Ulli Samuelsson

Assistant Professor of Education
Department of Education , School of Education and Communication
Presentation Publications

Research

Ulli Samuelsson’s research focuses on the use of digital technologies, digital competence, and digital inclusion from a human-centered societal perspective. Her current research includes the Welfare@Home project, which explores how welfare technologies are experienced and used by older adults receiving home care services as well as by home care staff.

Since completing her PhD in 2014, Ulli has participated in several research projects on older adults’ digital competence and digital inclusion. Her research has contributed knowledge about how different groups of older people use, perceive, or choose not to use digital technologies in everyday life, as well as the factors that can promote digital inclusion. She also studies how open drop-in IT support services at public libraries can support digital inclusion among older adults while highlighting the challenges many face in an increasingly digitalized society.

Although digital technologies are often presented as part of the solution to the challenges associated with an ageing population, knowledge about older adults’ digital inclusion remains limited. A central focus of Ulli’s research is therefore to generate empirical knowledge about older people’s experiences, needs, and opportunities for participation in a digitalized society.

Alongside this work, Ulli is resuming her research on young people’s digital competence and digital inclusion. Her overarching research interest concerns how digital technologies shape opportunities for participation, inclusion, and well-being across the life course.

Teaching

Ulli’s teaching is primarily conducted within the international master’s programme LeaDS (Learning, Digitalization and Sustainability).

Biography

Ulli Samuelsson, born in 1967, has a background as an IT educator in the private business world, both as an employee and as an entrepreneur. Ulli has been employed at HLK since 2003, until 2014 as an assistant professor and from 2014 as associate professor of education. 

During the period from February 2021 to January 2025, was Ulli Associate Dean of Education at School of education and communication.

2019 and 2020 Ulli was active at the Jönköping Academy for Improvement in Health and Welfare. This is in the role of regional manager for the national project Mötesplats Social Innovation.

From 2011-2018, Ulli was also the director for the Human Resources Program, one of the bachelor programs at HLK. Under Ulli's leadership, this program was developed into the bachelor programs Human Resources with a specialization in Psychology or Business Administration.


In 2004, Ulli took the master's degree in pedagogy at HLK. The degree also included psychology and sociology. In addition, Ulli has a university education in project management, labor law, leadership, and change management. 2014 she publicly defended her doctoral thesis “Digital (in)equality? ICT use in school and pupils' technological capital”. The general aim of the thesis is to increase the knowledge base of digital (in)equality by empirically charting and theoretically interpreting the use of information and communication technology (ICT) by young people.

Article

Svärdh, S., Schmidt, S., Samuelsson, U., Iwarsson, S., Fristedt, S. (2026). Welfare Technology in Practice: A Survey-Based Analysis of User Satisfaction, Expectations, and Needs Journal of technology in human services. More information
Bäcklund, J., Samuelsson, U. (2026). Digital Intentions: A Critical Discourse Study of the national curricula concerning digitalizing Swedish Education Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, 21(1), 14-31. More information
Svärdh, S., Lorenzini, G., Samuelsson, U., Schmidt, S., Iwarsson, S., Fristedt, S. (2025). "It is very convenient when it works - successes and challenges with welfare technology" - a qualitative study. PLOS Digital Health, 4(4). More information
Olsson, T., Samuelsson, U., Viscovi, D. (2019). Resources and repertoires: Elderly online practices European Journal of Communication, 34(1), 38-56. More information
Olsson, T., Samuelsson, U., Viscovi, D. (2019). At risk of exclusion? Degrees of ICT access and literacy among senior citizens Information, Communication and Society, 22(1), 55-72. More information
Samuelsson, U. (2012). Young People’s Information-seeking in School - A Breeding Ground for Digital Inequality? Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, 7(2), 117-131 Oslo: Universitetsforlaget . More information
Samuelsson, U. (2010). ICT use among 13-year-old Swedish children Learning, Media & Technology, 35(1), 15-30 London: Routledge . More information

Doctoral thesis

Samuelsson, U. (2014). Digital (o)jämlikhet? IKT-användning i skolan och elevers tekniska kapital (Doctoral thesis, Jönköping: School of Education and Communication). More information

Book chapter

Samuelsson, U. (2022). Att kliva in, och vara kvar, i det digitala samhället. In: C. Bjursell & M. Malec Rawiński (Ed.), Äldres lärande: utblickar och insikter (pp. 137 -150). Stockholm: Natur och kultur More information
Samuelsson, U. (2021). Ålderspensionärer och digitaliseringen. In: Livslångt lärande - för välbefinnande, mångfald och delaktighet (pp. 86 -88). Jönköping: Encell - Nationellt centrum för livslångt lärande More information
Samuelsson, U. (2021). Digitalt utanförskap. In: Nationalencyklopedin (NE.se) Malmö: Nationalencyklopedin More information
Samuelsson, U., Olsson, T. (2014). Digital inequality in primary and secondary education: findings from a systematic literature review. In: Matteo Stocchetto (Ed.), Media and education in the digital age: concepts, assessments, subversions (pp. 41 -62). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang Publishing Group More information

Conference paper

Bjursell, C., Bergmo-Prvulovic, I., Hedegaard, J., Hugo, M., Samuelsson, U. (2021). Continued growth later in life – older adults learning. European Society for Research in Adult Development (ESRAD), Online conference 2021, 23rd to 25th April, 2021. More information
Samuelsson, U. (2021). Support for digital inclusion among elderly – a complex challenge. ESRAD Online conference 2021, 23rd to 25th April, 2021. More information
Olsson, T., Martinez, C., Samuelsson, U., Viscovi, D. (2019). Who Becomes a Silver Surfer? Resources, Repertoires and Technological Histories among Connected Seniors. The International Association for Media and Communication Research conference, July 7-11, Madrid, Spain. More information
Samuelsson, U., Olsson, T., Viscovi, D. (2017). Differences and similarities among Swedish senior users and non-users of the internet: Who and Why?. Senior Citizens Domesticating ICTs Symposium, Lund, April 27–28, 2017.. More information
Olsson, T., Samuelsson, U., Viscovi, D. (2016). Senior Citizens’ ICT Access, Use and Literacy: How Material Resources Matter. Prague: CZECH-IN, 6th European Communication Conference : Mediated (Dis)Continuities : Contesting Pasts, Presents and Futures, Prague, 9-12 November, 2016.. More information
Samuelsson, U. (2015). The future is already here – Learn to master IT!. The 6th conference of the ESREA Network on Education and Learning of Older Adults, 14-16 October, Jönköping, Sweden. More information
Samuelsson, U. (2010). ICT as a tool for learning or amusement among 13 years old Swedish children. The 6th conference of the ESREA Network on Education and Learning of Older Adults, 14-16 October, Jönköping, Sweden. More information
Samuelsson, U. (2010). Present but not always used: Attitudes to and actual use of new media among 13-year-old Swedish children. The 6th conference of the ESREA Network on Education and Learning of Older Adults, 14-16 October, Jönköping, Sweden. More information

Blog Post

Samuelsson, U. (2021). Är inte alla digitalt kompetenta? . More information