Evaluating the learning by development action model with CS students.

The purpose of the study is to find out how the competence of computing students develops throughout a study module as they are exposed to a Learning by Developing (LbD) Action Model. Furthermore, their perception of the model is evaluated against existing pedagogies to better understand the effectiveness of this tool when used specifically in a CS context

Lecturers' and clients' experiences of using learning by developing action model with project-based computing science study modules in Finland and the UK.

This article describes research in which the Learning by Developing (LbD) action model has been used as a teaching and learning method for computer science students in Finland and Great Britain. The study has been conducted as action research, and its research target has been Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Laurea) and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences from Finland, and Robert Gordon University (RGU) from the United Kingdom. The research aims to gain information about lecturers' and clients' experiences of the LbD pedagogy and its applicability to study modules containing an authentic client project. The lecturers were also asked how well the students' skills developed during the study module. The customers were asked how beneficial the project's result was for their organisation and whether it produced new insights into operational development. The research has been conducted as action research, and separate research cycles have been implemented in all three higher education institutions. Research data from lecturers and project clients have been collected through thematic interviews. Narrative analysis has been used in the study of the thematic interviews because the number of participants is limited

Computing students learning outcomes in learning by developing action model.

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of research aimed at finding out the learning outcomes of computing students with a study module implementation based on the Learning by Developing (LbD) Action Model used in Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Laurea). The aim of the study is to find out how the students' competence develops during the study module and what are they general experience of learning according to the LbD. The LbD Action Model has been developed in Laurea by closely examining teaching and learning across a number of Universities of Applied Sciences. The LbD has been used in Laurea since 2004, and it has been shown to be a successful way of teaching within higher educational contexts. Studies on LbD based learning in Laurea have been conducted amongst students in social sciences and health care, but not among students within computing related disciplines. The LbD Action Model is intended to learn new ways of working and renew working life, and therefore a study module, which involved customers and their real-world projects, was chosen as the subject of research. Computing students have been chosen as the research topic also because studies that only examine the experiences of computing students in teaching according to the LbD Action Model have not been conducted before. An important area of the study, besides the student’s own learning experiences, is how their problem-solving skills and other competencies developing in the LbD projects that have been implemented in cooperation with the working life. The study also examines the lecturers' experiences of using the LbD and its suitability for computing studies, as well as the experiences of the clients involved in the study module on using the LbD in real customer projects. The research strategy chosen for the study is action research, which is a discipline-based research conducted by a teacher, the purpose of which is to obtain information and, on the basis of the information received, to change his or her practice in the future. In this process, participants systematically and carefully review their own teaching practices using research methods. Action research is well-suited to educational research and can involve just a single teacher, a group of teachers with a common problem, or the entire school faculty. The first cycle of study will be carried out in Laurea in Finland but the next two cycles of the study will be carried out within similar study modules at the Robert Gordon University (RGU) in the UK. This will allow the researcher to determine whether LbD can be successful in other institutions, and to further analyse the implications and drawbacks of such an implementation. The first cycle research data has been collected from students at Laurea through a survey and learning diaries across a full semester in the 2019-20 academic session. Thematic interviews were used as a method for collecting research data from experts, lecturers and clients. The next phase of the study will be carried out in the 2020-21 autumn when the LbD Action Model which will piloted at RGU in UK. The purpose of this research is to further develop the LbD and examine whether it can be implemented successfully in RGU. The aim of this study is also to identify further development for the LbD to ensure it maintains an international perspective for future needs

LECTURERS' AND CLIENTS' EXPERIENCES OF USING LEARNING BY DEVELOPING ACTION MODEL WITH PROJECT-BASED COMPUTING SCIENCE STUDY MODULES IN FINLAND AND THE UK

In higher education today, there is an increasing need for working life-oriented cooperation and appropriate learning and teaching methods. The working-life partnership gives higher education up-to-date information about what skills are needed in working life. Higher education curricula should include study contents derived from the needs of working life. Cooperation during studies with working life helps the development of students' competencies to meet the needs of working life. It prepares students to immediately get involved in working life and its development after graduation. This article describes research in which the Learning by Developing (LbD) action model has been used as a teaching and learning method for computer science students in Finland and Great Britain. The study has been conducted as action research, and its research target has been Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Laurea) and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Haaga-Helia) from Finland and Robert Gordon University (RGU) from the United Kingdom. The research aims to gain information about lecturers' and clients' experiences of the LbD pedagogy and its applicability to study modules containing an authentic client project. The lecturers were also asked how well the students' skills developed during the study module. The customers were asked how beneficial the project's result was for their organisation and whether it produced new insights into operational development. The research has been conducted as action research, and separate research cycles have been implemented in all three higher education institutions. Research data from lecturers and project clients have been collected through thematic interviews. Narrative analysis has been used in the study of the thematic interviews because the number of participants is limited

Design and Implementation of Online CMS Course : Development Project in Cooperation with FUAS

