EDUCA Flagship Education for the Future (EDUCA)

Main funder

Research Council of Finland

Funder's project number: 358924

Funds granted by main funder (€)

4 646 185,00

Funding program

Others, AoF (Research Council of Finland)

Project timetable

Project start date: 01/01/2024

Project end date: 30/04/2028

Summary

The challenges of decreasing learning achievement, increasing dropout rates, and integration of digital technology in schooling call for state-of-the-art research and solutions on adaptive and resilient education. The Education for the Future (EDUCA) flagship focuses on the timely challenges of education to prepare children and young people for the future in the changing world. EDUCA will build and institutionalize a novel research ecosystem that promotes the cross-pollination of methodological and conceptual approaches spanning educational science, psychology, learning analytics, sociology, and economics. At the heart of this ecosystem is the creation of a unique data infrastructure, that integrates existing data while concurrently augmenting it with innovative, large-scale data collections. Moreover, EDUCA will combine AI researchers and pedagogical experts to research how cutting-edge AI can be used to support education. Drawing from the bioecological systems theory, EDUCA adopts a multisystem perspective on future educational needs and platforms. Four research areas will promote research-driven, variability-centered innovations, resulting in scalable interventions and learning environments that effectively support student's individual needs and knowledge-based decision-making within the education sector. Comprising distinguished research universities (Jyväskylä, Helsinki, Turku, and Aalto) working together with key stakeholders, such as ministry level bodies and national workforces, educational organizations as well as teachers, principals, and parents’ unions, EDUCA will have be able to generate unprecedented research-based understanding of the effects of policy reforms and interventions, optimal learning moments and engagement, teacher and principal competencies, and ways in which educational institutions can better support social and personalized learning processes and more effectively use technology enhanced learning environments in education. It also draws from consortiums’ earlier collaboration on designing and evaluating educational reforms using RCT, such as the ongoing national two-year preschool experiment. The EDUCA flagship will have a strong social impact by co-creating and investigating innovative universal and targeted services, policy, and business solutions for diverse needs and educational environments.