News from Högskolan Dalarna

Collaboration with Local Museum Carl Larsson-gården

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:15:12 GMT

This spring, Dalarna University worked on a collaborative project with the local well-known museum Carl Larsson-gården in Sundborn. The museum has been created in the former home of the famous artist couple Carl and Karin Larsson.

Students from the University worked on the translation of text that covers the lives of both Carl and Karin and their many children. The text was translated into the students' native languages - Italian, French, English, German, Russian and Spanish - and will be used as part of an exhibition that is soon to open at the museum.

"This was an excellent way for our students to use their skills and work with this well-known regional musuem," states Mandy Bengts, who works with collaboration in the School of Languages and Media Studies.

The exhibition will be held from May 26 until August 11.

The Exhibition: De Mina – familjen på och utanför tavlan

Information about free entry for students.

Africa Days: Tekeste Negash Recognized for his Work

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:26:15 GMT

The eighth Africa Days event that opened on Monday, May 13 began with welcomes from both participants and presenters. This year the event was dedicated to Tekeste Negash, former Professor at Dalarna University and one of the founders of its Master's Programme in African Studies.

Lars Berge opens the eighth Africa Days.

Honoured with a Book

Tekeste Negash was presented with a so-called festschrift, a book full of texts by close colleagues that is awarded as a way to honour a respected colleague. Tekeste was both humbled and happy to receive such recognition.

Pro-Vice Chancellor Kerstin Öhrn presents Tekeste Negash with thefestschrift.

"I am very happy. I could not have imagined receiving such an honour," stated Tekeste Negash, who hopes that the soon-to-be-updated Master's Programme will flourish.

There were some 10 lectures over the course of Monday and Tuesday, with researchers from, for example, Dalarna University, Oulu University, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Bergen University och University of Bologna, along with research from Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia.

Large Network

The international scale of the event comes as a result of the network that has been developed since 2006. Currently, there is collaboration with 20 partner universities, which is where many of the teachers and students in the programme originate.

"It is the international network that is the reason for our being here. Last term, we had 23 Guest Lecturers -- almost one each week, which is just fantastic," states Lars Berge.

Africa Days is held each year and brings together many from partner universities.

Tekeste Negash's festschrift Themes in Modern African History and Culture.

Teachers Make Digital Resources Pedagogical

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:56:16 GMT

Technology is moving into regional schools at a remarkable pace. At the annual TeachMeet meeting, teachers were able to explain to others how technology can be used for learning. Attending were pre-school teachers, primary- and second-school teachers, as well as ICT-Instructors.

Many attended the third TeachMeet meeting that is organized by the Dalarna Centre for Educational Development at Dalarna University. Photo: Tommy Tjernström

Third TeachMeet Meeting

The 100 attendees took part in the meeting at the Media House in the Dalaregement in Falun on april 25. It was the third time that TeachMeet had been held.

Ewa Elving, a pre-school teacher from Rättvik, was in attendance.

"It's not the apps themselves that are pedagogical; rather, it's what we teachers do with the apps that is pedagogical," explains Ewa.

There were a number of examples of how current digital appliances can be used creatively in the classroom. Attendees were shown everything from apps for pupils with special needs to coding using Scratch in grades 1 to 3.

Sharing experiences

"There's a lot happening in this area, but often there's a lack of strategy behind its use. This is why there are so many who are keen to share experiences with using these tools in a meaningful way," states Eva-Lena Embretsen who organized the meeting.

Those who were unable to attend the meeting in person were able to follow along on line by way of the University's website. The broadcast and material will also be made available soon on the website of the Dalarna Centre for Educational Development.

What is a TeachMeet?

TeachMeet is an informal meeting for teachers. Its purpose is to give teachers the opportunity to share experiences, developments and insights into teaching using technology. This form of meeting has its origins in Scotland, where the first TeachMeet was held in 2005.

National German Faculty Conference

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:54:55 GMT

Loretta Qwarnström, Faculty Head of Languages, opens the conference.

