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Transparency and trustworthiness are among the key requirements for the ethical use of learning analytics (LA) and artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of social inclusion and equity. However, research on these issues pertaining to users is lacking, leaving it unclear as to how transparent and trustworthy current LA tools are for their users and how perceptions of these variables relate to user behaviour. In this study, we investigate user experiences of an LA tool in the context of career guidance, which plays a crucial role in supporting nonlinear career pathways for individuals. We review the ethical challenges of big data, AI, and LA in connection to career guidance and analyze the user experiences (N = 106) of the LA career guidance tool, which recommends study programs and institutions to users. Results indicate that the LA career guidance tool was evaluated as trustworthy but not transparent. Accuracy was found to be a stronger predictor for the intention to follow on the recommendations of the LA guidance tool than was understanding the origins of the recommendation. The user’s age emerged as an important factor in their assessment of transparency. We discuss the implications of these findings and suggest emphasizing accuracy in the development of LA tools for career guidance.

The current study is based on thematic analysis of 21,722 tweets posted under the #wedontwantdistanceeducation hashtag within a month after the start of online distance education in Turkish universities due to Covid-19 pandemic. Our findings have revealed that Turkish higher education students have faced multiple challenges in accessing and benefiting from online education due to the swift transformation from face-to-face to online format. These challenges included universities’ poor technical infrastructure, pedagogical and assessment issues, digital inequality in accessing online education, and general negative attitude towards online education. Further, students have expressed issues about financial, health, and social consequences of online education during Covid-19 pandemic. With regards to such challenges and issues, higher education students have criticized government authorities for ignoring their views when making decisions about how online learning is organized during Covid-19 pandemic. Further, students have offered some alternative solutions (e.g. summer courses) to online education.

Oppimisanalytiikan eettiset kysymykset ovat herättäneet laajaa kiinnostusta viimeaikaisessa tutkimuksessa. On tunnistettu, että eettiset kysymykset sisältävät ristiriitaisuuksia, eivätkä nykyiset ohjeistukset tarjoa riittävästi tukea eettisten kysymysten ratkomiseen eri konteksteissa. Tämä artikkeli jäsentää oppimisanalytiikan eettisiä kysymyksiä ja niiden ratkaisuehdotuksia tarkastelemalla, 1) millaisten viitekehysten avulla eettisiä kysymyksiä on jäsennetty aiemmissa tutkimuksissa sekä 2) millaisia eettisiä haasteita ja niiden ratkaisuehdotuksia on tunnistettu oppimisanalytiikan eri toimijatasoilla. Tulosten perusteella lainsäädännön näkökulmien hyödyntäminen viitekehyksenä on ollut jäsentynyttä ja toimijatasoilla eettisiä haasteita on tarkasteltu eniten instituutioiden näkökulmasta. Oppimisanalytiikan taustalla vaikuttavien arvojen ja epistemologisten käsitysten tekeminen näkyviksi sekä oppimisen tutkimuksen linkittäminen eettisten kysymysten tarkasteluun nousivat tärkeiksi kehittämiskohteiksi. Lisäksi opiskelija- ja henkilökuntatason näkökulmientarkastelu tarkentaa eettisten kysymysten tarkastelua ja tuo uusia näkökulmia niiden ratkaisemiseen eri käyttökonteksteissa.

Purpose This study aims to explore Twitter posts of Turkish government agencies and the public under a specific hashtag, #NotHolidayButDistanceEducation, specifically related to online distance education during the Covid-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This study used a thematic analysis on 22,547 original tweets posted by 6,970 users during the first month of online distance education in Turkish K-12 schools. Based on like and retweet counts, the study further explored the extent of stakeholders’ engagement with the observed themes. Findings The findings showed that government agencies and citizens used Twitter to provide technical and psychological support, appreciate and motivate stakeholders, demonstrate sample distance education activities, share information and offer suggestions about the ongoing online distance education. It was also observed that the hashtag has been used for expressing negative views about online distance education and for political purposes. A positive relationship was found between social media engagement and providing technical support or sharing information for online distance education. Practical implications This study highlights the role of social media in providing practical and emotional support to education stakeholders in times of crisis. Thus, governments can use social media to provide evidence-based psychological and physical health support to their citizens during a pandemic. Social media can serve to improve education practices in schools through the interactions between the public and policymakers. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study can be considered unique because it demonstrates the civic use of social media for educational crisis management. This study highlights the influence of social media in educational policy and practice development in the contemporary era.