Online learning and teaching has increased students’ opportunity to study flexibly regardless of location. Online courses also allow teachers more flexible working, as they are not tied to a place. Modern technologies provide a wide range of options to use different inter-connected system solution implementations. Online courses can be used to study in different kind of subjects. The subject of this Master’s thesis was the new CMS online course design and implementation in the FUAS cooperation. FUAS is the joint coalition of three Universities of Applied Sciences including Lahti University of Applied Sciences (LAMK), Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) and Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Laurea). The starting point of the study was the FUAS collaboration need to develop a new online course offering all LAMK's, HAMK’s and Laurea’s students summer studies. The joint CMS online course was designed and implemented in cooperation with all three FUAS Universities of Applied Sciences. The teaching and learning environment for the CMS online course was Moodle, which is used in HAMK and LAMK. Other design and implementation tools of web-based learning equipment were Google Drive, which was used during the design for creating and editing shared files, and WebEx and Adobe Connect Pro, both of which are web conference applications offering several remote access abilities, such as e-meetings, e-learning and webinars. They are scalable to larger groups’ use. Three different CMS system options the students can learn in the course were selected: WordPress, Drupal and Concrete5. In addition, each participant got the basic knowledge of another CMS, CMSMadeSimpleen, in the individual assignment. The CMS-course pilot implementation was done in the summer of 2014. The course began in May and ended in August. The course was successfully completed by 15 students. The course included in addition to the individual tasks also a group project where the students carried out a new or renewed website fora client. The course feedback on the students’ experiences was collected at the end of the course. Also the teachers’ design and implementation feedback was collected. Discussions and the stored documents done during the planning and implementation in addition to interviews provided source material for the study. Development proposals for a new implementation made on the basis of the results obtained are also provided. Cooperation saves the teachers’ time and resources but not very significantly.Verkko-oppiminen ja -opettaminen on lisännyt opiskelijoiden mahdollisuutta opiskella joustavasti paikasta riippumatta. Verkkokurssien myötä myös opettajat voivat työskennellä yhä joustavammin, eivätkä he ole paikkaan sidoksissa. Nykyteknologiat antavat monipuolisia vaihtoehtoja erilaisten verkkototeutusratkaisujen käyttämiseen. Verkkokurssien avulla voidaan opiskella lähes minkälaisia asioita tahansa. Tämän opinnäytetyön kohteena oli uuden CMS-verkkokurssin suunnittelu ja toteutus FUAS-yhteistyössä. FUAS on kolmen ammattikorkeakoulun yhteinen liittouma ja siihen kuuluvat Lahden ammattikorkeakoulu (LAMK), Hämeen ammattikorkeakoulu (HAMK) ja Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu (Laurea). Tutkimuksen lähtökohtana oli tarve FUAS-yhteistyössä kehittää uusi verkkokurssi tarjottavaksi kesäopintoina suoritettavaksi LAMK:n, HAMK:n ja Laurean opiskelijoille. Yhteinen CMS-verkkokurssi suunniteltiin ja toteutettiin kaikkien kolmen FUAS ammattikorkeakoulun yhteistyönä. Opetus- ja oppimisympäristönä CMS-verkkokurssilla oli Moodle, joka on käytössä HAMK:ssa ja LAMK:ssa. Muita verkko-opetuksen suunnitteluun ja toteutukseen käytettäviä välineitä olivat Google Drive, jota käytettiin suunnittelun aikana yhteisten tiedostojen tallentamiseen ja muokkaamiseen, sekä WebEx ja Adobe Connect Pro, jotka molemmat ovat verkkopohjaisia konferenssisovelluksia, jotka tarjoavat monia etäyhteyspalveluja, kuten e-kokoukset, e-oppiminen ja webinaarit. Ne skaalautuvat myös isompien ryhmien käyttöön. Opintojaksolla opeteltaviksi CMS-järjestelmiksi valittiin kolme erilaista vaihtoehtoa: WordPress, Drupal ja Concrete5. Tämän lisäksi jokainen osallistuja tutustui yksilötehtävässä vielä yhteen CMS-järjestelmään, CMSMadeSimpleen. CMS-opintojakson pilottitoteutus tehtiin kesällä 2014. Opintojakso alkoi toukokuussa ja päättyi elokuussa. Opintojakson hyväksytysti suoritti 15 opiskelijaa. Opintojaksoon sisältyi sekä yksilötehtäviä että ryhmätehtävä, jossa opiskelijat toteuttivat uudet tai uusitut verkkosivut asiakkaalle. Opiskelijoilta kerättiin opintojakson lopussa palautetta heidän kokemuksistaan tästä opintojaksosta. Myös suunnitteluun ja toteutukseen osallistuneilta opettajilta kerättiin palautetta. Suunnittelun ja toteutuksen aikana käydyt keskustelut ja tallennetut asiakirjat sekä tehty haastattelu toimivat tutkimuksen lähdemateriaalina. Saatujen tulosten pohjalta on tehty kehitysehdotuksia uuteen toteutukseen. Yhteistyö säästi opettajien aikaa ja resursseja jonkun verran, mutta ei kovin merkittävästi

