Learning in Authentic Environments: Case Seinäjoki

Students in the agriculture and forestry degree programme have a compulsory course during which they observe the period of growth in fields, gardens and forests. Every student chooses one plant and observes the growth from sowing to harvesting, writing a report on these observations. The background information used in the report is expected to include diverse information sources both relevant and reliable. The information specialist checks the reliability of the used sources, and the subject teacher grades the whole report.
For more information, contact Ms Leena Elenius, e-mail leena.elenius@seamk.fi

Learning in Authentic Environments: Case Laurea

A new approach to teaching IL in r&d-projects is to shift the learning environment to the authentic working environment. This benefits all partners. An example of this approach is teaching IL in the health field.
A group of students were conducting their field research at a hospital. It was practical to have access to relevant information on the spot while researching. The staff used Finnish health databases as part of their everyday routines, but they hadn’t really explored the various possibilities which could expand their routine usage. The portal gave access to e.g. PubMed and Cochrane and various handbooks dealing with health issues.
The information specialist offered a one day IL course at the hospital. The students learnt basic use and the staff updated their knowledge about the databases. Teaching in the hospital environment made it possible to share knowledge about real working life situations and exchange information about the new trends taught to students. This dialogue was very fruitful and led to a discussion about ethical issues and health information. During teaching, the information specialist could also experience the real needs of IL in a public health care environment. As a result, the experiences were used in planning courses at the University of Applied Sciences.
For more information, contact Ms Kaisa Puttonen, e-mail kaisa.puttonen@laurea.fi