Collaborations

The REFORD Project refers to “research-based and future-oriented curriculum review and development for teacher education” at the University of Nairobi and Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya. It aims to support students to acquire skills needed in 21st century life and the labour market. The project curriculum will align with the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), launched for basic education in Kenya in 2017. The current focus is on rolling out CBC in higher education institutions and teacher education. The research to be conducted under the proposed project will specifically strengthen the designing of curricula, improve the quality of delivery of teacher preparation programmes, and thus, strengthen the preparedness of the higher education institutions to implement the CBC. The future horizon is changing constantly. Education in the Global South must meet aspirations of sustainability. To expedite the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), educational structures need to provide relevant competences, models, and a future-oriented mindset that sustains our 21st century lives. This project received funding under the Spring 2022 GINTL Project Funding from the University of Helsinki.

The “New directions in development studies and sustainability: Reconsidering global challenges and local realities” project consists of collaboratively designed and delivered intensive courses, entailing exchange of development studies doctoral students and staff. It focuses on theoretical knowledge, writing and research skills as well as curriculum design collaboration, to provide significant long-term benefits to all partner institutions. The project structure consists of two in-person intensive course exchanges, two virtual exchanges, two virtual seminars as well as routine virtual team collaboration on curriculum development and coordination, joint research, and publication activities. Current paradigms and curricula in development studies around the world have become outdated and detached from global dynamics and local realities. This is clear when considering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Analysis and understanding of the relationship between global challenges and localities is more relevant now than ever. The courses address topics proposed by the African partner HEIs, including: localisation of SDGs; multilateralism and recolonisation of Africa; climate change and agriculture; economic partnerships, trade, and international cooperation. This project received funding under the Spring 2022 GINTL Project Funding from the University of Helsinki.

The CocoEd project develops research-based hybrid teaching and learning in Ghanaian teacher education. With digital technologies becoming powerful tools to enable remote communication, collaboration and learning, there is more flexibility to organise both virtual and face-to-face teaching and learning according to specific needs and the changing situation. This flexibility is especially important in areas lacking qualified teachers, but also in emergencies such as pandemics and political conflicts. The project seeks to research and develop feasible and practical alternative means for remote learning by paying attention that poor internet connection is a reality in Ghana. A Mini-ÅAU-Campus initiative by Åbo Akademi University provides an interesting research context to test, try, and research new solutions for hybrid pedagogy. The CocoEd project re-establishes, widens and strengthens the long-term collaboration between the University of Helsinki, Åbo Akademi University, and the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. This project received funding under the Spring 2022 GINTL Project Funding from the University of Helsinki.

Phytomedicine is an integral part of the healthcare system in many African countries, and in Benin 80% of population rely on medicinal plants as their primary source of medication. Our project is based on the idea that establishing a sustainable and rational approach to the use of medicinal plants in Benin requires complementary activities targeting both higher education on phytomedicinal research and the popularisation of good practices in medicinal plants use among traditional healers. Our four-step implementation plan will allow us to produce more precise data on training needs (step one), before strengthening teachers’ pedagogical practices (step 2), then strengthening researchers working in the field of the valorisation of medicinal plants (step 3) and finally impacting the actors of traditional medicine (step 4). Overall, these activities aim to promote internalization of teachers, researchers and students within the participating institutes and to promote long-lasting research and education collaborations between them. This project received funding under the Spring 2022 GINTL Project Funding from the University of Helsinki.

Curriculum Development, Mobility, Research, Teacher Training

The research focuses on home economics education at the upper secondary school level, specifically how the curriculum can be converted to remote and online training situations, where face-to-face learning is not possible and/or the internet connection is not reliable. A document analysis of the subject matter and teaching strategies was carried out to identify aspects that need conversion, can be delivered remotely and need to be substituted. Primary data was collected through focus group discussions involving teachers and students. Findings will be included into the current curriculum.

Curriculum Development, Educational Technology, Research, Teacher Education

The “Learning to design – Designing to learn” (LDDL) project is a research collaboration between the University of Helsinki and the University of Johannesburg and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education as well as to promote continuous learning opportunities for all. We will conduct research on pupils learning in post 4IR era through the design of digital artifacts, such as Lego-robots, videoclips, and reports in the context of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning. The proposed project will support researchers and teachers in research-practice partnership (RPP) design STEM project-based learning (PBL) modules, which engage primary pupils in designing digital artifacts in order to research pupils’ design processes and their learning of transversal and sustainability competences, especially creative, critical and computational thinking skills in low-income areas of South Africa and in Finland. RPP will support researchers and teachers learning and the adoption of the designed innovative teaching modules. This project received funding under the Spring 2022 GINTL Project Funding from the University of Helsinki.

