"Creating competence - Innovations in Learning and Development"

EAPRIL 2012 CONFERENCE: "Creating competence - Innovations in Learning and Development". Wednesday, 28 November - Friday, 30 November. JAMK University of Applied Sciences - Jyväskylä, Finland.
Conference theme
EAPRIL is unique by bringing together those interested in the crossroads between research and practice and between professional learning and education. Theme of the 2012 conference Creating Competences through Innovation in Learning and Development fits perfectly in EAPRIL's basic idea of engaging practitioners, researchers and policy makers as problem-definers, evidence gatherers, and interpreters in research processes.
All professionals are unceasingly encountered by rapid changes whichchanges, which challenge our skills and competences. The increased demand for continuous professional development emerges from global economy, expanding technological progress, requests for more sustainable development concerning the environment and individuals, and the need to improve education and all these challenges within the context of Lifelong Learning. Transformations appearing in all fields of everyday life and business accordingly call for innovativeness in educational solutions.
Promoting innovations is of special interest as education and research are expected to contribute not only to learning taking place within education but also to development in business and working life. The expectations focus on issues such as interlinking work and learning, raising entrepreneurship, constructing new jobs and better utilisation of developments gained. Generation of innovations is linking teachers, practitioners, researchers, scientists and students but also education with such practices as custom or employee driven innovations or Living Labs. Thus, also research aiming at enhancement of innovations should be designed to be conductedin a way not only of practice but also for practice.
Examples of questions that can be addressed at the conference are:
• How can practice-based and practitioner research contribute to the quality of innovative learning?
• How can practice-based and practitioner research be organised to promote innovativeness for learning at work, for work and creating competences?
• How can practice-based and practitioner research be involved in promoting innovative solutions for education and regional development?
• How can innovative solutions be commercialised by support of practice-based and practitioner research approach?
• How can the researchers, teachers and students in educational practices facilitate customer driven innovations?
• What are effective approaches to assure ownership of research in the professional field?
We warmly invite researchers, practitioners, and colleagues to discuss, learn and share expertise and experiences within the innovative atmosphere of Jyväskylä as well as JAMK University of Applied Sciences where the practice-based and practitioner research and development is embedded within education.
See also Balancing workplace learning and practitioner research across professional fields.