We applied the design science research framework to develop a mobile learning application, MobileEdu, for computing education (ICT and Programming). The application is intended to facilitate the learning of computer science courses on mobile devices, support ubiquitous, collaborative, and social learning for university students.

Team

It focussed on improving vocational and adult education to respond better to concrete needs in society and industry; it engaged and encouraged female teachers and students to have an active role in development of their institutions, their communities and wider society; of entrepreneurship, basic social and health care, environmental education and waste management, updating of adult education provision, improving vocational teacher education; it encouraged universities to collaborate more concretely with adult and vocational institutes for example in graduate and doctoral thesis research.

Team

Anja Heikkinen, Perpetua Kalimasi Kilasi, Kimani Muturi

INDEHELA-Access aims to continue from INDEHELA-ICI 2011-2013 health informatics curricula development efforts and HI pilot courses in south curricula. Informatics Development for Health in Africa – network consists of Universidade Eduardo Mondlane UEM in Mozambique, Abofemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa and University of Eastern Finland and Savonia University of Applied Sciences. Our joint interest in INDEHELA-Access is in how to make health information accessible also to populations in recourse restricted areas in a format most interesting and user-friendly yet affordable and sustainable.

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Prof Kaija Saranto UEF, Vilma Vainikainen UEF, Dr Pirkko Kouri SUAS, Prof Emilio Mosse UEM, Prof Retha deLaHarpe CPUT, Prof Omoloa Irinoye OAU

We will make use of Finnish research expertise to improve the laboratory infrastructure, management practices, and education of the local personnel, first in Burkina Faso and then elsewhere in Africa.

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Christina Lyra, Leena Räsänen, Edina Rudner, Isidore Bonkoungou

ReWell-project aims at increasing the capacity of academic staffs to develop vocational and adult education programmes and practices, which promote sustainable use of countries´ natural and human resources, improve people´s employability and wellbeing and combat exclusion in Pirkanmaa, Morogoro and Kampala regions, in the context of global industry and trans-national policies. The project contains joint studies, teaching and supervision, based on collaborative research on regional adult and vocational education (VET). The shared themes in research, teaching and studies are: 1. Adult education and VET policy in regional and global perspective 2. Industrial, economical, environmental and welfare policy in regional and global perspective 3. Ethical and environmental aspects in adult and vocational education. 4. Role and responsibility of adult education and VET research and studies in regional and global perspective.

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Anja Heikkinen, Kirsi-Marja Varjokorpi, Tampere Perpetua Kalimasi, Haruni Muchuma, Mzumbe Kimani Muturi, Chris Serwanico, Kyambogo

The ongoing CAPOLSA Phase II project completes the capacity building in CAPOLSA Phase I and needed for reaching the final goal of the ongoing action to help as many children as possible in Sub-Sahara Africa to learn the basic skills, and be able to have appropriate reading skills to acquire functional literacy by being offered appropriate reading material. Together with the training of coordinators for distribution of literacy support throughout Zambia and its neighbouring countries, the project builds skills and networks to overcome the complete lack of reading material which children who have just learned to read have to have. 1. The Capolsa Centre works as a national help centre in Zambia for the tens of thousands of first grade teachers who will be using small tablet computers that Grapholearn Initiative for optimal learning results as well as the learning-game based reading practicing environments (Graphogame). It also serves as the whole Sub-Saharan resource centre in order to extend the reach of their expertise eventually to all the countries in Sub-Sahara area.

Team

The Business Informatics on the Ground (BIG) project aims to set up a sustainable learning environment where participants of the network learn to design and apply mobile technologies, including games, for practical business uses in the context of emerging economies. A key component of the design process is to collect real life design stories related to good practices and lessons learned of various business informatics projects emerging in different contexts. A concrete example of a BIG initiative is a street business school, where street vendors are trained to use mobile technologies in their daily lives. The approach used in the street business school is a living lab approach where the vendors, students, researchers and designers of technologies work in close collaboration.

Team

Prof. Erkki Sutinen, Dr. Jarkko Suhonen

A clear need for strengthening forestry education in Kenya has been identified by local and international stakeholders due to increasing demands of sustainable management of natural resources and fast developments of learning technologies. The key objectives of the project are to strengthen the educational capacity and societal role of University of Eldoret in Kenya within the area of sustainable natural resource management by enhancing (a) curricula and subject-specific capacity, (b) pedagogical and ICT capacity, (c) community engagement, and (d) administrative and networking capacity.

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Sari Pitkänen, Javier Arevalo, Jarkko Suhonen, Jaakko Helminen, Myriam Munezero

According to our experience, most of the African Universities still focus on education, while research outputs are generally low. We have identified two main reasons for this. First, it is common that faculty members of higher education institutions are master degree holders. This means that faculty members usually lack research experience and they do not have basic knowledge and skill to conduct research. Secondly, those faculty members who have interest and skills to do research are often heavily loaded with teaching and administrative responsibilities. Thus, developing a research culture is an important direction for the future of African universities.

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Prof. Emanuel Mjema, Prof. Edda Tandi Lwoga, Prof. Markku Tukiainen, Prof. Matti Tedre, Dr. Jarkko Suhonen