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About LinKs
Learning in Knowledge Societies (LinKS) involves a collaboration between
six national research programmes all concerned with 'knowledge and learning'.
The partners of the ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme include
the Academy of Finland 'Life as Learning' programme; the Norwegian Research
Council Division for Culture and Society 'Knowledge, Education and Learning'
programme; the Dutch Research Council Programming Council for Educational
Research (PROO) programme for 2004-2007; the Swedish Research Council Committee
for Educational Science research programme; and the French Institut National
de Recherche Pedagogique (INRP) programme of educational research.
Brief description of proposed collaboration:
Building upon the co-operation already achieved we intend to commit fully to networking national research activities in the area of 'knowledge and learning' in order to implement systematic exchange of information and good practice; strategic activities; implementation of joint activities and transnational research activities. This will include clustering of national research projects in order to facilitate workshops, seminars and working conferences among researchers involved in the national research programmes. It is intended that this should involve learning from experience in such a way as to deepen our understanding of research on knowledge and learning across the national programmes.
Initial discussions have taken place on developing joint research training schemes and activities. These will be formalised, with investigation of the opening up of access to research training in other countries and encouragement to use both national and European mobility schemes. All countries involved have an existing commitment to deepening international collaboration. There is significant interest also in setting up a programme of transnational research activities.
The programmes hope to work together to create a forum for programme managers looking at issues relating to continuing strategic long-term co-operation, including the impact of educational research on society; and a scientific direction review group - taking a strategic look forward for the future of research in 'knowledge and learning'. Collaboration would also be realised around the following strategic substantive themes identified as common within the programmes: Learning across the life-course (e.g. key transitions; life-long learning); Improving learning outcomes (e.g. attainment; learning to learn; learner identities); Transformation (e.g. use of ICT to enhance learning; transformation of the knowledge base for education and training).
The review group would seek to identify common challenges and key issues
between the programmes; ideas for future research co-operation on 'knowledge
and learning'; to identify and analyse new opportunities and gaps in research
in the area of 'knowledge and learning'; 'good practice' in research design
and the wider exploitation of research results; and design of support for
career development of junior researchers.
The above six programmes are all formally committed to the partnership, and
it may be possible to widen the collaboration at a later stage by involving
other countries: for example, Iceland, Germany, New Zealand and Switzerland.
