Search

Aims: The aim of this study is to fill a gap in research on students' experiences of learning in student-centered assessment feedback practices. The article examines what students tell us about their learning in the context of student-centered feedback practices in higher education during online learning. Study Design: The study was conducted as a qualitative online survey among Finnish university students (N=35). The relationship between learning and assessment was explored in the context of formative and summative assessment practices during an online learning environment. The data was analysed using a discursive approach. Place and Duration of Study: The research was conducted in Finland during spring 2021. Methodology: The scientific and philosophical framework of the study is based on the theory of social constructionism, according to which social reality is formed through language in an interaction between people. The methodology used was discursive reading, i.e., how social reality is discursively produced through language. The starting point was the idea that language creates different discourses or perspectives on reality. Results: The feedback practices provided a different picture of learning and highlighted different dimensions of learning. Learning was discussed in terms of positive emotions, multiple perspectives, sociality, renewal, and holistic learning. In addition, negative emotions, disinformation, regression, and the playing field metaphor were associated with learning. Conclusion: The results show that feedback practices that are presented as student-centered do not necessarily support the learning process of adults. Learning and assessment practices based on pedagogy and a learning theory can best support students' personal and social growth and increase their self-esteem. In online learning, teacher guidance and pedagogically based learning support are emphasized. We argue that in online-learning, where the role of the teacher is often small, student-centered well-intentioned assessment practices can only provide a thin veneer of learning unless students are helped to see the holistic importance of assessment as part of the learning process.

Learning musical skills is often associated with face-to-face teaching. Few studies on musical skill learning through asynchronous e-learning have been conducted; however, the demand for e-learning has increased due to multiform learning and individual education paths, unrestricted by time and place. This demand is the basis of this research. The focus of this study is Finnish classroom teacher students’ skill learning, learning processes, and learning experiences, while studying music independently through e-learning. The research method is an intensive case study with six students. Their learning diaries were analysed using a data-driven content analysis. Background factors were musical interest, skill, education, and attitude. During the research, a hypothetical cyclical model of the skill-learning process was created. The assumptions are: Knowledge of music theory improved singing and playing skills. E learning supported the pedagogical readiness for teaching music. Joy of learning, positive experiences and impacting the learning of oneself reinforced the students’ self esteem, belief in their abilities and excitement for lifelong learning. The knowledge gained can be applied for developing similar study modules, recognising processes guiding skill learning, creating strategies for guiding learning, and for developing methods for skill creating. peerReviewed

Tämä väitös tutki terveystiedon levittämistä asynkronisena verkko-oppimistarjontana terveyskriiseissä erityisesti terveysalan ammattilaisille, ja samalla kenelle tahansa avoimista verkko-oppimisaineistoista kiinnostuneelle. Tutkimus sisältää aineistoja epidemia- ja pandemia-aiheisista ja -aikaisista laajamittaisesta oppimisvasteesta ja se sijoittuu informaatiotutkimuksen, terveysviestinnän ja oppimisteknologioiden aloille. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin edellytyksiä maailmanlaajuiselle oppimismateriaalin levittämiselle, niin aineiston kuin verkko-oppimisympäristön näkökulmasta. Väitös pohjautuu neljään vertaisarvioituun tutkimusartikkeliin, joista kolme käsittelee COVID-19 -pandemian aikaista terveystiedon levittämistä ja käyttöä ja yksi artikkeli Ebolaa. Tilastotieteellisiin havaintoihin perustuvat datan meta-analyysit pohjautuvat Maailman Terveysjärjestön (WHO) avoimeen verkko-oppimisympäristöön, OpenWHO.org, ja sisältävät koko oppimisympäristön kattavaa suurta dataa ja kyselypohjaisia analyyseja. Julkaisujen aineistot käsiteltiin temaattisen analyysin keinoin ja niistä nousevat teemat koottiin verkko-oppimisympäristöjä ja -aineistoja koskeviksi suosituksiksi. Tutkimus pyrki hahmottamaan ja toiminnallistamaan keskeisiä elementtejä ja huomioitavia näkökulmia terveysinformaation välittämisestä omatahtisena verkko-oppimisena. Tutkimuksessa esitetään kahta eri viitekehystä reaaliaikaisen, verkko-oppimisen kautta tehtävän terveystiedon levittämisen tueksi: oppimisympäristöjen kapasiteettiin liittyviä ja verkkojen kautta jaeltavien aineistojen muotoihin liittyen. Väitöskirjatutkimuksen tulokset voivat hyödyttää tiedontuottajia, jotka tarjoavat verkko-oppimisympäristöjä, tavoitteenaan saavuttaa laaja määrä oppijoita helposti skaalautuvilla keinoilla erityisesti yhtäkkisissä ja nopeasti etenevissä kriisitilanteissa, joissa ensisijainen tarkoitus on pelastaa ihmishenkiä. The thesis examined dissemination of public health information through asynchronous online learning provision. The context is public health emergencies, and the study includes evidence from epidemic and pandemic learning responses through online dissemination targeted to health professionals and open to any interested audiences. The research is placed at the crossroads of information dissemination, health communication and learning technologies. The research investigated key considerations for platform requirements to mount a learning response with a global reach; and core requirements for the learning material packaging to suit massive audiences. The thesis consists of four publications of which three provide evidence on COVID-19 online learning material, and one provide evidence from other infectious disease online courses on Ebola. Statisticsdriven findings were made based on meta-data analysis of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) open-source learning platform, OpenWHO.org, and included platform-wide big data metrics and several survey analyses. All data and evidence outputs were analysed utilising the thematic analysis approach and were coded into emerging themes of importance that shed light on the utility of the information dissemination. The study sought to operationalise key considerations relating to health information dissemination as an asynchronous online learning delivery and recommends two frameworks; one for considerations relating to platform capabilities and the other for aspects relating to the packaging of online learning material. The findings of this thesis can inform any learning provider who operates through online learning means with an aim to reach unlimited mass audiences in an easily scalable way, with particular emphasis on adjustments required for sudden onset events and emergencies where the aim is to save lives through online learning and information dissemination.

