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1 – 10 of over 152000Mauri Kantola and Juha Kettunen
The purpose of this paper is to present a framework combining the approaches of the innovation pedagogy, strategic planning of higher education and the research…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a framework combining the approaches of the innovation pedagogy, strategic planning of higher education and the research, development and innovation (RDI) in order to support the export of higher education.
Design/methodology/approach
The export of education can be included in the framework by taking the innovation pedagogy as a starting point – an approach developed for the universities of applied sciences with the emphasis of efficient leaning in projects and the institution's external impact. Strategic management defines strategic objectives, which take into account the European education policy and the regional and international demand for higher education. The empirical part of the paper is based on the study of the Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS) focusing on the networked applied research and development activities and the combination of the education and the RDI activities using learning in the projects approaches.
Findings
The building of the strategic partnerships seems to be one of the main instruments of the export process and to use the support of the external broker organization outside of the universities. The advantages of the student learning in the RDI projects are: the drop‐out rates can be decreased, the length of study can be shortened, the transfer of knowledge can be increased, the supervision of students can be increased, the experience of students from projects increases the employment opportunities and the integrated model of innovation pedagogy can be exported to other countries.
Originality/value
The framework presented in the paper could be developed towards mechanisms of sharing the knowledge concerning different global learning ecosystems.
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Paola Migliorini, Alexander Wezel, Eve Veromann, Carola Strassner, Dominika Średnicka-Tober, Johannes Kahl, Susanne Bügel, Teresa Briz, Renata Kazimierczak, Hélène Brives, Angelika Ploeger, Ute Gilles, Vanessa Lüder, Olesa Schleicher-Deis, Natalia Rastorgueva, Fabio Tuccillo, Liina Talgre, Tanel Kaart, Diana Ismael and Ewa Rembiałkowska
To clarify needs and requests of the young generation to the contemporary and future education on food systems, this paper aims to examine the following issues: students…
Abstract
Purpose
To clarify needs and requests of the young generation to the contemporary and future education on food systems, this paper aims to examine the following issues: students’ background knowledge, students’ behaviour as consumers and food citizenship, most interesting topics of SFS for students and students’ preferences and expectations in developing different skills, topics and preferences in teaching/learning methods.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was performed as an online-survey amongst eight European Universities in seven European Union (EU) countries to which 1,122 students responded. Data was analysed with descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses.
Findings
Taste and Health are the most important values and motives that influence students’ food buying and consumption decisions, but significant differences were found amongst students from different universities and countries. The most important topics for students for future teaching courses are “organic food”, “fair trade”, “organic agriculture” and most important skills to learn are “ability to make a judgement and justify decisions” and the “ability to create and innovate”. Excursions and field trips as teaching methods was given the highest ranks.
Research limitations/implications
Different study programmes and cultural backgrounds of the participating students in the different universities could be a limiting factor for the interpretation of some results.
Originality/value
These results provide a basis for improvement of higher education in the EU towards sustainable food systems based on experiential learning/teaching methods.
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Taru Konst (e. Penttilä) and Liisa Kairisto-Mertanen
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the concept of a pedagogical strategy called innovation pedagogy and examine how it has been and will be developed. The paper is an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the concept of a pedagogical strategy called innovation pedagogy and examine how it has been and will be developed. The paper is an overview of the latest development of the innovation pedagogy approach. It provides a discussion of the changes in innovation pedagogy and, more generally, in higher education, including the changes in educational aims and involving a sustainable future as the priority in all education.
Design/methodology/approach
The research methodology is based on action research, participatory observation and on the experiences of the authors of the development process, which has taken place in one Finnish university of applied sciences during the past decade.
Findings
The implementation of innovation pedagogy requires time, participation of the whole educational community and management commitment. The study describes the results of the development work and states that the educational goals require consideration of values, processes and structures.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the case study setting and a specific cultural context, there are limitations to the generalizability of the findings.
Originality/value
Focusing on the development of the concept of innovation pedagogy helps to understand how education development takes place gradually and how it can simultaneously aim to respond to the demands of a sustainable future. This study extends approaches on research in education and innovation pedagogy.
