Participatory service design and community involvement in designing future-ready sustainable learning landscapes

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) work as a new agenda for sustainable development globally. Many if not most of the SDGs can be combined with different levels of education. This paper leans on previous work in Sustainable Education Design (SED), which looked at sustainability from its multifaceted angles with a broad global scope. The context of the study is a campus at a research-intensive Finnish university. The methodology entailed participatory service design approaches. For piloting, one classroom was chosen as a test bed. The data consist of workshops, use walks and structured interviews. The analysis started from identifying KPIs of sustainable learning environment creation, after which these were tested against Sustainable Education Design Criteria described in a manual book earlier. The key findings include nine preliminary alternative KPIs that were merged with previous SED criteria and related SDGs. The alternative KPIs were trialled in the test bed environment. These proposed alternative KPIs can be used as indicators for sustainability, innovation and learning during participatory change processes and in evaluating the outcome.Peer reviewe

Hybrid learning environments in universities : how to manage the co-creation process from design to use

An identified need to promote hybrid practices in education puts pressure on transforming university learning environments. Current teaching and learning models and approaches include e.g. hybrid and blended learning, flexible scheduling, and attendance, and the learning environments are changing accordingly. To manage these requirements and processes, siloed practices must be overcome, and this requires the engagement of stakeholders such as faculty and facilities management as well as end-users. The goal of this paper is to understand the transformation processes of hybrid learning environments in universities. The method is crosscase analysis. 6 learning environment transformation-to-hybrid cases are analysed. The case studies are conducted in three Finnish universities in 2018-2020. The results indicate that there are three critical factors in the successful transformations towards technology enriched learning environments: 1. The participatory design process which is integrating the digital and physical architecture to serve user needs 2. The training of users to new learning environments 3. Management of support in the use phase. The research provides practical examples and process descriptions of transformation towards hybrid learning environments for the user-centric design experts, facilities managers, and education designers. The research contributes to user-centric design theories as well as learning environment research. Future studies can be conducted by gathering user experiences of hybrid learning processes in new hybrid learning environments and the challenges residing in them.Peer reviewe

Liikennealan kansallinen kasvuohjelma 2018 - 2022

Liikennealan kansallisen kasvuohjelman 2018–2022 lähtökohtana on edistää toimialan yritysvetoista kehitystä, kasvua ja kansainvälistymistä. Liikenne toimii Suomen kansantalouden merkittävänä ajurina sisältäen n. 35 000 yritystä ja työllistäen n. 200 000 henkilöä. Samaan aikaan liikenteen markkinoilla toimivien yritysten liikevaihto on arviolta yli 60 mrd. euroa. Liikenneala on merkittävien teknologisten, taloudellisten ja yhteiskunnallisten murrosten keskellä ja sen uudistuminen pohjautuu pitkälti digitalisaation mukanaan tuomiin mahdollisuuksiin. Liikennealan globaalit markkinat tarjoavat valtavan kasvupotentiaalin, esimerkiksi MaaSin (liikenne palveluna) markkinoiden ennustetaan kasvavan yli 1 000 miljardiin dollariin vuoteen 2030 menness

Asthma Interventions Aimed at Older Adults : A Literature Review

As the prevalence of asthma in the older adults is increasing, health care professionals, such as nurses will be facing older asthmatics more frequently among the health services. Thus, the aim was to discover asthma interventions planned for older adults, and to reveal what kind of positive effects these interventions have on the subjects. The purpose of this research was to present health care professionals with good practices for the care and management of older asthmatics. Literature review was used as a research method in this research. This paper uncovered a total of eight interventions for older asthmatics. Even though they had very different approaches, similarities among many of the studies were also discovered. The focus on self-management of asthma and individualized care was emphasised in several interventions. Positive effects, such as better self-management, improved asthma control and quality of life were reported as a result of the interventions. Some of the interventions presented in this literature review could be introduced to practice as a basis for asthma management in the older adults. However, it would be necessary to conduct further research about asthma in older adults, because it has been studied quite little earlier. In addition, the common obstacles in the management of asthma in older people should be addressed better in the planning and implementing of new asthma interventions.Astman yleistyminen vanhuspotilailla tarkoittaa, että terveydenhuollon työntekijät, kuten sairaanhoitajat tulevat kohtaamaan ikääntyviä astmapotilaita työssään entistä useammin. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli kartoittaa ikääntyville suunnattuja astmainterventioita ja niiden positiivisia vaikutuksia osallistujiin. Tarkoituksena oli esittää terveydenhuollon työntekijöille hyviä toimintatapoja ikääntyvien astmaatikoiden hoitoon. Tämä opinnäytetyö toteutettiin kirjallisuuskatsauksena, johon valikoitui kahdeksan ikääntyville suunnattua astmainterventiota. Vaikka lähestymistavat interventioissa olivat hyvin erilaisia, samankaltaisuuksiakin niistä löytyi. Monet interventioista painottivat itsehoitoa ja yksilöllistä lähestymistapaa työskenneltäessä ikääntyvien astmapotilaiden kanssa. Astmainterventioilla oli osallistujiin positiivisia vaikutuksia, kuten astman itsehoidon kehittyminen, sekä astman hoitotasapainon ja elämänlaadun paraneminen. Osa kirjallisuuskatsaukseen valikoituneista interventioista voitaisiin ottaa käyttöön sellaisenaan ikääntyvien astmapotilaiden hoidossa. Jatkotutkimusten toteuttaminen aiheesta olisi kuitenkin tärkeää, koska aihetta on tutkittu vielä varsin vähän. Lisäksi tulevaisuudessa tulisi kartoittaa tarkemmin ikääntyvien astman hoitoon liittyviä erityiskysymyksiä astmainterventioiden suunnittelussa ja toteuttamisessa

