C-4011, entrance from door C, 4th floor (open Mon-Fri 6.45-16.45, excluding holidays). Forssa campus map

• 2 computers
• No accessible workstations
• Lockers in the corridor opposite of EXAM room
• For HAMK students, the EXAM room is open from Monday to Sunday, 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM. An access badge is required after 4:00 PM on weekdays and at all times during weekends.
  • If needed, the access badge can be obtained from the HAMKO office at the Hämeenlinna University Centre, or at the campus info desk or janitor on other campuses.
    Note: Obtain the access badge no later than the week before your exam!
• For EXAM visitors, the EXAM room is open from Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:45 PM. EXAM visitors do not need an access badge. The exam visit is closed during holiday periods, such as from Midsummer week until the end of July.
• Closed 18.6.-7.8.2025.

D-150, Building D, 1st floor, next to the canteen. Hämeenlinna campus map

Entrance from the main entrances of building N or from the entrance of building D on the Visakaarte side. When entering from the Visakaarte side, the exam room is on the same floor. There is a lift from the N building.

• 6 computers
• accessible workstation
• lockers in the corridor next to the EXAM room door
• For HAMK students, the facility is open from Monday to Sunday, 7:00 AM to 9:30 PM. An access badge is required after 4:00 PM on weekdays and at all times during weekends.
  • If needed, the access badge can be obtained from the HAMKO office at the Hämeenlinna University Centre, or at the campus info desk or janitor on other campuses. Note: Obtain the access badge no later than the week before your exam!
• For EXAM visitors, the EXAM room is open from Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. EXAM visitors do not need an access badge. The exam visit is closed during holiday periods, such as from Midsummer week until the end of July.
• Closed 28.6.-7.8.2025.

B-218, entrance from the main entrance, 2nd floor (main entrance open Mon-Fri 8-14, excluding holidays). Riihimäki campus map

• 4 computers
• accessible workstation
• lockers in the corridor next to the EXAM room door
• For HAMK students, the EXAM room is open from Monday to Sunday, 7:00 AM to 9:30 PM. An access badge is required after 2:00 PM on weekdays and at all times during weekends.
  • If needed, the access badge can be obtained from the HAMKO office at the Hämeenlinna University Centre, or from the campus info desk or janitor on other campuses.
    Note: Obtain the access badge no later than the week before your exam!
• Closed 18.6.-7.8.2025.
• EXAM visit available from 18.8.2025 onwards

A-147, Building A, 1st floor (address: Lotilantie 16). Valkeakoski campus map

Note: the access badge is always required

• 2 computers
• accessible workstation
• Lockers in the corridor nearby the EXAM room

• For HAMK students, the EXAM room is open from Monday to Sunday, 7:00 AM to 9:30 PM. An access badge is always required because the entrance is locked.
  • If needed, the access badge can be obtained from the HAMKO office at the Hämeenlinna University Centre, or from the campus info desk or janitor on other campuses.
    Note: Obtain the access badge no later than the week before your exam!
• Closed 18.6.-7.8.2025.

• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Irfanview
• Calculators:
  • Geogebra Classic
  • MathCad
  • TI-Nspire
  • Windows-laskin
• Media Player Classic
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), no proof-reading
• Notepad++
• Paint
• 7zip
• interactive displays on a certain computers

The same rules apply to the EXAM exam as to other HAMK exam sessions. Any fraudulent activity is strictly prohibited, and any suspicions of fraud will be handled according to HAMK’s official guidelines.

• Only persons who have reserved an examination time are permitted to enter the EXAM room at the time specified in their reservation.
• In the EXAM room, you are only allowed to bring an official ID, an access badge if needed, a locker key, and a water bottle.
  • Those taking a paper exam may also bring their own writing instruments.
  • If you have special needs due to a medical condition (e.g., insulin, food/drink, crutches, etc.), you must notify in advance at helpdesk@hamk.fi.
• All other items are prohibited. Examples of prohibited items include: phones, smartwatches, pencil cases, personal papers, snacks, coats, and bags. These items must be left in a locked locker outside the exam room.
• Exams start on the hour and end no later than five minutes before the next hour.
• You can enter the EXAM exam room no earlier than five minutes before your exam starts.
• The exam ends when you leave the EXAM room. There is no possibility to use the restroom during the exam.
• Talking is prohibited in the EXAM room.
• The EXAM exam room is under real-time video and audio surveillance.

By registering for the EXAM exam, you agree to comply with the above rules. Non-compliant action may lead to suspicion of fraud and the rejection of your exam.

The User must accept the Terms of Use on the first use.

• I commit to adhering to HAMK’s general exam guidelines.
• I will not act dishonestly. Cheating and/or bringing prohibited items into the EXAM room is strictly forbidden. The EXAM room is under recording camera surveillance.
• I will not share my user credentials with others.
• If necessary, I must be able to prove my identity.

There are several privacy notices related to the EXAM system and EXAM facilities (processing of the student’s personal data and camera surveillance). These can be found on HAMK’s public website on the personal data processing page.

• The same rules and instructions apply to an exam completed in the EXAM as to other exams or study attainments. Any fraud is strictly prohibited and any suspicions of fraud are handled according to HAMK’s official guidelines.

• For cheating can be interpreted, for example, prohibited material in an exam, copying another examinee’s answer, using a phone in the middle of an exam, talking or collaborating during an exam. If a student is guilty of cheating, he or she will be removed from the event immediately and the completion will be disqualified.
• Sääntöjen noudattamista seurataan tallentavan kamera- ja äänivalvonnan avulla.
• Spot checks will be carried out in the EXAM rooms. During spot checks, students must be able to prove their identity with a student, driver’s or identity card with a photo.

Log in with your HAMK credentials at https://exam.hamk.fi.

• Search for the correct exam on the Exams page by the teacher’s name or the exam name. Register if necessary. Choose where you want to take your exam (section 2 of the booking form):
  • In your own university’s exam room (on any campus), or
  • As a guest in another university’s exam facilities: Book the exam visit room.
• Select a suitable time. Confirm the booking.

When going for an exam visit:

• Familiarize yourself with the EXAM rules of the other university in advance.
• Also, find out what software is available in the exam rooms of the other university.
• Exam visit locations

• Register and book exam times in your home university’s EXAM system.
• If you are enrolled in multiple universities, make sure to register for the exam and book the exam time at the university offering the course in question.
• When you book an exam time in HAMK’s EXAM room, you accept HAMK’s rules for electronic exams and surveillance practices. During an exam visit, camera surveillance recordings are handed over to your home university if necessary.
• Possible exam times and exceptions can be seen in the booking calendar.
• For questions about exam visits, contact your own university’s EXAM support.
• At HAMK, you cannot take paper exams from other universities as an exam visit.
• HAMK’s EXAM computers software and peripherials list above on this page.

You can familiarize yourself with booking, changing, and canceling exam times, as well as taking the exam if you wish. Log in to HAMK’s EXAM with your HAMK credentials. Search for the exam using the keyword: practice. Register for the exam and book a time. If you do not want to take the exam, cancel the booking.

• In case of emergencies, follow HAMK’s general emergency and safety instructions.
• If there is a fire alarm, immediately exit the building. After the alarm, you may return to continue your exam if it is safe to do so and there is still exam time remaining.

You can change the time of your exam reservation later. If you are unable to use your exam reservation, you must cancel it. An unused exam reservation is counted as an attempt.

1. Log in to EXAM with your HAMK credentials (username only, no organization information).
2. On the EXAM dashboard, you will see your upcoming exam reservations. By clicking on the three dots, you can change or delete the EXAM reservation.

• If the booking calendar only shows dates without the time slots, check that your computer is set to the Finnish time zone. If the time difference is too large, available times will not be displayed.

After logging in, the EXAM system will tell you which EXAM computer is reserved for you.

• If you encounter computer problems before or during the exam and need to stop the exam and leave the room, report the issue to HAMK’s Helpdesk as soon as possible. You can reach them at 03 646 3000, via the website helpdesk.hamk.fi, or by email at helpdesk@hamk.fi
• Incomplete answers will be saved in the system.

When you have accepted your study place, register as present for the first academic year according to the instructions you received during the student selection process.

If you continue your studies to the second or third academic year, you must also register as present for the following academic year. Information about registration practices will be provided to continuing students in May-June.

If you do not register as present for the academic year, you will lose your right to study. If you wish to continue your studies, you must apply for the restoration of the right to study. The right to study can be restored if there is still time left in the original right to study. The decision on restoration is made by the Head of Programme. A processing fee of 50 euros will be charged for the application.

If you want to register as an absent student, please read more from below: Right to study

You must activate your HAMK user ID before starting of your studies. Please note that you cannot activate your HAMK user ID until you have received an HAMK ID activation email.

See the instructions for activating your HAM user ID here.

Attention! We do not send usernames by email.

Problems with HAMK user ID activation?

Contact HAMK IT Services either by email: helpdesk@hamk.fi or by phone: Tel. +358 3 646 3000. We serve students by phone on weekdays from 8:15 AM to 3:00 PM.

You can find all IT services and instructions compiled here

HAMK user ID is username@student.hamk.fi.

Please note that your username will be used to log in to your student email, the Moodle workspace and to access HAMK’s IT services. You will also log in to Google cloud services with your username.

The username is therefore different from your email address, which is firstname.surname@student.hamk.fi

Problems with logging?

Contact HAMK IT Services either by email: helpdesk@hamk.fi or by phone: Tel. +358 3 646 3000. We serve students by phone on weekdays from 8:15 AM to 3:00 PM.

You can find all IT services and instructions compiled here

The Student IT Services page includes tips for online studying and instructions on using tools.

If you wish, you can complete Starter Kit of Digital Skills -course, which helps you familiarize yourself with the electronic tools, devices, environments, and procedures needed in your your studies. Completing the Digistart -course is not a mandatory part of your studies; its purpose is to support you in starting your studies in the online environment. Therefore, you decide whether to take advantage of the package or not.

When you start the course first time, you will need Learn’s course access key: “Digistarter-24”

The digital starter kit contains 14 parts. Before starting your studies, we recommend that you complete at least parts 1-6.