This study provides an overview of research on teachers’ use of artificial intelligence (AI) applications and machine learning methods to analyze teachers’ data. Our analysis showed that AI offers teachers several opportunities for improved planning (e.g., by defining students’ needs and familiarizing teachers with such needs), implementation (e.g., through immediate feedback and teacher intervention), and assessment (e.g., through automated essay scoring) of their teaching. We also found that teachers have various roles in the development of AI technology. These roles include acting as models for training AI algorithms and participating in AI development by checking the accuracy of AI automated assessment systems. Our findings further underlined several challenges in AI implementation in teaching practice, which provide guidelines for developing the field.

The increase in digitalization, software applications, and computing power has widened the variety of tools with which to collect and analyze sensory data. As these changes continue to take place, examining new skills required among sensory professionals is needed. The aim with this study was to answer the following questions: (a) How did sensory professionals perceive the opportunities to utilize facial expression analysis in sensory evaluation work? (b) What skills did the sensory professionals describe they needed when utilizing facial expression analysis? Twenty‐two sensory professionals from various food companies and universities were interviewed by using semistructural thematic interviews to map development intentions from facial expression recognition data as well as to describe the established skills that were needed. Participants’ facial expressions were first elicited by an odor sample during a sensory evaluation task. The evaluation was video recorded to characterize a facial expression software response (FaceReader™). The participants were interviewed regarding their opinions of the data analysis the software produced. The study findings demonstrate how using facial expression analysis contains personal and field‐specific perspectives. Recognizability, associativity, reflectivity, reliability, and suitability were perceived as a personal perspective. From the field‐specific perspective, professionals considered the received data valuable only if they had skills to interpret and utilize it. There is a need for an increase in training not only in IT, mathematics, statistics, and problem‐solving, but also in skills related to self‐management and ethical responsibility., This research paper will provide an understanding of how to utilize facial expression data analysis. The study results should be considered when planning to take facial expression software to practical sensory evaluation work.

This paper elaborates on the notion of object-oriented collaborative learning by building on empirical material from two case studies in higher education. Prior empirical findings show how knowledge objects are evolving entities, shaped by the interactions between participants, and how students learn from engaging in knowledge practice that involves different activities with knowledge objects. However, the pedagogy of teaching and learning with objects needs to be further explored and grounded in empirical data. Using two case studies, we examine how learning designs in higher education courses support students’ learning through work on shared knowledge objects, as well as how students experience these designs and the learning process. By means of complementary datasets, the learning design, enacted teaching practices, collaboration processes, experiences, and competence learned are mapped and analysed. The findings are helpful in elucidating the learning taking place through interaction and practices mediated by shared knowledge objects, as well as informing the development of principles of a pedagogy of object-oriented collaborative learning, which provide practical recommendations and invite further research endeavours.

Vocational education and training (VET) remain overlooked in learning analytics (LA) research. This systematic literature review, using four databases and other sources, was carried out by analyzin...

Concerns have been expressed that the engagement shown by committed individuals is not fully utilized by their organizations while there is insufficient knowledge of which conditions facilitate teaching collaboration and lead to improvements in university education. Portfolios of 43 life science academics applying to enter to the University of Helsinki Teachers' Academy were analyzed through content analysis. Five categories of interactive or collaborative practices emerged from the data: (1) Interacting with peers for personal development, (2) Sharing good teaching practices, (3) Teaching together, (4) Producing educational artefacts, (5) Developing education systematically. The practices occurred in both formal and informal settings, and both settings were present in all categories. In contrast with the formal practices, the informal practices were described in an enthusiastic way. The engagement shown by the scholarly teachers was mostly realized in informal settings. There is probably unrealized potential in the scholarly teachers' teaching-related practices through which they could contribute to the development of teaching in academia. Formal communities related to teaching should be developed to promote deeper collaboration and to foster the participants' feeling of personal commitment and ownership.

