Multidisciplinary competences in informatics of educators in universities of applied sciences

Authors

• Elina Rajalahti Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Espoo
• Jarmo Heinonen Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Espoo
• Sini Eloranta Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku
• Outi Ahonen Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Espoo
• Leena Hinkkanen Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki
• Minna Tiainen Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Tampere
• Ulla-Mari Kinnunen Department of Health and Social Management, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23996/fjhw.91541

Keywords:

competence [http://www.yso.fi/onto/yso/p24064], information management [http://www.yso.fi/onto/yso/p5521], higher education, educational personnel, factor analysis [http://www.yso.fi/onto/yso/p6540]

Abstract

The quick digital transformation (DT) in society has affected the development of service in health and social services strongly during the last five years. The digitalization has resulted in a change in the paradigm, which has required a strong reaction from education to respond to the needs of competence in working life. The students who graduate from a university of applied sciences must be provided with sufficient readiness to operate in working life and to cope with change. The precondition is that the educators of health and social care, business, service design and IT keep up with the development of digitalization.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the informatics competences of the educators at the universities of applied sciences with an emphasis on the operational environments of health and social services. The survey is a part of the SotePeda 24/7 project. The survey was sent to Finnish universities of applied sciences (22) participating in the project in April- May 2019. The survey form was based on national and international evidence-based information. The form included 12 fields of competence and their contents. 172 answers were obtained after three reminders.

A factor analysis was conducted utilizing the maximum likelihood method and the result was 18 factors. The largest load factor was named as the information management and digitalization competence factor. This article discusses the informatics variables loaded for this factor in the survey.

The correspondence and discriminant analyses conducted in the study showed the competences vary in different education fields. The biggest differences in informatics competence were found in the social services education field, whereas the competences of the educators of the health care education were good and extremely good more evenly. In other fields participating in the study there were big differences inside single education fields regarding the informatics competences of health and social services.