Responsibilities and research areas
Mads Bølling (MB) is a researcher at the Center for Clinical Research and Prevention (CCRP), Section for Health Promotion and Prevention, and assistant professor at VIA University Collage, Center for Pedagogy and Education in the program for outdoor pedagogy. MB holds a BA in sports and Norwegian outdoor life studies from Høgskolen in Telemark in Norway (currently the University of South-Eastern Norway, USN) and a Master's Degree in pedagogy (cand.pæd.) in sociology of educational from DPU, Aarhus University, and holds a PhD in education and health promotion. On a day-to-day basis, MB manages several intervention projects, which in various ways aim to strengthen children's movement, well-being and learning.
MB's research concerns the development and evaluation of efforts and initiatives in a life-course perspective for the entire population of children and specific groups of children at risk as well as children with special needs. For several years, MB has investigated school-based interventions and initiatives, and how the interaction between schools' physical environments and educational practices may strengthen children's health, wellbeing and learning. MB is an Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC) specialist – particularly he conducts research in the elementary school teaching method Udeskole (literally meaning 'Outdoor School') and how this practice affects children's movement, wellbeing, school motivation and academic performance through the work of education professionals, i.e. teacher and pedagogues.
Selected positions of trust and activities
Head of the focus area Children's health, well-being and learning, CCRP (2022+)
Advisory Board member in the project “Fagene i bevægelse" (Movement in the School Subjects), National Agency for Education and Quality (2021+)
Head of the communication group and co-coordinator of the Study Group Research Communication, CCRP (2021+)
Board Member of the association UdeskoleNet (2021+)
Project Manager at the research and intervention project MOVEOUT (2021+)
Co-PI (Principal Investigator) at the research and intervention project FoodACT (2022+)
Co-founder of the European Udeskole PhD Network (EUPN) (2022+)
Mentor and supervisor for several PhD students, Master Thesis students and Bachelor students.
Resource person in the Network for Systematic Welfare Innovation (2019+)
Resource person in the Center for Children and Nature (2021+)
Research Group Member in SHE, Schools for Health in Europe Network (2019+)
Member of PLaTO-Net, Play, Learn, and Teach Outdoors Network (2019+)