The UAS eJournal as a Reflector of Finnish Practical-oriented Higher Education

Author(s):

Mervi Friman(presenting / submitting)Mauri Kantola(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2012

Network:

06. Open Learning: Media, Environments and Cultures

Format:

Paper

Session Information

06 SES 06, Cooperation and Reflection in Open Learning

Parallel Paper Session

Time:

2012-09-19

15:30-17:00

Room:

FCT - Aula 2

Chair:

Kersti Toming

Contribution

Our presentation deals with the UAS Journal which is published by the Rectors' Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (ARENE) and financed by the universities of applied sciences (UAS). The UAS Journal is published electronically (www.uasjournal.fi) four times a year. The articles are written in Finnish or English but the summaries are written in both languages. The target of the UAS Journal is, according to ARENE, to be a “window” to Finnish UASs. The UAS Journal is focused on education, research and development activities in the Finnish UASs. The aim is to clarify the profiles of traditional universities and universities of applied sciences (Wolff 2002). The main target group of the UAS Journal are the staff members in Finnish higher education institutions and in the work organisations. Currently, we are aiming at getting readers from outside Finland, especially from European countries. The UAS Journal is a combination of a magazine and a scientific-oriented publication because we can also publish peer reviewed articles (PKP 2011). Both the semi-closed Internet publication platforms and the new possibilities of open social media are used in the processes of the journal (OJS 2011).

The goal of the journalistic process has been to facilitate knowledge-sharing and educational practices by building up the capacity of Finnish networks in strategic multi-field areas to bring their collaboration to a more integrated form of partnership (Panhelainen & Suosara 2008). At the beginning of the millennium, the e-journal network was one of the many activities of the developers of Finnish practical-oriented higher education (Kantola et al 2007). Networks played a particularly important role in the diffusion and adoption of different kinds of educational innovations (Rogers 1995). The developer network behind the e-journal was a program in 2002 - 2009 to build social networks between UASs and individual experts working there or in the traditional universities. Later, the e-journal began to be published from 2010 onwards through a merger of two separate electronic publications, the Kever e-journal and the Osaaja e-magazine, which became the UAS Journal. The merger caused new challenges for both parts of the publication and because of the rare nature of the combination of an e-journal and an e-magazine.

Method

The intent of this study is to support the development of the UAS Journal. The research method of this study is action research supported by qualitative and quantitative content analyses (Kuula 2001, www.scu.edu.au). The first author is the editor of the UAS Journal and the second author is the social media expert of the journal. We use the quantitative data when following the activities of the author network and qualitative content analyse when categorising the topics of the articles. By using the Google Analytics we study the reader groups and the periods which they spend on the web pages and different articles. We make interventions in the formal sector, editorial board, and in the informal sector, Facebook and emailing. The use of social media is targeted to activate the potential authors and readers to interact and collaborate with the UAS Journal and each other.

Expected Outcomes

The expected outcomes of the study are that the UAS Journal reflects the structural change and other main themes of Finnish practical-oriented higher education and it may be an important media in the field. The use of social media widens the group of active experts and the collaboration activities. The content of the presentation is as follows. Firstly, we will introduce the networks that produced the content of the separated, and later combined, publications. Next, the nature of the new e-publication will be analysed. After that, the content of the UAS e-journal items and the authors will be studied as reflectors of the Finnish UAS process. Finally, the results of the study are discussed and summarised in the concluding section.

References

Kantola, M. & Friman, M. 2012. The Kever e-journal in Finnish practical oriented higher education 2002 – 2009. Accepted in Egitania Sciencia. Kantola M., Hautala, J. & Palos, M. 2007. Analysis of a researcher and developer network of the Finnish practical oriented higher education. European Conference on Educational Research (ECER), Ghent 19-22.9.2007. Kuula, A. 2001. Toimintatutkimus, kenttätyötä ja muutospyrkimyksiä. (Action research, field work and attempts to changes.) Vastapaino. Panhelainen, M. & Suosara E. 2008. Ammattikorkeakoulun strategiset haasteet. (The Strategic Challenges of Universities of Applied Sciences.) In Panhelainen M (ed). Kokeilua, kehitystyötä, tuloksia. (Experiments, Development Work and Results.) Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän ammattikorkeakoulu. 112 – 125. PKP (2012); Public Knowledge Project; http://pkp.sfu.ca/node/1410; Referred 17.1.2012. OJS 2011. Open Journal System. http://pkp.sfu.ca/?q=ojs. Referred 10.12.2011. Rogers, E. 1995, Diffusion of Innovations, Free Press, New York, NY. Wolff, H. 2002. Dualitet eller diversitet. (Dualism or diversity.) In Liljander, Juha-Pekka (ed.) Omalla tiellä. Ammattikorkeakoulut kymmenen vuotta. (In the own way. UASs ten years.) Helsinki: Edita. 350 – 355. www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/areol/areol-session13.html, Action Learning, Action Research Association. 18.1.2011.

Author Information

Mervi Friman (presenting / submitting)

HAMK University of Applied Sciences

Quality Services

Hämeenlinna

Mauri Kantola (presenting)

Turku University of Applied Sciences

Development

Turku

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