It is increasingly vital, in the current era of ever-expanding remote work and learning, to develop blended methods for engineering education. This research aims to develop a blended, project-based information and communication technology (ICT) education model, conceptualizing a digital ecosystem based on stakeholders’ experiences and expectations. The article describes the first phase of the first cycle of the design-based research, analysis and exploration. Semi-structured interviews and online surveys were used to gather stakeholders’ – i.e. students’ (N = 27), instructors’ (N = 15) and industry representatives’ (N = 3) – thoughts and expectations about the current holistic integrated and project-based curriculum, on which little academic literature exists. The article gathers design principles for a broader intervention through which ICT education is transferred into blended learning. Study participants included third-year ICT engineering education students and instructors at the Lapland University of Applied Sciences, along with local industry representatives. The vast majority of the students described the integrated curriculum and project-based learning approach as a motivating pedagogical model. The participation of industry representatives was perceived as motivational to students. Working-life cooperation with companies should thus be encouraged and further developed in higher education curricula. The students’ positive attitudes towards integrated project-based learning may inspire higher education institutions to apply this framework.

The increase in remote work in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry has introduced the need for research into team collaboration platforms and education using a project-based blended learning approach. This study investigates the perceptions of ICT engineering students ( N = 56) at Lapland University of Applied Sciences in Finland regarding the social, cognitive, and teaching presences in a blended setting using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. The CoI questionnaire data were analyzed using the Rasch Rating Scale Model, and team collaboration and development platform logs were used to explore platform usage. The results suggest that the students’ overall perception of blended learning was highly positive. Questions associated with discussing through the online medium were relatively harder for the students to agree with, although the online medium was perceived as excellent for social interaction by the students. The results may help institutions develop an understanding of the factors that may improve the quality of blended learning experiences in project-based digital ecosystems.

Remote working enables organisations to have location- and time-independent business processes. Working life practices should also be applied in higher education. Lapland University of Applied Sciences' ICT education in Finland met the challenge by developing an online internship concept that improves cooperation between the university and industry and promotes the content and quality of education. This paper describes the experiences of the research project of online internship models. Oral feedback from students (N = 12) and companies (N = 6) were analysed along with the online internship concept during 2021. The concept includes three types of process models. Based on the idea that business and industry representatives are active players in the process. The supervising teachers and technical support staff of Lapland University of Applied Sciences (UAS) acted as a support network. Results confirmed the notion of the usefulness and suitability of the concept for the purpose. The marketing of the concept was supported by a process website. The challenges found focused on, for example equipment resources and the pedagogical skills of industry representatives. The concept can be generalised regardless of the field.

Industry and higher education are increasingly utilizing online environments due to digitalization. As a result, the learning experiences in these new digital learning ecosystems as communities must be re-examined critically. This study incorporates the second cycle of the design-based research (DBR) study developing the design principles and theoretical framework for a digital learning ecosystem in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) engineering education in Lapland University of Applied Sciences (UAS), Finland. This cycle examines students’ learning experiences in a project and Industry 4.0-based approach in a digital learning ecosystem with authentic industry assignments and involvement. The study examines the learning experiences of ICT engineering students in a project and Industry 4.0-based approach in a digital environment with authentic industry assignments and involvement. The study was carried out using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) approach. Rasch Rating Scale Model was used to analyse first-, second-, and third-year students’ responses to a translated and adapted CoI questionnaire. Open-ended questions were added to the questionnaire, which was then analysed using content analysis. The results indicate that students perceived project-based learning in an online setting positively. However, the findings point to issues with social interactions and the actual application of learnt knowledge and skills. Challenges in task management and scheduling, as well as receiving feedback, had a somewhat negative impact on the learning experience, particularly during the first year of study. Finally, this paper concludes by presenting a visual model summarizing the design framework developed through a broader DBR study informed by the previous DBR cycles. The findings may benefit practitioners in developing similar communities and ecosystems.