JYU’s educational expertise in high international demand

JYU succeeded excellently in the project application round for Erasmus+, which is an EU programme for education, youth and sport. In the application round 2019, JYU with its international partners applied for funding for 29 projects, of which 15 finally received in total more than 1.8 million euros. The projects that got this funding are now starting their operation.

The Erasmus+ programme supports mobility and involves development projects in collaboration with international partners. These projects aim, for example, at improving the quality and working life relevance of higher education.

“For the multidisciplinary and internationally networked University of Jyväskylä, the Erasmus+ programme is a good tool for practical development,” states Vice Rector Marja-Leena Laakso.

JYU coordinates two of the new projects and is involved in 13 others as a development partner.

JYU coordinates the Academic Response to Hybrid Threats programme, which is based in the Faculty of Information Technology and led by Professor Timo Tiihonen. The project seeks to revise education programmes in a number of disciplines in Ukraine by bringing in the Finnish view on holistic security in society and thereby support Ukraine and its universities in preparing for diverse hybrid threats.

“The project makes use of the expertise of our new master’s degree programme in security and strategic analysis,” Professor Tiihonen describes.

Developmental cooperation involves Estonian, French, Portuguese, and Ukrainian universities as well as the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Overall funding for this project is 721,000 euros for the years 2019–2022.

Another project, Computational Thinking and Acting, which is also coordinated by the Faculty of Information Technology, is to develop innovative teaching methods aiming at deeper understanding of the use and mechanisms of computers and algorithms. This project is led by Research Coordinator Kati Clements. The project partners come from Estonia, Germany and Greece. Overall funding for this project is 450,000 euros for the years 2019–2022.

The new Erasmus+ projects at the University of Jyväskylä and their respective leaders in charge:

· Academic Response to Hybrid Threats, Professor Timo Tiihonen, Faculty of Information Technology

· Computational Thinking and Acting, Research Coordinator Kati Clements, Faculty of Information Technology

· Education of Future ICT Experts Based on Smart Society Needs, Postdoctoral Researcher Andrei Costin, Faculty of Information Technology

· SELFIE HElpeR & Pedagogical innovation Assistant, Senior Researcher Marja Kankaanranta, Faculty of Information Technology

· Creating mechanisms for continuous implementation of the sports club for health guidelines in the European Union, Associate Professor Sami Kokko, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences

· Promoting Mentors’ Work in Education, Project Researcher Matti Pennanen, Finnish Institute for Educational Research

· The Career Skills Project, Research Coordinator Jaana Kettunen, Finnish Institute for Educational Research

· A strategic refelection on digitalisation at European higher education institutions, Director Peppi Taalas, Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication Movi

· Differentiation in Inquiry-based Learning, Senior Lecturer Pasi Nieminen, Department of Teacher Education

· Teaching programming in primary school: curriculum, didactic methods, textbooks, online support, Senior Lecturer Mikko Vesisenaho, Department of Teacher Education

· Translanguaging for Equal Opportunities: Speaking Romani at School, Senior Researcher Tamas Szabo, Department of Teacher Education

· Empowering of School Boards, University Teacher Mikael Risku, Department of Education

· European Arts-Based Development of Distributed Leadership and Innovation in Schools, University Teacher Mikael Risku, Department of Education

· Higher-ed Programmes for Careers in Games Design & Development, Professor Raine Koskimaa, Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies

· Fostering Outreach within European Regions, Transnational Higher Education and Mobility, Head Of Student and Academic Services Mari Ikonen, Student and Academic Services

Further information:

Professor Timo Tiihonen, tel. 050 373 2125, timo.tiihonen@jyu.fi 
Kati Clements, tel. 050 395 6014, kati.clements@jyu.fi (programmes of the Faculty of Information Technology)

Anu Tiilikainen-Tervaniemi, tel. 040 805 4523, anu.m.tiilikainen-tervaniemi@jyu.fi