Aikaan ja paikkaan sitomattomille kursseille on paljon kysyntää. Koulutuksiin osallistuu yhä enemmän henkilöitä, jotka ovat korkeakouluopiskeluun harjaantumattomia. Lisäksi koulutusta suoritetaan kovan kiireen keskellä. Heidätkin olisi saatava kiinnittymään verkkokurssille. Miten auttaa opettajia ottamaan huomioon tämä kohderyhmä jatkuvan oppimisen koulutuksissa? Jatkuva oppiminen lisääntyy ja korkeakouluihin tulee yhä enemmän taustaltaan, opiskelutaidoiltaan ja digiosaamiseltaan erilaisia opiskelijoita. Microcourse for Learning eLearning on suomalaisessa COL-hankkeessa alun perin rakennettu mikrokurssi, joka auttaa opettajia ottamaan huomioimaan jatkuvan oppimisen opiskelijat verkkototeutuksillaan. Mikrokurssin kehitystä on jatkettu edelleen Erasmus-rahoitteisessa Dual AFS -projektissa. Mikrokurssi on verkkokurssi, jonka kesto voi olla vaikkapa 15 minuuttia, puoli tuntia tai kaksi tuntia. Mikrokurssilla opiskeleminen on aikaan ja paikkaan sitomatonta, ja kurssin voi suorittaa omaan tahtiin silloin, kun itselle sopii. Kurssi voi koostua esimerkiksi lyhyistä videoista, tehtävistä, teksteistä tai rikastetuista kuvista. Mikrokursseista on mahdollista rakentaa ja tuotteistaa laajempikin kokonaisuus, jolloin niistä koostuu myös opintopisteinä määriteltäviä opintoja. Jatkuvan oppimisen koulutusten lisääntyessä yhä useampien opettajien työnkuvaan on alkanut kuulua koulutuksia, joille tulee mukaan myös korkeakouluopiskeluun harjaantumattomia työelämän kiireiden keskeltä osallistuvia opiskelijoita. Pikaperehdytysaineisto on opettajille sopiva ratkaisu. Opettajien kiireet tietäen näitä kursseja kehitettäessä hylättiin laajat materiaalipaketit. Projekteissa rakennettiin mikrokurssit, joiden oletettu opiskeluaika on 15–30 minuuttia. COL-hankkeessa rakennetun kurssin nimi on Online Course for Working Life. Dual AFS -hankkeessa puolestaan rakennettiin kurssi Dual AFS Learning eLearning, jossa yhteensä neljän yliopiston opettajat Albaniasta ja Kosovosta opiskelevat työn ohessa verkko-opettamista. Kurssien oppimisympäristönä on Savonia-ammattikorkeakoulun avoin Moodle, Savonia OpenEdu. Kurssit koostuvat H5P:llä tehdyistä kokonaisuuksista, joissa on tehtävien lisäksi muutamia linkkejä lisäaineistoihin. Sisältöinä ovat mm. työelämälle suunnatun verkkokurssin ominaispiirteet, saavutettavuus ja tekijänoikeudet. Sähköisistä työkaluista käytössä ovat H5P:n eri mahdollisuuksien lisäksi mm. Flinga ja Powtoon. Ideana on aktivoida osallistujaa tekemään ja siten oppimaan. Osallistujaa muistutetaan heti alkuun verkko-opintojakson laatukriteereistä. Lopuksi hän voi tulostaa itselleen muistilistan huoneentauluksi ja antaa palautetta tai kehittämisehdotuksia.

When studying music, skills are often practised with a teacher, face-to-face, in a classroom. What are the experiences of classroom teacher trainees when music teaching becomes asynchronous, i.e., an individually completed online course? This question, among other things, was explored at a Finnish University's Teacher Education Department in autumn 2020, resulting in the production of a two-credit online music course on the Moodle learning environment. It was implemented for the first time during the summer term in 2021. The students’ experiences with the functionality of the e-learning module were analysed through data-driven content analysis. The study represents an intensive case study using students' (n=6) learning diaries as data. According to the results, the structure of the course and the materials created on the online platform were considered successful. It provided meaningful experiences of skill development, self-efficacy and the joy of learning. The e-learning course shaped students' perceptions of lifelong learning and their reflections also resulted in music pedagogical skills that strengthened their professional competence. Increasing the number of interactive tasks and developing statistics to monitor task performance were identified as areas for improvement. A common characteristic of the students was their motivation to study online and their ability to work in a self-directed way. peerReviewed

nonPeerReviewed

nonPeerReviewed

peerReviewed

In this explorative study, we investigated motives of autonomous learners to participate in an online course, and how these motives are related to gameplay motivations, engagement in the course experience, and learning outcomes. The guiding premise for the study has been the idea that learning and game playing carry phenomenal similarities that could be revealed by scrutinizing motives for participating in a massive open online course that does not involve any intentionally game-like features. The research was conducted by analyzing survey data (N = 705) collected from individuals who had voluntarily participated in an open online course about artificial intelligence and its societal impact. The survey included an explorative Motives for Autonomous Learning (MAL) inventory. Exploratory factor analysis suggested that the MAL inventory consisted of six dimensions out of which four were consistent with factors that earlier research has associated with motives to engage with video games. Of the identified factors, the dimension that most clearly described autonomous and playful predispositions was found to be a main precedent for both experienced gamefulness of the learning experience and positive learning outcomes. In all, the results of this study demonstrated that playfulness and autonomy were both prominent and significant factors across the whole learning process. peerReviewed

