Integration of education with research and development and the export of higher education

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a framework combining the approaches of the innovation pedagogy, strategic planning of higher education and the research, development and innovation (RDI) in order to support the export of higher education.Design/methodology/approachThe export of education can be included in the framework by taking the innovation pedagogy as a starting point – an approach developed for the universities of applied sciences with the emphasis of efficient leaning in projects and the institution's external impact. Strategic management defines strategic objectives, which take into account the European education policy and the regional and international demand for higher education. The empirical part of the paper is based on the study of the Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS) focusing on the networked applied research and development activities and the combination of the education and the RDI activities using learning in the projects approaches.FindingsThe building of the strategic partnerships seems to be one of the main instruments of the export process and to use the support of the external broker organization outside of the universities. The advantages of the student learning in the RDI projects are: the drop‐out rates can be decreased, the length of study can be shortened, the transfer of knowledge can be increased, the supervision of students can be increased, the experience of students from projects increases the employment opportunities and the integrated model of innovation pedagogy can be exported to other countries.Originality/valueThe framework presented in the paper could be developed towards mechanisms of sharing the knowledge concerning different global learning ecosystems.