Teacher Training

The lecture series is organised by the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Helsinki, the Faculty of Education of Northeast Normal University in China, and co-organised with Pedagogy Finland ry. The event aims to provide a communication channel for teachers and students on how to develop teacher competence to face challenges in teaching. Five excellent speakers, working in Finland, have been invited to the events, and the events attracted over 940 participants from 35 institutions in China and Finland. It has broadened their knowledge, understanding, and vision on teacher education.

Curriculum Development, Early Childhood Education, Inclusive Education, Intervention, Teacher Training

The program aims to build a foundation for formal learning towards early childhood education and school readiness through enhancing teacher and parent capacity, engaging with relevant public administration and conducting research and evaluation for better impact.

Teacher Education

The purpose of the events is to facilitate and support collaboration among Indian and Finnish researchers and practitioners in the field of education & education science.

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Quality Assessment Framework, Research

The project involves: 1) Developing a database of Sino-Finnish joint degree provision programmes, 2) Organising a conference on quality assurance in Sino-Finnish joint degree provision, 3) Publishing the quality assurance guidelines for Sino-Finnish degree provision, potentially in collaboration with the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) and the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (Karvi). The aim of the project is furhtermore to pilot the Sino-Finnish joint degree provision guidelines in collaboration with TAMK and its partner, Chinese Regional University and in an ongoing dual degree programme initiative between Tampere University and Tongji University.

Publications

Tampere University’s Sino-Finnish Education Research Centre (SFERC) will publish a bilingual publication on ‘Chinese & Finnish Education in Global Societal Transformation’. Researchers in both the GINTL and JoLII networks will be invited to contribute to the book chapters.

Education in Indigenous Contexts, Intervention, Mobility, Research, School Based Studies & Supervision, Shared Teaching, Teacher Education

To strengthen teacher education (early childhood and primary education) through joint research focused on school-based studies and supervision as well as education in diverse contexts. To enhance capacity of teacher educators through joint development of online/blended courses and co-supervision of postgraduate students.

Curriculum Development, Intervention, Mobility, Research, Shared Teaching

Global education activity. Developing an master’s degree programme tailored for the Chinese customer’s needs, for example existing ELEIC (Early language education for intercultural communication) master’s degree which is offered by the Philosophical Faculty at the University of Eastern Finland, could be used as a frame or a starting point for the new programme.

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Decenter Global Knowledge Production, Promoting Transnational Interdisciplinary Education & Research Activities, Research & Intervention

Report on potential areas for multidisciplinary cooperation in transnational education and research (Asia and Africa focus); Workshops on decentralising global knowledge production and promote non-Western knowledge; Research seminar for recent studies on India (education, politics, cultures and social studies).

Online Exchange

The project aims to provide Chinese and Finnish students with opportunities to exchange their views and understandings of three important keywords: Culture, language and Interculturality. The students will meet on six occasions: Round 1) four meetings between students from Helsinki and Central South University and Round 2) twice between all these students and students from Minzu University of China. Students from Minzu will meet both students from Helsinki and Central South University.

Inclusive Education, Research

Network building and negotiations for arranging pilots in India.

MOOC, Teacher Education

Piloting a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Inclusive Learning Environments (2 ECTS) as well as three additional two-hour online seminars to test the possibility of implementing both formats for Chinese students.

Curriculum Development

Designing and conducting a summer school course (5 ECTS-CP) for doctoral and master students. The project also includes the coordination of the content with Chinese and Finnish partner institutions.

Stakeholder Seminar, Teacher Education

This project was created to further the development of teacher education programmes at Somali National University (SNU) and to look for ways to widen cooperation among new actors to also include other teacher education units in Somalia. Collaboration with other actors such as the Somali diaspora was initiated during this project. Two events, an online stakeholder webinar and a face-to-face collaborative meeting for Somali-Finnish cooperation, were organised. A needs analysis was carried out at the SNU. The search for further funding opportunities, new resources and flexible ways of networking continues.