The present study investigated the dynamic nature of students' daily experiences and general study engagement using intra-individual assessment. More specifically, we examined individual differences in the relationship between university students' task-specific value and situational emotions and, further, whether first-year study engagement would moderate this association during the first two years of studies. Intra-individual state assessments were conducted via mobile phone-based experience sampling method (ESM) during participants' first (N = 72) and second (N = 56) academic years, resulting in 3089 and 2912 fully completed state questionnaires. In both years, students were asked five times a day over two weeks how important they perceived their current activity and their positive and negative emotions. Using multilevel structural equation modeling, we found that, on average, a higher perception of task-specific value was associated with higher positive emotions and lower negative emotions within individuals. However, individual differences were detected in the value-emotion relations especially during the second academic year. Finally, the findings indicated that overall study engagement, measured at the beginning of the first academic year, predicted between-person differences in these within-person relationships both years.

This chapter will focus on motivational effects on inquiry learning and their contribution to the learning outcomes. Two main themes are discussed: How does inquiry learning challenge or support students’ motivation to learn? If both pathways, challenging and supporting, occur, what settings and supports create a learning environment for motivating inquiries?Theoretical grounding is based on a perspective of motivation as a social phenomenon and the recent empirical findings on how inquiry-based learning environments challenge or support motivation. The chapter also discusses regulation of motivation and its role in overcoming socioemotional challenges in inquiry learning settings. Finally, suggestions for designing and supporting motivation in inquiry learning are provided and future trends and developments are discussed.

There has been a growing interest in higher education to explore how learning analytics (LA) could be used to support student engagement. Providing actionable feedback with LA for students is an emerging area of research. Previous studies have commonly focused on course-level aspects of supporting engagement with LA, but students' perspectives have received limited attention. This study analyzed pre-service teachers’ needs and expectations for LA to support student engagement on the academic path level, which means observing the continuum of study periods and academic years. Qualitative content analysis was conducted for video-recorded student small-group conversations to analyze in-depth how pre-service teachers (N = 40) described their needs for support student engagement and expectations and ethical concerns for using LA tools. Students suggested that LA tools could support their engagement by mediating information between the student and institution, facilitating effective studying, increasing awareness about themselves as learners, providing help and support in different challenging situations, and working as a feedback channel to adapt the learning conditions according to their individual needs. The results of this study demonstrate how student needs are sometimes contradictory, for example when students suggest more possibilities for agentic choices on their studies, but similarly more institutional monitoring or their study progression. This offers insights to clarify specific objectives for supporting student engagement with LA. peerReviewed

Emerging technological advancements can play an essential role in overcoming challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a promising educational technology field, Learning Analytics (LA) tools or systems can offer solutions to COVID-19 pandemic-related needs, obstacles, and expectations in higher education. In the current study, we systematically reviewed 20 papers to better understand the responses of LA tools to the online learning challenges that higher education students, instructors, and institutions faced during the pandemic. In addition, we attempted to provide key cases in which LA has been effectively deployed for various purposes during the pandemic in the higher education context. We found out several prominent challenges for stakeholders. Accordingly, learners needed of timely support and interaction, and experienced difficulty of time management. Instructors lacked pedagogical knowledge for online teaching. In particular, individual and collaborative assessment have been a challenge for them. Institutions have not been ready for a digital transformation and online teaching. In response to these challenges, LA tools have been deployed for the following opportunities: monitoring, planning online learning process, fostering learners’ engagement and motivation, facilitating assessment process; increasing interaction, improving retention, being easy to use. Understanding these promises can also give insight into future higher education policies.

