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.

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.

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

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See the instructions for activating your HAM user ID here.

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HAMK user ID is [email protected].

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 [email protected]

Problems with logging?

Contact HAMK IT Services either by email: [email protected] 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.

The curriculum and study guide has been updated for the academic year 2024-2025!

In the study guide below, you can find the curriculum for the academic year 2023-2024, the main principles of studies, and the implementation plan for each study group with their schedules

In case of problems, you can make a service request via the ServiceDesk 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: [email protected].

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: [email protected] 

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.

Citation guide part 1: Theory, pdf

Citation guide part 2: Examples, pdf

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 programme has no tuition fee.

If you need funds to support yourself while studying Professional Teacher Education, you can apply for adult education allowance from the Employment Fund, support for independent study from the Employment and Economic Development Office (TE Office) or Kela’s financial aid for the vocational teacher education studies. Studying is essentially part-time, but it can be changed to full-time with a personal study plan if the sponsor of the studies requires it. NOTE! Students living abroad are usually not covered by Finnish study support.

More info on the adult education allowance can be found on the Employment Fund website. The allowance requires that the student gains at least 4 ECTS a month. Studying in the 13-month program fulfils the criterion.

More info on the support for independent study can be found on the TE Services website. Receiving this benefit requires gaining at least 5 ECTS a month. Studying according to the group program does not fulfil the criterion, but a personal study plan can be made for the student to shorten the study time.

More info on financial aid for students can be found on the Kela (Social Insurance Institution) website. Receiving this benefit requires gaining at least 5 ECTS a month. Studying according to the group program does not fulfil the criterion, but a personal study plan can be made for the student to shorten the study time.

If you need a personal study plan to meet the criterion for funding, please contact the guidance counsellor.

Study feedback should be given by the student at the end of each module (excluding Practical Teacher Training and Development of Pedagogical Expertise) via HAMK’s feedback system. Students may give feedback seven days before the module ends, at the earliest. The system picks the exact end date from the implementation plan in the Pakki service. The feedback survey opens seven days before the module ends and it stays open for a fortnight after the module end date.

Students may give feedback via the Spark feedback service in Pakki. The feedback service recognises the modules or courses for which the student has been accepted in Pakki. Students can give feedback for each module only once and when the feedback questionnaire is available.

Student instructions for giving feedback on modules

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.

After you have been admitted to a degree programme, you will receive an email with a confirmation link. You must confirm the study place by 11 July 2024!

Confirm the study place electronically with the confirmation link sent to you by e-mail. Do so as soon as possible to allow enough time for the possible immigration process.

• If you have a Finnish ID number and online banking credentials, mobile certificate, or an electronic ID card you can confirm the study place by logging in at the My Studyinfo service.
• If you don’t have a Finnish ID number nor online banking credentials, mobile certificate, or an electronic ID card, please read the instructions on the My Studyinfo email notification you received.
• If you are for some reason not able to confirm your study place electronically, please contact the Admission Services of HAMK.

Make sure that you make the confirmation on time. Otherwise, you will lose the study place offered to you. Once you have confirmed your study place, it is binding and irrevocable and cannot be altered.

Notice: One study place during one semester

After confirming this study place, you can’t accept any other study places leading to a higher education degree in Finland for autumn 2024 if the studies begin during the same semester (1 January – 31 July, 1 August – 31 December).

If you are a non-EU/EEA-citizen and you have not provided any document that would exempt you from paying the tuition fee, you are required to pay a tuition fee for your studies by 11 July 2024.

If you are required to pay a tuition fee, you should do it before you apply for a residence permit. We strongly recommend that you pay the fee immediately after you have accepted the study place.

There is no tuition fee for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens. Finnish citizens are not required to provide proof of citizenship, whereas other EU/EEA/Swiss citizens should send a copy of their passport/identity card at the time of submitting the application or if you have not done so, to [email protected] by 11 July 2024 at the latest.

Read more about the tuition fees in here.