Higher Education Working Life Projects Call for Guidelines

Higher education institutions seek to supply the job market with competent professionals who have good working life skills, such as critical thinking, complex problem-solving, creativity and emotional & social intelligence. Competence develops best in an environment in which students can apply their skills and knowledge in practice. Therefore, it is common that universities seek to engage in active collaboration with working life partners. Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Finland, responds to the future competence requirements in society with the LbD (“Learning by Developing”) action model. It relates to project-based learning and offers an ecosystem in which students, workplace partners and teachers learn together. Authentic workplace projects, research and partnership are the core of this pedagogical model. The LbD model integrates Laurea’s basic tasks: education, regional development, and applied research. Based on the LbD model, Laurea has a long record of incorporating working life-oriented projects as an inherent part of the bachelor courses. A typical LbD Teaching method usually involves a genuine customer project where all parties work equally. This means that teachers, students and representatives of working life work together and they also learn from each other. All parties must have a good understanding of the principles and practices of LbD for this teaching model to work in the best possible way. Through our experience, we have learnt that the key players of these projects (students, teachers and working life partners) often do not know what to expect and how to proceed. In this article, we want to point out the need for systematic guidance for all three parties and present some ideas for it. In the LbD, the importance of cooperation is important in the whole context. This means that all parties need to understand what it means to learn according to the LbD model. Teachers need to change their way of thinking and teaching and understand their role in the LbD context. Customer projects often also require a skill that teachers may not already have, and this may mean that teachers may fall outside their comfort zone. Even teachers themselves often learns new things together with students and representatives of working life. Together, the whole team solves problems and creates new activities that develop working life. Representatives of working life who participate in the LbD-based study module must also understand the principles, ideology, and pedagogical mindset of the LbD for successful collaboration. The commitment of working life representatives to collaborative projects is key to making the best use of the LbD to support teaching and student learning. Representatives of working life need to understand, then, that students are not just project workers, they are learning new things and developing and innovating clients’ businesses. Understanding students ’way of learning and developing their competence is important. The LbD model helps students identify their skills and helps to develop and strengthen them. The authentic customer project included in the LbD adds value to student learning and the development of new skills. In genuine client projects, students deepen the skills they have learned and learn new things through hands-on activities, and thus their skills develop and deepen

PILOTING THE LEARNING BY DEVELOPING ACTION MODEL PEDAGOGY IN FINLAND HEIS

The primary purpose of this study is to determine whether the Learning by Developing (LbD) pedagogical model is a suitable learning method for computer science students. This study reports on the pilot implementation of LbD at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Finland as part of a project-based module in the autumn semester of 2021-22. It is essential to develop students' working life skills during their studies in higher education today. In the LbD action model, competence development is an entity that includes research, authenticity, partnership, experience and creativity. Authenticity refers to a genuine work-life context that helps students develop their work-life skills already during their studies. The importance and value of lifelong learning are also part of the LbD pedagogy

EXPERIENCES OF PILOTING THE LEARNING BY DEVELOPING ACTION MODEL IN A COMPUTING SCIENCE CONTEXT

This article describes the piloting of the Learning by Developing (LbD) action model in the UK. The purpose of the pilot is to study how a pedagogical method based on the LbD can be introduced in computing students in the UK. The LbD action model has long been used in Finland at Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Laurea), but now the LbD has been piloted in a UK-based institution in a project-based study module. The main purpose was to study, through self-assessment, how the competence of computing students develops during the study module. In addition, the study reviews an action research analysis of the responses of lecturers and the project client. In addition, the pedagogical expert of the institution has been interviewed as background research to obtain sufficient information about the initial situation at Robert Gordon University (RGU)

Piloting the Learning by Development Action Model Pedagogy in UK HEIs

This Research to Practice full paper presents pilot implementations of the Learning by Developing (LbD) at a higher educational institution in the UK as part of a project-based module. The study analyses the students' experiences of LbD and the perceived development of their competence via a self-assessment survey. It presents these alongside interviews with other stakeholders involved in these study modules (lecturers and project clients). The primary purpose of this study is to research whether the LbD pedagogical model is a suitable learning method for computer science students in a higher education context in the UK. The method has been used as a teaching method at Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Laurea) in Finland since 2004 as part of its underlying strategic model. Still, little research has been carried out on the benefits of this pedagogical model outside the Finnish educational structure. LbD strives to develop students' general working life skills during their studies, which is essential in higher education today. LbD also emphasises the importance and value of continuous learning

Analysing the learning by developing action model in HE computing.

This Research to Practice Working Process presents the first phase of the study, in which background information was sought from the literature and by interviews pedagogical experts from Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Laurea). The background study sought to gain an understanding of what factors influenced the introduction of the Learning by Developing (LbD) approach at Laurea. Background information is important for the study because the LbD Action Model will also be piloted at another institution during this study. The LbD model is piloted at Robert Gordon University (RGU), in the UK, where background research is also carried out, as cultural factors and pedagogical models tend to vary widely around the world and therefore it is essential to understand them.The main aim of this research is to find out whether the Learning by Developing (LbD) Action Model is a suitable teaching approach to be used within a computing science curriculum. The study will be carried out in two higher education institutions: Laurea in Finland and RGU in the UK. The subjects of the study are computing students, lecturers and other staff members at both of these higher education institutions, as well as clients participating in the chosen study modules