The necessity to learn competence for collaborative knowledge work during higher education (HE) is accepted widely, but continued work is required to explicate how to define and assess such competence. In this article, the development and validation of a questionnaire for assessing the development of collaborative knowledge work competence is based on object-bound collaborative knowledge creation practices. In total, 546 students responded to a questionnaire on Collaborative Knowledge Practices (CKP). The data were analysed for measurement invariance for two groups of HE students in media engineering and life sciences. Seven scales of the CKP were found to measure course-related learning of collaboration, integration of personal and collective efforts, development through feedback, persistent development of knowledge objects, understanding of different disciplines and related expertise, interdisciplinary collaboration, and using digital technology. The CKP questionnaire scales can be used as a generic self-evaluation tool for students on course-based learning outcomes.

The Collaborative Knowledge Practices Questionnaire (CKP) is an instrument designed to measure the learning of knowledge-work competence in education. The focus is on qualities of knowledge work which can be learned and taught in multiple educational settings and which may be especially important for courses with collaborative assignments. The original instrument was theoretically based on the knowledge-creation metaphor of learning. The instrument has been validated in Finnish based on student responses from a large number of higher education courses. The validation of the instrument resulted in seven scales relating to different aspects of interdisciplinary, collaborative development of knowledge-objects using digital technology. This study aimed to cross-culturally translate and adapt the original instrument into English and perform an exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) analysis in order to investigate whether the same factorial solution of the instrument also works in English in higher education courses in international settings. The original instrument was translated according to established guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. The translated version has been tested in courses in medical education, online teaching and problem solving. The results provided evidence that the latent factor model found in the original instrument provided a good fit also for the adapted questionnaire.

Technological and social developments during the past years emphasise the importance of knowledge work competence. Additionally, funding of universities in Finland was changed to be based largely on yearly accumulated credits, therefore, improving retention is of critical importance for the institution. In order to improve first-year retention (measured by credit accumulation) and learning of knowledge work practices, Metropolia UAS changed the information technology curriculum by integrating single topic 3?5 credit courses into multidisciplinary 15 credit courses that included substantially more project work where students solve open-ended problems. This study focuses on investigating how the new curriculum influenced first-year retention, students? study experiences and self-evaluated development of knowledge work competence. Research data included study register data on course completion and student feedback collected through online questionnaires after each course. Retention rate was substantially improved compared to previous years. Furthermore, student collaboration and independence were found to increase overall satisfaction and to boost learning in project teams.

Teaching and learning in universities have shifted towards online education, and there is not enough scientific knowledge about suitable pedagogical design principles to guide the construction of hybrid learning spaces for today?s university students. In this design-based research, we studied the benefits and challenges in reaching the expected learning outcomes of an e-course, ?Collaboration and Professional Interaction Skills.? The practical purpose was developing the pedagogical design of this e-course. The scientific objective was to build on the research about design principles that guide teachers in constructing e-courses, enabling in-depth learning in hybrid learning spaces. The pedagogical design was guided by six design principles. Empirical data (21 students? assignments and reflections, teacher?s observations, data from the digital learning management system) were collected in two research cycles. Students were from different degree programmes of educational sciences. Thematic analysis of students? individually and collaboratively authored assignments was carried out in both research cycles. The most emphasised benefits and challenges concerned the combination of working and creating knowledge together, virtually, in a multidisciplinary group. Based on the results, practical recommendations were made for university-level pedagogical designs that facilitate effective and active collaboration and interaction, and learning of such competence. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic: In higher education, more emphasis needs to be placed on learning skills such as multidisciplinary teamwork and collaborative knowledge creation. There is a need for more personalised learning opportunities that offer flexibility in one?s studies and take learners? diverse situations into account. Advanced understanding of suitable pedagogical design principles and knowledge from empirical cases is needed. What this paper adds: What to consider when technology is used to mediate the learning processes. How to tackle the demands of personalised study opportunities and demanding interaction skills by online collaboration. Implications for practice and/or policy: Pedagogical design exemplifying how students build shared knowledge objects iteratively. Students need guidelines and support for multidisciplinary collaboration and interaction online. Learning management systems are not fully tailored for iterative multidisciplinary collaboration; thus, the designer of the course must be aware of the limitations and develop ways of overcoming the discrepancies between the learning management system and learning objectives.

