A longitudinal study of the Jyväskylä universities (J2 project)

In recent years, strategic higher education communities formed by universities and universities of applied sciences have emerged across Finland. They have become a central theme in national education policy and in the strategic development of higher education institutions. On the one hand, various expectations are directed at building such communities. On the other hand, this is a long-term, multi-phase process that requires sensitivity to the different actors’ starting points and expectations. 

This study examines the formation of a joint higher education consortium between the University of Jyväskylä and JAMK University of Applied Sciences (Jyväskylä universities) as a multi-method longitudinal study conducted between 2026 and 2028. The project follows the development of the consortium in real time and analyses its foundations, as well as the experiences and perspectives of different stakeholder groups, such as students and staff, regarding its formation. 

The research is structured into three phases. The first phase examines the anticipated impacts of the planned consortium on the core functions of the higher education institutions (JYU and JAMK), as well as on their management and service structures. The focus is on the initial conditions of the consortium’s establishment and the future scenarios associated with them. The second phase centers on the experienced consortium, focusing on how its formation is perceived and interpreted within the higher education communities. The third phase analyses how the planned and the experienced consortium correspond to one another; that is, how and to what extent the goals set for the consortium have been realised in relation to the experiences of the actors involved. 

The study applies an organisational ethnographic approach, examining everyday practices at higher education institutions by focusing on practices and actions related to building the consortium as they appear in the daily life of the higher education communities. In this study, the organisational ethnographic approach includes document analysis, participant observation, and interviews. In addition, two surveys will be conducted as part of the project.