Oikeussuoja hankintalakien ulkopuolelle jäävissä hankinnoissa

Remedies in public procurement beyond the scope of the procurement legislation The subject-matter of the thesis concerns administrative appeal as a remedy in public procurement beyond the scope of the procurement legislation. This subject-matter is approached from three different perspectives. First, the traditional jurisprudential method is applied so as to examine the requirements of EU law, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Constitution of Finland as regards remedies in respect of public procurement beyond the scope of the procurement legislation. These requirements provide a background for evaluating how the domestic remedies provisions should properly be interpreted. The second perspective is that of the Europeanisation of the law and its impact on the interpretations of judicial review in procurement cases. And thirdly, the subject-matter is approached from a regulatory point of view, looking especially into the effectiveness of administrative appeal as an avenue of judicial review in procurement. There are differences in the scope and the preconditions of application of the basic rights provisions and human rights provisions on due process, which may lead to variation in the requirements for remedies in procurement cases. Where a procurement process falling beyond the scope of the procurement legislation nonetheless falls within the scope of EU law, it is necessary to provide an effective remedy for rights arising from the principles of equal treatment and transparency. In turn, procurement processes falling solely within the scope of domestic law are governed by the general principles of good government, which means that the tenderer acquires the procedural right to proper and equal treatment in the procurement process. The Human Rights Convention guarantees access to justice at least in cases of discrimination. As a matter of fact, there would be reason to adopt one and the same interpretation of when and how a procurement decision can be appealed, regardless of which basic right or human right is concerned or of which contracting authority made the decision in question. The assessment of avenues of appeal should be based on the nature of a procurement decision as a choice of supplier and on the aspects of public law governing this choice. The Europeanisation of law has increased the regulation of public procurement and emphasised the need for effective access to justice. In procurement beyond the scope of procurement legislation this means the application of the norms of judicial review to a new type of case. The thesis contains an examination of relevant cases from Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, concerning the application of general administrative judicial measures on a procurement case beyond the scope of the procurement legislation. The criteria that administrative appeal sets on an official decision that can be appealed, and the prohibition in municipal appeal to present new claims once the appeal deadline has passed may, in certain situations, result in problems as regards the requirement of effective remedies in EU law. Moreover, administrative appeal may prove ineffective in practice also because there are no remedies that would be in compliance with the procurement legislation and ensure the elimination of errors in procurement procedure. In order for judicial review beyond the scope of the procurement legislation to be equally effective as judicial review within the scope of that legislation, there would be need for more precise regulation of procurement procedures and also for the adoption of remedies regulations similar to those appearing in the procurement legislation. It would hardly be expedient to make the scope of the procurement legislation narrower and at the same time to create corresponding, but separate procedural provisions for procurement that falls beyond the scope of that legislation.Hankintalain mukaisen kansallisen kynnysarvon alittavassa hankinnassa hankintalain mukaiset oikeussuojakeinot eivät hankintaoikaisua lukuun ottamatta ole käytettävissä eikä hankinnasta voi valittaa markkinaoikeuteen. Vastaavasti EU-kynnysarvon alle jäävässä erityisalojen hankinnassa valitus markkinaoikeuteen ei ole mahdollinen. Artikkelimuotoisessa väitöskirjatutkimuksessa tarkastellaan hallintovalitusta ja kunnallisvalitusta oikeussuojakeinona hankintalakien ulkopuolelle jäävissä hankinnoissa. Tutkimuksessa määritetään EU-oikeuden, Euroopan ihmisoikeussopimuksen ja perustuslain edellyttämä oikeussuojan saatavuus ja tehokkuus hankintalakien ulkopuolelle jäävissä hankinnoissa sekä esitetään kannanottoja kansallisten säännösten tulkinnasta näiden oikeussuojavaatimusten valossa. Toisena näkökulmana tarkastellaan oikeuden eurooppalaistumisen vaikutuksia hallintolainkäytön tulkintakäytäntöihin hankinta-asioissa. Lopuksi tutkimusaihetta käsitellään oikeussuojakeinojen sääntelyä arvioivasta näkökulmasta tarkastellen erityisesti hallinto-oikeudellisen valituksen tehokkuutta hankintojen muutoksenhakukeinona. Oikeusturvaa koskevien perus- ja ihmisoikeusmääräysten soveltamisalat poikkeavat toisistaan, mikä voi johtaa eroavaisuuksiin oikeussuojavaatimusten ulottuvuudessa hankinta-asioissa. Hankintalakien ulkopuolelle jäävän hankinnan kuuluessa EU-oikeuden soveltamisalaan tehokasta oikeussuojaa on annettava yhdenvertaisen kohtelun ja avoimuuden periaatteista seuraaville oikeuksille. Kansallisen oikeuden varaan jäävissä hankinnoissa hankintamenettelyä määrittävät hallinnon oikeusperiaatteet, ja tarjoajalle muodostuu menettelyllinen oikeus tulla kohdelluksi hankintamenettelyssä tasapuolisesti. Ihmisoikeussopimus turvaa oikeuden tuomioistuinkäsittelyyn ainakin syrjintätapauksissa. Hankintapäätöksen valituskelpoisuudesta olisi perusteltua omaksua yhdenmukainen tulkinta riippumatta siitä, minkä perus- tai ihmisoikeuden soveltamispiiriin asia kuuluu tai minkä viranomaisen hankintapäätöksestä on kyse. Valituskelpoisuutta arvioitaessa ratkaisevina on pidettävä hankintapäätöksen luonnetta toimittajan valintaa koskevana ratkaisuna sekä tätä valintaa säänteleviä julkisoikeudellisia elementtejä. Hallinto-oikeudellisen valituksen käyttöalaan liittyvä vaatimus viranomaisen päätöksestä ja kunnallisvalituksen uusien valitusperusteiden esittämiskielto valitusajan jälkeen saattavat muodostua joissakin tilanteissa EU-oikeuden edellyttämän oikeusturvan toteutumisen kannalta ongelmallisiksi. Hallinto-oikeudellisen valituksen antama oikeussuoja voi olla myös tosiasiallisesti tehotonta sen vuoksi, ettei hankintalain mukaisia virheettömän hankintamenettelyn toteutumista turvaavia oikeussuojakeinoja ole käytettävissä. Jotta hankintalakien ulkopuolella muutoksenhakukeinoilla saavutettaisiin sama tehokkuus kuin hankintalakien mukaisilla oikeussuojakeinoilla, edellyttäisi tämä hankintalaissa säädettyjä oikeussuojakeinoja vastaavan sääntelyn käyttöönottoa. Tarkoituksenmukaisena ei voida pitää, että hankintalain soveltamisalaa supistettaisiin ja samalla luotaisiin hankintalakia vastaavia erillisiä oikeussuojasäännöksiä niiden ulkopuolelle rajattuja hankintoja varten

