Research
We took major steps in 2021 to actively promote closer research collaboration between the units at EDU. All the units are represented on our Research Development Group that plans collaborations between the units. We are especially keen to ensure the research conducted by the Education Unit can be translated into practice at the Tampere University Teacher Training School and the Language Centre, both of which are teaching-intensive units. We are also looking to support teacher-researchers at the Tampere University Teacher Training School and the Language Centre. Regular meetings for research group leaders have become an established practice at the Education Unit.
We awarded strategic funding for collaborative projects conducted by research groups within the Education Unit to promote research in the unit’s thematic research areas. The goal was to generate new links and structures between the research groups as well as between EDU and external partners. The collaborative projects resulted in seminars, workshops, grant proposals and publications. Some of the projects marked the beginning of a long-term partnership.
In line with our competitive research funding goals, the number of researchers at the Education Unit who apply for international grants increased (the Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe initiative CHANSE, the Trans-Atlantic Platform for Social Sciences and Humanities T-AP, international foundations). They also actively participated in the call for Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships. Our success in the Academy of Finland’s funding calls continued. One project and one postdoctoral research fellow received funding from the Academy.
We issued strategic guidelines that identify our key funding instruments and the resources allocated to the application of grants. The goal is to help our researchers find suitable funding opportunities at the different stages of their career and guide them to write fewer but more high-quality grant proposals to increase their chances of success. The strategic guidelines also encourage researchers to systematically seek and apply for international funding opportunities.
The number of publications increased from 2020 and reached the 2019 level, up until which our research output continued to grow steadily. Owing to the relocation of the teaching-intensive Language Centre to EDU, our research output, when scaled against our staff numbers, is expected to decline in the future. We have disseminated information about the importance of open-access publishing and helped our researchers pay the article processing charges of open-access journals. What makes open-access publishing challenging is that the most prestigious publication channels do not provide free access to scientific literature.
We offered more support to our researchers by setting aside funding for projects that are funded from the core operating budget. We also piloted an internship programme where students studying lifelong learning and education in the Education Unit can complete their mandatory internships by working in the unit’s research groups as an assistant. The programme responds to the needs expressed by research groups.
Education
Our new curriculum for the years 2021‒2024 is specifically designed to promote blended teaching. We supported blended and flexible modes of course delivery by setting up a dedicated support team and creating a digital pedagogy plan. Students provided overwhelmingly positive feedback on our redesigned English-language Master’s Degree Programme in Teaching, Learning and Media Education (TelMe).
The model for enhancing student guidance (which includes, for example Matkakirja, a portfolio for students to document their professional growth, and Taskutuutori, a guide for developing study skills) was incorporated into the degree programmes in education. Strategic funding was offered to support teachers and help them provide advice and guidance to students.
Our collaboration with Tampere University of Applied Sciences continued, for example, in the form of shared modules in special education pedagogics. We worked with Juniversity – which brings under one roof all the science enrichment and school outreach activities from across Tampere University – to pave the way for future collaborations with upper secondary schools. In the spring of 2022, we are set to pilot a jointly designed study theme in all the upper secondary schools in Tampere. The Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Network and the Basic Education Network continued their successful collaboration to support the development of teacher training.
We offered a broad range of professional development opportunities for teachers with funding from the Finnish National Agency for Education and the Ministry of Education and Culture. Funding earmarked for continuous learning projects was used to provide mentorship training to local teachers in Tampere and produce a series of videos to promote continuing education. Videos also had a prominent role in the Mentored Teacher Education project, which was launched in August 2021 to provide transnational education to staff at the teacher training school of Feevale University, Brazil.
Tampere University Teacher Training School
The Tampere University Teacher Training School offered its teachers more opportunities to engage in closer collaboration with staff at the Education Unit of Tampere University. The research, experimentation and development activities were mainly focused on environmental education, sustainable development, digitalisation, learning facilities, and transitions from one grade to the next.
In the spring of 2021, the upper secondary school was once again a popular option in the region among first-choice applicants in the national admission cycle to secondary education, in proportion to the number of places available. The lowest GPA that guaranteed admission to the upper secondary school was 8.92 – the second highest in the Tampere region and the highest in the history of the upper secondary school. The upper secondary school is an attractive choice due to its close ties with Tampere University and working life, high-quality teaching and the central location of its campus.
Language Centre
The Language Centre was moved to the Faculty of Education and Culture on 1 August 2021. The operations remained largely unchanged despite the Centre’s transfer from the support services organisation to a faculty.
In 2021, the Language Centre redesigned its curriculum and course offerings. The curriculum reform was substantial, as it resulted in a consistently structured language and communication studies in all the degree programmes across the University and, for most students, increased the range of optional and elective courses. The majority of new courses were tailored to students in specific faculties. Already in the spring of 2021, our staff who teach communication and language courses formed teams to design courses that are in line with the new curriculum, which was approved by the Academic Board in February. In the autumn, the focus of the development activities shifted to planning the course practices, preparing teaching materials, developing student assessment methods, and sharing good remote teaching practices. With funding from the University, we conducted two projects to develop digital pedagogy.
Societal impact
Education is the area where the impact we deliver for society is most felt. We carry out a variety of research projects in cooperation with external stakeholders, especially with public organisations.
The CRITICAL project funded by the Academy of Finland’s Strategic Research Council (SRC) aims to uncover how we can use information critically and constructively to support individual and societal decision-making. The project involves a broad range of partners that represent not only education that is provided at homes and in schools and libraries but also educational policymaking. The participants include the City of Tampere, the Regional State Administrative Agencies for Western and Inland Finland, the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, the Finnish Parents’ League, the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare, the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC), the Finnish Society on Media Education, the Teacher Education Forum, the Finnish National Agency for Education, and the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Interaction with external stakeholders and civic society has a prominent role in our research studies exploring green citizenship and refugeeship. In addition, our researchers participated in the large-scale Media World project launched by Pikku Kakkonen, a long-running children’s TV show on Yle, and Särkänniemi Adventure Park.
Our interaction with society has a strong international dimension as well. In addition to a transnational education programme in Brazil, we participate in the internationalisation programme of the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture and the Global Innovation Network for Teaching and Learning (JoLii 2.0) in India, Africa and China.