When you see this pattern ⬡ it is possible to complete the section with a competency mark. Remember to take the completed marks to use. Below is the table of contents of the digital starter kit and the average time needed to complete each section.

1. Welcome to the Starter Kit of Digital Skills

2. Basic digital services for students (1h)

3. Learn online learning environment ⬡ (0,5-1 h)

4. Study planning | Pakki ⬡ (1h)

5. Microsoft 365 – supporting communal work

6. For internal communication Tuudo and Viva Engage (formerly Yammer) ⬡ (0,5h)

7. Teams – for teamwork ⬡ (1h)

8. Manage documents with OneDrive for Business ⬡ (1h)

9. Online meetings with Zoom ⬡ (1 h)

10. Office software ⬡ (2-5 h)

11. Library and web library HAMK Finna ⬡ (0,5-1 h)

12. Studying and well-being ⬡ (0,5 – 1 h)

13. How do you display your open badges?

14. Feedback on Digital Starter Kit

Take control of the student desktop in Pakki from the start of your studies. The app has a wide range of tools to help you track your progress and update your own information, among other things. Login with your HAMK username and password. You can use the Pakki on your computer browser or on your mobile device.

Via Pakki:

• check and update your changed contact details (link to help video)
• see the timetable for your group (link to the guide)
• browse your grades
• apply for accreditation of your prior learning (credit transfer) and accreditation of work experience (skills demonstration) via the RPL tool
• create digitally signed documents (for example transcript of records)
• download graduation certificate for 28 days from the graduation day
• answer the module feedback questionnaire (Spark feedback service)
• Note! A teacher student doesn’t have to register for courses through the Pakki service. Professional Teacher Education registrations are handled by Student Services.

More detailed Curriculum will be available through the following link. Please note that the curricula of the groups starting in May can be found under the year 2024-2025, as the groups will start studying during the spring of 2025. You can change the language in English from the top right.

Unfortunately, teacher and guidance counsellor education students cannot get AMK student cards for discounts. The AMK student card is available only for those who study in a degree programme.

Lunch discount cards

The campus restaurant Helmi in Hämeenlinna University Centre offers a varied lunch menu for students, staff and visitors on weekdays. Teacher and professional guidance counsellor students can ask for a discount card from the Student Services:  aokk-opintotoimisto@hamk.fi. Discounts are available only at the campus restaurant Helmi in Hämeenlinna University Centre.

• Campus Restaurant Helmi (Compass Group)

If you are a full-time student, you may be eligible for the meal subsidy card from Kela.

You can get a subsidized lunch only from certain student restaurants, which you can find on Kela’s website. The student must always show their card to receive the discount, and if necessary, prove their identity.

According to HAMK’s guidelines, Kela meal subsidy cards will not be mailed. If you are studying in an online group and want a meal support card, you must personally apply for the card at the Hämeenlinna University Center from the Student Services of HAMK School of Teacher Education. Please contact the student services in advance: aokk-opintotoimisto@hamk.fi.

Tuesday Bulleting seminars are generally held at 4-5 PM. Please note a few exceptions in the time.

September
Tue 2 Sept 2025 at 4 pm – 5 pm	Characteristics of Vocational Education in Finland
October
Tue 21 Oct 2025 at 4 pm – 5 pm	The Use and Possibilities of AI in Promoting Teaching and Learning
November
Tue 18 Nov 2025 at 4 pm – 5 pm	Guidance and Career Counselling in Education
January
Tue 13 Jan 2026 at 12 pm – 1 pm (NOTE deviant time)	Special Needs Education and Inclusion
March
Tue 3 Mar 2026 at 12 pm – 1 pm (NOTE deviant time)	Future megatrends and educational foresight skills

You do not need to register for Tuesday Bulletin webinars. You can just join the webinar via the link below when the time comes. Tuesday Bulletin are held on Zoom, and the same link works for all sessions.

Tuesday Bulletin are held in webinar format. Participants have the opportunity to participate in discussions through the chat function, but it is not possible to turn on the camera or microphone.

If you use the the Zoom app, you can join by using the meeting ID 648 5635 4973.

The Tuesday Bulletin are recorded and the recordings are available for viewing for two weeks on this website. The recordings do not have subtitles.

View the recordings from the links below.

All Tuesday Bulletin for the academic year 2024-2025 have been held. Tuesday Bulletin will start again in the fall of 2025.

In case of problems, you can make a service request via the Helpdesk or by sending an email to IT Services.

You can download digitally signed documents at Student Desktop Pakki

You can order electronically signed documents for yourself from your student’s desktop on Pakki.

• Log in to Pakki with your HAMK username and password.
• Select Documents from the desktop and then New order.
• The list includes all the documents available in digitally signed format.
• Select the right document type, language of the document and Order.
• Select the tab called Documents. The newest document is the first one on the list.
• Just select the document name to download or open it.
• You can either
  • open it with your browser,
  • open it from the Downloads file on your computer, or
  • open it with a default PDF reader on your computer.
• Save the document on your computer and forward it for example attached to an email.
• The recipient may validate the authenticity of the document by following the instructions at the end of the digitally signed document.

If you notice some errors in some of your documents (for example Transcript of Records), please contact our Student Services: aokk-opintotoimisto@hamk.fi.

If you need documents for Public employment and business services or an Insurance company, please contact our Student Services.

Ordering copies or re-send of certificates

Pricing:

• Certificates issued before 10/2021: The price to order a copy of the paper certificate is EUR 50. Place the order via HAMK Shop. Delivery takes about a week. 
• Certificates issued from 10/2021: We can re-send digitally issued certificates free of charge. Place the order via: aokk-opintotoimisto@hamk.fi 

Right to study

Studies that progress according to the programme for multiform and online studies are considered to be part-time studies. Part-time students must complete their studies within three years (Act on Universities of Applied Sciences 932/2014). The right-to-study period begins when the student enrolls as present for the first time. A student who has not completed their studies during the period of study loses the right to study.

Right of absence

You can enrol for non-attendance for the first academic year for the following reasons only and prove the legal grounds for your non-attendance with the given documents:

1. Completing military service, civilian service or voluntary military service for women in Finland, service under the Conscription Act (1438/2007), Non-Military Service Act (1446/2007), or Act on Women’s Voluntary Military Service (194/1995)
   • required document: Call-up order or a conscript card
     Note! ONLY the military service of the Finnish army
2. You need leave from studies to care for child in connection with the child’s birth or adoption
   • required document: Kela’s certificate regarding maternity, paternity or parental allowance period or, if the certificate has not yet been received, a medical certificate regarding the pregnancy or
   • corresponding certificates from the authorities of other countries regarding statutory parental leave
3. Personal illness or injury that prevents you from studying
   • Sickness allowance decision or, if no decision exists, a medical certificate. The medical certificate must state which illness or injury the student suffers from, and that this condition prevents the student from beginning their studies on 1 January / 1 August.
   • Obstacles caused by the practical arrangements required by the illness or injury: an adequate clarification, e.g. a certificate from the student housing foundation that the student is on the waiting list for an apartment required by his or her injury.

The documents proving the legal grounds for your non-attendance must be delivered by 31st August. Documents must be submitted in Finnish, Swedish or English.

Submit the documents here: https://hamk.e-lomake.fi/lomakkeet/449/lomake.html?rinnakkaislomake=Absence_sfi_en[k]

A second or third-year student may enroll as absent for a maximum of one (1) year, which is not counted against their study right period. Similarly, absences caused by the above-mentioned reasons 1 or 2 are not deducted from the study right period. To report absences for the entire semester, students must inform Student Services by 10th January for the spring semester and 31st August for the autumn semester.

Enrolment for the academic year

The students will have to enroll as present or absent every year according to the deadlines set by HAMK. Practicalities of this will be advised for students at the beginning of the studies.

Once students have accepted a study place, they register as present for the first academic year in the manner described in the admissions guide. If a student continues studying into 2nd or 3rd academic year, they must also register as present. Continuing students will be informed of the registration process during the spring (May-June).

A student who has not enrolled will lose their right to study. If a student who has lost right to study wants to continue studying, they must apply for the reinstatement of their student status. The student status can be readmitted if the study period (3 years max) is still running. The Head of Degree Programme makes the decision to reinstate the student status. A handling fee of EUR 50 is invoiced from the student. The fee is paid through HAMK Shop.

Studying after the end of the admission group’s programme

If a student does not graduate according to the admission group’s programme, they continue under the guidance of the same tutor teacher until the end of the second year.

Extension period

Application for extension period (word document)

The Head of Degree Programme may grant a discretionary extension period to students in order to complete their studies. This extension is dependent on the student submitting a realistic plan for the achievement of this goal. The extension must be requested during the right to study period. An extension may only be granted for a maximum of six months. The application for an extension period is subject to EUR 50 administration fee. The fee is paid through HAMK Shop.

Readmission to complete studies

Application for readmission (word document)

If, upon conclusion of the right to study period, a student wishes to continue their previously interrupted studies, they may apply for a new right to study. The Head of Degree Programme may, on the basis of an application, grant a former teacher student the right to study so that the student in question can complete their teacher education if no more than one half of the entire scope of the programme is to be completed. A new right to study can be granted for a maximum of one year. Applications for a new right to study are subject to a EUR 50 administration fee. The fee is paid through HAMK Shop.

Teacher education learning assignments use the referencing technology used at HAMK.

Committing plagiarism

Copying content produced by another person and presenting it as your own work is prohibited and will result in the rejection of your coursework. The teacher will check students’ written assignments for plagiarism.

The International Professional Teacher Education and Professional Guidance Counsellor Education have no tuition fees.

You can apply for student financial aid from Kela (Social Insurance Institution) for professional teacher or guidance counsellor education studies. Student financial aid requires that at least five study credits are accumulated per month. Studying according to the group’s programme does not meet the criteria. However, a personal study plan can be made for the student to shorten the study time. More information about student financial aid can be found on Kela’s website.

You can find more information about self-directed study support for the unemployed from the employment administration website and TE services. Because self-directed study support is discretionary, the student must first inquire about this support possibility from TE services.