After you have accepted the study place and paid the tuition fee (if required), a link to the enrolment service will be activated at StudyInfo for you to register for the academic year. If you are unable to register electronically, please contact [email protected].

If you are not able to start your studies in the autumn semester 2024, you can delay the start of your studies if there are legal grounds for your absence:

Non-attendance in the first study year

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 parental leave 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 the deadline for accepting the offer of admission. Documents must be submitted in Finnish, Swedish or English.

Submit the documents here:

No matter if you are an exchange student or international student studying for the whole degree, the first thing to do is to find out if you need a permit for studying in Finland. Finnish citizens do not need to do this.

Find out what kind of permit you need:

There are many things, such as nationality and length of the studies, that affect on which permit you need. Nice way to figure out if you need residence permit, right of residence or visa, is to follow Finnish Immigration Services MIGRI‘s guidelines according to your own situation:

• I am an EU citizen
• I am a family member of an EU citizen
• I am a Nordic citizen
• I am a citizen of some other country (Usually residence permit required)

Once you know which permit you need, please follow the Finnish Immigration Services guidelines how to apply for the permit.

If you need a residence permit, we strongly recommend you to apply it immediately after you have accepted the study place. The processing time can be over two months during peak application times. In some countries, it can even take over four months.

Finnish immigration service provides clear instructions on how to apply for a student residence permit. Please select the electronic application as you will save both time and money.

What if I can’t get my residence permit on time?

The students must arrive in their campus and start on-campus studies by the start of 2nd module, which is October 28, 2024. You must inform your guidance counsellor about your late arrival and start your studies online in order to join on campus by the second module. Please scroll down to see which studies must be completed by the 28th of October. 

Notice! You can´t start your studies after October 28, because it is important to acquire the knowledge and the intended learning outcome by being present in campus.

If you have not received a residence permit and arrived in Finland by the beginning of 2nd module, the start of studies can be postponed to the beginning of the next academic year and the tuition fee will be transferred to the next academic year. In this case you need to start your studies in the beginning of next academic year (Autum 2025). If you are unable to begin your studies in August 2025, you will lose your right to study.

Apply for deferral through this form no later than 27.10.2024. The form opens on 12 August and closes on 27 October.  

If you are a fee paying student, check also our refund policy from  Tuition Fees: Refund Policy

Check which courses need to be completed before October 28 to join the studies on campus:

Construction Engineering  and
Information and Communication Technology, Circular Economy   

• Finnish 1: you must complete the course to continue your studies in Finnish 2.
• Hybrid teaching will be arranged during the first period. 

Electrical and Automation Engineering

• Finnish 1: you must complete the course to continue your studies in Finnish 2.
• Hybrid teaching will be arranged during the first period but the possibility to participate online only applies to students who, through no fault of their own, cannot reach Finland in time.
• Even in the case of online studies, active participation and completion of the first module is a prerequisite for successful continuation of studies in the other modules.

Information and Communication Technology, Robotics 

• Introduction to Robotics and Programming: lectures should be followed and online assignments completed. Some of the practical exercises have to be complemented afterwards.  
• Finnish 1: you must complete the course to continue your studies in Finnish 2. Hybrid teaching will be arranged during the first period.  
• Geometry and Linear Algebra: must be completed to continue Algebra in the next period.  
• Orientation to Engineering Studies: lectures should be followed and online assignments completed.  
• Introduction to Technical Physics: lectures should be followed and online assignments completed.   

Mechanical Engineering and Production Technology   

• All 1st module studies must be started. This is verified by submitted assignments or other study-related performances.
• Finnish 1: you must complete the course to continue your studies in Finnish 2. Hybrid teaching will be arranged during the first period. 

