Browsing by Subject "work based learning"

The objective of polytechnics is to offer instruction that takes into account the demands of the working life and prepares the students for tasks of expertise. The research and development work for supporting the working life and the region is additionally regarded an essential activity field of the polytechnics. The thesis addresses a subject matter where the Faculty of the Behavioural Sciences of Helsinki and two polytechnics (HAAGA-HELIA, Metropolia) co-operate to develop the new environments of learning that would integrate the learning of the students and the work places. The aim of the thesis is to examine the learning and the formation of the occupational identity of the student in a co-operation project between the polytechnic and the working life. In this thesis I also attempt to develop applicable instruments for evaluating learning in projects that take place between polytechnics and the work places. In the project, a group of seven students organised a new cultural event together with a network of working life actors. The project was organised in SYMBIO-learning environment of the HAAGA-HELIA university of applied sciences of Porvoo. In this thesis three research questions were formed: 1) What were the students learning in the process of organising the Winterfest -event? 2) What were the instructors' views of the learning of the students like during the process? 3) What kind of a new model or means did the learning process produce of the organising of events? The cultural-historical activity theory and its views of learning form the theoretic framework of the thesis. The formation of identity is examined from a socio-constructive point of view. The data consisted of learning narratives, data gathered from the meetings and of the written end product of the project. The method was a content analysis of qualitative data. The central dimensions of learning were professional identity and self-confidence, the co-operation and networking skills of the working life and the characteristics and contents of the event industry. Surpassing school-based learning in a working life project brought about a new kind of an object of activity, which rendered possible the formation of motivation and meaningfulness. As a result of the learning activity, a handbook for the production of cultural events was produced. The thesis provided evidence that project based learning can be regarded as a remarkable form of studying from the perspective of motivation and meaningfulness. It seems likely that project based learning would be a suitable method for advancing the interaction between school and society. Based on the thesis some instruments of assessing the project based learning were suggested.