1P00CZ92: Competence in Research and Development (Blog-2)

Integrate teaching into research, development, and innovation activities (RDI) of the school

Finnish RDI:-

Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) generate new skills and uncover concealed knowledge in modern society. Finnish RDI activity belongs to 4% of the entire GDP. It assists the various social parties such as private and public sectors, profitable and nonprofitable organizations, research communities, the general public, and policymakers through new knowledge, advance methods, metadata, and publications. Thus, RDI has been an essential component of education for a new understanding of advanced civilization. In Finland, there are a variety of educational institutions such as early childhood education and care (ECEC), pre-education, primary education, upper secondary school, vocational school, university, and university of applied sciences (UAS). Also, there is liberal adult education, for instance, folk high schools, summer university, study centers, adult education centers, and sports institutes.

Apart from higher education, teachers are usually involved in teaching units. Only the Finnish Institute for Educational Research (FIER) consists in assessing, investigating, and developing the Finnish education system and school culture being nationally unique and internationally significant in education research. It publishes thousands of books and articles, in three scientific areas – Finnish Journal of Education Kasvatus, Research-based books, and Finnish Journal of University Pedagogy. It also contains global collaboration such as OECD, EU agencies, and IEA.

Higher Education

The higher education institutions – the University and the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) accomplish most of the RDI activities with freedom and autonomy. Universities are mostly research-oriented compared to UAS. For example, the university carries out scientific research and highest education advocating and interacting with society, promoting lifelong learning, and conducting innovation with effectiveness. University is an independent legal entity and spends one-third of its entire funding in RDI activities competing in public research funding. Major financial contributors are the Academy of Finland, Business Finland, and the European Union. In the university, teachers are usually involved in teaching and independent academic research following the regulations made by various administrative bodies. The teaching staff has mandatory office hours weekly, but it differs in distinct circumstances.

University of Applied Sciences (UAS)

In my professional teaching area, the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) relates to working life and education conducting three main functions, such as regional development, education, and research considering the labor market needs of trained occupations and professionals. We lead the practical and applied RDI actions responding to the changing world having extensive freedom and autonomy. We have a standard unit to have cooperation with research institutes, universities, public, and private foundations and communities. The Government also refunds the value-added tax for RDI activities rather than commercial purposes. In the UAS, the lecturer, teaching, and research staff are usually competent in various RDI functions.

RDI is one of the parameters for UAS funding and operating license provided by the Government. The research and innovation council supports the Government to coordinate the RDI policy. Academy of Finland is responsible for implementing and preparing Finnish research infrastructures at national and international levels. Ministry of Education and Culture gives qualitative and quantitative targets based on RDI, monitoring, and implementation. It assigns the task to CSC-IT center for Science in Kajaani to maintain the national research information HUB. It also set a program for research infrastructure and computing between 2017-2021, investing £35 million in computing infrastructure, services, and data management. CSC’s data center will be the host for a European high-performance supercomputer. Also, the Finnish Ministry of education and culture provides the core funding to UAS for education policy and RDI projects (e.g., innovation ecosystem) along with Business Finland, the Academy of Finland, EU structural fund programs with government grants.

Source: Arene (2019)

According to government policy, UAS emphasizes the latest priority areas of RDI activities such as Bioeconomy, Cleantech, Digitalization, ICT, and Health sectors. However, UAS still has various constraints, such as lack of RDI quality control, the research project application, local actor, and handling small issues. Nevertheless, as a potential lecturer in UAS, I would do more than 50% teaching, and a certain amount of RDI activities since Finnish higher education belongs to research-based instruction. Also, most of the academic positions entail the research and teaching together. Generally, the allocation of Finnish educational time belongs to teaching (i.e., 40%), research (i.e., 40%), and administrative activities (i.e., 16%). However, the teaching and research time also varies in disciplines, individuals, departments, and universities.

Teacher’s role in projects and development tasks in my own field

As an experienced academician and researcher, I understand the value of integrating research, development, and innovation (RDI) into classroom teaching. The involvement of RDI in the educational process is essential for enhancing the learning experience and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. In this blog, I will explain why it is crucial to include RDI in teaching and provide suggestions on how to do so successfully.

When I was involved in RDI within academia, I integrated cutting-edge research and practices into the classroom, enabling students to see real-world applications of theoretical concepts. This approach not only enhances the quality of education but also promotes interactive learning and encourages self-directed study. Students become more engaged and motivated when they can make tangible connections between their learning and ongoing research and innovation in their field. Additionally, incorporating RDI activities fosters an innovative culture in the classroom. Collaboration between educators and researchers leads to the development of advanced pedagogical strategies, curricular frameworks, and instructional methods, promoting a mindset of continuous development and driving the field of education forward. This collaboration also allows teachers to grow as lifelong learners and active contributors to the educational community by providing opportunities for conducting their own research and building professional networks.

Moreover, establishing institutional support for RDI initiatives is crucial for their successful implementation in the classroom. Institutional backing encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration and offers more opportunities for professional development. The scope and impact of RDI activities can be broadened through partnerships with external research institutions, industry stakeholders, and community groups, ultimately enhancing the quality of education for all involved parties.

References:

1. Arene (2019) Innovation and expertise for working life; research, development, and innovation activities in Finnish universities of applied sciences [Online]. Available at http://www.arene.fi(Accessed on 08.11.2012)

2. Bluebackglobal (2019), Emerging Trends in International Business [Online]. Available at https://bluebackglobal.com/trends-in-international-business-2019/ (Accessed on 08.11.2019)

3. EUI(2019), Finland, Academi career structure, [Online], Available at https://www.eui.eu/Programmes (Accessed on 08.11.2019)

4. Fullbright Finland Foundation(2019), Higher education in Finland [Online]. Available at https://www.fulbright.fi/studies-and-research-finland/higher-education-finland (Accessed on 08.11.2019).

5. Research and Innovation Council (2017), vision and road map of the research and innovation council Finland [Online]. Available at https://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/search/-/q/vision+and+road+map (Accessed on 10.11.2019).

6. University of Jyväskylä (2018), Finnish institute for educational research [Online]. Available at https://ktl.jyu.fi/en/introduction (Accessed on 08.11.2019)

7. Mantere P., Lassila H., (2018). Competences of Teachers in Research, Development, and Innovation Work at the Universities of Applied Sciences in Finland. , ICERI2018 Proceedings., International Academy of Technology, Education and Development. Available at https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/158021 (accessed on 06.11.2019)

8. Matti Kajaste (2018) Quality management of research, development and innovation activities in Finnish universities of applied sciences, Quality in Higher Education, 24:3, 271-288, Available at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13538322.2018.1558505 (Accessed on 08.11.2019)

9. Ministry of education and Culture (2019), Finnish education systems [Online]. Available at https://minedu.fi/en/education-system (Accessed on 08.11.2019)

10. Ministry of Education and Culture (2019), Science and Research [Online]. Available at https://minedu.fi/en/science-and-research (accessed on 08.11.2019)