a teacher exchange, developed a course for teachers and participate from 2023 in the 'Quality Assurance Committee'.