NOTE! Students living abroad are usually not covered by Finnish study support.

International Professional Teacher Education students

Professional teacher students provide feedback on the course through the Webropol feedback form.

Webropol feedback form is related to curriculum implementation follow-up research. The study aims to gather information and views on implementing the curriculum so that it can be jointly developed and improved.

At the end of the course, you will receive an email with a link to your feedback form. We aim to get accurate feedback on each of our new courses so we can develop them further! You can give feedback for about two weeks after the course ends.

We greatly appreciate your participation and views!

Note! The Spark feedback system collects feedback on the optional course Wicked Problems of Educational Institutes – Through Transdisciplinary Elements Towards the Solutions. You may give feedback via the Spark feedback service in Pakki. The feedback survey opens seven days before the course ends and stays for a fortnight after the course’s end date. If you cannot give feedback, please send a service request to ServiceDesk or email koulutuksentukipalvelut(at)hamk.fi.

Professional Guidance Counsellor Education students

Professional Guidance Counsellor Education students provide feedback via Spark feedback service in Pakki. Please remember to give feedback at the end of the module/course. The feedback survey opens seven days before the module ends and stays open for a fortnight after the module ends.

The feedback service recognises the modules/courses you have been accepted in Pakki. Please note that you can provide feedback for each module only once and when the feedback questionnaire is available. Giving feedback is always anonymous.

If you cannot give feedback, please send a service request to ServiceDesk or email koulutuksentukipalvelut(at)hamk.fi. We will develop all education at HAMK with the feedback. For further information on module feedback and development measures based on it, contact the module teachers.

HAMK’s student welfare services are staffed by a student psychologist, a special needs education teacher and a sports planner. Their task is to support and promote student well-being and to implement and develop well-being-enhancing activities throughout the institution.

You can contact a student psychologist if you have problems with studying, stress, coping, time management or motivation, for example. You can talk to the psychologist, take stock of your situation and, if necessary, arrange around 1-5 support, guidance and counselling visits.

The psychologist can refer you to further services if you need to seek treatment or therapy, for example.

The special needs education teacher can be contacted, for example, if there are difficulties with your studies, a decision is needed on the need for individual arrangements, or there is a need to clarify possible learning/reading difficulties. The special needs education teacher can identify reading difficulties using a reading screen and an individual test.

HAMK strives to provide its students with the most comprehensive and high-quality sports opportunities possible. Student and staff sports are coordinated and developed by Hamk Moves. The sports planner can be contacted for all sports-related matters, and feedback and suggestions for improvements are more than welcome.

Students of the School of Professional Teacher Training are not covered by the Student Health Service (YTHS). So if you fall ill, please contact the health services in the area where you live or the occupational health services at your workplace.

Teacher education students can complete studies at the HAMK Open University of Applied Sciences. There is a fee for the student (15 euros/credit point). However, the studies cannot be included in the teacher education programme, but must be completed separately. Students must enrol for the studies through the Open University of Applied Sciences enrolment system, not through the student’s Pakki service.

Studies in a Professional Teacher Education programme may include work with minors and different client groups, which places ethical requirements and the requirements on client safety at the core. Students must be capable, in terms of their state of health and functional capacity, to perform the practical tasks and training related to the studies. The studies and acting in the profession require sufficient physical, mental and social functional capacity. Suitability is evaluated throughout the studies.

A limitation related to the state of health or functional capacity is not an obstacle for admitting the applicant as a student, if the impacts can be removed with reasonable measures, for example with special arrangements. The purpose is not to otherwise unnecessarily impede the access of an applicant to education based on their disability or physical, mental or social limitations. The limitations are applied only in situations where it is clear that the applicant’s state of health or functional capacity may endanger the safety of minors or client safety. (University of Applied Sciences Act 932/2014, sections 26, 27, 33 and 34; Universities of Applied Sciences Decree 1129/2014, section 11. in Finnish)

Obstacles to student selection may include the following:

• a mental illness or a serious mental disorder
• substance or drug addiction, or drug abuse during the past two years
• limitations in the social functional capacity, which impairs working with people
• long-term illness or physical disability, which limits participation in the studies.

During the studies, the University of Applied Sciences may request the student to present an extract from the criminal record, if future learning situations and practical trainings substantially involve working with minors.

The University of Applied Sciences may obligate the student to present a drug test certificate if there is a justified reason to suspect that the student is under the influence of drugs in study-related practical training or that the student has a drug addiction.

Cancellation of admission or revocation of study right

A University of Applied Sciences may cancel conditional admission for the following reasons:

• an applicant fails to submit certificates regarding their state of health and functional capacity by the deadline specified by the University of Applied Sciences; or
• an applicant has provided false information or has left out essential information; or
• it is obvious that the student, in terms of their state of health and functional capacity, does not meet the prerequisites for student admission (Universities of Applied Sciences Act 932/2014, sections 26, 27, 33 and 34; Universities of Applied Sciences Decree 1129/2014, section 11).

The University of Applied Sciences may later revoke the study right in the following cases:

• a student, by repeatedly or seriously endangering the health or safety of another person, has proven to be manifestly unsuitable to perform practical assignments or practical training relating to studies;
• it is obvious that the student, in terms of their state of health and functional capacity, does not meet the prerequisites for student admission set in section 26, subsection 1, of the Universities of Applied Sciences Act 932/2014;
• at the application stage, the student has concealed a decision to revoke the right to study referred to in section 26, subsection 2, which could have prevented their admission as a student. (Please note: If you have cancelled your study place yourself or if your study right has been cancelled for other reasons, such as incorrectly entered grades or missing attachments, you can take part in the application process.); or
• where the studies or practical training relating to studies substantially require work with minors, the University of Applied Sciences may revoke the study right where necessary in order to protect minors or if the student has been sentenced for a crime referred to in the Criminal Code (39/1889), chapter 17, sections 18, 18a or 19, chapter 20, chapter 21, sections 1 to 3 or 6, chapter 31, section 2, or chapter 50, sections 1, 2, 3, 4 or 4a. (Universities of Applied Sciences Act 932/2014, sections 26, 27, 33 and 34; Universities of Applied Sciences Decree 1129/2014, section 11.)

What should you do if you have a limitation related to state of health or functional capacity?

Upon applying in the Studyinfo service you will be asked the following questions:

• Has an educational institution revoked your study right because health or functioning ability issues have impeded your studies or you have endangered other people’s health or safety?
• Are there any such factors in your state of health or ability to function that could be an obstacle to studying in the programme?

If you answer ”yes” to one or both of the questions on the application form and if you receive a study place, the admission is conditional. The University of Applied Sciences processes and evaluates the information regarding the applicant’s state of health and functional capacity in terms of the prerequisites for admission. You may still be admitted to the programme if the obstacle related to your state of health or functional capacity can be removed with reasonable measures.

If you receive a study place, you will receive a request by email to fill in a clarification on your state of health and functional capacity, and to submit a doctor’s certificate and, if necessary, a clarification on the revocation of study right.

You must submit the requested documents with the attachments to the University of Applied Sciences which has made you the conditional offer of a study place. If the clarification you have provided is insufficient, the person processing your case may contact you and ask for additional clarifications. The documents are confidential.

The University of Applied Sciences to which you are conditionally accepted will make the decision regarding state of health and functional capacity.

The Degree Regulations contain guidelines for the whole HAMK, including instructions on the right to study, the completion of studies and a safe study environment.

All participants to Freezing Week book their own accommodation directly from the hotel/hostel/Airbnb.  We have negotiated some hotel discounts that you can take advantage of. 

All the hotels are in the town center.  The railway station is just two kilometres away, easily reached either by foot, taxi or bus. The walk from the bus station takes only about five minutes. The distance to the Hämeenlinna University Centre is three kilometres. 

Scandic Hämeenlinna City

Check more options on the website. Hotel is in the city center.

The Freezing Week participants can get the additional discount by paying their bookings with the discount code. The bookings need to be made according to the booking situation at least 10 days prior to the arrival to Finland.  The Scandic Friends members can also check out the loyal customer discounts. 

Discount code: CCON 

Hotel Emilia

Hotel Emilia is a cosy, small hotel in the centre of Hämeenlinna, along the promenade Reska. Renovated in spring 2023, it is an atmospheric, family-run hotel.   

Standard single room 105€/night 

Standard double room 114€/night 

Breakfast, wireless internet connection, sauna availability, 10% discount to the restaurant Piparkakkutalo.

Bookings to the hotel telephone number +35836122106 or email hotelliemilia@hotelliemilia.fi.  

The bookings need to be done on Jan 16 at the latest. 

Discount code: FreezingWeek2025  

Matin ja Maijan majatalo

Matin ja Maijan majatalo is a hospitable bed and breakfast, where the clients will be accommodated in a century-old Villa with luxurious rooms right in the centre of Hämeenlinna city. It is located in Eteläkatu in the town center.  

Small double room’s price is 130€/night. 

Big double room’s price is 165€/night. 

The bookings can be made from the web page with the discount code ‘Freezing Week’. There are only 3+3 rooms, so the offer is due only for as long as there are rooms available.

Email: info@matinjamaijan.fi.  

Discount code: Freezing Week

Other options

Airbnb Private accommodation, the prices vary.  

Sokos Hotel Vaakuna is under renovation

Freezing Week is organized in Hämeenlinna University Centre at Visamäki (Visamäentie 35 A, Hämeenlinna).

HAMK wireless visitor network

A wireless visitor network is available in all HAMK campuses.

Tap water

Finland has pure and healthy tap water, which is available almost anywhere free of charge. Tap water in Finland is among the highest quality in the world and needs no treatment in many areas. If you carry your own reusable bottle with you (and hopefully you do), you can fill your own bottle from the tap.

Suitable clothing and footwear

Always check the weather forecast before your trip: Foreca or Finnish Meteorological Institute

The average minimum temperature (usually the minimum temperature is noted during the night) in Hämeenlinna in February is -11.0°C. The average maximum daytime temperature lies around -4.0°C.

