In Finland higher education has three roles: responds to the world of work and its development needs, and is based on research principles; applied research and development work that fosters regional development and takes into account the structure of the area; and support for individual professional growth. The Learning by Developing, LbD, is a pedagogical model and it is developed and used in Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Raij 2006, 2007). The LbD model is based on a development project that is genuinely rooted in the world of work, which aims to produce new practices and competences and demands collaboration between lecturers, students and experts from the world of work in order to progress. LbD integrates the three roles in higher education. At the University of Applied Sciences, it is essential that the creation of new knowledge and understanding also becomes explicit skills in doing. (Vyakarnam, Illes, Kolmos & Madritsch 2008.) This kind of learning creates knowledge and it is a process of participating (Hakkarainen, Palonen, Paavola & Lehtinen 2004). The development project is premised on the basis of two essential nursing procedures; pharmacotherapy and electronic patient record. The development project is between health care units of the Hospital District and University of Applied Sciences. The aim of the project was to promote knowledge both students and workers and help units (n=14) to create their pharmacotherapy plan or electronic patient record. The project started in January 2007 and it did last for 13 months. In this project there are professionals (n=24) from different primary or special health care units, students (n=26) and teachers (n=5). They are developing work in 14 working groups and teachers are facilitating and counselling working groups.

In this project all participants have used network innovation platform to discuss and work. To create participation there has been several seminar days. During this project all participants have evaluated (N=150) their working, role and participating. It seems that this kind of working model generates competence and new developments skills. This development project wills also product 14 bachelor’s theses.