What is PrepProg?
In 2022, nine Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (UASs) started to plan a preparatory programme specifically for people who had fled from Ukraine and were interested in starting or continuing their higher education studies in Finland. Most of them did not speak much Finnish yet, but many of them already spoke some English. Therefore, the main goal of this study programme, called PrepProg (named after the project funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture, 2022–2024), was to develop English language skills and other necessary skills to the required level to proceed to higher education studies in Finland. In addition, the study programme was designed to provide personal counselling for future studies and career paths (Hirard & Sevonius-Male 2023).
In this article, we will briefly introduce the pilot implementation of PrepProg. After that, the main emphasis will be given to the experiences of students and teachers. These experiences will hopefully be useful for higher education institutions considering implementing a similar or other kinds of study programmes for international student groups.
Pilot Implementation of PrepProg
The pilot implementation of PrepProg took place from September 2023 to February 2024. The programme was implemented completely online to increase its availability regardless of the student’s place of living. The extent was defined as 30 ECTS, and the main contents focused on English language and other general study skills such as digital skills, mathematics, and Finnish or Swedish language. Additionally, a lot of emphasis was placed on study and career guidance to support students’ plans for future (PrepProg 2023).
Along with common studies, PrepProg also included 10 ECTS of field-specific studies. There were four different study paths: Engineering, Business, Health Care and Social Services, and a non-field-specific path. The purpose of these study paths was to enable students to become familiar with the study fields of their choice and help them to find future study opportunities in the field in question (Turku University of Applied Sciences 2023).
The number of students taking part in the pilot was relatively small. About 45 students participated actively in PrepProg, which turned out to be a quite suitable group size. In the preparatory programme, students’ needs for support are often bigger than in degree studies. Small student groups allow teachers to give more feedback on learning assignments and provide individual guidance when needed.
Students’ Experiences
During this project, students provided valuable written feedback on various aspects of their learning experience, including the duration, content, teaching methods, and skills development. While the overall duration was estimated to be appropriate, some students expressed a need for greater flexibility regarding assignment deadlines. Adjustments to accommodate diverse learning paces and personal schedules were suggested to aid with the problems of the learning rhythm.
Generally, students found the content to be beneficial, particularly in improving their English language skills. However, there were requests for more practical English language practice, such as spoken exercises, and additional guidance on academic writing. Overall, students reported significant improvements in both English language proficiency and general study skills. Notably, students expressed appreciation for the practical study skills and knowledge gained, such as time management, academic writing, and information analysis, which they considered valuable for future studies and the world of work.
A variety of teaching methods, including audio materials, lectures, and interactive sessions, were meant to support student learning. While many students found these methods effective, some expressed a desire for more guidance and feedback, especially in navigating the complex assignments and assessments. Several students and teachers experienced difficulties also with the online learning platform, Moodle, including issues with logging in and navigating the course materials. These technical challenges occasionally disrupted the learning process and highlighted the importance of user-friendly interfaces and technical support.
Many students expressed newfound confidence, self-esteem, and clarity regarding their career aspirations and educational goals.
The guidance provided within the curriculum, including group and individual sessions, was helpful for students in navigating the Finnish education system and planning for their academic and professional futures. Many students expressed newfound confidence, self-esteem, and clarity regarding their career aspirations and educational goals, citing the programme’s impact on their personal development. Next citations are adopted from the written feedback:
“The study programme and the guidance I received throughout have profoundly influenced my plans, shaping my career aspirations, educational goals, and personal development strategies.”
“I have outlined an approximate plan for the future, which includes: 1. Learning the Finnish language, 2. Job hunting, 3. Trying to enroll at the University in Oulu.”
“The importance of building a professional network was a recurring theme during the programme. Beyond career and education, the programme has influenced my personal development goals.”
Teachers’ Experiences
According to teachers’ written feedback, the contents, extent, and goals of the course were mostly appropriate. Only a few courses include content that could be either divided into separate courses or taught more tightly. In addition to individual classes, the teachers emphasized the importance of a clear structure for the whole programme. Both teachers and students should be aware of how all the study units are scheduled and how they can complement each other. It would also help to consider the students’ workload in different courses and at different stages of studies.
Preprog included a lot of online meetings, which in the opinion of teachers supported learning very well. It allowed discussion in small groups and made it possible for students to practice their oral language skills. On the other hand, the number of online meetings increased the workload and scheduling challenges. This is why teachers felt that each course should have more than one teacher.