For most of the year, the key to a perfect Finland outfit is layers. Visitors travelling to Hämeenlinna should definitely plan on bringing a warm sweater and winter jacket as well as winter shoes since there will be periods of snow. Also pack warm gloves and warm, preferably windproof hat.

Living with allergies

If you have allergies or special diets, you certainly do not need to worry! Finland and HAMK follow the EU regulations that require certain allergens to be always mentioned in the food tags. For more detailed information, please read here.

Shopping

S-group markets and K-group markets are the two most common supermarket chains in Finland, from which you can shop for everyday groceries. There are also Lidl and Tokmanni. R-kioski is the convenience store chain.

Money and paying

ATM = OTTO or NOSTO. ATMs are available in many central places, and you can withdraw cash with internationally recognised credit cards.

In Finland, the most common method of payment is a debit or credit card. Foreign debit and credit cards can be used in Finland, but it is best to check with your card provider before arriving in Finland.

Healthcare

If you need to visit the pharmacy during your visit, the place is called Apteekki in Finnish. If you need other health services, you can find information here.

Emergency number 112

There is only one emergency number in Finland – 112. Please do not call the emergency number unless you have a genuine emergency for which you need urgent assistance from the authorities (police, paramedics, firefighters, or social services). Please refer to Emergency Response Centre Agency Finland for more detailed information on calling the emergency number. You can also download the 112 Suomi application.

Travelling to Hämeenlinna

Hämeenlinna campus is in Visamäki, 2 km from the Hämeenlinna city centre.

The nearest airports are Helsinki-Vantaa and Tampere-Pirkkala. You can take a bus or a train to Hämeenlinna from both airports.

Travel by bus: Matkahuolto I Onnibus

Travel by train: Finnish Railways VR (You can also download an app called VR Matkalla)

Bus connection from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to Hämeenlinna:

The bus connection from Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport to Hämeenlinna is the easiest way to get to Hämeenlinna.  A bus to Hämeenlinna sets off several times a day and takes a little over an hour. The prices vary from around 11€ up to 19€. Express buses to Hämeenlinna depart right outside the airport terminal. The ticket can be purchased from the bus driver or beforehand online. Please note that you may have to change buses in Keimolanportti Service Station, about 10 minutes’ drive from the airport. It is best to consult the driver about the possible change. For more information about the bus schedules and travel details, please visit Matkahuolto or Onnibus.

Train connection from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to Hämeenlinna

The train station is located at the airport on the arrivals floor, at the corridor between Terminals 1 and 2. The total journey from Helsinki-Vantaa airport to Hämeenlinna takes about 1,5 hours depending on the changing time in Tikkurila. I and P trains cover the Ring Rail between the city centre and Helsinki Airport. Nearly all long-distance and most commuter trains stop at Tikkurila, where you’ll have to change trains to get to Hämeenlinna.

Make sure to buy a ticket from the airport all the way to Hämeenlinna (it is cheaper like that). On commuter train (Commuter train I, P and R) you can sit anywhere and on InterCity/Pendolino trains you’ll get an assigned seat.

Make sure to buy a ticket before entering the train – no tickets are sold on trains. Tickets can be bought from Finnish Railways VR or VR Matkalla app.

VR Railways

VR Matkalla (app)

Bus Connection from Tampere to Hämeenlinna

Tampere-Pirkkala airport is located 6 km for the city centre. Bus line 103 operates between the airport and city centre.

You can take a bus from Tampere city centre to Hämeenlinna (you can find the timetables at Matkahuolto and Onnibus). The ride will take an hour.

Trains from Tampere to Hämeenlinna

Tampere-Pirkkala airport is located 6km for the city centre. Bus line 103 operates between the airport and city centre. The walk from bus station to the railway station is little under 1km and takes around 10 minutes. From Tampere you can choose either a commuter train or Intercity/Pendolino train to Hämeenlinna. This will take about an hour.

Make sure to buy a ticket before entering the train – no tickets are sold on trains. Tickets can be bought from Finnish Railways VR or VR Matkalla app.

By taxi

Usually there are taxis waiting on in front of the railway station, bus station or city centre marketplace. In Hämeenlinna there is no Uber service. You can also call a taxi from Taxi Häme (+358 200 55 111).

By bus

Local buses stop in front of the railway station as well. For the local bus route info and timetables you can visit this website. Bus number 2 goes from railway station and city centre all the way up to Hämeenlinna University Centre (bus stop is called Korkeakoulu P). Bus tickets can be purchased directly from the bus driver by cash for 3,20€ (they do not accept bills over 20€ and prefer the exact change), by card for 2,28€(contactless payment– they accept most of the debit/credit cards, you can only pay your own bus ticket) or via Waltti – a mobile app.

Convenient bus stops for you:

Railway station (stop B) 

Scandic Hämeenlinna City, Hotel Emilia, Matin ja Maijan Majatalo -> Bus station (stop D) 

Hämeenlinna University Centre -> terminus at Korkeakoulu P 

Route 2

Route 2 U

Please note that nomination and application times for Nursing degree programme (work placement) differ from the other degree programmes:

The nomination deadlines are:

• 1 March for the autumn semester
• 1 October for the spring semester

The application deadlines are:

• 15 March for the autumn semester
• 15 October for the spring semester

EU subject area	Area	HAMK Degree Programme	HAMK’s Signer for LA
0210	Arts, not further defined	Smart and Sustainable Design	Johanna Ojanen
0410	Business and administration, not further defined	Business Administration	Marjo Vaalgamaa
0410	Business and administration, not further defined	Equine Business Management	Anu Virtanen
0410	Business and administration, not further defined	International Business	Johanna Heinola-Lepistö
0521	Environmental sciences	Sustainable Development	Anu Virtanen
0610	Information and Communication Technologies (ICTS), not further defined	Business Information Technology	Anu Vaaraniemi
0610	Information and Communication Technologies (ICTS), not further defined	Computer Applications	Anu Vaaraniemi
0610	Information and Communication Technologies (ICTS), not further defined	Information and Communication Technology	Marianne Autero
0610	Information and Communication Technologies (ICTS), not further defined	Information and Communication Technology, Bioeconomy	Satu Alatalo
0714	Electronics and automation	Electrical and Automation Engineering	Leena Koivisto
0715	Mechanics and metal trades	Mechanical Engineering and Production Technology	Kirsi Liimatainen
0721	Food processing	Biotechnology and Food Engineering	Riitta Rytkönen
0731	Architecture and town planning	Traffic and Transport Management	Johanna Nikkola
0732	Building and civil engineering	Construction Engineering	Kirsi Liimatainen
0810	Agriculture, not further defined	Agricultural and Rural Industries	Sari Mäki-Latikka
0812	Horticulture	Horticulture	Riitta Ahokas
0812	Horticulture	Landscape Design and Construction	Riitta Ahokas
0821	Forestry	Forestry	Lauri Värri
0913	Nursing and midwifery	Nursing, Forssa	Minna Määttä
0913	Nursing and midwifery	Nursing, Hämeenlinna	Sari Lamminpää
0923	Social work and counselling	Social Services	Tuija Jurvanen

To be able to nominate your students to HAMK, you will need a user account to our SoleMove system. Please contact international@hamk.fi.

Please notice, that we don’t accept late nominations or applications.

We have bilateral agreements with around 120 educational institutions abroad and our whole exchange programme system is based on these agreements. In special cases, students can be accepted as a freemover from outside the above schemes. Due to the limited number of available spots, we prioritise students from our partner institutions. Applications from freemovers will be reviewed only after the available spots have been allocated to students from our partner universities.

The freemover applicant must be a degree student of a higher education institution in the same field of study that the student wishes to study at Häme University of Applied Sciences. The acceptance of a freemover student is done on a case-by-case basis. The freemover student must be nominated by their home institution according to the instructions given on this website.

Tuition fee

HAMK’s tuition fee is applicable to freemover students who are non-EU/EEA citizens and whose home university does not have a student exchange agreement (e.g. Erasmus+, Erasmus+ Global, bilateral) with HAMK.

The tuition fee for bachelor’s studies for one semester is €4850 and for the whole academic year €9700. HAMK does not provide any scholarships for freemover exchange students.

Are you curious to see who’s also going to HAMK? Or maybe you wish to make new friends with HAMK’s students?

Via HAMK’s virtual student community Goin’ Connect, you can find other students from the same nationality, study programme or campus. You might even find students who are into the same things as you!

The guidance for registration can be found from your acceptance letter and from email sent to you

Please check this video about Goin’ Connect to more information.

In case of  any problems, please contact reception@hamk.fi

Visit the local bank at your country of origin and make sure that banking services are available when you are in Finland.

It will take some time – sometimes even couple of months – to open a bank account in Finland, so it is important to have international banking services from your own bank.

International banking services are also needed when you pay for the deposit and/or rent for the first month of the accommodation. Opening Finnish bank account can take few months, so it is important that you have working bank account until that.

Please notice that it is not a good idea to bring much cash with you to Finland. Here you cannot pay for example rent in cash so internationally working bank card and banking services are crucial. Also traveller’s checks are not accepted in Finland.

Check out different accommodation options available and fill the application. We strongly advice you not to come to Finland before you have an accommodation arranged.

Kindly remember that you can only apply to HAMK´s accommodation in the campus that you are studying. If you look accommodation on the free market, you can choose to live which ever city you like, but remember to check the public transportation connections to the campus.

You can easily get to Finland by plane, by boat, or by car. Make sure that you have the valid ticket for your chosen means of transportation.

Arriving by plane

Helsinki-Vantaa (HEL) is the largest airport in Finland, and it is located near the capital city of Helsinki. The airport located in Tampere is another airport that our international students often arrive at. All HAMK campuses can be reached by public transport from either airport. Besides Helsinki and Tampere airports, there are several other national airports, such as Rovaniemi and Kittilä in Lapland. Direct international flights are available from those airports but note that they are far away from the major cities in southern Finland as well as from all HAMK campuses.

Airport pick-up (Helsinki-Vantaa)

We have an airport pickup service for specific dates available! See it from our Arrive to HAMK section.