Sustainable Urban Design 

• Geography and Ecology of Urban Systems: Some lecturers are also online. It is important to follow Moodle and listen or read all lectures and materials, read course materials, participate in chat, do all tasks needed and return them to Moodle. 
• Finnish 1: you must complete the course to continue your studies in Finnish 2. Hybrid teaching will be arranged during the first period.  
• Geometry and Linear Algebra: must be completed to continue Algebra in the next period.  
• Orientation to Engineering Studies: lectures should be followed and remote task completed.   
• Introduction to Technical Physics: lectures should be followed and remote task completed.   

 
International Business  

• The 1st module Basic Business Competences will be offered online. The student must complete independently all 1st module courses to be able to start their 2nd module on campus October 28, 2024. Activity/performance is verified through Moodle’s data. 

Computer Applications 

• The courses Operating Systems, Basics of Programming, and Finnish 1 must be completed independently if arriving late in order to continue studies normally from the beginning of the 2nd period onwards. Activity/performance is verified through Moodle’s data.

Smart and Sustainable Design  

•  First module “Orientation to Design” will be offered online if necessary, with the exeption of course “Design Studio”. To be able to proceed to second module student must complete the tasks on the other courses of the module. We will offer later in spring semester a chance to complete the “Design Studio” course. 
  • Sketching and Visualization 5 ects, online option available 
  • Digital learning Environments 2 ects, online option available 
  • Design in Culture 3 ects, online studies for all. 
  • Design Studio, contact teaching in studio environments, not available onlie. 
  • Sustainable Development. Now 2 ects, online studies for all. 

Health care, Nursing 

• Basics of the Finnish language 3 ECTS; The learning tasks have been completed and returned to the online platform (Learn). No approved course evaluation is required. 
• Finnish language and culture 3 ECTS; The learning tasks have been completed and returned to the online platform (Learn). No approved course evaluation is required. 
• Natural sciences I 2 ECTS; The learning tasks have been completed and returned to the online platform (Learn). No approved course evaluation is required. 
• Hybrid teaching will be arranged during the first period. 

Sustainable Forest Management,
Professional Horticulture and
Climate Smart Agriculture  

• Finnish 1: Moodle must be completed and the retake at the beginning of period 2 must be passed at school to continue to Finnish 2.

If you have any questions concerning the start of your studies, please contact directly to your Degree Program.

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 to open a bank account in Finland, so it is good 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 offered by your campus and fill the application. We 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.

We also have an airport pickup service for specific dates available! Scroll down to read more about it from Arriving to HAMK section!

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.

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.

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.

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 [email protected]

There are many things to be considered if you wish to bring your family to Finland with you. Read more about it from here.

To register your arrival at HAMK, you need to present the identity card or passport, residence permit (if applicable to your case), and the original school certificates with their official translations in either Finnish, Swedish, or English.

If you plan to develop your career in Finland, you should also bring the original work certificates 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.

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 [email protected] 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: [email protected].

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 Digistart -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-24”.

Enrolment key is: Digistarter-24

If you have any questions related to Starter Kit of Digital Skills, please contact to [email protected].

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

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.

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.

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

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).

HAMK support students in DVV registration during the Orientation Get-Together Day. For more information: Orientation Get-Together Day 2024 for new international students – HAMK.

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 [email protected].

You need a valid student card or a stamped KELA meal subsidy card to get the student discounts for lunch.

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.

If you are participating in HAMK´s Orientation Get-Together Day, you degree programme will assist you in getting a stamped KELA meal subsidy cards. For more information on the Day, please check: Orientation Get-Together Day 2024 for new international students – HAMK.

For further information on available study modules, please contact Piia Aidantausta .

