The DTL3 team’s mission aligns with Estonia’s vision of developing and utilising technology for reaching the “Environmental field development plan until 2030″. Therefore, DTL3 mostly executes applied research but also has direction for basic research.

DTL3 focuses on lifelong learning; the team addresses the evolving skills and knowledge requirements brought about by rapid technological advancements.

Our research focuses on cross-sectorial, or in other words, across companies learning. We started with a hypothesis that enhancing and enriching the learning of digital transformation of companies needs to be directed towards learning between companies as the traditional practices of training and university courses are too slow to reach the goals. We also hypothesised that digital transformation is not a beneficial approach but needs to be toward a goal, for instance, environmental goals. The team agreed on these hypotheses before the green and digital or twin transition.

The team aimed to build a cross-sectoral HUB, but we were before our time; we were not able to resonate to gather stakeholders for funding in Estonia. Thus, we dismantled the HUB idea – our plan A and took our plan B into action. We still have plan C if B fails.

If you know my background, it is unsurprising that the learning framework derives from pragmatism (Peirce, 1931-1935) and cultural-historical activity theory (Engeström & Sannino, 2020). Engesröm’s team has also extended towards investigating learning in activity systems between institutes (Sannino & Engeström, 2018). However, we also take into account the context and embodied aspect of learning (Corris & Chemero, 2022), aiming towards collaborative knowledge creation (Paavola & Hakkarainen, 2005). Methods that we use include, for instance, research-based (Leinonen) and participatory design (Ehn, 1993).

Plan B’s goal is to have research directions under the umbrella of the research framework described above. The directions include basic research, contextual inquiry, design of learning prompts (in other words, tools) and investigation of existing learning between companies. The goal is to build a Living Lab for collaborative knowledge creation between companies. We call it Living Lab’s Ecosystem.

The following directions are in execution:

a) Creative industry and embodied learning, which includes execution of the basic and applied research, which occurs in Nuno Correia’s influential project MODINA (https://modina.eu/about/). The project aims to expand the creative possibilities for contemporary dance performances and augment the experience for the audience, using digital technology – with an emphasis on exploring artificial intelligence (AI) and audience interaction, on-site and online. This aim has two interconnected approaches, targeting dance artists, media artists (creative technologists) and audiences.

b) Learning prompt on AI risk and green decisions for artificial intelligence design and use (junior researcher Marwa Seoudi). Background research on green AI and AI risk has been executed, and the prompt design is in process. The research question is related to the adoption of responsible AI.

c) Systematic contextual inquiry on the manufacturing industry to discover their challenges in twin transition and learning practices for change. Literary reviews, statistical reviews, phone calls and visits to association companies have been executed, and now we are conducting in-depth interviews on learning practices (junior researcher Anar Abilakimova). The research question is directed toward understanding current methods and developing methods that are pedagogically sounder but still efficient for industries to use.

d) Learning prompt (tool) investigated using audio interaction for learning (post-doc Abiodun Ogunyemi). Research questions are on human-computer interaction and how to enhance audio interaction within the work context.

e) A study of collaborative knowledge creation between two companies. (post-doc James Quaicoe), The research question in this first phase is to understand what occurs in the field in relation to collaborative knowledge cretion; refined questions are formulated when we have enough knowledge from the field.

f) Exploratory study on how creatives use social media and platforms for novel artistic practices (junior researcher Darja Tokranova) contributes to practice change, creativity and collaboration research.

The current work status is that all the directions are ongoing towards building and designing the Living Lab’s ecosystem. Our partners and collaborators in this endeavour are Tampere University (TAU), Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction” (TAUCHI) and “Tampere Accessibility Unit” (TACCU), Maastricht University (UM), “Maastricht Sustainability Institute” (MSI), Citizen OS, Demola, FinEst Centre for Smart Cities, DIMECC, VAMOS Ecosystem for Autonomous Mobility in Smart Spaces, Tallinn City, Tallinn Strategic Management Office, Helsinki Mobility Lab, Business Tampere / City of Tampere, ITL, Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Environmental Invest Centre.

In addition, we are involved in the Excellence Centre application from the Tallinn University side, contributing with the same focus of collaborative knowledge creation between companies. Collaborators in our part of the work are Taltech, Tallinn University, and the Estonian Machinery Industry Association, for both funding application has been submitted.

Ongoing collection of journals and conferences:

Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing, Frontiers in Sustainability, Transport Reviews, Transport Policy, British Journal of Education (BJE),  Journal of Workplace Learning, British Journal of Educational Studies, British Journal of Educational Technology, European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults, Smart Learning Environments, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing Journal, Designing Interactive Systems Conference,

Conferences: Human Interaction and Emerging Technologies (IHIET-AI 2022) Artificial Intelligence and Future Applications, CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing System, Conference on Sustainable Urban, Mobility – CSUM, ITS World Congress, AVEXR, Mind-Treck, European Network of Living Labs (EnoLL), Internal Sustainability Transitions Conferences (IST), EAI Endorsed Transactions on Creative Technologies, International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction.

In addition, Industry- University events are also targeted, such as Tampere Smart City Week, SIX Future Mobile Work Machine event, and Latitude59.

References:

Corris, A., & Chemero, A. (2022). Embodiment and enactivism. In Mind, Cognition, and Neuroscience (pp. 414-428). Routledge.

Ehn, P. (1993). Scandinavian design: On participation and skill. In D. Schuler & A. Namioka (Eds.), Participatory design: Principles and practices (pp. 41-77). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Yrjö Engeström & Annalisa Sannino (2020): From mediated actions to heterogenous coalitions: four generations of activity-theoretical studies of work and learning, Mind, Culture, and Activity, DOI: 10.1080/10749039.2020.1806328

Leinonen, T., Toikkanen, T. Silfvast, K. (2008). Software as Hypothesis: Research-Based Design Methodology. In: Proceedings of Participatory Design Conference, ACM, New York, NY, (2008).

Paavola S., & Hakkarainen, K. (2005). The knowledge creation metaphor: An emergent epistemological approach to learning. Science & Education, 14(6), 535–557. doi:10.1007/s11191-004-5157-0.

Peirce, C. P. (1931-1935). Collected papers of Charles Sanders Peirce, Vols. 1–6. C. Hartshorne & P. Weiss

(Eds.). Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. [Reference to Peirce’s papers will be designated CP

followed by volume and paragraph number.].

Sannino, A., & Engeström, Y. (2018). Cultural-historical activity theory: Founding insights and new challenges. Cultural-historical psychology.