Mauri Kantola

Strategic planning and quality assurance in the Bologna Process

Taylor and Francis Ltd PSP_A_242704. gm 10.1080/13603100701428205 Perspectives 360-3108 (pri t)/1460-7018 (online) 2 07 & Francis 1 30 002007 Dr JuhaKettu en Juha.Kettune @turkuamk.f

The views of employers on internships as a means of learning from work experience in higher education

This article examines internships as part of the apprenticeship model of learning adopted in higher education. We focus on employers’ views on internships, which have hitherto received only limited attention. Our study explores employers’ experiences in organizing internships, and their collaboration with one University of Applied Sciences, through data from social and health care employers (n=165), collected via a questionnaire. We conclude that if internships are to be improved as a means of learning from work experience, issues that employers want to raise within the collaborative framework require attention. These themes include relations with students, curriculum issues and the organization of the collaboration. A problem related to underestimating employer views on developing internships is that the resource-intensive nature of collaborative relations is silenced. As a result, targets for developing partnerships are left unrecognized, with adverse effects on the quality management and strategic planning of higher education institutions.

Integration of education with research and development and the export of higher education

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.

Internationalisation Network: A Finnish Experience.

One of the main issues of internationalisation is networking. The network way of action within higher education institutions (HEIs) represents new modes of the information work. Networks are worth evaluating more precisely in the future, and social network analysis (SNA) is a useful tool for this evaluation. This article describes the network of people working with internationalisation in Finnish universities of applied sciences (UASs). The study combines SNA and knowledge‐sharing between HEIs. The model of knowledge creation introduced by Nonaka and Takeuchi is used in the analysis. On this ground of network evaluation, we study the network structure, relations and roles in the internationalisation network and discuss appearance of trust and competition in co‐operation between HEIs.

Electronic Joint Application System in Higher Education

This study presents the electronic joint application system in higher education. The introduction of the application system is based on the Finnish national policy, which is promoting competitiveness and productivity through the effective utilisation of information and communication technology. The study shows that the implementation of the electronic application system was successful, because in four years electronic applications accounted for over 90 per cent of all applications. The new system increased cooperation between institutions through uniform processes and timetables. The success of the electronic application system encourages many other education institutions to implement their electronic joint application systems.