Autumn Semester 2024

Study Module; Code; Credits; Start Date – End date

Service Design (online, non-stop implementation, timetable is flexible); 5 ECTS; 2.9.2024 – 31.12.2024

Business Design; (online, non-stop implementation, timetable is flexible); 5 ECTS; 2.9.2024 – 31.12.2024

Establishing a Company (online, non-stop implementation, timetable is flexible); 2 ECTS; 26.08.2024 – 31.07.2025

Startup Business School (online, non-stop implementation, timetable is flexible); 15 ECTS; 2.9.2024 – 31.12.2024

Business Analytics and Business Intelligence (online); 15 ECTS; 28.10.2024 – 20.12.2024
Business Analytics; 5 ECTS
Business Intelligence; 5 ECTS
Financial Business Analysis; 5 ECTS

Esports Business Management (online); 15 ECTS; 28.10.2024 – 14.3.2025
Sports Management; 5 ECTS; 28.10.2024 – 14.3.2025
Marketing and Events; 5 ECTS; 28.10.2024 – 14.3.2025
Esports Project; 5 ECTS; 28.10.2024 – 14.3.2025

Future Marketing Applications (online non-stop implementation, timetable is flexible); 15 ECTS; 8/1/2024 – 3/5/2024
Marketing Trends; 5 ECTS Diversity Marketing; 5 ECTS
Marketing for Sustainability; 5 ECTS

Spring Semester 2025

Study Module; Code; credits; Start Date – End date

Future Marketing Applications (online non-stop implementation, timetable is flexible); 15 ECTS; 8.1.2024 – 3.5.2024
Marketing Trends; 5 ECTS
Diversity Marketing; 5 ECTS
Marketing for Sustainability; 5 ECTS

Service Design (online, non-stop implementation, timetable is flexible); 5 ECTS; 13.1.2025 – 31.7.2025

Business Design; (online, non-stop implementation, timetable is flexible); 5 ECTS; 13.1.2025 – 3.5.2025

Startup Business School (online, non-stop implementation, timetable is flexible); 15 ECTS; 13.1.2024 – 31.7.2024

Establishing a Company (online, non-stop implementation, timetable is flexible); 2 ECTS; 26.08.2024 – 31.07.2025

More information of the content:
Business Administration – link to Study Guide

For further information, please contact Guidance Counselor Riitta Rytkönen .

Biotechnology and Food Engineering – no exchange studies available during the Academic year 2024-2025

Autumn Semester 2024 and Spring Semester 2025

Internship :  HAMK Bio research unit   offers two internship positions in ongoing R&D projects. If you are interested, please send your open internship application, CV and transcript of records to the Guidance Counselor Riitta Rytkönen. Applications are processed once a month. If your application is tentatively accepted, the project manager will contact you and give more information about the project and tasks involved. If you decide to join our project, you should send your final application to HAMK online exchange system SoleMOVE.

Autumn Semester 2024

Study Module; Code; Credits; Start Date – End date

For further information on available study modules, please contact Guidance Counsellors Lotta Kopo.

Mobile Programming; 15 ECTS; 26.8. – 25.10.2024
Virtualization Techniques for Software Developers; TK00DH16; 4 ECTS
Cross-platform Development; TK00DH17; 5 ECTS
Mobile Programming Project; TK00DH18; 6 ECTS

Machine Learning & AI; 15 ECTS; 26.8. – 25.10.2024
Solutions in Pattern Recognition; TK00DH12; 5 ECTS
Artificial Intelligence; TK00DH14; 5 ECTS
Development of Artificial Intelligence Applications; TK00DH13; 5 ECTS

Cloud Computing; 15 ECTS; 26.8. – 25.10.2024
Cloud Computing; TK00DJ26; 8 ECTS
Multicloud Management; TK00DJ27; 3 ECTS
Cybersecurity in Cloud Environments; TK00DJ28; 4 ECTS

ICT Project; 15 ECTS; 28.10.-20.12.2024
ICT Project and Product Planning; TK00EX49; 5 ECTS
ICT Project and Product Implementation; TK00EX50; 10 ECTS

Game Engine Development; 15 ECTS; 28.10.-20.12.2024
3D Modelling; TK00DJ33; 3 ECTS
Game Programming; TK00EX51; 5 ECTS
Game Development Project; TK00EX52; 7 ECTS

