Current and past projects

Art, Music | Education | Environment | Language | Politics | Science | Social and health care |

Art, Music

• European Music Portfolio 2009-2012. Research and experience show that language and music support each other and promote motivation through the development of skills and understanding. Listening, perceiving, imitating, and creating are basic skills in both language and music. The goal of the Comenius Project "European Music Portfolio: A Creative Way into Languages" is to integrate musical activities into primary foreign language education. Musical activities and games pre-dispose young learners to engage in enjoyable repetition which can enhance memory for the sounds and structures of new languages. This learning approach can reduce language barriers and help social integration. It can also nurture self-confidence and self-expression and improve intercultural understanding. For Further information see http://www.emportfolio.eu.
  Contact: kaarina.marjanen@helsinki.fi.

Education

• Accountability in Higher Education 2009-2011
  The major purpose of our research project is to explore reactions to quality assurance systems based on the Bologna Process in Iceland and Finland. The research will be carried out at two levels: The system level, where the implementation is analyzed by studying legislation, regulations and procedures related to higher education; and the institutional level, i.e. how institutions in the respective countries react to these changes. The University of Island is the research partner. This study is a part of the “Transnational Tendencies and Nordic School Development” (NORDNET) research project 2009 –2011. Contact: kauko.hamalainen@helsinki.fi

• Active Seniors 1.3.2011 - 28.2.2012
  The project aims to find innovative and research based methods for senior learning. It aims to promote active citizenship among seniors , find ways to valorize seniors' prior learning and skills, to research, utilize and share learning strategies which bring about self motivated learning among seniors and to explore settings in which these can be used. The project portal, ActiveSeniors.fi serves as an additional tool for bringing Lifelong Learning within seniors' reach while offering alternative means for preventing social exclusion among seniors. Best practices that emerge as result of the project will support the goals of Lifelong Learning. The project enhances senior learning by increasing the supply of courses specifically designed for seniors. The portal offers seniors the opportunity to enroll in professional development courses, continuing education courses and degree programs specifically designed for senior continuing education, thus offering a choice for a longer working life. Contact: arja.mielonen-walker@helsinki.fi

• Amare -resource centre for academic immigrants 1.8.2009 - 31.12.2011
  Amare offers guidance and counselling for skilled immigrants, consultation in recognition of foreign degrees, applying for Finnish universities, finding a traineeship and getting an overview of the various employment opportunities.
  Contact: johanna.heimonen@helsinki.fi

• Collaborative Benchmarking Venture to Probe the Third Mission of Universities 1.12.2011-31.10.2012
  For the participating universities the main goal is to conduct self-assessment in the area of societal interaction in order to prepare for the forthcoming audit process. The purpose is to investigate the structure of interaction between the university and the society, and functions of leadership in implementing the third mission. The benchmarking activities will be focusing on two major topics: 1) knowledge transfer practices between university and industry and the labour market therein, and 2) lifelong learning procedures in the realm of higher education. The benchmarking procedures have a developmental perspective.
  Contact: tuija.Lauren@helsinki.fi

• EdNet — Cross-border Networks and Resources for Common Challenges in Education 22.2.2012 – 21.2.2014. EdNet is a joint Russian-Finnish project carried out within the South-East Finland – Russia ENPI CBC Programme. The project's overall objective is to create preconditions for effective and informal educational framework of the South-East Finland and North-West Russia. The project will establish a network of educational institutions, implementing the idea of a common cross-border information space in education, ensuring implementation of vocational e-learning based on up-to-date electronic educational resources. The target groups of the project are universities, research institutes, polytechnics, vocational education centres, employees and students/trainees of educational institutions, specialists in the field of e-learning systems engineering, as well as local and regional education authorities. Contact: irina.kudasheva@helsinki.fi

• eLene2learn 1.11.2011-30.10.2014
  The project explores and promotes the contribution of ICT and digital media in supporting young people and their teachers in the transition from secondary to higher education by exchanging and developing good practices in the use of ICT and digital media for the development of learning to learn competencies. Also the objectives are to implement a selection of approaches in concrete situations within the project's network and extend best practices to other target groups, such as adults returning to HE. Finally, the project aims at raising awarenes of the contribution of ICT and digital media in supporting the development of learning to learn competencies in lifelong learning transitions beyond the network. eLene2learn is sponsored by the European Union's Lefelong Learning Programme.
  Website: http://www.elene2learn.eu/web/guest
  Contact: anne.burman@helsinki.fi,paivi.s.virtanen@helsinki.fi

