This autumn I¹ have been part of Laurea University of Applied Sciences student project team where we have been designing a new learning mobile application (later app) for Latin American universities. Laurea student project team consists of fifteen students: twelve Finnish students and three Mexican exchange students. We are collaborating with Brasilian Instituto Nacional de Telecomunicações (INATEL), the HEIComp project’s partner university. INATEL team is in charge of coding the app, while Laurea team oversees planning and designing the app.

The app introduces Latin American students to WLC learning methodology. The app consists of several learning modules, for example, explaining and teaching the benefits of a WLC learning model for a student. The content in modules is text, videos and exercises depending on the topic of the module.

Briefly, the Working Life Connected (WLC) methodology is used in the implementation of HEIComp project (HEIComp 2023). The core of the WLC methodology revolves around a student. The WLC is based on the effective development of working life in cooperation with organizations and entrepreneurs, as well as gaining theoretical skills on the side. WLC is based on Laurea´s pedagogical model Learning by Developing (LbD). According to Henriksson, Korkiakangas & Mantere (2014) LbD has been Laurea´s primary educational approach since 2006. WLC is not a direct copy of the LbD model, even though it is based on it.

Testing and launching the application

Before launching the mobile app and during this project, we have been testing the app with students from UNAE Paraguay university and INATEL students from Brazil. It has been a crucial part before launching the app to be able to test the user experience and make modifications on the functions according to the feedback.

The app will be ready to use by the end of this year, after which it will be piloted with Paraguayan university UNAE (Universidad Autónoma de Encarnación) students. The goal of this project and the app is to pilot this kind of new learning method to new universities in different parts of the world. In the best scenario, this could lead to evolving old ways of teaching and studying and offer a new inspiring way of learning.

What have I learned during this project?

I have learned and understood many things during this project. This project has been simulating real life working experience of launching a product to a foreign country. I have not been part of this kind of project before, and I think I have collected a lot of useful knowledge. Firstly, how important it has been to have a multicultural team of four nationalities. Having different language skills in our team has helped majorly in translating the application into three different languages.

Secondly, to learn from each other to use new digital platforms and to utilize these different platforms during the project.  For example, none of us Finnish students were familiar before with the Powtoon platform, where animated videos can be made. Our Mexican exchange student introduced us to Powtoon, and she made these amazing, animated videos for the app.

It has been interesting to learn what it takes and how many different kinds of knowledge are needed to be able to perform the different stages of planning, implementation and launching. I can probably say that none of us alone would have been able to make the application as good, visually pleasing and well-functioning, at least on this schedule.

@heicomp project is funded by #erasmusplus #capacitybuilding

1. 3rd year BBA student at Laurea University of Applied Sciences ↩︎