Spring Semester 2025

Study Module; Code; Credits; Start Date – End date

Thesis; 15 cr; 13.1.- 14.3.2025

Automating Business Processes; 15 ECTS; 13.1. – 14.3.2025
Software Robotics and Automation; CA00EF10; 6 ECTS
Software Design; CA00EF12; 4 ECTS
Minithesis; CA00EF14; 5 ECTS

Backend Web Development; 15 ECTS; 17.3.- 9.5.2025
Web Accessibility; TK00EC94; 3 ECTS
Javascript; TK00EC96; 3 ECTS
Web Framework Project; TK00EC98; 9 ECTS

Data Science; 15 ECTS; 17.3.- 9.5.2025
Mathematics for Data Science with Python; TK00ED06; 6 ECTS
Big Data Technologies; TK00ED08; 3 ECTS
Applied Machine Learning; TK00ED10; 6 ECTS

Delivering Software Products; 15 ECTS; 17.3.- 9.5.2025
Software Delivery Models & Methods; TK00ED18; 3 ECTS
Web Servers; TK00ED20; 5 ECTS
Containerization TK00ED22; 3 ECTS
Software Delivery Tools; TK00ED24; 4 ECTS

More information of the content:
Business Information Technology – link to Study Guide

For further information on available study modules, please contact guidance Counselor  Kirsi Liimatainen .

Autumn Semester 2024

Study Module; Code; Credits

Module 1
26.8. – 25.10. 2024

Fundamentals of Structural Design; 15 ECTS
Conceptual Design of the Structures; CO00DM69-3004; 3 ECTS
Concrete Materials Technology; CO00EN48-3001: 2 ECTS
Foundation Engineering; CO00DM75-3004; 3 ECTS
Surveying Techniques in Construction Site; CO00EN47-3001; 3 ECTS
Strength of Materials 1; RM00EL14-3005; 2 ECTS
Technical English 1; KM00DE59-3008; 2 ECTS

Steel Structures; 15 ECTS
Basics of Structural Steel Design; CO00DM85-3003; 5 ECTS
Manufacturing of Steel Structures; CO00DM87-3003; 3 ECTS
Advanced Building Information Modeling (BIM); CO00DM88-3003; 4 ECTS
Industrial and Commercial Buildings; CO00DM86-3003; 3 ECTS

Module 2
28.10.-20.12.2024

Structural Systems in Buildings; 15 ECTS
Load-Bearing Frames of Buildings; CO00DN09-3003; 4 ECTS
Concrete Works; CO00EN49-3001; 2 ECTS
Basics of Project Management; CO00EN50-3001; 3 ECTS
Strength of Materials 2; RA00EL40-3003; 3 ECTS
Technical English 2; KM00DE60-3006; 3 ECTS

Design of Concrete Structures; 15 ECTS
Advanced Concrete Structures Design; CO00DM90-3003; 5 ECTS
Precast Concrete Structures; CO00DM89-3003; 3 ECTS
Prestressed Concrete and Steel-Concrete Composite Structures; CO00DM92-3003; 3 ECTS
Design of Foundation Structures; CO00DM91-3003; 4 ECTS

Spring Semester 2025

Study Module; Code; Credits

Module 3
13.1. – 14.3 2025

Apartment Buildings; 15 ECTS
Concrete Structure Design; RA00EL41-3003; 2 ECTS
Building Services Systems (HVAC); CO00DM79-3004; 3 ECTS
Construction Management and Economics; CO00DM77-3004; 2 ECTS
Construction Site Safety; RM00EL12-3004; 3 ECTS
Material Durability; RM00EL30-3003; 2 ECTS
Structural Analysis; RA00EN51-3001; 3 ECTS

Design of Steel Structures; 15 ECTS
Advanced Steel Structures; Design CO00DM93-3003; 4 ECTS
Cold-Formed Steel Structures; CO00DM94-3003; 3 ECTS
Finite Element Method; CO00DM96-3003; 5 ECTS
Structural Fire Design; CO00DM95-3003; 3 ECTS