This week, the German Department at Dalarna University welcomed fellow university teachers of German from other Swedish institutes to the annual German Faculty Conference. The aim of the annual conference was for participants to discuss the teaching of German at the university level, while sharing good practices and ideas about such matters as quality and secure online examination.

Opening the conference were Loretta Qwarnström, Faculty Head of Languages at Dalarna University, and Christine Fredriksson, Head of the German Department. Guest speakers from Dalarna University were Ulf Magnusson, who presented his research on “Morgondagens studenter” (the Students of Tomorrow) and Robert Andersson from the NGL Centre, who presented information about Next Generation Learning.

University Teacher Andrea Schwachenwald, who has taught at Dalarna University since 1994, briefly described how the German Department has changed over the years from one offering principally campus courses to the current one whose students are taught online. Back in the 90s, German was in fact one of the pioneer languages at Dalarna University to embrace online language teaching and the opportunities it affords students.

Taking part in the networking conference were some 20 teachers, some from as far afield as Umeå University.

Sylvia Ingemarsdotter: Recipient of Honorary Award

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:52:07 GMT

Mona Malm (left) and Sylvia Ingemarsdotter were two of three recipients of the honorary award.

Photo: Camilla Boquist

Sylvia Ingemarsdotter, Professor of Moving Image Production at Dalarna University, recently received an honorary award from the Anders Sandrews stiftelse for her creative work. The actor Mona Malm and artist Lasse Berghagen were also recipients of the award as well as prize money of 100 000 sek.

Sylvia Ingemarsdotter was editor of films such as Bo Widerberg's Mannen på taket, and Lasse Åberg's Repmånad och Sällskapsresan. Also, she worked alongside Ingmar Bergman on such films as Höstsonaten and Fanny och Alexander. She has also worked on various TV productions and documentaries. Saraband was her last piece of work with Ingmar Bergman.

Since 2000, Sylvia has worked as an instructor of Moving Image Production at Dalarna University. As well, she teaches at Den Norske Filmskolen in Lillehammer.

Anders Sandrews stiftelse

New Senior Lecturer in the Spanish Department

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:48:57 GMT

The Spanish Department in the Faculty of Languages at Dalarna University has a new Senior Lecturer.

Fernando Camacho Padilla has received a double PhD from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. His oral presentation took place in Madrid on March 20, when he received the highest grade in the Spanish university system: CUM LAUDE, a grade awarded only when all members of a special committee agree the candidate has met this high academic level.

Fernando Camacho Padilla achieved this double PhD from the Spanish and the Chilean universities thanks to a special agreement signed by both institutions. His supervisors were Professor Álvaro Soto Carmona (Spain) and Alfredo Riquelme Segovia (Chile). His dissertation is entitled “Solidarity and Diplomacy: The Swedish-Chilean Relations During Three Revolutionary Experiences 1964 - 1977”.

The members of the commission were as follows:

Encarnación Lemus (Professor in History. Universidad de Huelva. Regional Prize of Andalusia for reconvening the memory of the victims of the Spanish Civil War)

Fernando Purcell Torretti (Director of the Institute of History. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)

Javier Donézar Díez de Ulzurrun (Professor in History, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)

Pedro Martínez Lillo (Associate Lecturer in History. Director of the Master Program in Human Rights and Governance)

Alfredo Riquelme Segovia (Professor in History, Director of the Postgraduate Program of the Institute of History at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)

Fernando Camacho Padilla (Sevilla, 1979) has been working at Dalarna University since July 2011, teaching History, Culture and Society of the Spanish-speaking World. He has worked very much for the internationalization of Dalarna University with Spain and Latin America. As a result, the university has academic agreements with the two best universities in the Spanish-speaking world: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile (QS World University Rankings).

Fernando Camacho Padilla will present the results of his study at a High Lecture on April 10 at 16.00 in ABF-Stockholm. Researcher Alejandro González, from the Department of Economic History (SU), will comment on the dissertation.

This event is organized by the Institute of Latin American Studies (Stockholm University), the Embassy of Chile, ABF and the Harald Edelstam Foundation.