New media literacy (NML) skills are regarded as crucial for the 21st century. However, there is limited research on the factors affecting NML skills. A robust model was built for exploring the antecedents of NML. The model incorporated epistemological beliefs and social media use purposes. Individuals` purposes of social media use were found to have an effect on beliefs about information. Further, interactional and communicational use of social media makes epistemological beliefs more sophisticated. However, it is more likely to have naive beliefs with the use of social media for making new friends. Also, the purposes of social media use and epistemological beliefs affect NML skills. Accordingly, interactional use of social media might contribute to justifying information, in turn, increasing NML skills. This study indicates that knowledge of social media use and epistemological beliefs enables us to largely understand the NML skills.

Trialogical learning, a collaborative and iterative knowledge creation process using real-life artefacts or problems, familiarizes students with working life environments and aims to teach skills required in the professional world. We target one of the major limitation factors for optimal trialogical learning in university settings, inefficient group work. We propose a course design combining effective group working practices with trialogical learning principles in life sciences. We assess the usability of our design in (a) a case study on crop science education and (b) a questionnaire for university teachers in life science fields. Our approach was considered useful and supportive of the learning process by all the participants in the case study: the students, the stakeholders and the facilitator. Correspondingly, a group of university teachers expressed that the trialogical approach and the involvement of stakeholders could promote efficient learning. In our case in life sciences, we identified the key issues in facilitating effective group work to be the design of meaningful tasks and the allowance of sufficient time to take action based on formative feedback. Even though trialogical courses can be time consuming, the experience of applying knowledge in real-life cases justifies using the approach, particularly for students just about to enter their professional careers.

So far, the relationship between the various dimensions of social support and work engagement has not been widely examined in the literature. In this study, we examined the relationship of social support at work (from a colleague or supervisor) and social support in one's private life (from a spouse, relative or friend) with various dimensions of work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). The participants (N = 5,259-5,376, 46 years-old, 52.7% women) came from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study. Social support was evaluated with the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), and work engagement was assessed with a short version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). The data were analyzed using linear regression analyses. The results showed that high social support at work (p

In 2014, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences implemented a fundamental change in its curriculum from small single topic 3-5 credits courses into 15 credits multidisciplinary courses implemented by teacher teams. This paper focuses on how teachers of Information Technology programs experienced the reform. Research data include teacher feedback and opinions that were collected during training sessions and interviews. Team teaching is a substantial change for teachers that raises concerns about time management, getting enough compensation for the work and possible loss of teacher autonomy. However, teacher teams that managed to overcome these challenges saw a variety of benefits in the new approach. Not only was team teaching seen as a means for providing students with the skills they need, but it also was discovered as a way to enhance the teacher's own professional development.

Background Despite the increasing need for STEM skills, to date, the connection between STEM subject choices and their impact on students’ educational pathways has not been widely studied. Focusing on the mathematics choice (basic/advanced/no mathematics), a large register dataset that covered students admitted to Finnish universities during 2013–2015 (N = 46,281) was combined with upper-secondary school matriculation examination data (N = 93,955) to find out how this choice influenced the students’ university admissions. This large dataset was also examined to establish the current gender distributions in different university degree programs from the perspective of mathematics choices. Further, to find out the students’ reasons behind their mathematics choices, a cohort sample of 802 student responses was collected from upper-secondary schools. We also investigated the students’ interests in different fields of study to establish any gender differences in them. Results The register data analysis suggested that in Finland, students’ mathematics choices had a strong influence on the university admission outcomes. For instance, only 33% of the upper-secondary school graduates took the advanced mathematics ME test in 2013–2015, yet the number of those admitted to universities who had taken the advanced mathematics ME test was 55%. Most of the university degree programs were female dominated, yet the university students with advanced mathematics were mostly male, and especially the STEM fields in the Finnish universities were male dominated. As for the reasons behind the mathematics choices, students who chose advanced mathematics believed in its usefulness for their future studies and careers. We also found significant gender-based educational differences regarding all the study fields, with STEM careers attracting more males than females. Conclusion Advanced mathematics was highly valued in Finnish universities, and many students chose advanced mathematics believing in its usefulness for their future studies or careers. Yet, their further study interests and career plans were segregated by gender. As there is a rising need for STEM skills, we must seek effective ways to deliver the evolving possibilities of STEM fields to students, especially girls, during the earlier years of their educations.