Local public transport

Finland is a large country with considerable distances between its municipalities. Yet, public transport works well within and in between cities. You can travel to almost everywhere in Finland by bus or by train. You can also fly to some destinations within the country. Some bigger Finnish cities can offer transport services by tram and, in case of the capital – Helsinki, also by metro. Within cities, you can reach suburban areas with local transport. 

In Finland, you can get student discounts for public transport.

But in order to get student discount, you need to have valid student card. Read more about our student association HAMKO, how to become a member and get the student card which gives you an access to many discounts.

To plan your travel within Finland, use route services perille.fi to get your itinerary suggestions. For example, you can type in “Helsinki airport” as the place of departure and one of HAMK´s campuses as the place of destination. The service will provide you with itinerary suggestions.

By train

The rail network in Finland stretches from Helsinki to Kolari in Lapland. VR is the Finnish Railway Service. You can check the routes and stations on the VR website. Some train services and parts of the routes may be replaced by buses due to track work. Those bus transport services are organised by VR, so you do not need to get extra tickets. Read more about the replacement buses.

By bus

Another option to travel in between cities in Finland is by bus. There are three major bus connection services providers in Finland.

Matkahuolto (there is also national parcel transport service provided by Matkahuolto. Matkahuolto is used as a public transport in some cities. See the section below for more information.)

Onnibus

Express Bus

The best way to find out which bus suits you the most is to visit bus operators´ websites. You can also use route services perille.fi to get more detailed itinerary suggestions.

Local transport by major city

There are different public means of transport available in different cities in Finland. When you are travelling inside a city, it is good to use the local public transport route planner to navigate and to get the tickets.

In Helsinki you find the information in the link HSL area and zones (you need to check the zones you travel through and buy a ticket accordingly).

Häme Region (Kanta-Häme: Evo, Forssa, Lepaa, Mustiala, and Riihimäki campus)

Local transport and journey planner:

Reittiopas

Tickets and prices

Waltti travel card

Taxi:

Taxi Häme phone number: +358 (0)100 0700
Please notice that taxis in Finland are very expensive so always check the distance and price before taking the taxi!

Bike:

There are also electric scooters available on the streets. You can scan the QR code on the scooter and follow the instructions from different service providers.

Tampere Region (Pirkanmaa: Valkeakoski campus)

Local transport and journey planner:

Nysse

Tickets and zones

Travel card

Taxi:

Taxi Tampere, phone number: +358 (0)1004131
Please notice that taxis in Finland are very expensive so always check the distance and price before taking the taxi!

Bike:

Nysse City bikes

There are also electric scooters available on the streets. You can scan the QR code on the scooter and follow the instructions from different service providers.

There are many things to be considered if you wish to bring your family to Finland with you.

Read more about it from here:

Bring your original school and work certificates (master’s students) with their official translations in either Finnish, Swedish, or English.

You will need the documents when you register your arrival in campus. Your original documents will be checked and your study place will be cancelled, if you don’t have the certificates with you.

If you plan to develop your career in Finland, you should also bring the original work certificates with you. If you are studying in the Master’s Degree programme, work certificates are mandatory part of your registration process and you need to have those with you.

In Finland, employers usually request the original work certificates to be sent during or after the recruitment process. It is good to have your certificates notarised. If the certificates are not in one of the three languages: Finnish, Swedish or English, the official translation is required.

Students studying for higher education degree are entitled to the services of the Student Health Foundation (YTHS). Check payment due dates on Kela´s website.

Here’s how to pay your university student health fee.

You can read more and apply for special arrangements for studying here.

If you want to plan your studies further, you can find all the information you need here.

Here you will find all the information you need to start studying.

All students at HAMK must ensure they have sufficient funds to cover tuition fees (if applicable) and living expenses for the entire duration of their studies. Before arriving in Finland, make sure you have a realistic financial plan. 

Note: International students who come to Finland solely for their studies are generally not eligible for government financial aid for students. Read more from Kela’s pages. 

The cost of living in Finland varies based on individual lifestyle, location, and housing choices. As a student, we recommend budgeting approximately 950–1,200 EUR per month to cover essential expenses. Below is an estimated breakdown of typical student costs: 

• Rent: 400–650 EUR 

• Food: 400–500 EUR 

• Other expenses (leisure, internet, phone, etc.): 100 EUR 

Tip: Students in Finland can benefit from a variety of student discounts on transport, dining, and leisure activities. For example, train tickets can be 30–50% cheaper for students. To access these discounts, you need a valid student card. Learn more about student union membership and student card benefits here. 

International exchange and degree students are allowed to work in Finland with certain restrictions. Students from outside the EU/EEA can work up to 30 hours per week on average during the academic year. However, finding a part-time job can be challenging, especially in the first two years, due to language barriers and competition. Even in roles requiring minimal Finnish skills, job opportunities are limited. 

While internships at HAMK are mandatory and work experience is valuable, we encourage students to prioritize their studies, make meaningful connections, and fully embrace student life. It’s also important to note that job availability varies significantly between campuses. Do not rely on finding a part-time job immediately upon arrival—students should have sufficient financial resources to support their studies without one. 

Additionally, work should not interfere with your studies. Balancing coursework with part-time jobs can be demanding, and wages often do not fully cover living expenses, especially for students paying tuition fees. Learning Finnish can improve job prospects, but it’s crucial to set realistic expectations regarding work opportunities. 

Finally, if you work in Finland, you must pay taxes. Before starting employment, you need to apply for a tax card and/or tax number from the Finnish Tax Office (Vero). 

By planning ahead and understanding these challenges, you can better navigate student life in Finland. 

To register your arrival at HAMK, you need to visit your campus Student Services. This is a mandatory and important step, as your study place is conditional until HAMK has checked your eligibility and your final original degree certificates after your registration at campus.

If you are not able to complete the registration process by the given dates or have given incorrect information during the application process, your study place will be cancelled and you must return back to your home country.

Please see more instruction from above: Mandatory Steps

After you arrive in Finland, it is important that you register with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV). With DVV, you take care of Finnish personal identity code (if you have not received one) and municipality of residence. Check out the registration instructions here. Registration of a foreign student | Digital and population data services agency (dvv.fi).

If you have a Finnish identity code, you can apply for an identity card – Police (poliisi.fi). A Finnish identity card allows you more access to banking and mobile phone SIM card services.

Important:
When you apply for a identity card it is highly recommended to make an appointment for the police station in advance! This is especially important when visiting the police stations in Forssa and Hämeenlinna.

You can book an appointment online without logging in via the “Appointment Booking | Electronic Services of the Police” section on the police’s website, or by calling +358 295 41 800.

If no appointment slots are available, you can also contact the police via email at passi.hame@poliisi.fi.

You need a valid student card or a stamped KELA meal subsidy card to get the student discounts for lunch and other student benefits in Finland.

Check how to get a student card from student union HAMKO and see the differences between a stamped KELA meal subsidy card and a student card here: Student cards – HAMKO.

You can get a stamped KELA meal subsidy card from the Student Services points on HAMK campuses. Check Student Services – HAMK for more information on opening hours of the service points.

After you have enrolled for the academic year, you will receive an automatic message requesting you to activate your HAMK user ID.
You can activate your HAMK user ID via self-service user registration.

You will receive an email once your HAMK user ID has been created. Before receiving the email you can not activate your ID.

This HAMK user ID gives you access to all HAMK’s student systems.

For more information and in case of an error, please contact ServiceDesk. Service desk is a customer services system that HAMK uses for advising students and staff. By using the ServiceDesk, a customer services ticket will be generated specifically for you and for your matters. The IT department can keep track with your questions and offer advice to you by following the same ticket.

NB: you can log in to ServiceDesk only after you already have acquired and activated your HAMK student ID. If you don’t have a HAMK student ID yet, please contact the IT department by the email it@hamk.fi instead. That also creates a ticket automatically. When you contact the IT service, remember to include a descriptive subject line and detailed description!

Once you have activated your HAMK user account, log in to HAMK’s M365 environment, where you’ll find all the Microsoft tools.

In the left-hand menu, you’ll find your Outlook email, where we will send emails related to your studies.

Remember to log in to your new student email a few days before your studies begin to check if you’ve received any additional instructions for starting your studies.

Please note that we will no longer send messages to your personal email; instead, we will communicate with you through the school’s email (and other internal communication channels).

M365 – Microsoft Tools

Your student email in Outlook

Which username should I use to log in?

You can log in to all HAMK services, such as your email and other M365 services, using either the short or long username, along with the password you created.

The short username is written in the format: username12345.

The long username is written in the format: username12345@student.hamk.fi.

All students must have their own laptop.

The operating system of the laptop should be Windows (64-bit). The professional software used at HAMK is Windows software.

Using a MacOS computer in your studies

You can study on a macOS computer, but for only a few educational programmes, the applications available for macOS alone are sufficient. These include teacher training and social and health education programmes.

Most programmes require students to install software on their own computers that is only available for Windows computers.

Other necessary items

In addition to your own computer, you’ll need headphones (for watching videos) and an external mouse (to make it easier to use applications), as well as a camera for tele-editing. Your computer is connected to the data projector via an hdmi cable, so make sure you have an hdmi (type A) socket on your computer or, if necessary, get an hdmi (type A) adapter for your computer.

Starter Kit of Digital Skills will help you to start using HAMK online tools, equipment, environments and methods used in higher education studies.

The Starter Kit course contains 14 parts. Before starting your studies, we recommend that you complete at least parts 1-6. You should also follow the guidelines for your field of study to find out which parts are compulsory and the timetable for completion.

When you see this pattern ⬡ it is possible to complete the section with a competency mark. Remember to take advantage of the completed badges.

Below is the table of contents of the digital starter kit and the average time needed to complete each section.

