The project, one of 33 approved by the program, is expected to begin in September 2023 and conclude in September 2025.
The Team Finland Knowledge Program
The purpose of the Team Finland Knowledge program is to establish and strengthen cooperation between Finnish higher education institutions and the regions and countries selected for the TFK network—in this case, Latin America—as well as to develop new operational models for academic cooperation.
In this regard, the program funds collaboration among higher education institutions through cooperation and mobility projects. The participating projects encompassed a wide range of collaborative initiatives, including joint study programs, the development of digital learning resources, curriculum cooperation, dual degree programs, and mobility programs for faculty, staff, students, and interns.
Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Learning Environment Design, the project presented by the professor and researcher at the Faculty of Architecture of Universidad ORT Uruguay, Dr. Paula Cardellino, Architect, in collaboration with Dr. Pirjo Sanaksenaho, Dean of the Department of Architecture at Aalto University; and Dr. Tiina Mäkelä, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research at the University of Jyväskylä; was approved by the TFK program.
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Education, Architecture, and Technology: The “Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Learning Environment Design” Project
Dr. Cardellino’s project notes that, given the current global challenges in education and digital transformation, there is a need to create high-quality physical and psychosocial learning environments ( LE) powered by technology, as these have a critical impact on the skills of teachers and students.
In this regard, it is essential that experts in education, architecture, and technology work together to address the multifaceted aspects of a learning environment, thereby improving both the quality of teaching and learning processes and overall well-being.
In particular, there is international interest in the Finnish early childhood education (ECE) model, which is recognized for its innovative and transformative approach to education, and Finnish ECE experts wish to broaden their understanding of ECE practices in different contexts.
However, existing international university networks and cooperation aimed at sharing multidisciplinary expertise in the field of LED are scarce. Specifically, funding opportunities for joint projects between countries in Northern Europe and Latin America are virtually nonexistent in this area.
Therefore, the project aims to foster a multidisciplinary and international perspective on LE design through staff mobility and joint teaching activities that involve the development of hybrid seminars and open online course materials.
The collaboration between the three higher education institutions— Aalto University, the University of Jyväskylä, and Universidad ORT Uruguay—also involves documenting best practices in the design of learning environments in the participating countries. In this way, the project brings together the expertise in education, architecture, and technology from the three universities to create a high-quality teaching and learning environment.
Ultimately, the project aims to foster new forms of cooperation among universities and provide opportunities for staff at universities in different parts of the world to work together on envisioning the future of LE design, taking into account the cultural, economic, and social characteristics of each country.
The project is expected to begin in September 2023 and conclude in September 2025. Project activities include short teaching visits, the development of course materials, a series of hybrid seminars, and the documentation of best practices in the design of distance learning in the participating countries.
The course materials and documents developed will be used in courses at each of the universities with the aim of sharing them with a broader international audience. This will be complemented by outreach events in the participating countries.
The anticipated outcomes of the project include:
- New open online course materials, including a series of recorded multidisciplinary seminars on the design of learning environments.
- Best practices shared on LED.
- Greater interaction among faculty, researchers, and administrative staff at the three universities.
- Connecting with LED experts beyond the project participants.
- High-quality instructional materials (including videos, to be openly shared and to advance international knowledge in the field of LED technology).