Education development and good results in exceptional conditions
The exceptional year 2020 and transfer to remote teaching challenged us but they can also be regarded as successful. Earlier learnt digital skills became widely tested in our everyday life. Both staff and students ended up in a new environment. We believe that even despite all the difficulties the experience resulted in strong competence and good practices for the future.
Tampere Universities’ Teaching and Learning Centre network started its operation. Its task is to offer training and pedagogical support to TAMK’s and Tampere University’s teachers at every phase of their career.
We offered teaching staff plenty of support in remote teaching. TAMK’s digimentors played an important role in this. During the year, we introduced a tip bank and operations models to support the pedagogical change. The Pedagogical Deed of the Year was also awarded to TAMK’s digimentors.
Higher education is undergoing digitalisation, which will affect learning, teaching and supervision. We promoted digitalisation in more than 20 development projects funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. These national projects and networks produced learning materials, modules and pedagogical supervision and teaching models to support teaching.
Deeds to support student wellbeing
Students’ wellbeing services became an important development focus. We based our work on the universities community’s joint wellbeing programme and established a joint wellbeing group to support the work.
TAMK gathered students’ wellbeing services to an online platform where it is easy for students to find the service they need. We also launched the JobTeaser platform for students and employers. It informs students of practical training places, vacancies and thesis topics.
Students’ need for support increased during the year. We responded to this by developing peer support and wellbeing services in close cooperation with the student union Tamko.
The national entrance examination to universities of applied sciences was implemented for the first time in its full extent in the summer. The second phase of the digital entrance examination brought almost 2,000 applicants to TAMK in June. The examination took place on three days due to the corona-related safety measures. In the autumn, about 1,500 applicants completed the examination at TAMK.
There are also other ways to be admitted to universities of applied sciences than entrance examinations. We are working on paths from upper secondary vocational education to universities of applied sciences together with vocational institutions. The open UAS path to universities of applied sciences was extended in all fields of education.
Master’s degrees respond to changes in working life
Master’s degrees produce new and advanced expertise for working life changes. Feedback and forecasting of needed competences help TAMK in developing its master’s degrees.
The multidisciplinary Master’s Degree Programme in Data Expertise and Artificial Intelligence is a good example of a new programme for working life needs. Social services, health care, engineering and business graduates can deepen their expertise in the programme.
Future health care calls for strong genomic knowledge, which is one of TAMK’s top competences. The first Finnish Master’s Degree Programme in Genetic and Genomic Counselling will begin in autumn 2021. The programme focuses on hereditary diseases, genomic knowledge and related guidance and counselling.
TAMK’s Nordic cooperation became closer with Arcada University of Applied Sciences, the Swedish Ersta Sköndal University College and Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The focus of the joint Nordic master’s degree is on the very topical mental health competence.
Text: Päivi Karttunen, Vice President. Editing: TAMK Communications Services.
Photo: Jonne Renvall
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