Towards digital campus – improving usability of learning environments

Purpose: Digital learning environments provide new possibilities for organizing education. Additionally, these developments are transforming the existing and future learning environments. This research is based on a national project called DigiCampus in Finland. The project develops e.g. physical-digital learning landscapes for campuses. Design/methodology/approach: The approach is qualitative, more specifically descriptive and explorative. The approach was chosen to identify the functional and structural layers of retrofitted, digitally enriched learning environments. Three case studies are conducted in different universities. The first case study investigates the maturity level of the digital learning environments of existing buildings. The second case study introduces a multi-location classroom in two different campuses. The third case study presents a learning environment which is enriched by using different kind of smart tools which gather data for different purposes about the use of the learning environment. The chosen cases had similar intentions to use digitalization to update the existing spaces according to new ways of learning and teaching. The emphasis in each case was in the increase of collaboration and widening diversity in the campus environment. The data used in the analysis was comprised of the documentation of project plans for the retrofitting and other written material. Findings: Cross-case analysis indicates that both the digital and the physical architecture can be understood as layers for different functions and different stakeholders. Such structure provides a framework for developing usable digital learning environments. Practical implications: The outcome of the research is a checklist for usable digital learning environments, which points out the topics to be co-created among different stakeholders in developing the digital campus. Originality/value: The research provides an evidence-based overview of usability of digital learning environments emphasizing especially the retrofitting challenges in the process of developing both physical and digital usability simultaneously. Keywords: learning landscape, digital, physical, usability, campusacceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Effects of intensive fasting and methyl groups of feed on liver metabolism and welfare in breeding blue fox (Alopex lagopus) vixens

The feeding trial was carried out on 60 blue fox vixens before the breeding season (age six months at the beginning of the trial). The aim of the present study was to find out to which extent low dietary protein supplemented with methyl donors affects fat and liver metabolism and body weight reduction in the period November-March. Treatments were: control (blue fox feed, 20% protein from ME), Alimet® (control feed with supplemental methionine hydroxy analogue), betaine (control feed with supplemental betaine), choline (control feed with supplemental choline), methionine (control feed with supplemental DL-methionine) and positive control (commercial blue fox feed, 35 % protein from ME). Body weight loss, blood parameters, liver histology, enzyme activities, and cortisol:creatinine ratio of urine were measured. In conclusion, the experiment showed that methyl donors had no effect on health status on blue fox vixens given a low protein diet during the body fat mobilisation period. Generally, the low dietary protein level was reflected in some health parameters, but no animals revealed symptoms of malnutrition. The results demonstrated that the blue fox have extreme abilities to maintain health on a suboptimal diet during body fat mobilisation.vo