Finland - Jyvaskyla Region - Final Self-Evaluation Report.pdf

The University of Jyväskylä is a member of the Finnish Virtual University that is a partnership of all Finnishuniversities. It is based on collaboration, division of labour, shared knowledge, and the expertise of theuniversities. It promotes online learning and teaching and develops compatible information infrastructures.In the Finnish Virtual University framework, universities participate in the national collaboration and, inaddition, each member university has a special unit to locally promote and support online teaching andlearning.Optima, launched in 2002, is a learning environment at the University of Jyväskylä that is intended to beused in studying and teaching in the net. It is an enclosed learning environment, where all users login withtheir personal user account and password. Teachers and students can take advantage of Optima in manydifferent ways. It can be used, for instance, in supporting the campus based studying and teaching (forexample distributing the learning material for the course, discussions on the net, distributing the students’practical works), and as a working area for distance learning (for example, teaching practice, during thethesis phase, at the time of exchange studies). In 2004, the number of active users in Optima was 6 600, ofwhich nearly 500 were teachers.Moreover, the Agora Learning Laboratory, as a part of the Agora Center at the University of Jyväskylä,focuses on research of virtual learning environments. The laboratory explores the use of this knowledge indesigning powerful new learning environments, pedagogical innovations, evaluation methods for e-learningpurposes, and knowledge management. The contexts of the research projects transcend curricula areas, levelsof education and work organizations. The primary aim is to develop e-learning models, while seekingcollaboration between basic research at the university and the practical applications of educational andbusiness organizations. This integration of high-level scientific knowledge, pedagogical expertise, andproduct development know-how, facilitates the rapid transfer of knowledge.5.6 Enhancing the regional learning systemIn 2004, the Finnish Government approved a development plan for education and research for the years2003-2008. This important policy document emphasizes the connection between education and industrialpolicy, the challenges of adult education, the profitability of education in conditions where the number ofyoung people is diminishing, and the requirements for the quality of education and quality assessment. Jobsin the service sector, information industry and other high-tech fields, and in the culture industry areincreasing. Considerable expectations are focused on improving the quality of services. As the generalpopulation ages, this applies particularly to welfare services. Finland has remarkable scope for improving theapplication of new information and communications technology and business expertise, which in turnpresents all parts of the higher education sector with new challenges.Anticipating future needsAnticipatory activities form an essential part of contributions to increasing the regional impacts of highereducation. Finland has a long tradition in forecast activities, especially in terms of regional and localquantitative forecasts concerning economic trends, population development, and the demand of the labourforce. Regional Employment and Economic development Centres (TE-Centres) have adopted the most activerole and have taken responsibility for regional anticipation activities. At the same time, the RegionalCouncils are responsible for the coordination of regional development. Anticipation is needed in TE-Centresin order to; (1) recognize, as early as possible, the relevant changes in business and working life,competences and technology; (2) to influence the future so that the targets, goals, and visions are actualised;(3) to act proactively so that the recognized threats are avoided and the possibilities are utilized; (4) toincrease the effectiveness of the decisions and actions of TE-Centres, and; (5) to deepen the expertise andunderstanding in terms of regional business and working life, competences, technology, internationalization,and rural issues. The foresight of TE-Centres also produces strategies for regional business policy, labourmarket policy, training policy, technology policy, internationalization, and rural policy issues. Nowadays,one of the most important areas in TE-Centre-foresight is anticipating the changes in workers' qualificationsand skills. A key challenge in this area is to promote cooperation between educational institutions andcompanies. As a part of a national survey, which gathers information on labour force and educational needs,75