There is an increasing pressure on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to produce societally relevant and impactful research, and to actively engage with non-academic stakeholders who are looking for answers to their challenges. This is a special challenge for social sciences, such as business, management, entrepreneurship, as opposed to natural sciences that rely largely on quantifiable data and statistics. The present chapter addresses this challenge and introduces the dimensions of societal impact of research produced by HEIs and describes the mechanism through which HEIs can provide impactful research needed for economic competitiveness and societal well-being. Illustrations are offered on how HEIs can boost their ability to transform the results of academic and applied research into beneficial knowledge and management practice for stakeholders, including business, industry, economy and civil society at large. The chapter sheds light on how to reinforce collaboration with non-academic stakeholders and partners within research and innovation ecosystems. To support the HEI’s work, a framework for managing research with societal impact in HEIs is proposed.
Throughout times students' thesis guidance has largely remained in its traditional, conservative, unchanged form in respect to content, evaluation and approach. Covid-19 has resulted in all forms of teaching and learning being reviewed, and this has pushed for thesis guidance to be adapted and revised. Following the action research approach, the authors planned and implemented a novel pedagogical method of student guidance during their Master's theses writing in the virtual learning environment. With the overall sample size of 23 students, the experiment included four student groups, two of which were led in English and two in Finnish languages, over the course of three to four months each. The students were in the master degree program of a Finnish higher education institute, came from various backgrounds, with multiple cultural and professional reference points. The aim of the project was to test and conceptualize a new approach that better serves (1) students' engagement and project management skills, (2) helps to achieve results short-term, and (3) offers sufficient sense of well-being and support in virtual setting. The results of the experiment were tangible and excellent, as demonstrated by significantly reduced time in completing a Master's thesis as well as student feedback and students' factual progress in their thesis writing. testing the pedagogical innovation, there is strong evidence that "Master Thesis Train" may be successfully replicated and remain in the permanent toolkit for students' Master's thesis guidance in higher education institutions internationally.
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