The present powerful surge of available online learning platforms will provide employees with enhanced opportunities to rapidly develop their skills, regardless of time and place. Despite the potential, there are challenges for participants on online learning platforms to finalise the courses they engage in. The reasons for the high number of students dropping out before completion of the course are motivational, social, and technological. Studies show that large skill gaps exist among industry employees worldwide. It is often caused by the implementation of new technologies, digitalization, as well as increasing requirements on sustainability and resilience. E-learning provides a major opportunity to bridge such skill gaps. Thus, the flexibility offered by online learning platforms can be of high value for upskilling of industrial employees. This paper describes a study on the skills and learning processes of engineers in industry, participating in a national Swedish upskilling programme. The programme offers online learning modules, provided by 13 collaborating Swedish universities. The paper proposes a method for understanding underlying challenges in the participants’ motivation and their module completion rates. The questionnaire “HowULearn”, developed by Helsinki University, has been previously validated at several universities, consistently delivering a valuable understanding of student learning and motivation. To accommodate the methodological needs of this study, the questionnaire was adapted for an industrial context, investigating motivational challenges of learners on the Ingenjör4.0 platform. The primary outcome of the study is a framework for analysing learner challenges related to motivation within e-learning contexts. Further, this paper suggests a way of utilising the HowULearn questionnaire for participants on the Ingenjör4.0 online learning platform, to understand their challenges. The adapted questionnaire was tested with participants of the platform (22 respondents) and the results were analysed by identifying participant challenges. The outcome and conclusions of this study will improve the Ingenjör4.0 online learning platform but can also be used generically, to improve other e-learning environments.

It is widely known that in order to communicate, interact and understand each other in different educational context , it is necessary to agree on the terms to be used and their meanings. The need for such agreements was also apparent at the first meetings of the Erasmus+ project “Framework for an Efficient and Engaging Hybrid Education in Lower Secondary Schools”. The project partners used very different terminology when talking about digital teaching and learning in English. Furthermore, even when using the same terminology, we might not understand each other because the meanings of terms could vary from different educational context and from country to country. This prompted us to collect and group the most often and commonly used terms for digital teaching and learning in English, Estonian, Finnish, Hungarian, Romanian and Austrian German and reveal their meanings. The glossary presented here is based on inputs from project partners and explanations found through Google searches. We chose to use Google searches instead of recognised dictionaries as many of the terms listed here are not yet found in dictionaries. nonPeerReviewed

Although several studies suggested considering gender in online learning, the literature about how male and female students would behave is fragmented. Little attention has been paid to the effect of gender on online learning behavioural patterns. This study aimed at investigating the roles of gender in online learning behaviours by analyzing the gender-related differences of students’ online learning behavioural patterns. We used the case study approach with descriptive statistical analysis, lag sequential analysis, and temporal log data analysis to investigate gender-related differences in students’ online learning behaviours. The results indicated no significant difference in the counts of occurrence of online single learning behaviours between female and male students. However, differences were observed in online learning behaviour patterns and how the online learning activities were performed over time. Females were more active in learning behaviours associated with achievement reports and peer list viewing. They tended to view their achievement reports before starting the main course learning activities, indicating that female students might be achievement-oriented. The findings provide further insights from a temporal perspective about how gender is associated with online learning. Implications on designing personalized online learning interventions based on considering gender-related differences are also discussed. peerReviewed