Collaborative learning has been used in anatomy courses to support students' learning of challenging topics but the success of group work depends significantly on the students' ability to communicate in a professional manner. Veterinary students' experiences with tasks related to collaborative learning and professional conduct were studied by comparing learning collaborative competences and pedagogy, as well as perceived positive and challenging aspects, in two gross anatomy courses. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from students' experiences of course assignments and collaboration, as well as from self-evaluated collaboration competence development. Trying things out oneself, practical application and professional conduct were positively highlighted particularly in the first-year course (myology and arthrology) group work and learning from others more in the second year (topographical anatomy). Various group work challenges, often relating to practical matters or communication, were the key concerns for students. The main difference between the two courses in learning of collaborative knowledge work competencies appeared to relate to the nature of the group work assignment. The topography course included the element of collaboration in preparing a presentation and teaching session for the rest of the class. Interestingly, students on the myology and arthrology course gave more positive comments on professional conduct than the students on the topography course despite the fact that the latter course included more practical elements relating to their future profession.

This study uses a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent group design to analyze the outcomes in terms of students' learning and satisfaction of the redesign of a first-year, principles of micro-economics course from a lecture-based course using active learning techniques in 2013 to a partial flipped classroom in 2014 and a full flipped classroom in 2015. Students perceived a higher degree of achievement of the learning goals in both flipped courses compared to the non-flipped active learning course. Moreover, participating in the partial or full flipped classroom decreased the odds of a D or F grade or of withdraw. However, only the partial flip was associated with overall better learning outcomes in the final exam, while there was no statistically significant difference between the non-flipped active learning course and the full flip. Age was negatively associated with learning outcomes and increased the odds of a D or F grade or of withdraw. Gender had no statistically significant impact on learning outcomes. Students were least satisfied with the full flip and equally satisfied with the non-flipped active learning course and the partial flip. Lower satisfaction appears to be due to increased workload, which students evaluated to be highest in the full flip, aswell as to elements of groupwork design. In the flipped classroom design, the pre-class multiple choice tests on Moodle emerged as a clear favorite in students' teaching evaluations.