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Martin Böckle, Jasminko Novak and Markus Bick
The purpose of this paper is to explore user-centered design possibilities at the intersection of gamification and persuasive technology to foster energy saving behavior.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore user-centered design possibilities at the intersection of gamification and persuasive technology to foster energy saving behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
We performed a large-scale empirical study of 480 participants and analyzed how different HEXAD gamification user types perceive selected persuasive strategies embedded in an energy saving prototype. Furthermore, we investigated the role of existing energy saving behaviors (pro-environmental behavior scale–e.g. regularly turning the lights off) and their effect on the perceived persuasiveness of the proposed persuasive strategies, which may has an impact on the overall design process. Furthermore, we applied partial least squares path modeling and conducted a one-way and repeated measure ANOVA.
Findings
Results show that user types play an important role in the design of persuasive systems for energy saving. For instance, people with a high tendency toward the Socializer user type were motivated by almost all of the employed persuasive strategies, whereas Philanthropists and Players only to a limited number of strategies. Furthermore, our study reveals that existing behaviors like the individual level of energy conservation influences the perceived persuasiveness of certain strategies and therefore should be considered in the design of such applications.
Research limitations/implications
Using storyboards to obtain feedback about the perceived persuasiveness of employed strategies has limitations compared to the actual use of a functional prototype. However, to offset that limitation the mock-ups used in the storyboard reflected the actual designs for a real-world prototype.
Originality
This is the first study that explores how HEXAD gamification user types can be used to inform the design of persuasive applications for energy saving (RQ1). Furthermore, and in particular, this study draws on the challenges when using user types within gamified persuasive systems by highlighting the impact and the importance of considering existing energy saving behaviors (RQ2), which has not been addressed so far.
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Justin J. W. Powell and Jennifer Dusdal
Growth in scientific production and productivity over the 20th century resulted significantly from three major countries in European science – France, Germany, and the…
Abstract
Purpose
Growth in scientific production and productivity over the 20th century resulted significantly from three major countries in European science – France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Charting the development of universities and research institutes that bolster Europe’s key position in global science, we uncover both stable and dynamic patterns of productivity in the fields of STEM, including health, over the 20th century. Ongoing internationalization of higher education and science has been accompanied by increasing competition and collaboration. Despite policy goals to foster innovation and expand research capacity, policies cannot fully account for the differential growth of scientific productivity we chart from 1975 to 2010.
Approach and Research Design
Our sociological neo-institutional framework facilitates explanation of differences in institutional settings, organizational forms, and organizations that produce the most European research. We measure growth of published peer-reviewed articles indexed in Thomson Reuters’ Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE).
Findings
Organizational forms vary in their contributions, with universities accounting for nearly half but rising in France; ultrastable in Germany at four-fifths, and growing at around two-thirds in the United Kingdom. Differing institutionalization pathways created the conditions necessary for continuous, but varying growth in scientific production and productivity in the European center of global science. The research university is key in all three countries, and we identify organizations leading in research output.
Originality/value
Few studies explicitly compare across time, space, and different levels of analysis. We show how important European science has been to overall global science production and productivity. In-depth comparisons, especially the organizational fields and forms in which science is produced, are crucial if policy is to support research and development.
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I. Martens, H. Verbeek, J. Aarts, W.P.H. Bosems, E. Felix and J. van Hoof
Over 8 per cent of the Dutch nursing home population is bedfast, and this number is slowly increasing. The quality of life (QoL) of this population is lower than that of…
Abstract
Purpose
Over 8 per cent of the Dutch nursing home population is bedfast, and this number is slowly increasing. The quality of life (QoL) of this population is lower than that of residents who are still mobile. Little research has been conducted on how to improve the QoL of this bedfast population, particularly through making technological adjustments to the bed and the direct surroundings. The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the QoL of bedfast residents and how to improve this through technology.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method multi-case study with thematic analysis was conducted in two nursing homes with seven participants based on semi-structured interviews and Short Form-12 questionnaire.
Findings
The major causes of the experienced low QoL were the limited opportunities for engaging in social contacts with others, and coping with the dependency on other people and having limited control. Participants suggested improvements of QoL through the application of modern communication technologies to engage in social contacts and to control the bed itself and environment around the bed.
Practical implications
The results may help improve the design of the bed and the direct environment in order to improve the QoL of bedfast nursing home residents.
Originality/value
The QoL of bedfast nursing home residents has not been studied before in relation to the bed itself and technological solutions that may help improve the QoL and level of control.
