Study Guide

Learning outcomes

The student is able to
- plan, implement and evaluate a Service Design project with service design methods
- develop sustainable practices in organisations

Teaching methods

Project Title: Anticipating Future Skills Environments with AI Insight
Project Description:
The team will delve into the dynamic shifts within future skill environments and their profound impact on continuous workplace learning. Through meticulous analysis, four compelling scenarios will be constructed:
Continuation Scenario: Unveiling the natural progression of current trends if left unaltered.
Positive Development Scenario: Illuminating an optimistic outlook where advancements lead to positive shifts in skills and continuous learning.
Negative Development Scenario: Presenting a cautionary narrative highlighting potential downturns in the skill landscape and continuous learning.
Catastrophic Scenario: Delving into the severe consequences for continuous learning if existing challenges escalate without effective interventions.
Key Project Activities:
In-Depth Market Research:
Undertake a thorough investigation into AI tools for skills data, aiming to comprehensively understand their capabilities.
Evaluate the effectiveness of these tools in precisely forecasting the dynamic evolution of skills needs over time.
Data-Driven Forecasting:
Identify emerging trends, signals, and scenarios using data-driven approaches to forecast potential skill shortages, with a specific focus on the export industry within the business sector.
Conference Article Creation:
Craft a comprehensive article for presentation at a conference, encapsulating the project's discoveries.
Provide actionable recommendations for small and medium-sized businesses in the export industry grappling with skill shortages.
Expected Outcomes:
This project aims to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of strategic foresight in anticipating future skills needs, leveraging the capabilities of AI tools. Students will possess a nuanced perspective on potential futures, ready to offer guidance on navigating and mitigating skill shortages.

The conference article represents the pinnacle of the research efforts, serving as a scholarly contribution to the field and offering valuable insights for businesses aiming to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of continuous workplace learning.

The project is completed in cooperation with a working life partner in a P2P learning environment. Working life partner is SURE Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) Project – Performance, Resilience and Vitality through Continuous Learning at Work.

The enrolled students will develop their competencies related to the study in question during this project implementation.

Interactive online implementation:
The project is conducted online and does not require attendance on campus. The project includes, in addition to teamwork, scheduled guidance online, which is not recorded and requires participation. An independently studied part (in Canvas) supports the project implementation. Studying requires active participation and commitment to interactive project work. You will receive individual feedback for assignments from the teacher, and working life or peer feedback are also utilised.

Project’s guidance and working sessions can be viewed in Timetable Engine / Tuudo. Communication practices are agreed on a project-specific basis.

Laurea reserves the right to make changes.

Quality of implementation has been evaluated and self-evaluation report is available Teams.

Learning materials and recommended literature

The source materials needed for the subject area of the project are selected separately after the project assignment.

Alternative completion methods of implementation

All students are entitled to demonstrate their competence. The recognition and accreditation of prior competence is initiated by the students themselves. The competence is recognized and accredited by the teacher responsible for the studies or another person designated to the position. The assessment is carried out according to the same assessment criteria and, as a rule, same grading scale as that adopted for the corresponding study unit or module. The student is entitled to apply for accreditation of prior competence regardless of where, how and when the competence has been acquired. The student may also seek accreditation of competence to be acquired on the job as part of their degree (work-based learning). The student is responsible for demonstrating and verifying their competence and for providing sufficient information.

Co-operation with working life and/or RDI

Working life partner: SURE Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) Project – Performance, Resilience and Vitality through Continuous Learning at Work

Important dates

Kick-Off (mandatory participation): 17.1.2024 at 9.30-10.30.

It is compulsory to participate in the project kickoff meeting so that everyone participating in the project will receive the information on the project task.

Project guidance is offered on a weekly basis. The student can compare the available guidance sessions in Timetable Engine and select those projects/studies that do not overlap.

According to the degree regulations (section 18) "students must be present for the first contact teaching session, or they must notify the responsible teacher of their absence to confirm they intend to participate in studies… Registration for the study unit will be rejected, if the student does not notify the teacher of being absent from the first contact teaching session or the reason for their absence cannot be considered justified."

Forms of internationality

The project is suitable for exchange students.

