Building a foundation for future research and development

Higher education is undergoing a profound transformation. To remain relevant in a rapidly changing world, higher education must embrace renewal, share good practices, and engage in co-creation across borders. At the same time, we must preserve what is already good and sustainable in our institutions, while exploring what truly matters in an era shaped by global and societal challenges, and technological disruptions such as rapid development of AI (e.g. Hughes et al. 2025).

Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (HHUAS), in line with its profile, is committed to the development of higher education. A new research group, Transnational Higher Education and Pedagogy (THEP), has been established within Haaga-Helia’s Pedagogy and Learning research area. Its mission is to bring together transnational collaborators and highlight international RDI (Research, Development, and Innovation) – work in higher education and pedagogy.

THEP provides an important added value to the Pedagogy and Learning research area, complementing the two existing groups: KOPEDA, which focuses on national-level research and development in higher education pedagogy, and VE-RDI, which concentrates on vocational secondary education and on both domestic and international RDI activities. All these three research groups are connected to Haaga-Helia’s School of Professional Teacher Education and its experts.

This article describes the activities of the newly established THEP research group in advancing higher education and its pedagogy.

The mission of THEP

The name of our research group, Transnational Higher Education and Pedagogy, reflects the core mission of our work. Transnational indicates that our research and development is grounded in international collaboration. We aim to advance education and pedagogy through shared learning and cross-border collaboration, as global challenges and opportunities require cooperation beyond national boundaries.

Education refers to the broader structural aspects that create preconditions for successful pedagogy and learning such as governance, funding, and strategic priorities that shape the systems and environments in which we operate. The term education also covers organisational level factors such as learning culture, pedagogical leadership, curriculum structure, and collaboration with the surrounding society.

Pedagogy reflects our interest in how learning can be designed in new and creative ways to respond to the demands of a rapidly evolving world and learners’ individual needs. We aim to co-create innovative and sustainable approaches that foster a sense of community and well-being in learning. Our focus is on enhancing learners’ agency, trust, and resilience, and on strengthening both individual and collective capacities to learn and grow together.

In the transformation of higher education, teachers are expected to engage actively in pedagogical innovation, research, professional learning, and curriculum development, while also maintaining well-being in increasingly complex educational environments (Cong-Lem 2024). As teacher educators, we are committed to researching and supporting the development of new professional competences that empower higher education teachers to navigate and lead the change in future-oriented learning environments.

Transnational collaboration at the heart of our activities

THEP serves as a home base for transnational projects, research initiatives, and collaborations. We value the opportunity to connect with transnational partners, bringing together diverse perspectives, networks, and expertise. Through shared development, we aim to build forward-looking partnerships and strengthen existing ones in a spirit of mutual learning and innovation.

Haaga-Helia UAS is part of the Ulysseus European University alliance, which offers valuable opportunities for the development of education, research and pedagogy in transnational collaboration. This alliance, along with its diverse collaboration networks, Innovation Hubs and research groups, serves as the driving force behind THEP activities. THEP members are already actively involved in key roles within these networks developing Ulysseus pedagogical ecosystem, the joint educational offer, and its innovative pedagogy.

In addition, the Ulysseus ecosystem provides fertile ground for THEP to establish and join projects that develop innovative pedagogical approaches and address wicked problems in the transformation of higher education.

Methodological and operational foundations of our work

Our practice-based approach highlights the importance of engaging practitioners and students in development and research. Practitioner research in education should actively involve teachers and other stakeholders as co-researchers, valuing their professional experience and practical knowledge as essential for improving educational practices and generating meaningful research outcomes (Heikkinen et al. 2016).

Students’ participation in development is also crucial, as we aim to innovate pedagogical practices with students, not just for them (see Kunnari 2018). Meaningful engagement of students as partners in the design and implementation of curricula and pedagogical strategies strengthens their agency, enriches learning environments and fosters more inclusive and effective educational innovation (Bovill et al. 2019).

Our work is grounded in co-creation (see Omwald et al. 2025) advancing multidisciplinary and impactful research. By working transnationally, we initiate transformation and inclusive dialogue, creating spaces for out-of-the-box thinking that challenges established models and opens new possibilities for collaborative research on higher education.

Looking forward

Building on this foundation, we are open to emerging affordances that create new opportunities for research and development collaboration. Together with our partners, we are approaching the transformation of higher education with creativity, curiosity, and responsibility.

Our research group members have played a key role in shaping common pedagogical guidelines within the Ulysseus alliance and in building joint degree structures. These initiatives have already produced impactful results by leveraging co-creation as a core principle.

Looking ahead, THEP members are actively involved in establishing additional research groups within Ulysseus that focus on pedagogy. These groups will serve as platforms for creating new RDI projects and strengthening collaborative innovation. Through these efforts, we aim to expand our transnational research ecosystem and continue developing future-oriented solutions for higher education.

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