Dalarna University will transmit the conference live via Adobe Connect.

More information is published in Spanish on the website of Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile: http://historia.uc.cl/Noticias/nuevo-doctor-en-cotutela-fernando-camacho-padilla.html

Language Cafés in Borlänge Again

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:34:23 GMT

Do you want to improve your language skills or help somebody else improve theirs? Or do you just want to take part in a social event where language is the focus?

Once again, Dalarna University is hosting language cafés in Borlänge. They take place every second week at Café Esplanad, Borganäsvägen 28 in central Borlänge from 16.30 until 18.00.

The dates are:

25 March
15 April
29 April

There is no cost to take part in the cafés.

Languages this term are French, Russian, Swedish and German.

Högskolan Dalarna's Language Cafés

Top Rating for the African Studies Programme

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:24:37 GMT

Prof. Irma Taddia, Bologna University, and Lars Berge, Head of the African Studies Programme, Dalarna University, surrounded by Master students from Ethiopia, Finland, Ghana, Italy, Nigeria, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Korea and Sweden.

African studies at Dalarna University in cooperation with the University of Bologna receives top rating by Cooperlink and the Italian Ministry of University and Research.

Top rating

This year a total of 522 projects were nominated and presented, and only 34 were selected for funding through Cooperlink; among these, the Bologna-Falun exchange programme. At the University of Bologna this was the only project obtaining funds. The project got an evaluation of 8.5 out of 10 for: Academic Excellence, the richness of the Joint Programme, the opportunity given to students and the unique Double Degree arrangement between the University of Bologna and African Studies at Dalarna University.

Exchange and collaboration

The criteria for selection are related to the way in which the exchange is structured, like the existence of an official agreement, the possibility for students of obtaining a double degree, the balance between incoming/outgoing students and staff, etc. Among the strengths mentioned by the Ministry are; the circumstance that courses are taught both at the University of Bologna and in Falun and the wide range of topics that students can choose from thanks to the contribution of teachers from Bologna, Falun and many other countries (Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Nigeria, Norway, etc.). It also mentions that this collaboration is giving side results, like ideas for research projects and joint publications.

This academic year the African Studies programme received 32 000 Euro (and 22,000 Euro for academic year 2011-2012) for student grants and staff mobility.

Better Study Results with Classroom Response System

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 14:37:59 GMT

Andreas Lagerkvist teaches Mathematics at Dalarna University and works part-time on the project Student Active Lectures in Physics.

By posing questions and allowing students to reply anonymously, teachers are able to adapt their teaching in real time to the needs of the student group, which leads to better examination results. These are the findings of an NGL programme project at Dalarna University.

Next Generation Learning

On Tuesday, the programme for Next Generation Learning (NGL) held a conference so that colleagues could share results from the various projects that are part of the programme.

In one such project, namely Student-Active Lectures in Physics, Andreas Lagerkvist and Markku Jääskelainen have tested a method that has long been used at Harvard University in the USA. Each student is given a clicker, which is part of a CSR (Classroom Response System). This allows them to answer questions anonymously during a lecture. By checking to see the students' level of understanding, the teacher can decide if a particular subject needs to be given more attention. Results show that students equipped with a clicker perform better in examinations.

Strong interest in this technology

There is now a queue of interested teachers at the University who would like to use this resource in their teaching.

"At first they questioned its usefulness, but more and more who have used it are seeing noticeable effects," states Andreas Lagerkvist.

Improved student performance is not the only positive effect of the clickers.

"There is a clear increase in activity during lectures as well. The use of this technology has brought with it more discussion and more active students in general," Andreas Lagerkvist further states.

The project that he and Markku have been working on for the last year will now be continued with them studying lectures where teachers use animation and interactive elements in their teaching. As well, more tests will be conducted to see the effects on students.

Students receive 2 to 3 questions during a lecture to which they can answer using a clicker. The teacher immediately sees the results and can adapt the lesson according to the learning needs of the group.