Module 4
17.3.- 9.5.2025

Concrete Structures; 15 ECTS
Concrete Construction; RA00EL43-3002; 3 ECTS
Advanced Concrete Structures Design; RA00EL44-3002; 4 ECTS
Advanced Building Physics; RA00EL46-3002; 2 ECTS
Basic of Building Information Modeling; RA00EL45-3002; 3 ECTS
Academic Writing and Professional Communication; CO00EN52-3001; 3 ECTS

Life Cycle Thinking in Building Technology; 15 ECTS
Circular Economy in Construction Industry; CO00DQ50-3002; 5 ECTS
Life Cycle of Buildings and Building Products; CO00DQ49-3002; 5 ECTS
Project on Circular Economy; CO00DQ51-3003; 5 ECTS

More information of the content:
Construction Engineering – link to Study Guide

Please not that we don’t have internships available until Autumn 2025.

At the moment there are no study modules available in English in Nursing Degree Programme, only internships. We can offer internships of 8-12 weeks for exchange students. Usually, internships are placed in local hospital or in other health care units in Hämeenlinna area.

When you are applying for an internship at HAMK Nursing Degree Programme, please ask your international office to first contact Johanna Helanen to inquire about any available internship spots.

Please note that nomination and application times for Nursing degree programme are earlier than in other degree programmes:

The nomination deadline for the autumn semester is 1 March.
The application deadline for the autumn semester is 15 March.

The nomination deadline for the spring semester is 1 October.
The application deadline for the spring semester is 15 October.

Nominations to: [email protected]

Contact persons in Nursing Degree Programme:
Johanna Helanen, Service Coordinator (internships): [email protected]
Saida Essadiki, International Coordinator (nomination, application process): [email protected]
Sari Lamminpää, Student Counsellor (student counselling, acceptance of application and Learning Agreement): [email protected]

For further information on available study modules, please contact Guidance Counselor  Johanna Ojanen.

In Smart and Sustainable Design students study in different majors. First year students have two choices: Fashion (Apparel and Footwear) OR Glass and Ceramics. Second and third year students study in one of the four majors: Fashion (Apparel), Footwear, Glass or Ceramics. Most courses are studied together, but all majors have their own material-based courses, which are indicated on the course listing.

Students choosing material based courses from second year studies or first year spring semester studies must have prior knowledge on the major material they choose.

Autumn Semester 2024

1st module 26.8.-25.10.2024
Study Module; Code; Credits

Orientation to Design (first year group); 11 ECTS
Sketching and Visualization; MU00DK24; 5 ECTS
Design in Culture (online study); MU00DK29; 3 ECTS
Design Studio; MU00DK27; 3 ECTS

Design Process (second year group); 12 ECTS
Color and Form; MU00DK46; 3 ECTS
Design Process in Fashion, Footwear, Ceramics or Glass (prior studies in the chosen material required); 6 ECTS
Design Methods and Research; MU00DV34; 3 ECTS

Design and Collaboration (third year group); 5 ECTS
Graphic Design; MU00DK78; 3 ECTS
Service Design; MU00DK79; 2 ECTS

2nd module 28.10.-20.12.2024
Study Module; Code; Credits

Design Basics (first year group); 10 ECTS
Basics of Sustainable Design; MU00DK32; 2 ECTS
Materials and Techniques in Fashion or Glass and Ceramics; MU00DK35; 8 ECTS

Product Development (second year group); 11 ECTS
Futures Studies in Design; MU00DK50; 2 ECTS
Product Development Project in Fashion, Footwear, Ceramics or Glass (prior studies in the chosen material required); 9 ECTS

Sustainable Design Business (third year group); 6 ECTS
Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Design; MU00DK78; 3 ECTS
Sustainable Supply Chains in Design; MU00DK79; 3 ECTS

Spring Semester 2025

3rd module 13.1.-14.3.2025
Study Module; Code; Credits

Design Methods (first year group); 12 ECTS
Basics of Design thinking; MU00DK36; 5 ECTS
Design and Techniques in Fashion or Glass and Ceramics (some prior knowledge on the chosen material required); 7 ECTS