COVID-19 rapidly and extensively changed the normal everyday practices of societies, and there is no going back to the past. Universities also had to adapt and re-establish their normal routines, from policies to practices. In this article, we explore university students’ experiences of web-based learning, their well-being, and engagement during the pandemic. As a theoretical framework, we use the concept of the university student engagement inventory (USEI), which includes behavioral, cognitive, and emotional dimensions. The data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic from university students (N = 35) via an online survey and analyzed using a thematic content analysis. According to the results, university students experienced well-designed and pedagogically implemented web-based learning, teaching and guidance to enhance their own learning, well-being, and engagement in their studies. This suggests that web-based solutions for academic learning are justified but need to consider a range of well-being and engagement factors. What is still needed are innovative solutions that are pedagogically justifiable and consider the digital and human dimensions sustainably. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Verkko-oppimisympäristöjen suosio kasvaa kiihtyvällä tahdilla maailman laajuisesti ja samaan aikaan tarve uusille lähestymistavoille verkko-oppimisen ja -opetuksen kehittämisessä ja tutkimuksessa on kasvanut. Vaikka lokitiedot mahdollistavat verkkokäyttäytymisen tutkimisen, on tätä mahdollisuutta hyödynnetty verkko-oppimisen ja -opetuksen tutkimuskontekstissa verrattain vähän. Tutkimuksessa hyödynnettiin lokitietoja verkkokurssin arvioinnissa ja kehittämisessä MOOC-ympäristössä. Tässä artikkelissa kuvataan oppimisprosessia lokitietojen avulla sekä pohditaan sitä, minkälaista ymmärrystä oppimisesta lokitiedot voivat tuottaa ja miten tällaisen tiedon voisi tulevaisuudessa valjastaa oppimisen tueksi. Tutkimusaineisto koostui matematiikan opettajien (N=58) täydennyskoulutusverkkokurssin lokitiedoista. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että syvällisemmät tai enemmän aikaa vaativat aktiviteetit keskeyttävät yhtenäisen opiskelun herkemmin kuin esimerkiksi videoluennot. Lyhytkestoiset videot ja nopeasti vastattavat kyselyt sen sijaan sitouttavat osallistujia yhtenäiseen opiskeluun. Vaikka suoristustavoissa on yksilöllisiä eroja, verkkokurssin kehittämistarvetta on mahdollista arvioida lokitietojen avulla. Esitämme artikkelissa vision siitä, kuinka tulevaisuudessa lokitiedot voisivat automaattisesti analysoitua, järjestelmä tunnistaisi oppimisprofiileja ja verkko-oppimisympäristö muokkautuisi automaattisesti tunnistettujen opiskelutaipumusten mukaan. Kun prosessiin yhdistetään tekoäly myös profilointialgoritmi kehittyisi automaattisesti käyttäjädatan kasvun myötä. In English Web-based learning enviroments have become increasingly popular world-wide. At the same time, the need for new approaches to both supporting and investigating teaching and learning have emerged. Although log information enables research of online behavior, this opportunity is not used to its full potential in the context of web-based teaching and learning. This research utilized log information in the assessment of a MOOC course and its development. This article describes the learning process with the help of log information. It also envisions what kind of understanding of the learning process log information can provide and how this understanding may be harnessed to support learning in the future. The data consisted of the log information of mathematic teachers (N=58) participating in an online continuing training course. The results show that in-depth time-consuming activities interrupt studying more easily than video lectures for example. Short videos and quick queries engage the participant in more coherent study. Although there are individual differences in the studying, less well-functioning teaching content and tasks can be recognized through log information. We present a vision of how log information can be automatically analyzed; the system would recognize learning profiles and the online environment would automatically modify itself according to the profile. When AI (artificial intelligence) is utilized the profiling algorithm would develop automatically as user data accumulates. Fulltext in Finnish.

The TINEL Project is running a series of camps for staff at higher education institution to support them in developing inclusive eLearning. The first camp was conducted face-to-face, but the coronavirus pandemic meant that the second camp was conducted online. This created a case study in inclusive eLearning in itself and allowed us to experience and reflect on the challenges and opportunities of inclusive online teaching and learning. This paper presents the structure and content of the two camps, our reflections on moving from a face-to-face to an online situation and our elaboration how the UDL principles apply to eLearning to create Universal Design for eLearning (UDeL). We found that because we already had a syllabus for the camp prepared, transferring it to an online camp did not present a great number of challenges. Some aspects of the online situation were actually advantageous (e.g. presenting all materials digitally and making them fully accessible) while others were difficult to overcome (e.g. engaging all participants in online activities and discussions). We provide a set of recommendations of how to implement the three principles of UDL in eLearning situations.

This paper describes the mapping of self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) for adult students applying for a master’s degree program delivered entirely as distanced learning. Since SDLR is strongly linked to both adult learning and online education, developing of self-directed learning (SDL) skills should be taken into consideration in our degree program. Making future students aware of SDLR is the first stage in introducing self-directed learning methods and practices in learning environments. The easiest way to do this is to have students answer an SDLR self-assessment questionnaire and give them feedback regarding their SDLR level. This paper presents how this is realized and provides the preliminary results of the study and the applicants’ SDLR score distributions. The results indicate high SDLR among all applicants. peerReviewed

Virtual Exchange is a collective term for a set of collaborative online learning practices that cut across institutional, cultural, and international borders. Moving outside their learning environments, the participants engage in project work with foreign peers. The teams have to work across time zones, use foreign languages, manage cultural differences and apply digital tools for communication and collaboration. The virtual projects enhance the development of transversal work/life skills, which are an asset in today’s global labour market. The aim of the present study is to explore the emotional trajectory of Virtual Exchange based on the students’ e-portfolios. By analysing the self-evaluations, we can get a better understanding of the emotional experience of participating in Virtual Exchange and use the findings to develop the pedagogical facilitation of such projects. The research questions address the emotions that the students described when they were reporting on their learning experiences and the individual emotional trajectories that emerge in the students’ reports. Data was collected in the form of e-portfolios that the student participants submitted at the end of a Finnish-Polish Virtual Exchange project in 2019. The “Combining Expertise from Linguistics and Tourism: A Tale of Two Cities Told in Videos” collaboration had promotional discourse in tourism as its main theme. The participants (N=25) were university students majoring in tourism (Poland) and in foreign language studies (Finland). The e-portfolios were analysed with the help of dialogical approach combined with discourse analytical insights (Sullivan, 2012).