Language-Filled Menu at Kopparhatten

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 07:56:08 GMT

Russian, English, French, Italian, German and Spanish were in full flow at Kopparhatten. As always, there was a good mix of both students and non-students, old and young -- which made for lively and diverse conversation at each table.

The language cafés organised by Dalarna University are now in full swing for the term. A recent move has now given the cafés more room for the many guests at the restaurant and café Kopparhatten.

The cafés are held every term, every second Monday from 16.30 to 18.00.

For more information, please visit www.du.se/languagecentre.

The next language café will be February 18.

Tourism Studies: Open House at Campus Borlänge

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:09:41 GMT

Johan Håkansson (far right) describes how travel patterns and the environment are affected by the development of shopping centres.

On Friday afternoon, Campus Borlänge hosted a Tourism open house, where courses, programmes and development projects were presented to visitors.

The purpose of the open house was to provide an arena for business, industry and research. Two visitors were Leif and Cecilia Öster, who run the conference facility Dalagård in southern Dalarna.

"We have a government goal to double tourism by 2010, yet I feel that Sweden lacks competent entrepreneurs. Education in Tourism could be central in terms of competence," states Leif Öster.

Tobias Heldt was there to present his research. He has studied consumer patterns in relation to the world cup skiing competition "Svenska Skidspelen". Results from the study show that direct consumption of goods and services in rough terms generates 14 to 18 million Swedish kronor in business.

The effect of IKEA on travel patterns

Another project looks at the travel patterns of the population of Borlänge and above all how the establishment of IKEA will affect their travel patterns as well as the environment. As a first step, 240 individuals will be used in a test: their cars have been equippment with a GPS so that researchers will be able to see what travel patterns are in place today. The same test will then be conducted between March and May 2014 as a means of checking the effect of the new IKEA in Borlänge on travel habits.

"The location of the new IKEA is extremely good. It is the shortest possible distance from everyone in Borlänge. From a province-wide perspective, its location is also extremely good: Borlänge is situated in central Dalarna," says Johan Håkansson, who has worked with others on the project.

This is the second year for the Tourism Open House, and the hope is that it will be a recurring event on the Dalarna University calendar.

Students, researchers, business and industry were all there to take part in the Tourism Open House.

New Exchange Agreements with Japanese Institutes of Further Education

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:34:03 GMT

Dalarna University has entered into two new exchange agreements with Japanese institutes of further education, namely Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, Osaka (Asian Studies Program) and Miyagi University of Education, Sendai (Japanese Language Studies).

The agreements are for exchanges for both students and university personnel.

Dalarna University also has exchange agreements that apply to students and university personnel with institutes in Chile, Australia, Canada, Japan, China, USA and Russia.

For more information about exchanges, please visit our webpage.

Study at University: Self-Paced, Free-Start Education

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:55:11 GMT

Next Generation Learning (NGL) refers to pedagogical development and innovation with the help and support of technology. Dalarna University's vision is to be leading in NGL by the year 2015.

Here, we present projects that are part of the current NGL Programme.

Self-Paced, Free-Start Education is about flexibility. It means being able to take further education despite working full-time or being at home with children. This, according to Project Leader Joakim Karlsson, is becoming more and more common.

"It's fitting with the times that we do things when it suits us. We do our banking online, and more and more often we do our shopping online too. This is a trend that also applies to education. It's not natural to assume that I wil move to Falun to take a course if I'm married with children," he explains.

Start Whenever, From Wherever

The concept is made real through the programme Utveckling av e-tjänster (Development of E-Services) (120 Credits) that is offered at Dalarna University. Upon admission, the student can begin the programme whenever it suits him or her, except for during the summer. The study pace is decided upon by the student, although it is somewhat controlled by university administration and CSN, which gives study grants for 50 or 100 percent study rate.

The programme was developed following meetings with municipalities, branch organisations, and business and industry. In the municipalities, there were groups that required professional development education.

"Many applicants work, and combining work with study and then having to attend Friday meetings can be difficult. Imagine if I can be the one to decide when it should be Friday!" states Joakim Karlsson.

