Virtuellt lärande på distans : en intervjustudie med finländska gymnasiestuderande.

The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the learning experiences of upper secondary school students in a virtual learning environment. The focus of the study is younger students aged 16–18. Virtual learning environments are defined as collaborative, interactive and communicative digital environments. The main research question was to distinguish the meaning of learning given by the participants. Did the participants perceive learning potential in the virtual learning environment, and if so, what signifies learning potential? Sub-questions were: What enhances learning? What might inhibit learning in a distance course? How do the participants relate to their role as distant learners? Four upper secondary schools in Finland took part in the study. Thirteen upper secondary students were interviewed after a distance course in social studies. During the analysis, four main categories were identified: responsibility, freedom, time and communication. A constructivist approach to learning was adopted while analysing the interviews, and the categories were understood through cognitive, affective and social dimensions of learning. The implications of the study are that a student-centred pedagogy and a social constructivist course design have the potential to motivate students to interact to learn, while the software, such as Second Life, Google+ and Wikibooks, offers them the possibility to do so. The study introduces an empirically supported concept, virtual learning. Virtual learning assumes an active learner who manages different learning spaces while communicating with people and metacognitively assessing the learning process. At the same time, students get used to the virtual and everchanging nature of information and knowledge.

Analytiikkajärjestelmän käyttöönottoprojekti, kustannukset ja kustannusten hallinta

Perinteisten kilpailuetujen katoaminen ja kilpailun kiristyminen haastavat yrityksiä etsimään keinoja kilpailukyvyn säilyttämiseksi. Tietotekniikan nopea kehitys ja liiketoiminnassa syntyvän datan määrän kasvu luovat yrityksille mahdollisuuden hyödyntää analytiikkaa päätöksenteon tukena ja liiketoiminnan tehostamisessa. Työ on kirjallisuuskatsaus ja sen tavoitteena on selvittää analytiikkajärjestelmän käyttöönottoprojektin vaiheet, käyttöönottoon liittyvät kustannukset ja miten kustannuksia voidaan hallita. Lisäksi esitetään tiivis katsaus analytiikan kehitykseen ja nykytilaan sekä tarkastellaan hankintamalleja, hankkeiden taloudellista arviointia ja käyttöönottoprojektin kriittisiä menestystekijöitä. Käyttöönottoprojekti on monivaiheinen ja se alkaa liiketoiminnan analysoinnista sekä järjestelmän suunnittelusta ulottuen aina sen toteutukseen ja jälkiarviointiin. Käyttöönottoon liittyy useita kustannuseriä, joita voidaan luokitella niiden ominaisuuksien perusteella. Projektin kustannusten hallinnan prosesseja ovat kustannusten hallinnan suunnittelu, kustannusten arviointi, budjetin määrittäminen ja kustannusten valvonta, jotka limittyvät käyttöönoton vaiheiden kanssa.

From social action to business action - A qualitative research on the professionalization process of a blogger: Case P.s. I Love Fashion -blog

Blogging is one of the most common forms of social media today. Blogs have become a powerful media and bloggers are settled stakeholders to marketers. Commercialization of the blogosphere has enabled an increasing number of bloggers professionalize and blog as a full-time occupation. The purpose of this study is to understand the professionalization process of a blogger from an amateur blogger to a professional actor. The following sub-questions were used to further elaborate the topic: What have been the meaningful events and developments fostering professionalization? What are the prerequisites for popularity in blogging? Are there any key success factors to acknowledge in order being able to make business out of your blog? The theoretical framework of this study was formed based on the two chosen focus areas for professionalization; social drivers and business drivers. The theoretical framework is based on literature from fields of marketing and social sciences, as well as previous research on social media, blogging and professionalization. The study is a qualitative case-study and the research data was collected in a semi-structured interview. The case chosen to this study is a lifestyle-blog. The writer of the case blog has been able to develop her blog to become a full-time professional blogger. Based on the results, the professionalization process of a blogger is not a defined process, but instead comprised of coincidental events as well as considered advancements. Success in blogging is based on the bloggers own motivation and passion for writing and expressing oneself in the form of a blog, instead of a systematic construction of a successful career in blogging. Networking with other bloggers as well as affiliates was seen as an important success factor. Popularity in the blogosphere and a high number of followers enable professionalization, as marketers actively seek to collaborate with popular bloggers with strong personal brands. Bloggers with strong personal brands are especially attractive due to their opinion leadership in their reference group. A blogger can act professionally either as entrepreneur or blogging for a commercial webpage. According to the results of this study, it is beneficial for the blogger’s professional development as well as career progress, to act on different operating models