Distance education has grown tremendously over the last decade. Internet technologies have enabled a large-scale dispensation of lectures, exercises, and training. Virtual Learning Management Systems (LMSs) offer a number of tools to realize distance education and distance learning. In this work, we present a virtual system architecture for training cyber security professionals with hands-on skills. The architecture is based on a VirtualBox virtualization environment. Guest machines are installed on an instance of VirtualBox. The installed environment offers a safe and isolated workbench for experiments. After installation and configuration of the environment, students perform a number of instances of cyber attacks and system protections. According to students, the experiments were quite challenging but educational. peerReviewed

The article contains the results of a research within the STIMEY (Science, Technology, Innovation, Mathematics, Engineering for the Young) project funded by the European Union’s Horizon-2020 research and innovation program (2016-2021). In the project, a hybrid learning environment (LE) was developed for both on-site and online learning suitable for the learning conditions in the COVID-19 era and beyond. The purpose of the research segment presented in this paper was to develop an instrument for assessment of the learner’s progress in creativity as one of the key targets of STIMEY. COVID-19 has shown that creativity is also needed to allow education systems the flexibility for unexpected changes and circumstantial challenges. The article presents a definition of Science and Technology Oriented Creativity (STOC) based on the existing theories in the field, a short outline of the STOC measurement method developed, procedures, evaluation algorithms and an overview of the experimental STOC testing results. The relevance of the method developed to its purpose and suggested tentative positive influences of the STIMEY LE on learners’ creativity are discussed. Argumentations of strengths, limitations, applications of STOC testing outside the STIMEY project and the key directions of further improvements of the method developed are provided.

This paper introduces a computer-based online scenario game that was developed to enhance the learning of human resource management (HRM) in an undergraduate course at a business school in Finland. What makes this game unique is that students played an important and active role in developing the game in collaboration with lecturers. Our findings show that the game enhances learning, interaction, and collaboration among students. We discuss how computer-based games and their development in collaboration with students can be used as a means for learning and improving working-life skills in higher education.

Koulutus ja työntekijöiden asiantuntijuuden kehittyminen ovat tärkeitä tekijöitä yrityksen kilpailukyvylle. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin, millaisilla menetelmillä voidaan lisätä yrityksessä tapahtuvan koulutuksen vaikuttavuutta ja työntekijöiden asiantuntijuutta. Työssä muotoiltiin lisäksi turvallisuuskoulutus, joka on otettavissa yrityksessä käyttöön, ja jonka avulla testattiin teoriaan pohjautuvia sovellettuja menetelmiä. Tutkimuksessa syvennyttiin kielentämisen, positiivisen pedagogiikan ja vertaisoppimisen teorioihin asiantuntijuuden kasvattamisen tukena. Lisäksi työssä tehtiin katsaus virheistä oppimisen merkitykseen yrityksessä tapahtuvalle osaamisen kehittämiselle. Työssä sovellettiin teoriaa käytäntöön luomalla Turvallisesti toimistotyön ulkopuolella -koulutus ja testaamalla sitä todellisessa ympäristössä. Turvallisuuskoulutus pohjautuu riskien arviointiin, jota lähestyttiin tässä työssä perehtymällä riskien arvioinnin nykytilaan ja sen taustalla vaikuttaviin tekijöihin. Riskien suuruuksien ja merkittävyyden arvioinnin pohjaksi tutkimuksessa on esitetty todennäköisyysmatematiikan perusteet. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa selvitettiin ja testattiin verkkokoulutuksen toimivuutta yrityksen koulutuksessa. Tietoa testikoulutuksista kerättiin haastattelemalla osallistujia. Tutkimus toteutettiin kehittämistutkimuksena. Tutkimuksessa ilmeni, että kehitetty turvallisuuskoulutus koettiin mielekkääksi. Koulutukseen sisältyvät ja teoriaan pohjautuvat soveltavat tehtävät koettiin hyödyllisiksi, joskin tehtäville ja materiaalien läpikäymiselle on varattava tarpeeksi työskentelyaikaa. Turvallisuuskoulutuksessa käytetty Microsoft Teams -ohjelmisto toimii hyvin koulutuksen alustana, kun sen eri toimintoja hyödynnetään monipuolisesti. Kielentäminen, positiivinen pedagogiikka ja vertaisoppiminen antoivat hyvän pohjan työn soveltaville sisällöille. Turvallisesti toimistotyön ulkopuolella -koulutuksessa otettiin käyttöön riskien pika-arviointi, jota järjestelmällisesti käyttämällä voidaan saavuttaa yhä turvallisempia työpäiviä. Työn kautta saatiin tietoa siitä, millaisia tekijöitä kannattaa ottaa huomioon yrityksen koulutusten pitämisessä ja oppimisen kasvattamisessa. Tutkimuksesta kerääntyneisiin havaintoihin ja tuloksiin pohjautuen koostettiin kymmenen kohdan lista tekijöistä, joihin kannattaa kiinnittää erityistä huomioita tulevaisuuden koulutuksissa.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic impact on our lives and living. In higher education, it led to a swift shift from on-campus to online education resulting in practices of emergency remote teaching through virtual classrooms. In this project, we seek to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities that this abrupt, enforced change to online education entailed for faculty and students in Sweden and Finland. We aim to examine the evolution of online work and study practices, their impact on the teaching and learning environment, and new expectations imposed on the faculty and students. Our goal is to enhance the theoretical understanding of e-learning, developing guidelines on how to make online education effective, exploring the impact of pandemics on the future of higher education. peerReviewed

Blended education embraces various combinations of face-to-face and online teaching. It has become a normal part of higher education degree programmes. Since the late 1990s, the Open University of the University of Jyväskylä (JYUOpen) has been offering online and blended education for its rapidly growing number of students. For many years now, Finnish education has ranked high in PISA research. Furthermore, the University of Jyväskylä has been successful in global rankings, especially in the field of education (Shanghai Ranking: 36, QS World University Rankings: 51–100 and Times Higher Education: 67). In order to present the success factors of the Finnish education system, we offered our first MOOC in the autumn semester of 2016 and the blended model of it in the autumn semester of 2017. By utilising our MOOCs and offering face-to-face teaching on campus, we can enhance deeper understanding of different education topics and organise collaboration opportunities for our exchange and degree students. In the autumn semester of 2020, we offered this blended course fully online by utilising synchronous online meetings. In this article, we presentstudent feedback and teacher experiences of our blended model. Based on the preliminary analysis, student feedback on the blended model is constructive and positive. Student feedback has been an essential part of the development of the MOOC courses. nonPeerReviewed