Study form that works for the individual

Finally, the programme was developed to what it is today: a programme that works for the individual according to his or her prior knowledge. Some work through all the study material and have a good deal of contact with the teacher, while others do not.

"We had one man who had been working in the IT industry for some nine years but who had never studied before. Some courses he completed quickly, others not quite so quickly. In total, though, he received his qualification more quickly than he would have otherwise done, despite working full-time," explains Joakim.

Being able to combine work, family and freetime with studies is one of the key advantages with this way of studying. The course room is open all hours, and students can pose questions at any time in the forum about the course or reach the teacher in other ways.

Joakim Karlsson believes this form of education is here to stay.

"There's an explanation as to why there are just as many if not more web-based students than there are campus students. Our customers' reality may steer us. Next Generation Learning, with the concept Self-Paced, Flexible Start will be a significant part. We must change the way we teach and assess while retaining quality," explains Joakim.

The Programme Utveckling av e-tjänster remains current. The idea with flexible pace and start has gained ground and is also being implemented in a new project of short courses organised by Dalarnas Akademi, in collaboration with Dalarnas Försäkringsbolag.

Dalarnas Akademi

Next Generation Learning

Programmet Utveckling av e-tjänster

International Authority on Sustainable Development

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:14:19 GMT

Dalarna University has begun preparations ahead of its future work with its post-2015 vision. As part of this, a number of inspirational seminars are set to be held.

The first of these seminars will be open to the public when it is the honour of the University to welcome John Thackara as Lecturer.

John Thackara is an international authority in the area of sustainability. He is also a philosopher and design expert. Over the last 30 years, he has travelled the globe, seeking out stories about practical measures that societies have put in place to make a sustainable future possible.

Please feel welcome to attend his lecture!

John Thackara.

Time: January 25, 12.20 - 13.05

Place: Lecture Hall 5 (Fö 5), Campus Falun

Andrew Casson, Director of the Office of Education and Research, will provide an introduction to John Thackara's lecture entitled "Living Systems – Next Economy".

Web-Based Collaboration Between Educational Institutes

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:56:11 GMT

In Falun, most programme students take their exams from home over the Internet. Carl-Johan Wihlborg (at front) and Fredrik Persson (at the computer) take part on campus along wtih Programme Director Sten Sundin and Course Teacher Johnny Wingstedt.

On January 16, the first students in the Music and Sound Design Programme at Dalarna University took their exams. The examination took place in Falun, but most students took part from their respective home.

Improving the programme

In terms of its form of collaboration, the programme is quite unique. The courses are offered through Dalarna University as well as Linné University in Växjö and Mittuniversitetet in Sundsvall. This collaboration serves to give students a more complete education according to course teacher Johnny Wingstedt, Lecturer in Sound and Music Production at Dalarna University.

"For example in Sundsvall, courses are more technical in focus than they are here. Even though we have technical skills and knowledge here, we also have a stronger academic basis thanks to our Bachelor's programme in Sound and Music Production. The combination of academic and technical courses that reach from one educational institute to another provides an extremely good and varied education," states Johnny Wingstedt.

Growth potential

Programme Director Sten Sundin believes it is a form of education that can be developed in Media programmes at Dalarna University.

"We see great potential for collaboration with our web-based programmes and our campus programmes," he states.

University studies that are web-based are increasing. More than 86 000 students studied fully or at least partly online in the autumn of 2011. Many of those are very satisfied with their courses, according to a recent study that was carried out by Dalarna University, Gotland University and Mittuniversitetet.

Others take part over the web in their virtual classroom.

Dalarna University's New Vision

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 08:08:56 GMT

2013 will be an important year for Dalarna University. Preparations for future work with the University's vision after 2015 will begin with a series of seminars that will run under the title of "Våga se – lärande utan gränser."

The aim of the seminars is to inspire reflection, discussion and debate about the place and role of Dalarna University both now and in the future.

"I hope there will be occasion for personnel to look at and discuss those issues that we sometimes take for granted, such as the value of higher education, where society is heading and the role of academia in this. What is our purpose? In what areas do we want to focus our knowledge?" states the Vice Chancellor Marita Hilliges.