• E3M: European Indicators and Ranking Methodology for University Third Mission, 1.1.2009-31.12.2011.
  The project aims at generating a comprehensive instrument to identify, measure, and compare Third Mission activities of universities from a wide perspective. This will be achieved by creating indicators on Third Mission activities and by giving a new approach on the concept of ranking methodologies. Third Mission indicators will be developed for indicative three dimensions: (i) continuing education, (ii) knowledge transfer and innovation and (iii) social engagement. The project is implemented by 8 European universities, the Valencia University of Technology, Spain, as the lead partner.
  Website:http://www.e3mproject.eu/
  Contact: kauko.hamalainen@helsinki.fi, tuija.lauren@helsinki.fi

• EDICC - European Diploma in Intercultural Competence 1.10.2009 - 30.9.2011
  European Diploma in Intercultural Competence (EDICC) is a two year project launched in October 2009 that aims at developing an academic Curriculum for Continuing Education in Intercultural Competence. The output of the project will be a work-life oriented Diploma that enables adult learners to enhance their intercultural competence in order to meet the demands of the increasingly multicultural and multilingual European societies. The project’s Consortium partners and their associated partners represent nine European countries and ten different Universities. EDICC is sponsored by the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Programme.
  Website: http://www.edicc.eu/
  

• Investigation of Continuing education needs of school principals on worldwide basis 27.4.-15.9.2011
  The Finnish National Board of Education has awarded Palmenia to conduct a survey concerning continuing education needs of school principals on worldwide basis. The investigation concerns sixteen nations or regions in Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. Read more »»
  Contact: lauri.ahonen@helsinki.fi

• mEducator - Multi-type Content Repurposing and Sharing in Medical Education 1.5.2009-30.4.2012
  The mEducator Best Practice Network (BPN) aims to implement and critically evaluate existing standards and reference models in the field of e-learning in order to enable specialized state-of-the-art medical educational content to be discovered, retrieved, shared and re-used across European higher academic institutions. The project is funded under the eContentplus programme, a multiannual Community programme to make digital content in Europe more accessible, usable and exploitable. mEducator aims to examine to what extent existing standards for the description of educational material can address all the possible types of medical educational material listed above, and make respective recommendations for standards extensions; examine to what extent existing standards for educational material packaging and exchange among learning management systems are adequate to support state-of-the art educational content sharing in medicine and provide respective recommendations for standards extensions and examine to what extent a recently proposed standard-based reference model for automated educational content discovery, retrieval and sharing can be deployed for medical educational content delivery and sharing and whether extensions are required.
  Contact: kaisu.tapiovaara@helsinki.fi

• Evaluation toolkit on seniors education to improve their quality of life, 2011
  Senior education institutions shouldn't apply the methodology used to teach to younger students. A redesign of the methods, strategies and objectives is required in order to maximize the efficiency and impact of the socio-educational actuation offered to the elderly. Therefore, some kind of support is required for the educational institutions. In this project we will create two different complementary products. The first one will be a guide containing the basics of the senior education and different strategies to optimize the results of the educational institution that applies those concepts. The second product is a quality evaluation toolkit to measure the quality of the education process also proposing recommendations to increase the quality.
  Contact: Cecil Issakainen, cecil.issakainen@helsinki.fi

• Shaping inclusive and responsive university strategies – SIRUS, 1.1.2010-31.12.2011.
  The consortium of EUA (lead partner), EADTU, EUCEN and EAN launched this project to support European universities in implementing the commitments of the European Universities’ Charter on Lifelong Learning and thus to assist them in developing their specific role as lifelong learning (LLL) institutions. The participating 29 universities with different profiles and interests in LLL will have an opportunity to develop and enhance their strategic LLL approaches in dialogue with other European universities involved.
  Website: http://www.sirus-project.eu
  Contact: kauko.hamalainen@helsinki.fi, tuija.lauren@helsinki.fi, maikki.naarala@helsinki.fi

