Innovatiivisen oppimisyhteisön profiili : ammattikorkeakoulujen tekniikan ja liikenteen koulutusalan näkökulmasta tarkasteltuna

Abstract

In Finland, polytechnics were formed during the 1990s by merging educational institutes of college level and higher vocational level. Currently, over 100 000 undergraduate students study in polytechnics. The main responsibilities of polytechnics are in education and developing working life. The agreed aim of the polytechnics is to instruct and operate in ways that are more practice-oriented those of universities. The basic idea underlying the framework of the present study is to examine the factors leading to success from a perspective of innovations in the educational field of technology and transport. The characteristics of a learning community are examined from the perspective of an individual degree program, as well as the regional effects of an individual polytechnic, and on a more general level from the point of view of all learning communities providing engineering education. In this study material was obtained from the Ministry of Education consisting of the license applications of the polytechnics and their agreements on objectives and results. Thematic interviews and written questionnaires were used to collect the views of different interest groups from the polytechnics. The Delphi method was used to gather opinions from the co-operation partners outside the learning community. The results of the present study show that the obvious aim of the license applications was to ensure meeting the approval criteria of the evaluation committee, and to obtain a license for permanent operation as quickly as possible. The innovative nature of a learning community was not notably emphasized in this process. Innovation-oriented thinking can be seen emerging closer to the end of the 1990s. It is clearly identifiable in the latest agreements on objectives and results (1999), in which it has been presented by several polytechnics. For instance, the polytechnics have committed themselves to instructing in an innovative way and to developing their management policies towards the models of expert organizations, clear vision, and rapid decision making. According to the engineering educators of the learning communities, the factors most significantly facilitating innovations are good atmosphere and high working motivation. Other important factors include open, flexible, and swift actions and the courage to experiment. Special emphasis was placed also on the ability to co-operate with business life and other partners. An innovative community was perceived as having a clear mission and vision, as well as continuous interactive co-operation with business life. According to co-operation partners, an innovative community reacts rapidly, is adaptable and able to yield its know-how and latest information for the use of its partners at the right moment. The customers are heard and the policy of functions is open and straightforward. Innovations and entrepreneurship are appreciated and studied. <br /><br />As a simplified model of a learning community that implements its service innovations I will yet present the MCRO –model. The four main characteristics of an innovative learning community are the following: Management (M), Customer orientation (C), Rapidity (R), and Organization (O). Management should be organized in a postmodern manner; Customers should be heard and taken into partnership; Actions should be rapid and flexible; Hypertext organizational principles should be applied. Meta concept over all four would be general skills and knowledge. <br /><br />To summarize, the profile of an innovative learning community comprises a clear vision, a realistic and well-communicated strategy, and goal-oriented operations. In addition, the atmosphere of the community is not bureaucratic but allows free actions; the policy of functions is open, flexible, brave, unprejudiced, and all the members are respected. The organization and the management culture are postmodern. Ideas and insights of innovation can be turned into products, and can be marketed and utilized rapidly and at the right time

Luovuutta, innovatiivisuutta ja menestystuotteita edellytetään jokaiselta yhteisöltä. Aikaisemmin tämä vaatimus kohdistui erityisesti liiketoimintaa harjoittaviin yrityksiin, mutta nyt innovaatioita edellytetään myös muun muassa koulutusorganisaatioilta. Tarvitaan siis uudenlaista otetta koulutusyhteisöjenkin toimintoihin. Simo Hokkanen paneutui väitöstutkimuksessaan tarkastelemaan oppimisyhteisön piirteitä, jotka edesauttavat innovatiivisuuden kehittymistä ja innovaatioiden syntymistä. Lisäksi Hokkanen selvitti, millaisia odotuksia yhteistyökumppaneilla ja asiakkailla on innovatiivista oppimisyhteisöä kohtaan ja millainen on innovatiivisen oppimisyhteisön profiili. Tutkimuksen kohdejoukkona olivat insinöörikoulutusta antavat oppimisyhteisöt. Tulokset ovat hyödynnettävissä korkeakoulusektorin lisäksi myös julkisen sektorin yhteisöissä.