Research, Student Wellbeing

The project is still ongoing and in the phase of data collection. The plan covers: 1) Research seminar on students’ burnout; 2) Data collection; 3) Discussion for future project application; 4) Digital solution consultation and design; 5) Public dissemination

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Developing Learning Materials, Shared Teaching, Teacher Education

The University of Jyväskylä and Åbo Akademi are jointly gathering different partners to conduct guest lectures on the Education for Emergencies (E4E) themes ‘climate crisis pedagogy’, ‘conflicts and war times pedagogy’, ‘antiracism education’. Additionally, the partners are producing learning materials from the respecitve guest lectures.

Early Childhood Education, Online Exchange, Teacher Education

Five Finnish early childhood webinars have been organised March-May, 2022 between universities in Finland and China The participating The webinars have been sharing the best research, practices, and concrete pedagogical methods of early childhood education in Finland and discussed them with Chinese partners. These webinars are furthermore strengthening the collaboration between Finnish and Chinese universities in co-creating research-based solutions for global challenges in early childhood education and cultivating joint research projects as well as modules for teacher education programs both in China and Finland. Finnish universities were the University of Helsinki, University of Turku, University of Jyväskylä, Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), and Omnia. The participating Chinese universities were Beijing Normal University, South-West University, and Central China Normal University.

Global Academic Partnerships

This collaborative initiative promotes dialogue, discussions as well as the sharing of ideas and perspectives. At the first stage, we invite universities in African countries who have partnerships with Finnish universities to share their views of partnerships. Additionally, a visit of an African HEI delegation to Finland will be organized in the spring 2022. During the visit, a stakeholder event will be organized that will bring together representatives of the partner universities from Africa to share experiences and expertise of HEI collaboration with stakeholder groups in Finland. These dialogues will contribute to the strategic planning of partnerships between institutions and feed into the national roadmap work for education cooperation currently under preparation.

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Educational Technology, R&D Activities in Teaching

The joint activities target towards preparing the students for their local work life, academic careers and international work. Along with their academic studies in IT and pedagogy, the students need to grow towards innovative, inventive and imaginative actors focusing on future. That means to be creative, critical, collaborative and communicative. The joint workshop-based approach focuses on interdisciplinarity and international interaction as well as co-development in educational technologies.

Curriculum Development, Research

The project will give an overview about the benefits of music and foreign language training in the neurocognitive development of primary school children. It will furthermore illuminate the promises of music and language learning to promote larger-scale neurocognitive development (e.g., working memory, attention).

Quality Assessment Framework, Research

Quality education depends on qualified teachers, who are largely influenced by teacher educators during their training as student teachers. How teacher educators provide student teachers with a supportive teaching and learning environment, and at the same time respond to the global challenges of teacher education draws researchers’ attention internationally. The research project aims to explore the quality requirements and professional standards of the Chinese and Finnish teacher educators from a comparative perspective. Based on the previous and current collaboration among the Northeast Normal University and the University of Helsinki, the research project increases the influence of Finnish universities and GINTL internationally and broadens the scope of cooperation among other universities in China and Finland. The study clarifies the evaluation criteria and professional support that teacher educators need to overcome challenges they face in teaching in teacher education. The long-term research aims are to provide new knowledge on teacher educators to promote their work and to support their development in expertise to respond to the international crisis in teaching and learning.

Mobility, Research Proposal Development, STEM Education

Within this collaboration there are plans to visit partners in Johannesburg and draft a joint research project proposal. One journal article is submitted for peer-review.

Curriculum Studies, Digital Learning, Environmental & Sustainability Education, Teacher Education

The University of Eastern Finland (UEF) and the University of Namibia (UNAM) partnership in education have started ongoing research projects on developing digital learning in Namibia and fieldwork in science education. In our collaboration (UEF and UNAM), we have a plan to start teacher education projects to support sustainability action in both universities. The core topics include Leadership, Environmental and Sustainability Education and Curriculum Studies.

Curriculum Development, Higher Education Pedagogy, Mobility, Research, Teaching Quality

The activity will focus on constructing research collaboration on the topic of student agency with the international partners from the Northeast Normal University (China) and Finnish partners from the University of Jyväskylä and JAMK University of Applied Sciences. This includes mobility, agreements, translation work, data collection and analyses.

Education & Society, Expert Dialogues Webinar

The GINTL-JoLii Webinar Series ‘Dialogues on Education and Society’ engages leading experts in dialogues on Chinese and Finnish education and society with comparative broader European perspective. The dialogues are in various formats, and they are targeted to researchers, policymakers, education practitioners, and administrators. This is planned as a monthly event.

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