1. Welcome to the Starter Kit of Digital Skills

2. Basic digital services for students (1h)

3. Learn online learning environment ⬡ (0,5-1 h)

4. Study planning | Pakki ⬡ (1h)

5. Microsoft 365 – supporting communal work

6. For internal communication Tuudo and Viva Engage (formerly Yammer) ⬡ (0,5h)

7. Teams – for teamwork ⬡ (1h)

8. Manage documents with OneDrive for Business ⬡ (1h)

9. Online meetings with Zoom ⬡ (1 h)

10. Office software ⬡ (2-5 h)

11. Library and web library HAMK Finna ⬡ (0,5-1 h)

12. Studying and well-being ⬡ (0,5 – 1 h)

13. How do you display your open badges?

14. Feedback on Digital Starter Kit

Instructions: 

Log in to Learn-Moodle using the link below, and sign in via the HAMK-login link at the top. Then, from the top menu, select the Search link and look for the Starter Kit of Digital Skills (choose the correct year). The enrolment key is “Digistarter-25”.

Enrolment key is: Digistarter-25

If you have any questions related to Starter Kit of Digital Skills, please contact to askus@hamk.fi.

The student mobile app Tuudo is free and can be downloaded from the Android, iOS and Huawei AppGallery app stores.

The app allows us to offer students a comprehensive and modern service package.

Students can buy software from a few places at student prices or purchase software free of charge. Microsoft offers the full Microsoft 365 ProPlus package (including Word, Excel and Powerpoint) free of charge to students during their studies. The Microsoft 365 package can be installed on five PCs/Macs and five tablets. You can install some professional software on your own computer, subject to certain restrictions. For example, the software cannot be used for commercial activities. The software required for your studies is described in the study information in the Pakki.

When you start your studies, you should only install the Microsoft 365 package and Chrome browser (see instructions below).

What types of licences can applications have?

The most common types of application licences are:

• open source – usually freely available
• educational licence – sometimes includes access to students’ own computers
• commercial licence – for commercial use
• trial licence – limited duration and purpose of use

When you install an application on your computer, always find out what the terms of use are.

Microsoft 365-services

Under an agreement with Microsoft, students have access to Microsoft 365 in the cloud. Microsoft 365 is a collection of different applications and services that are cloud services. You can access them online from anywhere.

Services include:

• Outlook Mail and Calendar
• People
• OneDrive for Business Sites
• Tasks
• Microsoft 365 WebApps i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote
• Viva engage
• Delve
• Sway
• Class
• Notebook
• Groups
• Planner
• Forms
• Teams
• PowerApps and Flow

For more information of M365 visit here

Installing a Microsoft 365 package

Installing a Microsoft 365 package Students will have access to many Microsoft applications during their studies. As soon as you start your studies, you will need Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and OneDrive for Business.

Download and installation instructions for the Microsoft 365 ProPlus package can be found here.

Installing web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, etc.)

Your computer already has a web browser such as Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge or Safari (MacOS). Internet Explorer is no longer recommended, use Edge instead. You need at least one other web browser on your computer, because not all web services and applications work properly with one and the same web browser.

Install at least Google Chrome browser on your computer, including MacOS, with installation instructions here.

Online meetings

Students have access to Teams for remote meetings and group work. For distance learning, the Zoom cloud service is also used for online sessions, depending on the course. Teams requires installation on your own computer to use all its features and can be downloaded from the web.

For more information:
Teams
Zoom

MOT-​language engine

Students can use the MOT language engine (a cloud service), which offers a dictionary, language checkers and machine translation.

Access MOT language engine here

Universal Design is a framework originally created to make products and buildings accessible for all. The most used definition is from the UN Convention on the Rights for People with Disabilities (CRPD:2008):

“Universal design” means the design of products, environments, programmes and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. “Universal design” shall not exclude assistive devices for particular groups of persons with disabilities where this is needed.

It is important to understand the ideas of universal design before we try to implement these ideas in a learning context. So how do we use these thoughts and this definition to plan for a diverse student population? What will the practical implications be for students and staff working in higher education?

Universal design of the physical learning environment is quite easy to understand. As an example, entering a higher education building should be possible for all. The entrance should be easy to find, without any obstacles or physical barriers, with automatic door openers and with good contrasts at the door. This is the same entrance for everyone, regardless if you use a wheelchair, have your hands occupied with books and study material, or if your hand function is reduced. In a university campus, universal design should be the strategy for forming the physical environment everywhere. Universal design of the digital learning environment has more recently emerged as a strategy in planning for the use of ICT in an educational context. General information, learning management systems, literature and other digital study material should be presented in accessible formats, and in compliance with standards that include students with difficulties in accessing digital study material. For example, a video used for learning reasons should be captioned to the benefit for the hearing impaired, and better quality for all students.

Universal design for learning (UDL) is a framework for instruction, dialogue and learning, which uses the principles from both universal design and from learning science and neuroscience. The result is scientific guidelines for design and development of curriculum – learning goals, means of assessment, teaching methods and learning materials – that are inclusive and valuable for all learners.

The development of guidelines will promote an educational practice that provides variation and flexibility in the way information is presented, in the way students respond or demonstrate knowledge and skills, and in the way students are engaged in their learning process.

UDL will reduce barriers in all kinds of instruction, and provide support and challenges to the diversity of learners, regardless of disabilities of any kind. The UDL principles will be important to the development of new teaching and learning methods, and affect how we look at teaching in the classroom, in group activities at campus, and at all kinds of digital learning, as well as at assessment.

All learners are different, they learn differently and the diversity that truly exists in your class is a normal variability that actually reflects the population. The differences in how students learn are expanding, and the context – the learning environment – is itself complex and dynamic. UDL addresses the variations between the learners and focuses on the learning process by providing

• Multiple means of engagement
• Multiple means of representation
• Multiple means of action and expression

In this context, the differences between students in any context is an actively positive force in learning. UDL will provide an approach for designing learning environments that support high expectations and results for all students

The case Crossing borders without travel describes a top-down, proactive approach. The initiative originates at the department level, which encouraged the teacher to introduce the possibility of virtual exchange (VE) visits as well as physical exchange visits into a campus-based course. The case considers students who are able-bodied as well as students with different challenges. Students have a possibility to gain experience from intercultural dialogues with students from different countries. The common way is study exchanges, but this is not a preferred solution for all students for financial, family, work, personal or health reasons. Students might not be able to afford such a visit, or are too shy, to go abroad for a long period, or circumstances could be such that they need to work or take care of a family member at home. VE was the solution to this problem, changing the course from being only campus-based to be a blended learning course with a multitude of interaction possibilities between students. The focus from the teacher is pedagogic solutions and accessible technology, which is decided between collaborating students from different countries.

The case Nordic Rebels has a more philosophical and reflective perspective about how students learn in society and furthermore how university courses and pedagogy should change from being lecture-based to being student-focused, by creating meaningful learning experiences for all students. Blended learning and flipped classroom methods are presented as good examples of how technology can help in going this direction. The case describes a top-down, proactive approach at the societal and course levels, and portrays UDL as a solution and an aid to understanding academic diversity and individual differences among students, for example a “mixture of nationalities, genders, disciplines and prior work experience” as well as considering “students working alongside their studies” and being able to study at their own pace, due to varying English skills or prior experience in the subject. Also, by giving the students a sense of course flexibility, the teacher can lower the threshold and allow the students to suggest course changes that support their learning.

The case Digital competency provides a proactive approach to UDeL at course level. Teachers planned and thoroughly tested the accessibility of a new eLearning course with a target group of students who have challenges with sight, hearing and language. The focus was largely on technical accessibility of the learning platform and content and on a diversity of students with disabilities.

The case Songs from life describes the teacher-student level approach in which the teacher needs to react to a problem that arises during a course to accommodate a specific student situation. This situation was not planned or predicted before the start of the course, but the teacher became aware of a situation and a specific pedagogical solution for a student with difficulties in concentration and textual expression. The solution was to allow the student to make a video documentary. Further on, this could be planned as an alternative for all students when the course is given again. This is one way of moving towards UDL step by step. When a teacher becomes aware of a student’s preferences, the solutions to this increased diversity will be consciously planned in the future to improve the course for all students.

Read more about the rewarding of best practices

• Towards Universal Design for eLearning within TINEL project – eOppimiskeskus
• Improving Accessibility of eLearning in Higher Education from Universal Design for Learning Perspective

Only online, 8.-9.12.2021

Organised by the University of York, United Kingdom

The coronavirus pandemic has thrown many higher education institutions (HEIs) headlong into e-learning and greatly increased the emphasis on blended learning, for both the short and longterm.

How have students with disabilities, students from a diversity of backgrounds and living circumstances coped with this situation and how have HEIs supported them?  What has worked, what has not worked, what are the challenges for the future?

The Erasmus+ funded TINEL Project (http://hamk.fi/tinel) has been investigating universal design for learning in blended and e-learning situations since before the pandemic hit.  Our work has become even more relevant since the pandemic.

The Conference

In December we will host a conference to share best practices and challenges for the future in supporting a diversity of students in the post-pandemic era of blended and e-learning in higher education.

The conference will be a mixture of workshops, short presentations from participants and from the TINEL team about the work of the project.  There will be plenty of time to network and we aim to start an ongoing support network of staff from HEIs to continue the discussion of these issues after the conference.

Abstracts and presentations (recordings and/or pdf:s of PowerPoints) at the TINEL Closing Conference

• TINEL Project presentations:
  • TINEL Training Model
  • TINEL Learning materials
  • UDeL Context Cards
  • Enhancement-led evaluation
  • The Accessible documents Hub
  • Case studies from the TINEL Camps
• Participants´abstracts and recordings
• A special issue of the journal Interacting with Computers will be organized, with presenters invited to submit longer versions of their paper.

Proceedings

We will publish an online proceedings of all the conference presentations. The online proceedings will comprise the abstracts and optionally a captioned recording of the presentations at the conference.

A special issue of the journal Interacting with Computers (https://academic.oup.com/iwc) will be organized, with presenters invited to submit longer versions of their paper.

