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.
Details
Keywords
Tuija Koivunen, Taru Konst and Mervi Friman
The universities of applied sciences (UASs) in Finland play a significant role in providing skilled professionals with higher education degrees to meet the needs of the labor…
Abstract
Purpose
The universities of applied sciences (UASs) in Finland play a significant role in providing skilled professionals with higher education degrees to meet the needs of the labor market and society as a whole. The purpose of this study is to determine what the staff in these universities consider the role of UASs in promoting sustainable development (SD) to be.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative research data were collected from a survey distributed among UAS staff in the spring of 2021. The data consisted of 831 responses to an open-ended question on how UASs could promote SD and a sense of responsibility for it. The method used for the data analysis was theory-led content analysis.
Findings
Staff at UASs are actively promoting SD in higher education and have many ideas on how to do this, which is encouraging. With further processing of these ideas and support from management, UASs can play a more important role in sustainability work and set an example for how to build a sustainable future.
Originality/value
The promotion of SD is a timely topic, and examples of SD implementation and good practices can promote discussion of the role of higher education institutions in SD promotion and highlight collective ways to promote it.
Details
Keywords
Taru Konst (e. Penttilä) and Minna Scheinin
The purpose of this study is to discuss the reform in teaching profession in higher education – new teacher roles are needed to implement competence-based curriculum and to answer…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to discuss the reform in teaching profession in higher education – new teacher roles are needed to implement competence-based curriculum and to answer the competence requirements of working life.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on innovation pedagogy emphasizing the socio-cultural theory and the constructivist view of learning developed to encompass the social and cultural customs of a particular community and its ways of operating.
Findings
The study extends the concept of innovation pedagogy to include new teacher roles to support the goal of how to ensure the development of students’ innovation competences.
Originality/value
The results are useful for those who want to outreach and engage in pedagogical and didactical development in higher education and increase the external impact of the higher education institution.