1. The usability of the online journal of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences
Mervi Friman, Häme UAS & Mauri Kantola Turku UAS & Lotta Linko, Häme UAS
EAPRIL Conference
21-25 November 2016

2. Agenda UAS Journal Digitalization in higher education
Action research, methods, and data
Interventions and results
Conclusions

3. Aim of the study
How to develop UAS Journal to be a national and international window to UASs´activities for public
networking platform for UAS staff and companies
testing and piloting platform in the digitalization process for HE institutions as a whole

4. UAS Journal in a nutshell
Online journal on education, research and development activities in practice-oriented higher education
Published by the Finnish UAS Rectors’ Conference
Financed by the universities of applied sciences (24)
Open-access, free-of-charge, four issues a year since 2011
Mission of the journal:
Provide information (‘general’ public)
Provide a network (applied universities & world of work)
Global changes in the economy, world of work, technologies (particularly the D word or digitalization); national changes in education funding, institution profiles and cooperation, degree programme structures and the role of R&D. UAS’ task of regional development
The main target groups of the UAS Journal are the staff members of Finnish higher education institutions and their interest groups in the related world of work

6. Digitalization in higher education
The main principles of EU DigCompOrg -paper
Aims and methods in Finnish higher education policy
Vision written by rector Tapio Huttula

7. #DigCompOrg
European Framework for Digitally-Competent Educational Organisations
Applied to UAS Journal as a national network

8. Digital competence of UAS Journal
Leadership&governance practices ✔
Teaching&learning practices ✔
Professional development ✔
Assessment practices ✔
Content ✔
Collaboration and networking
Infrastructure ✔
Research, development and innovation ✘
Some examples:
Leadership and governance practices - the Rectors’ conference owns, funds, and follows the activities of the journal, has a representative in the board, receives annual reports and initiates developments.
Teaching and learning practices - a new approach to co-writing, co-producing an co-publishing
Professional development - roles of readers, writers, theme editors promotes professional development
Assessment practices - assessment and reviews done in the editorial board, by theme editors, co-writers; also data on use is constantly followed
Content - all contents is open access and digital, multimedia encouraged
Collaboration and networking - all activity is based on volunteer collaboration and networking, online presence developed also through personal networks, new partnerships emerged
Infrastructure - resources allocated, responsive implementation

9. Finnish National Digital Policy in Higher Education
Implementation of digitalization in all teaching and learning
Utilization of digital databases
Co-operation between universities, UASs and Research Centres
International co-operation (Open Science, Global data, Mooc etc.)
opencms/handle404?exporturi=/export/sites/default/OPM/Tapahtumakalenteri/2014/05/ICT_opetus/Kosunen_ pdf

10. Tapio Huttula´s “declaration” = digitalization as a window of possibilities
Higher education institutes would
be birth places of new knowledge and know-how
have wide and cellular relation to society localy, regionaly and globaly
prioritize and manager data and information to the usable form and level
Profile as key actors in responsibility of education and civilatization
Tapio Huttula Digitalisaatio ja uusi korkeakoulu. (Digitaliztion and new higher education). In Jukka Määttä & Titta Pohjanmäki & Päivi Timonen (ed.) Kohti digikampusta. Humanistinen ammattikorkeakoulu, julkaisuja 22. Helsinki: Humanistinen ammattikorkeakoulu. ISBN (printed), ISSN (printed), ISBM (online publication), ISSN (online publication), s

11. UAS Journal’s role in digitalization
Common project amont UASs
Instead of the local journals
National (and international) tool for UAS implementation
Tool of internationalization
Good national practice

12. Methods and data Action research as framework
Three processes: production, marketing, networking
Qualitative interviews
User survey
User statistics

13. Action research Planned and documented self-evaluation
Researchers are part of the research process
Helps in focusing the interventions
Strips the processes
Forces to make planned interventions
Enables measurable results

14. User survey User survey on the renewed site 23 May - 10 June 2016
296 answers, 85% of respondents UAS staff or students
The expectations of 91% of readers were met
Questions included opinions on the user interface and the platform (user experience, visuals, response time) and the contents (Are the contents relevant, do they show expertise, are they up to date, would you share the pieces?). There was also a free text field, and some useful ideas for development came up.

15. User statistics 2016 Page views 45,363 Visits 20,381
Unique visitors 14,957
Figures not comparable to those of previous years as older issues are no longer available on the new platform.

16. Conclusions
Activities in research and development activities are missing
More detailed data from the users is needed
Internationalization process is worth continuing
Data from foreign users is needed