Conference Guest Mary O'Donnell, Poet and Novelist, on Ireland

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 08:33:11 GMT

Mary O´Donnell is both poet and novelist. She has also worked as teacher and journalist.

Mary O´Donnell, poet and author, was just one speaker at the international conference that the Dalarna University Centre for Irish Studies, DUCIS, organised. The theme of the conference was "The Challenge to Authority and the Authority of Wisdom: Cultural Connections in Poetry, Fiction, and on the Street".

From employment to unemployment

Over the ten years that is generally known as the "The Celtic Tiger", many people immigrated to Ireland. Among those immigrants were people from Poland, the Baltic States and Nigeria.

"Until 2006, there was no unemployment here. Currently, some three million people of the working population are unemployed. Marriages have broken down and people have lost their homes. Our country is in debt. Probably, it will be five to six years before we have normal economic growth again."

In some schools, up to 60 percent of children are Irish-African- Mary O'Donnell wonders what this will mean rhetorically for future poetry.

"Writers with a diverse background is something vey good. All those nationalities that have come to Ireland have broken the homogeneity that existed here prior."

At present, O'Donnell is writing a satire with the title "Winning the Lemon", keeping in mind "The Celtic Tiger", although she explains that this is not her normal literary style. The satire is about four types of Irish women who are competing for the Lemon Prize – a literary prize for women - and who first must go through an interview process.

Various types of artistic expression are required

Mary O´Donnell states that the Irish are now faced with something new - that Ireland must still find a way to dream. She feels that art can be healing and that various types of artistic expression are required in current Irish society.

For some years now, a new phenomen has established itself in Ireland: groups for men in both rural and urban areas. These groups offer support through various types of personal crises and encourage men to talk with one another about their problems. Suicide has become a big problem in present-day Ireland as a result of depression and the economic crash, O'Donnell further explains.

Eva Cederquist

Pedagogical Examination Solutions Better Than Technical Solutions for Web-Based Learning

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 08:02:58 GMT

Dalarna University has more students taking web-based distance courses than it does campus students. Even in traditional formal education, making examination secure is a challenge: web-based courses present further challenges still.

Charlotte Lindgren heads a group at the University that has looked at how the examination of those taking web-based distance courses can be adapted to ensure a secure examination process.

Over the course of 2012, the group collected information from current research as well as through interviews with subject heads to find out their thoughts on the subject. The goal is to map out current online examination practices and thereby put together concrete tips for teachers as to how to improve the examination process.

Different solutions for identification

Currently at Dalarna University, there are various ways to identify students for web-based distance examinations. For example, the student can show ID to the teacher using the web camera before the examination begins or the student can scan his or her ID and send this to the teacher.

More advanced technology, such as eye scanners and fingerprint readers, are used in some places in the USA, but these require that the student has the correct equipment and that there is a bank that can match the registered student with a fingerprint or the iris of the eye. Methods for more secure examination that Charlotte Lindgren's group has so far looked at have been pedagogical rather than technological.

"One example of a pedagogical method is to integrate the examination into the course and not use the traditional method where the student takes part in lectures, studies using a book at home and then sits the examination," explains Charlotte Lindgren.

Advantages with the pedagogical method

There are a number of advantages with the pedagogical method. On the one hand, there is more focus on what you are to learn in the course instead of what you can expect will be on the examination. The increased contact that comes with ongoing examination means the teacher is more knowledgeable about the students in his or her course.

"The best way to eliminate cheating is for teachers to know their students. By having more contact with your students, you get to know them and their levels, which means you can better determine how much they know," explains Charlotte Lindgren further.

However, there are problems with this method. The combination of large groups and teachers' lack of time hinders the development of sound examination forms. Charlotte Lindgren feels that the best scenario would be for teachers to receive time to develop means of examination and conduct ongoing examination of students as much as possible.

"I believe that most students want examinations to be good. They don't want it to be easy to cheat. They want to be able to demonstrate what they have learnt from the course," she continues.

