Abstract:

Dihub (Digital Innovation Hub for Cloud-based Services) is an EU-funded project that aims at the promotion and creation of cloud-based knowledge and innovations in Europe through the construction of an innovation hub platform, a study path and the related processes. This paper describes first the innovation hub platform, the processes and the study path. These are put together in the Dihub Model. Thereafter, the piloting of this model in one of the participating countries – namely Finland – is described.

The Dihub Model consists of the innovation hub platform, the study path and the processes that enable co-creation among stakeholders. The Dihub Model is an answer for the information, expertise and innovation needs that the struggling European SME business yearns to be competitive on global markets where cloud technologies and AI based cloud services are widely used.

The innovation hub platform may also be called an one stop service, meaning that it is one single virtual space that offers to all participants co-creation possibilities and access to multi-field expertise, partnering, networking, peer-learning and tutoring. It is essentially “a primus motor” for new innovations in the exponentially growing fields of cloud computing and cloud-based AI technologies.

The stakeholders of the innovation hub platform are:
1) business owners and experts in companies using cloud services,
2) experts from cloud technology providers,
3) students and
4) teachers.

All of the stakeholders have different needs and offerings. The innovation hub platform is used to match these. The innovation hub platform is also used as a virtual environment for the development of the Dihub study path. Businesses and cloud service providers are invited to participate in the development of the curriculum – especially in defining the essential job roles, tasks, skills and other competences needed.

The Dihub study path that is being developed in the project, offers a set of cloud technologies and AI based cloud services related courses as well as study projects that are implemented in close cooperation with companies. The implementation of the study path varies depending on the level of studies and on the implementing educational institution. The two levels of implementation are vocational and higher education. The details of the implementation are tailored according to the institution that issues the certificate of studies in vocational (ECVET) and higher education (ECTS). The study path implementations are combined in a mature way to create a compact study path on this field of expertise.

The innovation hub platform as well as the Dihub processes and study path were piloted in practice in Finland starting from June 2020. The pilots were conducted both in a vocational school and in a higher education institute. The study paths of the participating pilots were combined in a way that made possible partially joint study modules for students of vocational and higher education. Additionally, the paths were designed in such a way that the vocational Dihub study path may later be completed with modules from the Dihub study path at the higher education level. Experiences from these pilots were gathered and analyzed. In this paper, we report the results that were gathered by October 2020.

Keywords:

Curriculum design, pilot courses, cloud services, vocational education, higher education, company cooperation, study path design.