• QEduSenior: Evaluation toolkit on seniors education to improve their quality of life, 2011-2013
  The project's aim is to increase seniors Quality of Life (QL) through education by re-designing of the methods, strategies and objectives is required in order to maximize the efficiency and impact of the socio-educational actuation offered to the elderly. This project will develop a guide containing the basics of the senior education and different strategies to optimize the results of the educational institution that applies those concepts, and also a quality evaluation toolkit will be produced to measure the quality of the education process and propose recommendations to increase the quality. Palmenia's theme is based on the psychological context for senior citizens. This project is supported by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commision (Ref. No 518227-LLP-1-2011-1-ES-GRUNDTVIG-GMP)
  Contact: Cecil Issakainen, cecil.issakainen@helsinki.fi

• Studyvisits funded by the EU 17.10.-21.10.2011
  Palmenia has arranged two study visits in EU:s Lifelong Learning Programme. The coordinating office is Cedefop – European Centre for the development of Vocational training. http://studyvisits.cedefop.europa.eu

  The topic of both study visits in 2009 and 2011 has been the same: Better working skills through lifelong adult education.  Anybody interested in Finnish adult education system can apply for the visit , and Cedefop chooses 10-12 participants for the 5 days visit. The participants get a grant from their national office to cover the costs of the visit.
  Website: http://www.palmenia.helsinki.fi/studyvisit/
  Contact: johanna.heimonen@helsinki.fi

• Teachers' International Professional Development - Programme (TIPD)
  The Teachers' International Professional Development Programme was launched by the University of Helsinki, Palmenia Centre for Continuing Education in 2007. Since then it has given teachers and school leaders around the world the opportunity to experience good educational practice In Finland. Local authorities in the sending country play a crucial role within the TIPD programme. They agree on the funding designates a co-ordinator for the partnership programme, agrees the curriculum theme for the visit together with the contact person of University of Helsinki, Palmenia.

Environment

• RIMA - Risk Management and Remediation of Chemical
  Accidents, 2011-2013
  

  The aim of the RIMA -project is to enhance the risk management of potential chemical accidents occuring on land and to increase the use of new, innovative remediation techniques. In respect to this, Finland and Estonia have various common interests and challenges, such as busy transito traffic and transportation of dangerous goods.
  Website: http://www.rimaproject.eu/
  Contact: anna.kiiski@helsinki.fi

• SUFAREL - Qualification framework for sustainable forestry and lifelong learning15.10.2011 - 14.10.2014
  The aim in SUFAREL is to harmonise and modernise Russian higher education and lifelong learning in the field of Forestry together with six Russian universities and six universities from EU and four other organisation from Russia and EU. The project is funded by Tempus IV which is one of the European Union’s programmes. See more information about SUFAREL from its webpage http://sufarel.marstu.net/.
  Contact: outi.vainikainen@helsinki.fi
  

Language

• INNO-VET 1.8.2009 - 31.7.2011
  Exploring innovative models of best practise in VET which enhance the workplace learning of employees who are non-native speakers. A Leonardo da Vinci partnership established with the purpose to identify and evaluate innovative methods for workrelated language learning for employees who do not have the language as their mother tongue.
  Contact: jenni.korjus@helsinki.fi

Politics

• Immigrant Inclusion by eParticipation 1.10.2009 - 30.4.2012
  The aim of the project Immigrant Inclusion by eParticipation (IIeP) is to enhance the social cohesion, inclusion and participation opportunities in decision-making processes for all people, using information technology solutions. Together with immigrant communities project staff will examine the use of information technology and social media tools on grassroots level and map factors that promote or hinder participation in decision-making processes. The project will develop manuals both for citizen communities and public sector for better use of information technology tools in enhancing social, political and cultural inclusion.
  Twitter: #IIeP Website: www.iiep-project.eu
  Contact: irma.tolonen@helsinki.fi, anja.loikkanen@helsinki.fi
  

Science

• Dispath, Disease Model Pathology Training programme, 1.10.2011-30.9.2013
  The aim of the Dispath project is to develop a web-based "Disease Model Pathology Training programme" at the European level for postgraduate students and adult students with a higher University degree. Project website: http://pathpath.eu/
  Contact: timo.linnakyla@helsinki.fi
  

Social and health care

• Empowerment of Families with Children 29.4.2011 - 28.4.2014
  The aim of the project is to improve the welfare of families in Finnish-Russian border area, to ensure high quality and easy access services in multicultural society both in Finland and Russia. to increase understanding of each others´ social service system and family culture. Project is part of Finland-Russia ENPI CBC 2007-2013. It is funded by EU, Russia and Finland.
  Contact: paivi.hannikainen@helsinki.fi