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Astrid Spatzier and Jessica Breu
Little is known about the connections between mediated knowledge and promoting creativity. Based on a quantitative survey among 1,102 graduates from University, University…
Abstract
Little is known about the connections between mediated knowledge and promoting creativity. Based on a quantitative survey among 1,102 graduates from University, University of Applied Science and Vocational Academy in Salzburg, Austria, this research sheds light on the influences of knowledge transfer on the development of creativity. Moreover, the chapter highlights types of mediated knowledge that foster creativity.
Along with Csikszentmihalyi and Wolfe (2000), creativity refers to ideas or products that are originally worked out and valued by society. Regarding that, two contrary theses exist. On the one hand, according to Hadamard (1954), it can be assumed that creative processes are not linked to background knowledge. On the other hand, along with Weisberg (1993), it can be noted that creative ideas or products are affected by mediated knowledge. Moreover, extraordinary creativity in a certain professional field presupposes not only qualifications and abilities, but rather particularly knowledge. Although qualifications for public relations (PR) practice and education are ongoing topics in literature and practice (e.g. Szyszka 1998; Merten & Schulte 2007; Spatzier 2016), little is known about the empirical linkage of knowledge and creativity. This chapter deals with the question of the connections between knowledge transfer and the development of creativity in the education for public relations, marketing, advertising and graphic design.
In summary, the findings indicate the types of knowledge that foster the development of creativity, in which basic knowledge matters, as well as the other types. Last but not least, it can be demonstrated that knowledge transfer at the university should be changed concerning the embedding of creativity.
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The purpose of this paper is to highlight some inadequacies of the position of lecturers’ qualifications to design assessments within hospitality curricula while meeting…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight some inadequacies of the position of lecturers’ qualifications to design assessments within hospitality curricula while meeting the requirements of international and national quality frameworks.The Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area leaves the responsibility for designing appropriate teaching and assessment strategies in the hands of educators without fully recognizing the complexity of formulating the desired learning outcomes. Additionally, the subject-oriented background of the majority of educators within universities of applied sciences seems to be ignored in respect of its influence on assessment design.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reflects on the author’s experience in designing courses, teaching and assessment strategies at the NHTV University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands, as well as observations of processes at other universities of applied sciences.
Findings
The author argues for a uniform delineation of hospitality professional qualifications which integrates learning outcomes from international, national and industry profiles. It is proposed that course design should start with assessment design to achieve alignment with learning outcomes and instructional strategies. Universities of applied sciences will have to train course designers in advanced assessment methods and encourage all faculty to acquire appropriate didactical training in assessing students.
Practical implications
This paper offers a view on the strategy necessary to ensuring adequate preparation of lecturers in the areas of writing–learning outcomes and preparing assessment.
Originality/value
The value of the paper lies in the fact that it is a unique critique of pedagogy in Dutch universities of applied sciences.
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Ellen Jansen and Martin Goedhart
The framework of the Bologna Process, the bachelor's–master's degree structure, was introduced into the Netherlands in 2002. At the moment many other countries in Europe…
Abstract
The framework of the Bologna Process, the bachelor's–master's degree structure, was introduced into the Netherlands in 2002. At the moment many other countries in Europe have adopted this structure, or are in the process of restructuring their higher education system in that direction. The so-called Dublin descriptors have been developed to provide a general statement of qualifications that students should have acquired at the end of each cycle. These descriptors can be seen as criteria in terms of competence levels regarding the following aspects: acquiring knowledge and understanding, applying knowledge and understanding, making informed judgements and choices, communicating knowledge and understanding, and capacities to continue learning. It can be argued that these competences are interdisciplinary in nature. For instance, a university graduate has to be able to collaborate and communicate in multi- or interdisciplinary teams. However, many of these competences will be acquired in disciplinary settings, and faculty will not easily recognise the general terms in which the descriptors are formulated. This raises questions about the interchangeability of the competences between disciplines. In this chapter we will argue that some of the Dublin descriptors can be seen as an attempt to make it clear that there is a common interdisciplinary language in certain fields of attributes, whereas there will be a strong component of disciplinarity in the programmes. An example in the field of research and enquiry competences will be elaborated for two distinctive programmes: in natural sciences and in social sciences.