It was difficult to estimate the students’ language level in advance.
Teachers’ workload was also increased by the heterogeneity of students’ English skills. Teachers felt that it was necessary to prepare different learning material and assignments for different students. In addition to each students’ individual skills, it was difficult to estimate the students’ overall language level in advance. Some teachers were prepared for a lower skill level and had to re-design the course during the implementation.
One of the strengths of the pilot was the emphasis on co-teaching and designing courses in teams. In courses without co-teaching, teachers felt that its inclusion would have simplified planning and reduced their workload. Cooperation between teachers could be further developed in a way that one of the teachers would operate as a tutor teacher. Clear responsibility for tutoring and regular tutoring meetings would strengthen teachers’ understanding of students’ progress, enhance students’ commitment to complete their assignments, and enable support at the appropriate time in matters related to digital skills, learning tasks, and study and career guidance. The role of a teacher tutor becomes even more important if the team of teachers is large. In the pilot implementation, there were over 30 teachers in total, which may have been quite confusing to the students.
Teachers were surprised that some students participated actively in online meetings but did not submit independent learning assignments despite recognizing the benefits of these tasks in boosting their learning. This made it difficult to evaluate the progress of their learning outside of lesson hours and it brough challenges in the course assessment based both on assignments and presence in online meetings. Both teachers and students stressed the importance of clear and transparent assessment criteria to ensure fairness and clarity. Assessment plays a significant role in implementation and must be aligned constructively to support learning (Ruhalahti 2019).
Navigating through independent studies and assignments proved to be challenging for some students, which often required extra support and reminders from teachers. To help students monitor their own progress and track their grades, teachers used Moodle’s gradebook. Some teachers also pointed out the value of immediate feedback made possible by Moodle’s automatic assessment features. Teachers had a lot of discussion around e.g. assessment practices and requiring attendance in online sessions. They relied on the idea that presence is not a mandatory assessment criterion.
Finding the future path
This pilot was designed for a specific student group, taking into consideration their unique backgrounds and needs. In addition to increasing their skills and clarifying their plans for the future, the programme also allowed the students to network with each other and with university staff. When networking, students benefited from informal guidance, which was not designed as part of the official guidance process for PrepProg. All these things improved students’ personal growth and self-esteem and helped them to find their strengths. We can therefore state that PrepProg did not only give the students new knowledge, but also supported their integration into the community and fostered a sense of belonging.
References
Hirard, T. & Sevonius-Male, M. 2023. Miksi teemme englanninkielisistä korkeakouluopinnoista saavutettavia ja tarkoituksenmukaisia maahanmuuttajille? Talk-verkkolehti. Turku University of Applied Sciences. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe20231113145553
PrepProg. 2023. Preparatory Programme for Higher Education Studies. [Program website]. Cited 24.4.2024 https://www.prepprog.fi/
Ruhalahti, S. 2019. Dialogisella yhteisöllisellä tiedonrakentamisella suunnataan syväoppimiseen. In P. Timonen, H. Mäkelä & S. Lukkarinen (ed.) Kampuksella digittää. Humanistinen ammattikorkeakoulu julkaisuja, 80. Helsinki. Cited 17.5.2024 https://www.humak.fi/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/kampuksella-digittaa-timonen-makela-lukkarinen-humanistinen-ammattikorkeakoulu.pdf 84–91.
Turku University of Applied Sciences 2023. Study guide: Preparatory Programme for Higher Education Studies in English. Cited 24.4.2024 https://opinto-opas.turkuamk.fi/52779/en/79055/144214?lang=en
Authors
Outi Wallin (PhD) works as a project manager, researcher and trainer at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK). In the PrepProg project, she worked as the project manager of the TAMK subproject and participated in planning the implementation of the project and small group teaching, among other things.
Tiina Hirard (MSc) works as a Head of Education and Lecturer at Turku University of Applied Sciences. In the PrepProg project, she worked as a project manager for the Turku University of Applied Sciences subproject and participated in curriculum work for preparatory education and the planning of Finnish language studies, among other things.
Ganna Kuznetsova (MA) is a philologist, teacher and translator of English and French. Before moving to Finland, she worked as an online English teacher in Ukraine. As a student in the PrepProg project, she participated in the pilot implementation of preparatory training.
Photo: Jonne Renvall/University of Tampere