Students workload

1 cr. = 26.7 h

Content and scheduling

Aims of the project:

In the context of workforce development and strategic planning, the primary aims of the project are:
Strategic Foresight: Develop a robust understanding of evolving skill environments to strategically anticipate and align with future workforce needs.

AI-Enhanced Insight: Leverage cutting-edge AI tools to enhance insight into emerging skills, providing a technological edge in identifying and adapting to industry trends.

Scenario Construction: Construct four distinct scenarios, each depicting potential trajectories of the skills landscape, enabling stakeholders to prepare for a spectrum of future possibilities.

Data-Driven Decision-Making: Utilize data-driven approaches to identify trends, signals, and scenarios, facilitating informed decision-making for workforce planning and skill development.

Market Research and Capability Assessment: Conduct in-depth market research to comprehend the capabilities of AI tools in skill data analysis. Evaluate the effectiveness of AI tools in precisely forecasting the dynamic evolution of skills needs over time.

Business Sector Focus - Export Industry: Address the unique challenges and opportunities within the export industry, tailoring recommendations to support small and medium-sized businesses facing skill shortages.

Actionable Recommendations: Generate actionable recommendations for businesses, emphasizing practical strategies to navigate and mitigate skill shortages effectively.

Educational and Professional Guidance: Equip students with a nuanced perspective on potential futures, empowering them to offer expert guidance on strategic workforce planning.

Scholarly Contribution: Produce a conference article that serves as a scholarly contribution to the field, providing valuable insights for businesses and educational institutions aiming to align with the ever-evolving landscape of continuous workplace learning.

Further information for students

The study unit corresponds to the requirements of Bachelor's level education.

This study implementation is a P2P project meaning that the project is completed in a small group and guided by a teacher. Participating in the project requires attendance in the project guidance meetings and group meetings.

Grading scale

H-5

Evaluation methods and criteria

“The evaluation of competence is based on the descriptions of objectives in the curricula, and the level of competence is assessed according to the evaluation criteria listed in the implementation plan for the studies.” (Laurea degree regulations).

Evaluation is discussed at the beginning of the project.

[You can remove criteria that are not suitable for this implementation but no other changes are not allowed.]

In this study unit the assessing of the competences will be done by using the criteria set for requirement level II.

Professional knowledge basis, information searching and reporting

To achieve grade 5 student must be able to
- analyse the acquired information, draw conclusions and combine theoretical knowledge with experiential knowledge

To achieve grade 3 student must be able to
- critically evaluate information and justify their actions with science-based knowledge

To achieve grade 1 (or pass) student must be able to
- use professional concepts in a consistent manner and demonstrate their familiarity with the knowledge basis
- report and communicate in a professional manner

Professional practice and workplace development

To achieve grade 5 student must be able to
- evaluate the applicability of produced knowledge, skill or idea to other contexts as well as their impact
- anticipate needs of customers and/or co-operation partners

To achieve grade 3 student must be able to
- propose creative solutions at work
- promote professional co-operation and enhance customer and partner relationships

To achieve grade 1 (or pass) student must be able to
- act independently taking into account the operating environment
- take responsibility for interaction with customers and/or co-operation partners and for responding to their needs

Teamwork skills, leadership and responsibility

To achieve grade 5 student must be able to
- evaluate and develop the team’s entrepreneurial and responsible approach to work
- evaluate the possibilities for utilising competence and plan their personal development and development of the team

To achieve grade 3 student must be able to
- act in a manner that promotes the team’s entrepreneurial and responsible approach to work
- describe the development of their competence in relation to the learning outcomes

To achieve grade 1 (or pass) student must be able to
- describe the significance of their actions for successful co-operation
- describe their competence in relation to the learning outcomes

“Students who has failed to demonstrate their competence in accordance with the approved level must supplement or retake their study attainment in a manner and schedule defined by the teacher of the study unit. In project studies, students must supplement the competence missing from the project’s learning outcomes, until their competence can be evaluated as passing.” (Degree regulations.)

Further information

The project provides similar competences as study units R0216 Service Design ja Corporate Social Responsibility. Thus if you have completed this study entity you can not include the these two in your degree.