Development of higher education

Education is developed in cooperation

We now develop TAMK’s degree programmes as well as related support services together with Tampere University but also together with the whole Finnish higher education sector. TAMK’s activeness can be seen in our numerous development projects. In 2019, we had about 50 ongoing projects. The most important of them focused on learning analytics, promotion of digitalisation in different fields of education and many forms of higher education pedagogy.

The cooperation between TAMK and Tampere University deepened on curricula and degree programmes. As a result of the cooperation, TAMK introduced revised curricula in autumn 2019. In addition to joint studies, we increased joint use of laboratories. Significant steps were taken in development of pedagogical competence in higher education by creating a Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) network. Its key task is to support teachers’ pedagogical competence.

We progressed significantly in our cooperation with upper secondary institutions when direct paths from upper secondary vocational studies to university of applied sciences studies were opened in all fields of education. Their purpose is to strengthen competence and shorten learners’ path to working life.

The first national electronic entrance examination of Finnish universities of applied sciences was a significant step forward. Approximately half of TAMK’s new degree students were admitted based on certificates. Approximately a hundred students were admitted to TAMK through open UAS path studies.

 

Changes in higher education

A key theme of higher education development is continuous learning and its development. Establishment of a continuous learning ecosystem started together with Tampere University.

In 2019, a record number of experts graduated from TAMK’s master’s degree programmes to Finnish and international working life. One of the most popular was Master’s Degree Programme in Educational Leadership, which also received excellent feedback from its participants.

To promote teaching and learning, we re-organised our operations and directed resources to related services. In 2019, we focused on wellbeing services for students, learning analytics and new supervision models.

 

Internationality to a part of all operations

Our internationality development programme in 2020-2025 strengthens TAMK’s role as an international university of applied sciences. Development of TAMK Campus International aims at creating practices which promote students’ international competence and participation as well as employment and integration of international students. The programme focuses on opening of new international degree programmes and projects, creation of an international working and studying atmosphere, doubling of the number of active international actors and establishment of a close-knit network of international professionals.

We cooperated more closely with our three international strategic partners, the German Munich University of Applied Sciences (MUAS) and the Dutch Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen and Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS). With MUAS we continued implementing the action plan, which we made in 2018. Its objectives cover project cooperation and educational cooperation including the summer school. Our cooperation with Hanze became closer for example in projects. We also prepared an impact-centred benchlearning process to support TAMK’s upcoming quality audit. Cooperation with THUAS mainly takes place through the Hague Network of seven European higher education institutions.

Mobility cooperation with our international partner institutions continued actively. Especially our teacher and expert mobility grew by 18 percent. As a new opening, TAMK’s field of technology had its first exchange students from Iraq in 2019.