European Partnership for the wellbeing and dignity of older people 2011-2012, WeDO
Contact: tiina.savola@)helsinki.fi

GOAL (Good Ageing in Lahti region; Ikihyvä),
Finnish research project on ageing and well-being 2002-2012
In Päijät-Häme hospital district, regional demands to improve health and well-being of the aging population as well as a need to find innovations for more efficient health care led to the initiation of a research and development project, Ikihyvä Päijät-Häme. The core of Ikihyvä is a 10-year cohort follow-up study. For detailed information about Ikihyvä Päijät-Häme please contact Head of Development Raisa Valve, e-mail raisa.valve@helsinki.fi and Planning Officer Pasi Töyli, e-mail pasi.toyli@helsinki.fi.
Website: http://www.palmenia.helsinki.fi/ikihyva/InEnglish.html

Health Sector Responses to Domestic Violence in Europe: A Comparison of Promising Interventions Models in Maternity and Primary Care Settings and Development of a European Network of Health Professionals Against Domestic Violence 2009-2011, 14.12.2009-13.12.2011.
The project aims to strengthen violence prevention by comparing contrasting approaches to delivering domestic violence interventions in maternity and primary care settings in Europe, with the aim of drawing out lessons for policy and practice. The project will identify examples of good practice in the above settings focusing on intervention models that may include the development of guidelines or protocols, training for health professionals, routine or selective enquiry for domestic violence, documentation of domestic violence and referral pathways for women who disclose abuse.
Contact: tiina.savola@helsinki.fi

Public Health Actions for a Safer Europe, PHASE 2007-2010
PHASE is dedicated to carrying out a Mapping Exercise of Interpersonal Violence in Europe. Project is coordinated by Azienda ULSS 20 Verona, which has undertaken to carry out the following activities: Collecting and analyzing available public health information on Interpersonal Violence; Documenting Public Health initiated violence prevention programmes in Europe; Setting up an informed network of public health intelligence on interpersonal violence across Europe. University of Helsinki, Palmenia Centre for Continuing Education is a partner in PHASE –project. The project coordinator Sirkka Perttu is an Intimate partner violence (IPV) Task force leader in PHASE project.
Contact: tiina.savola@helsinki.fi

Social and Health Care Teachers Against Violence,  HEVI 2008-2010 1.10.2008 - 30.9.2010
The aim of the HEVI (Social and Health Care Teachers against Violence) 2008–2010 project is to respond to the needs of teachers in the social work, social care and health fields, at vocational and higher education levels, on the issue of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Europe. In most European countries only basic education training materials on IPV are available and consequently there is a training deficit in both teaching and tutoring methods. The project outcomes are the teachers’ Handbook, which includes the content of IPV and the teacher’s ´Guidebook, which includes the teachers’ training curriculum as well as suggestions, innovative methods and tools for working with students.
Website: www.palmenia.helsinki.fi/hevi/
Contact: tiina.savola@helsinki.fi

Spreading expertise and intervention programs with men perpetrators and women survivors of gender violence,  SPREAD 23.12.2008 - 22.12.2010
SPREAD intends to develop gender focused in-prison programs for prisoners - men perpetrators and women survivors of gender violence in Finland, Cyprus and Bulgaria.
The main actions of SPREAD will be: gathering information of all existing in-prison programs for male perpetrators and women survivors of gender based violence in the EU, which will be updated in the SPREAD website  http://www.surt.org/spread/index.html ; training to all project partners on the intervention inside prison, from a gender perspective, with the two target groups, to provide tools, critical reflections and inspire the phase of design of the in-prison programs and design of the programs. The project SPREAD is supported by Daphne program of the EU.
Contact: tiina.savola@helsinki.fi

Stronger Women for a Stronger Society”, Domestic Violence Project,  Training of Trainers Program in North Cyprus 2010
Stronger Women for a Stronger Society” is the Module training project of Domestic Violence and it´s prevention in Northern Cyprus for 21 days. Project is coordinated by Akova Women’s Association (AWA) & Cyprus Turkish Civil Servants Trade Union (KTAMS). Trainers in the project are the project manager Sirkka Perttu and The planning officer Tiina Savola from the University of Helsinki, Palmenia Centre for Continuing Education.
Contact: tiina.savola@helsinki.fi