Work life relevance is emphasized these days in higher education. In addition to domain-specific knowledge and skills, students should learn general work life competencies, such as team work, networking, project work and digital skills. At the University of Helsinki, agricultural science students’ work life skills are promoted in a project course. The 5 ETCS course has been held for B.Sc. and M.Sc. students in 2016 and 2017. The course in 2016 had eight students and three supervisors in two project teams; the course in 2017 had 15 students in four teams, and six supervisors (university teachers). Each team had its own external client from businesses and national government departments. The course implementation was examined from a design-based research approach. The aim of the study was to evaluate the summative evaluations made by all groups participating in the course, receive research-based knowledge about improving the course design further, and to try out instruments and methods that can be used in educational practice to assess participant satisfaction and competence development during courses about work life. An online questionnaire was used to examine the evaluations of the supervisors and students about the success of the course and the competencies gained by the students (Collaborative Knowledge Practices Questionnaire, CKP). Interviews were used to examine the views of the clients concerning the realization and development of the course. The data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The project process was mostly graded the same by the evaluators (students, supervisors and clients), but most student groups gave the report a higher grade than the other evaluators did. Students’ evaluations were that they had acquired knowledge work competencies well, particularly the development of shared objects, the integration of individual and collaborative working and persistent development of knowledge objects. The students particularly appreciated team work for achieving common goals, development of project work and work life skills, interesting project topics and interaction with the customers. Challenges were the open assignments and related uncertainty of working methods, coordination of group work and students’ inadequate skills in relation to project work requirements. The tight schedule of 11 weeks in 2016 led to the course being extended to 16 weeks in 2017. All clients evaluated their participation in the course as being positive. They appreciated being able to help students to practice work life skills and the university to develop teaching. Collaboration was seen as a good way to create contacts with students from the viewpoint of future workplaces. Project work outcomes provided new information for the development of the client organizations or supplemented and strengthened earlier views. As targets for improvement, the clients mentioned better definition of appropriate assignments for student teams and the development of interaction practices, e.g. by organizing virtual meetings. For the supervisors, the motivated working of the students and finishing of the projects in time were positive aspects. It was challenging to define appropriate topics for the client assignments, requirements of the course in relation to the skills of the students and timing of the course as well as their own time management. All parties experienced work life-oriented project courses as necessary and rewarding for all parties. Research-based evaluation provided useful information for developing the course design further. Non

The study evaluated the pedagogical quality of 16 university courses in a three-week international summer program. Short-term study-abroad programs have gained increasing popularity, but their pedagogical approaches have not been investigated widely before. Lesson observations, teacher interviews, and course materials were used to investigate the pedagogical approach of the courses. Answers to an online feedback form were used to examine students’ study experiences. The courses were categorized into the following three pedagogical types: Self-directed academic studying, Practices of active learning, and Practices of shared expertise. Based on the survey data, the students valued the second and third types of courses more than the first type. Factors that students mentioned as positive in their open-ended responses were related to high-quality teaching arrangements, expert knowledge and practices, intercultural social interaction, and interesting and useful course content. Innovative pedagogy in international courses would include taking the multicultural assembly of participants into account to support multifaceted knowledge sharing and the development of cultural expertise in the target domain. The results can be used to create criteria and guidelines for subsequent courses, to develop feedback instruments, and in teacher training.

The changes in software industry and software development methods call for appropriate teaching methods in academia. In addition to theoretical knowledge and coding practice, familiarity with common practices in the industry is expected from the graduates. Teamwork, collaboration and communication skills are essential demands for software engineers. These skills take years to develop, and therefore, this study presents how collaborative practices were introduced right in the beginning of information technology studies. The results of project based courses were encouraging in terms of student achievements and course completion rates. Additionally, feedback from students through an extensive survey was largely positive.

The aim of this study was to identify competencies and learning contexts that are central when a standardized sensory expert assessor conducts food sensory evaluations in an authentic professional context. The aim was to answer the following questions: first, according to accessors, what competencies does sensory evaluation require? Second, what contexts of sensory evaluation do assessors report on? Thirteen assessors from three Finnish food companies were interviewed using semi-structured thematic interviews to map competencies and development intentions and explain established practices. In the study, 42% of analysis units described individual evaluation contexts, 53% described collaborative interactional contexts, and 5% described collaborative knowledge creation contexts. The findings contribute to the explanation of how assessors learn extensively from each other in collaborative interactional and knowledge creation contexts. Assessors' learning practices and abilities to work collaboratively in interactional and knowledge creation contexts need to be ensured for the development of expertise. Practical applicationsOur findings suggest that an important aspect of enhancing learning and achieving consistent results in assessors' work is to increase collaborative and knowledge creating practices in sensory training, in addition to training individual skills. Such practices are embedded in daily practices, especially the cases when product defects were sought and discussed. Advanced practices included: learning, sharing, and reviewing both external and in-house consumer panel feedback, developing methods to moderate small-panel evaluations and developing a product vocabulary collectively between the assessors. These practices supported sensory expert assessors in developing their personal and collective expertise in the workplace.