University of Lapland

About: University of Lapland is a education organization based out in Rovaniemi, Finland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Arctic & Context (language use). The organization has 665 authors who have published 1870 publications receiving 39129 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Rovaniemi & Lapin yliopisto.

Designing a Multi‐Channel Service Experience

Abstract: With interactive whiteboards, computers, projectors, speakers, spotlights, and physical and virtual props, the University of Lapland's SINCO lab is dedicated to service prototyping. Prototyping isn't just for product design anymore; it works for services too.

Children’s and parents’ experiences on everyday life and the home/work balance in finland

Abstract: Paid work and the high-pressure working life are reflected in the everyday life of Finnish families with children. This article introduces a research project where 29 children aged between ages 5 and 7 and their 13 wage-earner parents were interviewed in order to discover to what degree they are able to achieve a home/work balance in their family lives. There is a lack of such research that examines children’s and parents’ experiences simultaneously and comprehensively, as this study does. The children’s experiences were analyzed with an existential-phenomenological method, while the parents’ experiences of how their work affects everyday life were interpreted within a hermeneutically advancing interpretation process. This research describes the challenging combination of work and family, the demanding relationship between children and parents, and the ways in which parents approach balancing work and everyday life when parents’ paid work, stress, and fatigue follows them home. Parents’ working life moulds the rhythm of their children’s everyday lives, which are structured by the departures and arrivals at home and at their daycare centers. This article makes visible Finnish families’ daily worries and how they cope with everyday life. The research highlights the question of how to secure both children’s and parents’ rights to a safe and anxiety-free everyday life.

Perceptions of human shadow manipulation as an ambient display

Abstract: This paper explores the concept of using human shadows as an ambient information display. As shadows are an integral part of the physical world, consisting of non-illuminated and dynamic shapes, they provide a potential basis for the design of unobtrusive ambient displays. We created a set of artificial human shadows to explore the concept, and conducted a user study (n = 12) to chart perceptions on the idea. As salient findings, the concept was perceived as interesting, and provoked strong reactions during the user study, e.g. surprise, laughter, and, at times, the feeling of spookiness. Synchronisation of movements between the manipulated shadows and the physical world and the ability to visually recognize the human shape, even when distortions are applied, are essential for the user experience.

Relation of ice growth rate to salt segregation during freezing of low-salinity sea water (Bothnian Bay, Baltic Sea)

Abstract: Salt segregation and isotopic fractionation during sea-ice formation can be parameterized as a function of the ice growth rate. We performed a study to investigate if the salt segregation models derived for saline sea-ice studies are pertinent during the growth of Baltic Sea ice in brackish water. We used a time series of ice-salinity profiles and modeled growth rates to examine the relationship between effective salt segregation and growth rate. The results show that models derived for saline sea water are not directly applicable for use in the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea. We derived a simple model for the effective salt segregation in relation to ice growth rate, for a wide range of growth rates, pertinent for use in low-salinity Baltic Sea conditions and in the future development of a Baltic Sea ice salinity model.

Students' expectations and reflections about piano courses in Finnish primary school teacher education

Abstract: In Finland, music subject is part of National Core Curriculum and in the primary school stage (grades 1-6) usually taught by primary school teachers. To assure instruction of music education on a highly professional level, pre-service teachers are taught piano course as part of music didactics. This article reports findings of the pilot study carried out as part of ArcTop research project between University of Lapland and University of Helsinki to develop and improve primary school teacher education in both institutions. Students' expectations and reflections are examined through the lens of self-efficacy theory by Bandura (1977, 1986, 1997). The data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire to find out students experiences in piano playing and music reading as well as their self-reflections about the learning process. The answers (n = 97) were processed statistically and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results revealed that most of the participants (n = 64) were inexperienced in piano playing. At the same time they were highly motivated and eager to learn and practice. The students also mentioned the lack of elementary music literacy knowledge and the insufficient number of contact lessons which give grounds for making further arrangements in the curriculum.