EAPRIL 2016, Porto

The usability

of the online journal

of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences

www.uasjournal.fi

Mervi Friman, Häme UAS & Mauri Kantola Turku UAS & Lotta Linko, Häme UASEAPRIL Conference

21-25 November 2016

EAPRIL 2016, Porto

Agenda

• UAS Journal • Digitalization in higher education• Action research, methods, and data• Interventions and results• Conclusions

EAPRIL 2016, Porto

Aim of the studyHow to develop UAS Journal to be a national and international

window to UASs´activities for public• networking platform for UAS staff and companies• testing and piloting platform in the digitalization process for HE

institutions as a whole

EAPRIL 2016, Porto

UAS Journal in a nutshell• Online journal on education, research and development

activities in practice-oriented higher education• Published by the Finnish UAS Rectors’ Conference • Financed by the universities of applied sciences (24)• Open-access, free-of-charge, four issues a year since 2011• Mission of the journal:

– Provide information (‘general’ public)– Provide a network (applied universities & world of work)

EAPRIL 2016, Porto

www.uasjournal.fi

EAPRIL 2016, Porto

Digitalization in higher education

The main principles of EU DigCompOrg -paperAims and methods in Finnish higher education policy

Vision written by rector Tapio Huttula

EAPRIL 2016, Porto

#DigCompOrg

• European Framework for Digitally-Competent Educational Organisations

• Applied to UAS Journal as a national network

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Digital competence of UAS Journal

• Leadership&governance practices ✔

• Teaching&learning practices ✔• Professional development ✔• Assessment practices ✔• Content ✔• Collaboration and networking• Infrastructure ✔• Research, development and

innovation ✘

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Finnish National Digital Policy in Higher Education

• Implementation of digitalization in all teaching and learning• Utilization of digital databases • Co-operation between universities, UASs and Research

Centres• International co-operation (Open Science, Global data, Mooc

etc.)http://www.minedu.fi/opencms/

• opencms/handle404?exporturi=/export/sites/default/OPM/Tapahtumakalenteri/2014/05/ICT_opetus/Kosunen_12.5.2014.pdf

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A window of possibilities

Tapio Huttula´s “declaration”: digitalization is a window of possibilities when higher education institutes• are birth places of new knowledge and know-how• have wide and cellular relation to society localy, regionaly and globaly• prioritize and manager data and information to the usable form and level• profile as key actors in responsibility of education and civilatization

Tapio Huttula 2016. Digitalisaatio ja uusi korkeakoulu. (Digitaliztion and new higher education). In Jukka Määttä & Titta Pohjanmäki & Päivi Timonen (ed.) Kohti digikampusta. Humanistinen ammattikorkeakoulu, julkaisuja 22. Helsinki: Humanistinen ammattikorkeakoulu. ISBN 978-952-456-242-3 (printed), ISSN 2343-0664 (printed), ISBM 978-952-243-0 (online publication), ISSN 2343-0672 (online publication), s. 12-23

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UAS Journal’s role in digitalization

• Common project amont UASs– Instead of the local journals

• National (and international) tool for UAS implementation

• Tool of internationalization• Good national practice

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Methods and data

• Action research as framework• Three processes: production, marketing,

networking• Qualitative interviews• User survey• User statistics

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Action research

•Planned and documented self-evaluation•Researchers are part of the research process •Helps in focusing the interventions•Strips the processes•Forces to make planned interventions•Enables measurable results

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User survey

EAPRIL 2016, Porto

User statistics

2016

Page views

45,363

Visits

20,381

Unique visitors

14,957

Figures not comparable to

those of previous years as

older issues are no longer

available on the new platform.

EAPRIL 2016, Porto

Conclusions

Activities in research and development activities are missing

More detailed data from the users is neededInternationalization process is worth continuingData from foreign users is needed