About ULF
ULF – education, learning, research (in Swedish utbildning, lärande, forskning) is a national pilot project commissioned by the government between 2017 and 2021, which is now being extended until 2024 as a transition to permanent operations from 2025. The pilot will develop and test sustainable collaboration models between academia and schools in terms of research, school activities and teacher training.
What is ULF?
Why is ULF needed?
According to the Education Act, education should "rest on a scientific basis and proven experience" (Section 5). This means that teachers should base their professional practice on research and that school development should be permeated by a scientific approach. This is currently an area that could be developed. There is also a perceived gap between theory and practice that means that educational science research cannot always be applied in school activities. There is therefore a great need to develop sustainable models of collaboration between schools and academia.
What is the goal of ULF?
The goal is to develop an infrastructure with long-term sustainable collaboration models between academia and school authorities to strengthen the scientific basis and the scientific approach in schools. The collaboration models should lead to research that is relevant to the school by enabling professional groups within the school to initiate research, not just researchers in academia. At the end of the pilot, successful collaborative models should be made permanent and used nationally. The vision is that collaborative models will be the basis for professional practice in schools and for teacher education.
How will this be achieved?
By systematically testing different models for collaboration between academia and schools, learning from experience and laying the foundation for a long-term collaboration. All participating higher education institutions sign local ULF agreements on collaboration with school principals, both municipal and independent. The agreements send important signals that both parties are prepared to create the conditions necessary for researchers and teachers to collaborate on research and development work in their daily work. Different collaboration models are then tested within the agreements.
Which collaboration models will be tested within the ULF?
The ULF will develop and test long-term collaboration models. Examples of collaboration models can be:
- Establishing research environments at both the principal and higher education institution where teachers and researchers meet to jointly formulate research questions.
- Researchers and teachers conducting development and/or research projects together.
- To create the conditions for teachers and school leaders with doctoral degrees to have both research and teaching in their positions through so-called shared services.
- Universities can develop opportunities for researchers to work both at the university and at the school principal.
- Increasing collaboration with teacher education, for example by more clearly integrating research into education and work placement, or by linking students' independent work (degree project) to practice-oriented research and school development on a scientific basis.
Why is it called ULF and ULF agreement?
ULF is an abbreviation of Education, Learning and Research, in Swedish Utbildning, Lärande and Forskning. The ULF agreement is a concept that is reminiscent of the ALF agreement for doctors in the healthcare sector, which was the model for ULF. For example, the ALF agreement gives doctors the opportunity to combine their clinical work with research, and medical students the opportunity to do their internship in environments where clinical research is conducted.
What is the difference between ULF and previous school-academic collaboration?
An important difference from much of the previous collaboration is that ULF should be characterized by equal conditions between schools and academia. This means, for example, that professional groups within schools should also be able to initiate development and research projects, not just researchers. Another difference is that the ULF should create long-term sustainable collaboration models for research and development. The collaboration models may take different forms, such as a joint research environment or a shared service.
How is ULF organized?
Four universities have been given main responsibility for the pilot project: the University of Gothenburg, Karlstad University, Umeå University and Uppsala University. Each responsible university leads the work in a node. These nodes include other universities. The nodes work primarily with collaboration models, overall operational planning, distribution of funds and knowledge exchange within the node. The nodes have advisory bodies with representation from both academia and school principals. A total of 25 higher education institutions participate in ULF, including the universities responsible for the nodes. Collaboration within ULF takes place in several ways:
- Collaboration takes place between higher education institutions within the four nodes.
- Collaboration takes place at national level between participating higher education institutions. At the beginning of the pilot project, it mainly takes place between the four higher education institutions that have the main responsibility.
- Collaboration between higher education institutions and school principals is organized through agreements in the form of local ULF agreements.
- For more information see: ulfavtal.se
External link.
Luleå University of Technology's work with ULF
Luleå University of Technology has signed a ULF agreement with Umeå University and also intends to sign agreements with school principals to develop structures for the activities that the experimental activities intend to investigate, including the purpose and objectives of the experimental activities:
- Strengthen school-university collaboration
- Establish new procedures for schools and academia to develop partnerships in formulating and implementing research and professional development.
- Develop application-oriented educational science research in a symmetrical and complementary approach.
- Strengthen both developmental and scientific competences in both schools and higher education institutions - including teacher training and student involvement.
- Create meeting places and sustainable structures to disseminate and anchor practice-based research projects.
Examples of ULF activities:
- Establishment of a collaborative organization - regional collaborative council.
- Calls for R&D funds for practice-oriented research - implementation of R&D projects in collaboration between principals and LTU.
- Degree projects in collaboration
- R&D seminars
- R&D conference
Regional Cooperation Council
Contact
Ulrika Bergmark
- Professor, Excellent lärare
- 0920-491036
- ulrika.bergmark@ltu.se
- Ulrika Bergmark
Caroline Graeske
- Professor tillika ämnesföreträdare
- 0920-491005
- caroline.graeske@ltu.se
- Caroline Graeske
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