This case study presents the results of an interdisciplinary Virtual Exchange (VE) that was arranged between Finnish and Polish students in 2019. During their six-week collaboration, the students of language studies at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, worked in teams together with their Polish peers specialising in information and communications technology and management in tourism at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. The international teams combined their linguistic and tourism-promotion expertise, and, using collaborative digital tools, grappled with the tasks of analysing the official municipal city websites and promoting the lesser-known aspects of their sister cities (Jyväskylä and Poznań) in jointly created videos. peerReviewed

This paper presents initial results from a study exploring teacher students’ experiences related to the gamification of an online learning platform in higher education. The aim was to get an understanding of the participants’ views regarding the use of game elements and to examine the user type profile of this group in order to explore the potential of applying user types in planning gamification solutions for teacher students. The participants’ overall experience of having game elements as part of their course platform was principally positive. User types students presented were investigated using the Hexad scale adapted from game design: in this user group, Socialiser and Philanthropist were the predominant types while Disruptor was by far the least common one. In terms of learning tasks, the participants expressed being motivated particularly by tasks with a strong creative focus. The findings inform us about the directions to take in the development of suitable solutions for supporting teacher students’ motivation in online and blended learning. peerReviewed

This study aims to further the understanding of the opportunities and challenges for online education from the perspective of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. The situation was unique in many ways, as the migration from traditional to online education was very rapid and forced by situational circumstances. However, it also had the potential to foster organizational change in the use of online education in a way that has never been seen before. A literature review was used to explore the opportunities and challenges for online education, and the results are discussed in connection with the COVID-19 crisis. The study identified nine opportunities and nine challenges for online education that apply to online education in general and that can be considered when creating strategies for dealing with a crisis situation similar to COVID-19. peerReviewed

Virtual exchange is an online form of internationalization at home. Students from different countries collaborate in small, international groups on tasks joined by a common theme. They combine their expertise when solving problems together. The teachers act as mentors, providing facilitation and support for the students during the virtual exchange. The student teams work independently by selecting the tools for the collaboration, allocating the tasks and creating the group’s final product. Virtual exchange is a transnational learning opportunity which enables students to learn and practice how to efficiently combine and make use of their digital, visual, critical, linguistic and intercultural competencies (Boche, 2014) in order to feel ready for and empowered in workinglife. nonPeerReviewed

Teknologian merkitys yhtenä oppimisen työkaluna on kasvanut viime vuosikymmenen aikana. OECD-maiden viisitoistavuotiaista yli 70 % käyttää tietokonetta koulussa (OECD 2015) ja esimerkiksi yhdysvaltalaisopettajista 95 % raportoi Internetissä tapahtuvan tiedonhaun yhtenä tyypillisenä koulutehtävän muotona (Purcell ym. 2012). Tietoa etsitään ja tekstiä luetaan erilaisista digitaalisista lähteistä päivittäin. Näitä digitaalisia lähteitä ovat muun muassa lukuisat e-kirjat ja netissä luettavat erilaiset tieto- ja viihdetekstit, uutistekstit sekä sosiaalisen median sisällöt. Muutoksia lukemistottumuksissamme on otettu huomioon myös nykyisessä opetussuunnitelmassamme (Opetushallitus 2014) ja myös kansainvälisissä oppimisen mittareissa, kuten PISA:ssa (OECD 2013). Koska Internetin merkitys koulutyössä ja vapaa-ajalla on kasvanut, opettajien on tärkeää varmistaa kaikille oppilaille riittävät tiedot ja taidot lukea ja oppia netissä. Nettilukeminen ei ole vain jonkin yksittäisen tiedon tarkistamista, vaan kyseessä on monisyisempi ilmiö. Kun lukija perehtyy johonkin tutkittavaan asiaan useasta eri näkökulmasta ja soveltaa löytämäänsä tietoa, voidaan puhua tutkivasta nettilukemisesta (Kiili & Laurinen 2018). Tällöin kyseessä on itseohjautuva lukemisen prosessi laajassa, toisiinsa linkitettyjen tekstien verkostossa (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, Castek & Henry 2013). Nettitekstit voivat olla esitysmuodoiltaan hyvin monimuotoisia sisältäen esimerkiksi tekstin ohella myös ääntä, kuvia tai videoita, joten Internetissä lukeminen vaatii uudenlaisia lukemisen taitoja ja strategioita (Cho & Afflerbach 2017). nonPeerReviewed

Virtual exchange comprises online collaborative activities in facilitated, educational contexts across borders. This paper offers a multimodal approach to the study of social presence in students’ asynchronous online discourse in the context of virtual exchange. It draws on the Community of Inquiry model of online learning (Garrison 2017) and interprets social presence as the dynamic discursive process of social interaction and self-presentation. The data consists of screenshots collected in a closed Facebook group during the first assignment of a Czech-Finnish virtual exchange project in 2017. The study aims to explore how the method of multimodal discourse analysis can be used to describe the three dimensions of social presence. The students’ self-introductory posts, reactions and comments were examined in three modes of meaning-making: the linguistic, the visual and the action mode. The study offers a model for the qualitative multimodal discourse analysis of social presence construction in asynchronous social media interaction. peerReviewed

