JYU

University of Jyväskylä (JYU) has been founded in 1863 and then it was the first Finnish-speaking Teacher Training College (the so-called Teacher Seminary). Around 15,000 students are currently enrolled in the degree programs of the university. It is ranked as the fourth largest university in Finland based on Master’s degrees. The University of Jyväskylä has and is participating in a variety of international and national projects mainly in the field of Technology Enhanced Learning. Within these projects, JYU focused on the provision of open learning solutions, collaborative learning, personalized learning and the internationalization and localization of learning activities. Based on a strong pedagogical background, JYU has shaped and conceptualized various learning solutions and activities with different target groups such as professionals, schools and higher educational institutions. Based on these previous experiences, JYU combines high expertise on technology enhanced learning, the assessment and development of soft competences and in particular intercultural competences based on pedagogical models as well as the conceptualization and contextualization of learning scenarios, learning activities and learning solutions.

JYU has been working collaboratively with the primary and secondary schools in Central Finland to develop solutions for future personal learning environments in the previous PCP IMAILE project: http://www.imaile.eu/ Activies with schools have included workshops and teacher training for future learning solutions.

The University of Jyväskylä (JYU) and its Innovative Learning Environments research area will contribute to the project through its extensive research track-record regarding with practical impact, both on the national and international education arena (e.g., Second Information Technology in Education Study; Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills; Innovative Teaching and Learning Research; European Policy Network on Key Competencies in Lifelong Learning; Systemic Learning Solutions value network; Spaces for Learning and Creation of New Knowledge).

JYU is also the coordinator of LEA School Labs Network. LEA School Labs are classrooms across Europe open for learntech testing affiliated by LEA project. Currently LEA School Labs operate in Finland, Sweden, Germany,  Spain,  Portugal  and  Italy  in  real classroom environments. LEA School Labs open the schools already familiar with participatory design methodologies to act as hubs of innovation. The LEA School Labs are thought as dedicated environments where to allow businesses/experts/professionals to co-develop and test innovative solutions in real life conditions and in collaboration with final users. In the initial first LEA School Lab workshops (2018-2019) the teachers’, students’ and headmasters’ needs towards future learning technologies were explored in order to initiate new innovation procurement ideas.

University of Jyväskylä has been a part of SELFIE development since the beginning and JYU has coordinated the localisation and piloting of SELFIE in Finland with 11 schools in the end of year 2017. University of Jyväskylä has also been involved with another SELFIE related project and conducted the pilot testing of DigCompEdu self-assessment tool for teachers in Finnish Schools. Pilot testing of DigCompEdu took take place during the winter 2019-2020. At the moment JYU participates in Erasmus+ Digi-HE project which is SELFIE based project aiming to develop the self evaluation tool for higher education institutions.

JYU will act as National Coordinator of the rural school community in Finland and will sign bilateral agreements with the projects that will receive funding through the call for proposals (to be involved in WP2, WP3, WP4, WP5, WP6 and WP7).