New Unit for Research and Development of Higher Education Pedagogy Launched at Häme University of Applied Sciences
The new Unit for Research and Development of Higher Education Pedagogy has started at Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK). The unit develops teaching and learning based on higher education pedagogical research. It addresses current challenges such as interaction between education and working life, student well-being and smooth graduation, as well as the well-being of the entire higher education community.
The goal is to make Häme University of Applied Sciences a leading international institution in higher education pedagogy. HAMK has decades of experience in pedagogical development through the operations of Finland’s the most popular School of Professional Teacher Education in Finland in terms of the number of applicants , HAMK Edu research unit, and HAMK Global unit, which has exported pedagogical expertise all over the world. The new unit develops teaching and learning comprehensively in cooperation with various HAMK units, such as the HAMK Design Factory, as well as with the RUN European University, where HAMK is responsible for the pedagogical development of an alliance of eight European universities.
“HAMK’s strengths lie in solid research-based pedagogical development, and higher education pedagogical expertise has been offered to other universities for years. Recently, HAMK’s LearnWell learning experience survey has attracted interest in other universities”, says Liisa Postareff, Head of the Unit.
HAMK also leads the THEwellbeing project, funded by the Research Council of Finland, which investigates higher education teaching and teacher well-being.
Collaboration at regional, national, and international levels
The new unit works in collaboration with HAMK’s other units to renew the pedagogical strategy and culture. The unit also collaborates closely with other universities both nationally and internationally.
“Our new unit will carry out multidisciplinary and impactful research and development to better serve all those interested in pedagogy, both nationally and internationally. We are well advanced in this work, but our ambitions are also high,” says Vice President Heidi Ahokallio-Leppälä.
Our new unit will carry out multidisciplinary and impactful research and development to better serve all those interested in pedagogy, both nationally and internationally.
Heidi Ahokallio-Leppälä
Regionally, collaboration focuses particularly on organizations and companies that promote attractiveness and competence levels of the area. HAMK is currently developing a work-based Design-Based Education (DBE) model, where students solve real challenges provided by companies in multidisciplinary teams.
The unit employs nine higher education pedagogy researchers and experts. It officially started operations at the beginning of May.
Pedagogical research and development at HAMK
Our Unit for Research and Development of Higher Education Pedagogy (HEPeda) brings together our long-term work on pedagogy. Our various activities include:
- Research in higher education pedagogy
- Developing Design Based Education (DBE) -model
- LearnWell-learning experience survey
- Training of higher education teachers
- Supporting ecucational development globally
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