Koulut ovat siirtyneet etäopetukseen lähikuukausien ajaksi sekä Suomessa että ympäri maailmaa. UNESCO:n seurannan mukaan perusasteen, toisen asteen ja korkea-asteen koulutus on 23.4. päivitetyn tiedon mukaan pysäytetty joko kokonaan tai osittain 191 maassa. COVID-19 virus vaikeuttaa yli 1,6 miljardin nuoren opiskelua. Jo ennen virusepidemiaa 260 miljoonaa lasta globaalisti oli ilman koulutusta. Kriisin odotetaan syventävän globaalia oppimiskriisiä. Kiinnostus Suomen digitaalisia koulutusratkaisuja kohtaan on globaali. Meneillään olevasta etäopetusperiodista pitää kerätä hyvät ja huonot kokemukset. Niiden pohjalta Suomen tulee rakentaa kaikkia koulutusasteita koskeva kansallinen digitaalinen koulutus- ja oppimisjärjestelmä. Kansallinen maailmalaajuisesti kehityksen kärkeä edustava digitalisoitu sosiaali- ja terveystietojärjestelmä Kanta tietoarkistoineen on hyvä esimerkki myös kansalliselle koulutusalan ratkaisulle. Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriön (OKM) sekä Opetushallituksen (OPH) johdolla voitaisiin digitaalinen koulutus- ja oppimisjärjestelmä rakentaa samaan tapaan kuten STM on rakentanut kansallisen SOTE-järjestelmän Kanta terveystietokantoineen. Kansallisen järjestelmän keskeisenä ytimenä olisi Kanta-järjestelmää vastaava oppilastietojärjestelmä ja digitaalinen sisältöalusta oppimateriaalikeskuksineen, jossa perinteisten sisällön tuottajien ja kirjakustantajien lisäksi yliopistoilla, oppimisratkaisuja tarjoavilla yrityksillä, Ylellä ja lehtikustantamoilla voisi olla keskeinen rooli. Kirjakulut peruskoulussa, lukiossa ja ammatillisessa koulutuksessa ovat vajaa 200 miljoonaa euroa vuodessa. Tästä sisällöntuottajien osuus on alle 20 %. Keskitetyssä oppimateriaalituotannossa sisällön tuottamiseen tulee panostaa enemmän, koska perinteiset kirjojen kustannus-, painamis- ja jakelukulut jäisivät pois. Mediatalojen mukaantulo osaksi toisi tiedon reaaliaikaisuuden osaksi koululaitosta. Kirjakulut ovat 10 vuodessa noin 2 miljardia euroa. Digitaalisen järjestelmän rakentamiskuluissa tulee huomioida merkittävä säästö, joka saadaan kirjakuluissa (vähintään 1 miljardi euroa 10 vuodessa) ja lisäksi tehostunut koulutustoiminta. [Jatkuu julkaisussa] nonPeerReviewed

Sähköinen tunnistautuminen on yksi keskeisistä teemoista verkko-opetuksessa, -opiskelussa ja - arvioinnissa. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tutkia opiskeluunsa erityistä tukea tarvitsevien yliopisto-opiskelijoiden käyttökokemuksia kehitteillä olevasta sähköisestä tunnistautumisjärjestelmästä. Erityistä huomiota kehittämistyössä kiinnitettiin tunnistautumisen saavutettavuuteen. Kaikkiaan 15 opiskelijaa testasi TeSLA-projektin osana kehitettyä tunnistautumisjärjestelmää, johon kuului kasvojentunnistus, äänentunnistus, näppäilyntunnistus, tekstityylianalyysi ja plagioinnin tunnistus. Opiskelijat täyttivät esi- ja jälkikyselylomakkeet sekä osallistuivat henkilökohtaisiin haastatteluihin. Tulokset osoittivat, että opiskelijoilla oli positiivisia odotuksia ja kokemuksia sähköisestä tunnistautumisesta. Opiskelijat uskoivat, että tunnistautumisjärjestelmä lisäsi luottamusta ja siten monipuolisti heidän mahdollisuuksiaan opiskella verkossa. Opiskelijat löysivät joitain haasteita ja korostivat, että sähköisen tunnistautumisjärjestelmän tulisi olla luotettava ja helppokäyttöinen. Mahdollisuutta käyttää erilaisia tunnistautumisvälineitä pidettiin tärkeänä. Opiskelijoiden halu käyttää näitä välineitä ja jakaa henkilötietojaan tunnistautumiseen vaihteli vammaisuuden, tuen tarpeiden tai yksilöllisten mieltymysten mukaan. Tulokset viittaavat siihen, että opiskelijoilla pitäisi olla vaihtoehtoja siihen, millaista sähköistä tunnistautumista he käyttävät. E-authentication is one of the key topics in the field of online education and e-assessment. This study was aimed at investigating the user experiences of students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) while developing the accessible e-authentication system for higher education institutions. Altogether, 15 students tested the system (including instruments for face recognition, voice recognition, keystroke dynamics, text style analysis and anti-plagiarism), developed as part of the TeSLA project. Students also completed pre-questionnaires and postquestionnaires and attended individual interviews. The findings reveal positive expectations and experiences of e-authentication. Students believed that the e-authentication system increased trust and, thus, diversified their possibilities for studying online. Students found some challenges and emphasized that the e-authentication system should be reliable and easy to use. The possibility to use different kinds of instruments was perceived as an important feature. Students’ willingness to use these instruments and share their personal data for e-authentication varied due to their disabilities or individual preferences. The results suggest that students should have options for what kind of e-authentication they use. peerReviewed