If you have any questions, contact the organizer in your country (or Helen Petrie for all other countries):

Finland: Merja Saarela, HÄME University of Applied Science (merja.saarela(at)hamk.fi)

or Tarja Ladonlahti, University of Jyvãskylã (tarja.ladonlahti(at)jyu.fi)

Norway: Anne-Britt Torkilsby, NTNU (anne.torkildsby(at)ntnu.no)

Sweden: Håkan Eftring, Lund University (hakan.eftring(at)certec.lth.se)

UK (and other countries): Helen Petrie, University of York (helen.petrie(at)york.ac.uk)

Conference invitation (PDF)

Keynote speaker

Addressing the needs of diverse learners in online and blended learning with Universal Design for Learning in the post-pandemic Academy: opportunities, new alliances, hurdles, shifting ground, U turns, quick sands, and other surprises of the journey

Bio:

Frédéric Fovet is Associate Professor in the School of Education and Technology at Royal Roads University.  He has previously held the position of Assistant Professor within the Faculty of Education of the University of Prince Edward Island.  Over the duration of his PhD., he was Director of the Office of Students with Disabilities at McGill University.  He has also served as a teacher and principal in the K-12 sector.

He is an inclusion specialist with a specific interest in social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD), critical pedagogy and universal design for learning (UDL).  Frederic also has a strong grounding in 

Disability Studies.  He acts as a consultant, both nationally and internationally, in the area of UDL and inclusion – in the K-12 and the post-secondary sector.  He was the instigator and program chair of the first three pan-Canadian conferences on UDL in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Welcome to the Best Practices in Universal Design for eLearning in Higher Education conference!

Join us in this great opportunity to have innovative discussions about Universal Design for eLearning (including blended learning) in higher education. Over two days you will learn more about good educational and accessible practices from many higher education institutions and many countries including Finland, Sweden, Norway and United Kingdom. You can also share your own ideas and initiatives related to this topic in our poster sessions.

During Spring 2019 the TINEL project organized an Open Call for the best inclusive and flexible eLearning or blended learning practices in higher education. At the conference, the best initiatives and practices from this call will be presented, followed by a publication.

Quality Education for all!

Conference programme is free of charge.

Within the TINEL training, new knowledge for greater understanding and responsiveness to social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity were provided for staff on three levels: 1) tryout inclusive eLearning practices and use of UDL in facing different needs of higher education students on transnational and national levels; 2) inspire with innovative pedagogical and technological skills, and support network for educators; and 3) overall to begin sensitizing faculty and staff on the issues for designing inclusive e-learning within the context of UDL. Here is an overview of the TINEL training model and its components of the training model.

• Participants cases – Develop UDeL practices and learning with their own cases
• Camps – face to face or online
  • From 3 full days to 5 half days
  • Flipped classroom – prerecorded learning material
  • Learning material
  • Maintain and prioritize social activities (ex.Pizza party)
• Webinars with Peer Support
  • Follow-up with international webinar and national webinar

Peer support network

• Previous participants help recruiting other participants
• Colleagues collaborate on cases – makes dissemination easier
• Participants as Peer Support Network
• Participants from previous camps were invited for follow-up webinars
• Sharing of resources is easier online
• Arrange national webinars to create support networks at each partner institutions

The core of the TINEL training model is the UdeL camps, where staff at higher education institutions discuss the challenges facing diverse students and how to support them. We have run four UDeL camps during the TINEL project. The first camp was held face-to-face for three days, but due to the Corona pandemic the last three camps was held online for five half days. Moving them online, made them also more relevant to the e-learning topic.

Altogether, 35 staff members at higher education institutions participated in the UDeL camps. They were from Finland, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Each participant brought their own case study to the camp, that could be discussed and progressed.

The purpose of the UDeL camps was to bring HEI staff together and, by creating a welcoming atmosphere, encourage the participants to discuss their real challenges and thoughts about their cases. By connecting the new UDeL knowledge from the camps to their own teaching practices, we aimed at creating deep knowledge that would stay for a longer time. Furthermore, by including social activities at the UDeL camps, we lowered the threshold for discussion and contacting each other after the camps, with the purpose of creating an international peer support network for UdeL.

You can read about the successful UDeL camp activities and our experience from moving them from face-to-face to online camps in the UD2021 conference article below. The activities can also be found in the agenda for the camps. Below, you also find the invitation letter to the camps. You can adapt the agenda and the invitation letter to your own preferences if you plan to run similar camps at your higher education institution.

• UD2021 article: “From Face-to-face to Online UdeL Camps: Supporting Staff at Higher Education Institutions in Developing Universal Design for eLearning (UdeL)”
• Agenda for the UdeL camps
• Introduction letter for the UdeL camps (Swedish, English)
• Workshop activities supporting Universal Design for eLearning (UDeL) in Higher Education Institutions

To create an even larger peer-support network, the TINEL project has run national webinars where the TINEL project, Universal Design for eLearning, and some UDeL camp participants case studies were presented to a wider audience.

Here are the invitations, agendas and presentations at the first and second Finnish webinars and the Swedish-Norwegian webinar.

• Agenda for the 1st national webinar in Finland
• Invitation for the 2nd national webinar Finland
• Agenda for the 2nd national webinar in Finland
• Invitation and agenda to the bi-national webinar in Sweden/Norway

As a staff member it is important for you to learn more about student perspective. It is very important to develop the education together with the students. Students are often the best specialists of their learning and it is very useful to hear their voices and listen to their experiences. Accessible education was the main goal behind the TINEL project. During the project, project partners and participants of the camps had close connections with diversity students.

See following video examples of students, who are willing to share their experiences as a higher education student. Some of them are produced during the project while some are shared in internet. Please remember that every story is unique, and all the students are different. As one student with dyslexia said: this is how I learn best, but it does not mean that it is the best way for all the students with dyslexia.

The following videos 1-4 present students’ perspective on how personal challenges have impacted their studies in a higher education institution. The following videos 5-8 present teachers’/ professional’s perspective on what to think about universal design of studies in higher education institutions. All the videos give an idea of how to think flexibly both in relation to role as a student and as a other actor in a higher institution organization and what kind of possibilities it exists to create diverse studying opportunities.

Video 1 (Gagan)

In the video ‘Being a Student with Visual Impairment’ Gagan Chhabra shares his critical thoughts about the concept of an average/normal student and what kind of perceptions do we often relate to an individual student in relation to other students and what kind of challenges this may create.

Video 2 (Malin)

In the video ‘Being a student with dyslexia’, Malin Cronquist, diagnosed with dyslexia, tells about her university studies at Lund University, her challenges in studies, what helpful tools she uses and what kind of support she receives from the university in her studies. She also shares her challenges in everyday life. 

Video 3 (Gagan)

Universal Design of a learning environment: A Journey and not a Destination!

Video 4 (Sanna)

In the video Sanna Paasonen, the deaf-blind student, is telling about her university studies at Jyväskylä University, her challenges and what kind of support is helpful for her.

Video 5 (Nora)

Nora Tomas, a student with a disability at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, talks about her experiences with flipped classroom as a means for inclusion. This video was developed and published by Universell as a part of other Erasmus + project.

Open Call for Best Practice – winners

As a part of TINEL Erasmus+ project, a “Call for Best Practice Proposals for Higher Education Institutions” was launched to present the current best practice initiatives for inclusive and flexible education in eLearning and blended learning. Four out of the nine proposals were extended into articles, providing an overview of the current landscape of UDeL in higher education. These articles reflect the diversity of UDeL cases as they represent number of different dimensions: from student diversity to strategic and organisational levels. Introduction for these articles is written by project partners.

The collection includes the following articles:

Háhn, J. 2019. Crossing Borders Without Travel: Virtual Exchange Practices for Students.

Lehtonen, M. J., Chew, J. Y., Schilli, K. S., & Varadarajan, A. 2019. Nordic Rebels: A Blended Approach to Fix Higher Education.

Matre, M. E., Andersen, R., Thormodsæter, M. S., & Cifuentes, M. O. 2019. Digital Competence – Providing Tools to Create an Inclusive eLearning Course.

Romppanen, M. 2020. “Songs of Life” – Video-documentary as a part of Bachelor’s Thesis.
Source: https://unlimited.hamk.fi/universal-design-for-learning-udl/#.YW1u2xpBw2w

Video 6 (Gagan)

In the video ‘Critical Reflections of Being a Professional with Visual Impairment’ Gagan Chhabra tells about how he has experienced the concept of impairment in different roles as a lecturer, a public speaker and a researcher. He tells by examples how this concept looks different depending on which role you are playing and what kind of questions arise in diverse situations.

In the video ‘Universal Design of a learning environment: A Journey and not a Destination!’ Gagan Chhabra tells about his opinions on how we should understand the universal design of learning environment and related aspects of diversity. He also talks about how we should approach the concept of inclusive learning environment.

Video 7-8 (Lars & Lotta)

In the videos ‘Experiences from UDeL Camp’ Lars Harrysson (from Lund University) and Lotta Åbjörnsson (from Lund University) tell their personal experiences from the UDeL Camp. They share their reasons and incentives why they attended the UDeL camp as well as their opinions of the practical relevance of UDeL.

Technology always involves technology itself, how to use it and how to use it pedagogically wise. Each teacher and each student have their own preferences.

When we are using technology in education, technical accessibility also becomes a focus point. The technology should support multiple means of input and output methods of data to and from devices and programs. This means that technological tools needs to be designed so that they are easy to us and support ready-made tools for accessibility eg. screen readers. Software should also support accessible content creation. This means that it automatically guides content creators to make accessible material eg. to add alternative texts and use the right kind of heading methods.

During the TINEL-camps, we had lots of discussions about the tools we use. Each country has their own preferences and also their own national providers, which don’t provide their services internationally. In the following infographic you will find a palette of tools, which have been tested and found suitable for teachers who want to make their teaching accessible.

Please note that there are new tools and new versions of old ones arriving to markets all the time. Sometimes good features might be removed or replaced and the tool might become old-fashioned. But this is a good list to start making your teaching more accessible.

LINK: https://www.hamk.fi/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/accessibility_apps_multmodal_function.pdf

Networks

As we all know, networks are great place to share ideas and learn new things. Here are few places from where you can start. Please remember that there might already be a national network for UDL or inclusion generally.

