Blog 
Digivisio is a significant step towards the future of learning: in the years to come, everyone will be able to complete studies in an area of personal interest across the boundaries of higher education institutions. In order to achieve this, Digivisio, led by higher education institutions, is working on a new digital service which will make higher education institutions’ open education offerings in continuous learning easily accessible to everyone. This development work is also carried out with experts from higher education institutions as co-implementers.
One of the co-implementers is Kati Koivu, who works at Tampere University and serves half of her working hours as a piloting expert in the Digivisio programme. The Digivisio pilot network comprises 21 higher education institutions that are working together to outline new kinds of solutions.
– In this project, the pilot activities particularly refer to co-creation, in which we are planning the Digivisio services for learners and higher education institutions. The piloting involves working on and evaluating different plans and early-stage ideas and testing the functionality of nearly finished solutions, Koivu explains.
Almost 30 years of work to promote digitalisation in education
Koivu describes herself as a knowledge worker in the world of universities. She is interested in people, learning and the role of education in the promotion of well-being. Since 1996, she has worked at Tampere University in various administrative, planning, guidance and project tasks.
– My long-term career at the university is characterised by an interest in the effects of digitalisation on learning and the development of education. I have been following the developments in information technology, online learning and digital pedagogy for nearly three decades now, says Koivu.
She has been involved in the digitalisation of education since the beginning of her career. As her first task in 1996, she participated in the design of digital orientation material for Nokia employees, soon followed by the development of open online learning material for the basics of information technology.
– My most recent jump in the deep end was working as a project manager in a project that developed and implemented the Sisu study information system at Tampere University. This was a major reform, in which we planned new joint operating models and policies affecting the entire higher education community.
As a co-implementer, you have a chance to build the future of learning
Koivu’s three-person pilot team at the Digivisio programme office serves as a link between the higher education institutions and project development. The development and planning are carried out by several groups of experts, and the topics range from pedagogical quality work to technical integrations. The results of the work are made available to higher education institutions at the pilot network’s meetings.
– One of the tasks of the pilot team is to ensure that these fragments, sometimes perceived as disjointed, will gradually form a clear overall picture of what we are aiming for together, says Koivu.
According to her, participating in the implementation of Digivisio seemed like a natural step after the Sisu project. With the introduction of Sisu, the practices of Tampere University and Tampere University of Technology were aligned, and students gained access to a wide range of multidisciplinary studies. Digivisio focuses on similar issues – both higher education institutions and learners will benefit when all studies are compiled on a single tray.
As a piloting expert, she is pleased to have the opportunity to follow the technical implementation of the digital pedagogy solutions and the collaborative definition and policy work.
– I find it very motivating to be involved in this big digital leap of the higher education sector. In the pilot activities, I get to follow the project from a front-row seat and influence its different areas, Koivu summarises.
Do you want to be part of the Digivisio work?
We constantly seek new co-implementers for different activities aimed at promoting the future of learning. Further information on the co-implementer model and on application processes currently under way can be found on the Digivisio Eduuni wiki (sign in required). If you are interested in working as a co-implementer, please get in touch with the Digivisio contact person in your own higher education institution.