Tässä pro gradu -tutkielmassa tarkastellaan kahta rakenteellisesti erilaista verkko-oppimisympäristöä ja tutkitaan vastaako yksi rakenne toista vaihtoehtoa paremmin lukio-opiskelijoiden mieltymyksiä, tukeeko näistä toinen laadukkaampien vastausten antamista ja kumpi ympäristöistä lisää tai ylläpitää opiskelun motivaatiota. Tarkoituksena on muodostaa yhtenäinen suositus verkko-oppimisympäristöjen rakenteelliselle suunnittelulle. Tutkimusta varten luotiin kaksi verkkosivustoa WordPress-alustalla siten, että ensimmäinen oppimisympäristö noudatti niin kutsuttua ”lineaarista” rakennetta ja muodostui neljästä peräkkäisestä kysymyssivusta sekä näille sivuille linkitetyistä verkkomateriaaleista. Toisessa oppimisympäristössä rakenne muodostettiin ”epälineaarisesti” siten, että ympäristön käyttäjillä oli yksi aloitussivu, josta pääsi kaikkiin neljään tehtävään. Testin osallistujat (N=29) jaettiin tasaisesti kahteen ryhmään. Molemmissa ympäristöissä osallistujat kohtasivat samat tehtävät ja tehtävistä suoriutumiseen tarvittavan interaktiivisen materiaalin. Tehtävien aihepiiri käsitteli Suomen väestön tilannetta talvi- ja jatkosodan aikana. Oppimisympäristöjen tehtävät ja materiaali esitettiin ohjeineen siten, että tehtävistä suoriutuminen voisi tapahtua ilman aihepiirin aiempaa tuntemusta sekä myös itsenäisesti ilman opettajan tai muun ohjaajan läsnäoloa. Testiin osallistuneet täyttivät tehtävien tekemisen jälkeen palautelomakkeen, jolla kartoitettiin kokemuksia oppimisympäristöjen rakenteista. Palautesisällön tilastollinen analyysi osoitti, että lineaarinen verkko-oppimisympäristö palveli paremmin oppijoiden mieltymyksiä ja tottumuksia sekä mahdollisti tehtävien nopeamman suorittamisen. Epälineaarinen ja vaihtoehtoisia etenemismahdollisuuksia tarjoava ympäristö puolestaan ylläpiti ja jopa paransi opiskelijoiden motivaatiota. Paras mahdollinen verkko-oppimisympäristö lukio-opetukseen löytynee näiden kahden rakenteen risteyskohdasta.

MathCheck is a relatively new online tool that gives students feedback on their solutions to elementary university mathematics and theoretical computer science exercises. MathCheck was designed with constructivism learning theory in mind and it differs from other online tools as it checks the solutions step by step and shows a counter-example if the step is incorrect. It has been in student use since the autumn of 2015 and under design-based research from the first online day. The main research questions of this study are the following. 1) How can the usage of MathCheck support the aspects of conceptual understanding and procedural fluency of constructivism learning? 2) How can MathCheck empower both students and teachers in the education of mathematics? This paper presents the results of five pedagogical experiments considering both students’ and teachers’ point of views. In each experiment, the students have suggested improvements, which have affected the further development of MathCheck. In general, both students and teachers have given positive feedback on MathCheck. MathCheck seems to support learning better than tools that only provide the “incorrect”/“correct” verdict after checking the answer. MathCheck is suitable for independent studying as well as an addition to traditional lectures. In the best case, it can reduce teachers’ workload during courses.

Life‑long learning is currently being embraced as a central process that could disrupt traditional educational paths. Apparently, the (ideal) type of learning often promoted is deep and meaningful learning, though it is not always required to be so. Deep learning goes beyond superficial knowledge assimilation of unlinked facts; it aims at developing deep disciplinary understanding, transformative knowledge, personal meaning, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, creativity and metacognitive skills. Meaningful learning occurs when learning is active, constructive, intentional, authentic, and cooperative. Technology enhanced teaching and learning methods should prove their potential to transform life‑long learning provision and facilitate the achievement of deep and meaningful learning. In the context of distance education in life‑long learning, one important challenge is the design of versatile quality assurance strategies for e‑training. Based on the experiences in distance lifelong learning programmes in the University of Patras’ Educational Center for Life‑Long Learning (KEDIVIM) the authors present how the principles and attributes of deep and meaningful learning can be combined with project management in practice and be incorporated in an e‑Learning quality strategy. We present i) the methods used to assess the quality of the e‑Learning programmes, ii) key findings of the evaluation process and iii) first research evaluation results on the quality of learning. This research study on learning process quality was conducted by using an online questionnaire, which aimed at estimating the level of participants’ satisfaction while using interactive learning methods such as collaborative learning. Some results of the evaluation indicate that the e‑Learning quality strategy led to e‑Learning programmes that used active learning methods to achieve high learners’ satisfaction towards deep and meaningful learning.

The virtual classroom continues to grow, but it is becoming more and more the norm, and it is fundamentally different from the vocational students at the Indonesian university. With the promised benefits of the virtual classroom, many challenges and difficulties come in the implementation. Although there are already successful design principles for virtual classrooms that support organizations in overcoming the challenges, the approach to implementing the design principles of virtual classroom at the vocational higher education in Indonesia is still lacking. In this study, we aim to answer the research gap and used the design sciences research by interviewing the lecturers to design the solutions. The proposed design approaches were implemented in a course and evaluated with students from two different groups. Overall, the evaluation of the proposed approaches shows 1 significant results as an indicator of the benefits of the implementation of a virtual classroom for vocational students in Indonesia. peerReviewed

nonPeerReviewed