Facebook: TINEL group (https://www.facebook.com/TinelProject/ )

Facebook: National Centre for UDL (https://www.facebook.com/UDLCenter/)

The UDeL Context Cards are part of the staff training material developed during the TINEL Project. They show a wide variety of situations a proactive teacher can prepare for. The situations are related to aspects of student diversity, e.g. students with disabilities, students’ personal preferences, students’ family or work situations, financial situations, language skills, prior work experience, and study contexts.

The cards describe situations only – not solutions, as the solutions may vary according to what is possible and appropriate in a specific learning situation. The teacher is encouraged to discuss possible solutions with his or her colleagues.

Download The UDeL Context Cards  here:

• In English
• In Swedish
• In Norwegian

The diverse situations on the UDeL Context Cards have been collected from participants real cases at the TINEL conference in Jyväskylä, Finland, and the four TINEL UDeL camps. The UDeL Context Cards is based on the Haptimap Context Cards:

• C. Magnusson, A. Larsson, A. Warell, H. Eftring, and P.-O. Hedvall, Bringing the mobile context into industrial design and development, NordiCHI’12: Proceedings of the 7th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Making Sense Through Design. (2012), 149–152.
• Certec (2017). Context Cards and the Haptimap Project. Available at: https://www.certec.lth.se/ud/context-cards-and-the-haptimap-project/ [Accessed 22 March 2021]

How can you use the UDeL Context cards?

There are at least two ways of using the UDeL Context cards:

• In course preparation.
  The UDeL Context cards can be used as a tool for teachers to test a course in advance, to see if they have thought of most situations that could occur in a course, especially in relation to student diversity and different learning situations and preferences. You pull a card from the deck, read about the situation, and reflect on how you would handle this situation if it would occur in your course. Think of ways to solve the situation in an inclusive and non-stigmatizing way, e.g. give all students the same opportunity to have an oral exam. You might need to reflect on the learning outcomes of a course, to see if there are any unnecessary obstacles that can be changed.
• In staff training workshops.
  The UDeL Context cards can be used at staff training workshops to discuss inclusive teaching, by letting some of the Context Cards trigger the workshop participants to suggest new cards based on their own experiences. The workshop participants can then discuss possible solutions. So, the deck of UDeL Context Cards is never complete, and there might be more relevant to discuss new cards related to participants’ own experience from their teaching practice than just studying the existing cards.

If you have suggestions for new Context Cards, please contact hakan.eftring(at)certec.lth.se .

Enhancement-led evaluation aims to support HEI to develop practices by self-evaluation and by peer-reviewing [1]. The Enhancement-led evaluation approach has been used over 20 years in the education evaluation activities in Finland. The overall goal of the enhancement-led evaluation is to make current state of HEI’s activities visible and to define future developmental goals. The Enhancement-led evaluation is strongly based on participation and interaction, and thus the evaluation process becomes a joint learning process, in which the interaction between the evaluation participants and their learning from each other supports the change. Staff, students and other stakeholders of a HEI are involved in recognising strengths, good practices and enhancement areas in the HEI’s activities. As a part of self-evaluation, practices with evidence of positive effects are described and presented for peer-reviewing. Sometimes, a practice posses qualities worth for spreading and applying as a good or even best practice for a wider audience inside the HEI. The best practice supports the change in HEI.

Because of good results in developing quality and HEI’s activities in Finland [2] and in Scotland [3], well-defined participatory and interactive evaluation process with characteristics of goal-orientation and futures consciousness, enhancement-led evaluation was found promising to be applied for developing Enhancement-Led Evaluation Tool (ELET) for UDeL. The ELET is a supportive resource for implementing and sustaining UDeL practices. It has distinct focus on UDL in use, and takes on itself to answer questions about how to implement UDL, what factors are important when applying UDL in eLearning, and how the process can be self-evaluated. The ELET consists self-evaluation questions 1) to define the status of HEI’s current UDeL activities, and 2) to self-evaluate own UDeL practices, which may become a good or a best practice for the wider use in HEI as an UDL resource. The ELET was developed to be used for process evaluation and for getting feedback throughout the course of running eLearning cases.

References:

[1] Moitus, S. & Kamppi, P. 2020. Enhancement-led evaluation at the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre. Summaries 11:2020. Finnish Education Evaluation Centre. ISBN 978-952-206-587-2 pdf.

[2] Finnish Education Evaluation Centre. https://karvi.fi/en/higher-education/

[3] Scotland’s Quality Body for Higher Education. https://www.qaa.ac.uk/scotland/en/home

The Tool was originally developed only for self-evaluation purposes of Camp participant’s UDeL cases, and to be used for process evaluation and for getting feedback throughout the course of running the case. Later, during the TINEL project, we realized that although UDL understanding and skills of an individual teacher are important, they are not sufficient to enhance equally versatile student learning perspectives at HEI in large.

The first part of the iteration process of a Tool was done 2018-19 alongside with the international Open Call for the best UDL practices in Higher Education (HE). Self-evaluation questions for the Tool were applied and modified from the Finnish enhancement-led evaluation audit material [1]. Self-evaluation questions were addressed and properties of the tool developed by forming an Entry Form for the Open Call of best UDL practice cases. Based on experiences of Open Call and by processing self-evaluation questions further on at the international workshop of Best Practice Conference in Jyväskylä, self-evaluation questions were formed as a Enhancement-Led Evaluation Form.

The basis for another part of the Tool, self-evaluation of the status of UDeL at the HEI, was modified from results of the Open Call. Further iteration was done alongside with Camps and participants’ redesign tasks. Self-evaluation questions have basis on the Finnish enhancement-led evaluation audit material from which they were modified with a representative of FINEEC5.

The pressure for enhancing UDL approach at HE comes from ethical, human rights and legal perspectives. The higher education (HE) as a public service is morally obligated to consider strategic approach to set goals and allocate resources to enhance UDL and accessibility by large, to ensure equal learning rights for diversity of students. More inclusive policy and practices will enhance access, participation and learning performance of disadvantaged learners and may reduce disparities in learning outcome. According to research [2]-[7], applying UDL to teaching has positively contributed to student learning experiences, experiences of performance, commitment, satisfaction, and social presence, as well as alleviation of learning stress. So, widely used UDL framework alongside with accessible eLearning pedagogy, tools and environment provides access to learning to the widest possible audience by removing potential barriers, offering flexible paths and timely support to learning.

References:

[1] Audit manual for Higher Education Institutions. https://karvi.fi/app/uploads/2019/09/FINEEC_Audit-manual-for-higher-education-institutions_2019-2024_FINAL.pdf

[2] Davies, P. L., Schelly, C. L., & Spooner, C. L. 2012. Measuring the effectiveness of Universal Design for Learning intervention in postsecondary education. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 26(3), 195–220.

[3] Draffan, E. A., James, A. and Martin, N. 2017. Inclusive Teaching and Learning: What’s Next? Journal of Inclusive Practice in Further and Higher Education 9 (1) pp 23-34.

[4] Firchow, N. 2016, March 11. Universal Design for Learning — improved access for all. Retrieved from: https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/universal-design-for-learning-improved-access-for-all/

[5] Fornauf, B. S. & Erickson, J. D. 2020. Toward an Inclusive Pedagogy Through Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 33(2), 183-199.

[6] Kumar, K. L., & Wideman, M. 2014. Accessible by design: Applying UDL principles in a first year undergraduate course. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 44(1), 125–147.

[7] Rose, D. H., & Strangman, N. 2007. Universal design for learning: Meeting the challenge of individual learning differences through a neurocognitive perspective. Universal Access in the Information Society, 5(4), 381–391. doi:10.1007/s10209-006-0062-8.

The planning and implementation of HE is determined by a diverse student body. Students diversity poses challenges for pedagogy, but serves also as a source for pedagogical development and innovations. As the ELET provides two perspectives to self-evaluate, 1) the status of HEI’s current UDeL activities and 2) training participant’s own UDeL practices – there are different ways to implement it at TINEL Training process.

1) The status of HEI’s current UDeL activities. The first part of the Tool, the status of HEI’s current UDL activities, is useful at the beginning of the UDeL training process. Before deciding and defining the case for learning and applying UDL principles, it is useful to clarify for oneself a bit of the current state of HEI’s strategic, management and pedagogical views for tackling student diversity issues, flexible study paths for ensuring the progress of studies for all students. In defining the UDeL case for learning, it is also useful to map HEI’s technological and pedagogical resources that are available for supporting design of learning environments, accessible materials and learning assignments.

How to do the self-evaluation in practice? Arrange a joint meeting with your team to discuss and reflect on the self-assessment questions of the first part of the Tool. If possible, bring your supervisor with you. Based on your discussion, compile a summary of the current state of your HEI into a word document, for example. It is important, that you all share a common understanding of how things are at your HEI concerning UDeL, what kind of resources and support is available for staff to succeed and develop with teaching and learning.

2) Enhancement-Led Self-evaluation form for the training participant. One component of the TINEL Training Model is redesign task. In redesign task the participant of the training will apply learned UDL theory into practice with own UDeL case. Enhancement-Led self-evaluation form can be used at the beginning of the training process and after the redesign case is finished. Self-evaluation questions of the Form are helpful in structuring the challenge of an everyday practice, in defining UDL redesign acts and purposes, in reflecting applicability and to define or observe expected effect on students learning behavior.

How to do the self-evaluation in practice? There are two kind of questions on a form: boldly written main questions and assistance questions under them. Concentrate on bold self-evaluation questions. Assistance questions are helping you to think reflect main questions.

• In case of using the self-evaluation form from the start of the UDL training, self-evaluation questions are giving you ideas to focus on certain aspects of your case in defining the redesign task. As the UDeL training continues forward, and you share your case with other participants and get feedback from others, you can come back to your case and continue deepening your understanding and practical matters of implementing it. Also, self-evaluation questions provides you useful structure to present your case for others and to give feedback for others as well.
• In case of using the self-evaluation form at the end of the training process, it can be used for purposes of structuring and packing the practice into a good or a best practice. Eventually, you can collect all your HEI’s UDeL cases into one place to create a source of UDeL good or best practice cases. A goal-oriented atmosphere of positive change is created by exchanging and disseminating good practices with peers.