Will present findings at a conference

The group is now in the final stages of the project; however, recently Charlotte Lindgren was awarded more funding to continue into 2013. In sping 2013, she will present her findings at a conference in Skövde entitled Examination i framtidens högskola (Examination in the Universities of the Future).

"I believe we are the first to have addressed this question so deeply. There might be a lot of thought given to the issue, but there aren't many who have actually invested funding into studying it," Charlotte Lindgren concludes.

Ten-Year Jubilee Celebration of the Media House

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:33:01 GMT

Ninni Johnsson Wallin, Lecturer in the Fine Arts, was in charge of planning for the event

Photo: Eva Cederquist

In early December, the Media House (Mediehuset) celebrated its 10-year jubilee with an Open House, with art, research and studies all on display. On day one, university staff and the public were welcomed to the event, while on day two, seminars were held in Media Production with representatives from other universities, such as Karlskrona's and Trollhättan's.

"We are extremely happy with the results," stated Ninni Johnsson Wallin, Programme Director for Film and TV Production and Lecturer in the Fine Arts, who was in charge of the planning for the event. "We wanted to open our facilities and show what it is we do, and I think we achieved our goal."

Close to 100 visitors came to the Media House to learn more. Ninni Johnsson Wallin felt it to be important to have the chance to demonstrate just how well things are going for those students who have taken the various courses and programmes in Media Production.

"There appears to be a firm belief that it is hard for students to get jobs upon completion of their Media Production studies. That, however, is not the case. According to the studies that I myself have done, some 80 percent have found work after graduation. It was great to be able to demonstrate such results."

Ninni explains how the programmes work hard to ensure that students find good trainee placements. Current Media Education is broad in its scope: graduates can work in a number of fields, such as photography, editing and script-writing.

Visitors had full access to the Media House and were also able to watch the film "Ett liv värt att leva”, an artistic research project financed by the Vetenskapsrådet. The film is about the life choices of Sami famlilies as they meet modernisation in the beginning of the 1900s.

Also open to show was the 3D-lab, the TV studio, sound studio, student radio och script editorial room.

The following day was one of seminars, where staff along with representatives from Blekinge Tekniska Högskola and Högskolan Väst were able to discuss how best to combine academic and practical elements of the organisation.

As further explained by Ninni, the goal is to create a network between similar post-secondary programmes and courses, when meetings can be held and issues discussed.

"These subject areas are new within universities, and we can learn from one another. Image Production is so new, in fact, that it is only Dalarna University that offers it as a subject. At other institutes of higher education, it is called Media Production or something similar."

On the closing day, former students met up with current students for panel debates, presentations and discussions. Some 50 former students took the opportunity to come and talk about their work and employment. One had come all the way from Jordan, where he is working temporarily as a technical educator.

On reflection, Ninni Johnsson Wallin felt the event was an extremely postive experience, even for the university staff.

"For us teachers, it was a great way to look back over the ten years that have passed since we began working in this building."

Translation: A Summary of the Original Swedish Text by Eva Cederquist

New Coatings Mean More Effective Tools for the Steel Industry

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:56:10 GMT

In her licentiate thesis, Maria Nilsson looked at the tools used within the steel industry in the processes of wire drawing and hot rolling of metals and the way in which tools behave when they wear. She also looked at their mechanical and tribological qualities. (Tribology is a term that refers to friction, wear and lubrication of contact surfaces.)

"In lab tests, I studied whether I could get a material with better wear qualities and found that the drawing die, which normally comprises hard metal, could be replaced with a steel drawing die with a ceramic coating, even if that is more expensive."

The best coating proved to be a double coating, where the inner coating comprises a hard titanium carbide coating and where the outer softer coating comprises chromium carbide and carbon.

"The outer coating works as a lubricant, while the inner harder coating handles wear better."

The results from her licentiate thesis she hopes will contribute to the development of new, more effective tools, lower costs, and less impact on the environment.

Summary in English based on the original text by Eva Cederquist