Arild Michel Bakken

Arild Michel Bakken is an Associate Professor at the National Centre for Reading Education and Research, Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Stavanger, Norway, a position he has held since 2018. Previously, he taught French and Norwegian in Belgium (2016–2018) and was a Research Fellow in French Literature at the University of Oslo (2015–2016).

Education:

• PhD in French Literature (co-tutelle), University of Paris-Sorbonne and University of Oslo (2015)
• MA in French Literature, University of Paris-Sorbonne (2010)
• BA in Modern Literature, Paul Valéry University (2006)

His research spans literacy education, AI applications in learning, and reading assessment technologies. He leads major projects including the Erasmus+-funded AILIT (developing AI platforms for literacy) and the NRC-supported Adaptvurder (adaptive reading tests). His work integrates recommender systems, machine translation, and psychometric modeling to enhance educational outcomes.

Bakken’s publications transition from early expertise in Mallarmé’s poetry (using hermeneutic/rhetorical frameworks) to contemporary focus on literacy technology. Recent articles emphasize adaptive assessments, AI-driven pedagogy, and equitable educational tools.

He contributes to national education initiatives as a developer of reading screening tests for Norway’s Directorate of Education and is active in Stavanger AI Lab. He also edits the Nordic Journal of Literacy Research and conducts professional workshops for teachers.