Manufacturing (second year group); 15 ECTS
Design History (online study); MU00BP64; 3 ECTS
Manufacturing Project in Fashion, Footwear, Ceramics or Glass (prior studies in the chosen material required); 9 ECTS
Graphic Design; MU00DK52; 3 ECTS

Global and Local Design (third year group); 6 ECTS
Design Methods and Research 2; MU00DV70; 3 ECTS
Launching Design; MU00DK71; 3 ECTS

4th module 17.3.-9.5.2025
Study Module; Code; Credits

Prototyping (first year group); 10 ECTS
Basics of Smart Design; MU00DK40; 3 ECTS
Prototyping and Techniques in Fashion or Glass and Ceramics (some prior knowledge on the chosen material required); 7 ECTS

Applied Research in Design (third year group); 10 ECTS
Smart and Sustainable Research; MU00DK98; 3 ECTS
Designers portfolio; MU00DK97; 2 ECTS
Multidisciplinary Project; MU00DK99; 5 ECTS

More information of the content:
Smart and Sustainable Design – link to Study Guide

For further information on available study modules, please contact  Tuija Jurvanen.

Autumn Semester 2024

Study Module; Credits; Start Date – End date; Code
(The start and end dates are quite flexible as the modules are mainly completed independently.)

Practical placement/Internship for exchange students in the School of Wellbeing; 10-20 ECTS; 1.8.24-31.7.25;  SO00CP33-3008

Children’s rights; 3 ECTS; 1.8.24-31.7.25; SO00CP28-3008

Youth in the changing society; 3 ECTS; 1.8.24-31.7.25; SO00CP27-3008

Spring Semester 2025

Study Module; Credits; Start Date – End date; Code
(The start and end dates are quite flexible as the modules are mainly completed independently. The only exceptions are the Wellbeing International Week and Promoting cultural well-being.)

Practical placement/Internship for exchange students in the School of Wellbeing; 10-20 ECTS; 1.8.24-31.7.25; SO00CP33-3008

Promoting cultural wellbeing; 15 ECTS; 13.1.-14.3.25.

Wellbeing international week; 2 ECTS; 17.2.-23.2.25; SO00DM65-3004

Youth in the changing society; 3 ECTS; 1.8.24-31.7.25; SO00CP27-3008

Children’s rights; 3 ECTS; 1.8.24-31.7.25; SO00CP28-3008

More information of the content:
Social Services – link to Study Guide

For further information on available study modules, please contact Guidance Counselor  Leena Koivisto.

Autumn Semester 2024

Study Module; Code; credits; Start Date – End date

Distributed Energy Solution; 15 ECTS; 26 Aug 2024 – 25 Oct 2024 (3rd year studies)
Automation of Electrical Networks in Buildings; EA00DD65; 4 ECTS
Electrical Drives of Buildings; EA00DD66; 2 ECTS
Hybrid Systems; EA00DD67; 4 ECTS
Preliminary Thesis; EA00DD68; 3 ECTS
Small-scale Production and Storage of Electricity; EA00DD69; 2 ECTS

Automation Systems; 15 ECTS; 26 Aug 2024 – 25 Oct 2024 (2nd year studies)
Logic Programming and User Interfaces; BE00EJ21; 8 ECTS
Data Networks and Data Security; BE00EJ22; 4 ECTS
Fluids, Heat and Thermodynamics; BE00EJ23; 3 ECTS

Modern Technology Applications; 15 ECTS; 28 Oct 2024 – 20 Dec 2024 (3^rd year studies)
Artificial Intelligence, EA00DD72; 5 ECTS
Modeling and Simulation; EA00DD73; 5 ECTS
Robotics; EA00DD74; 5 ECTS

Information Technology; 14 ECTS; 28 Oct 2024 – 20 Dec 2024 (2nd year studies)
Data Analysis; BE00EJ24; 4 ECTS
IoT Systems; BE00EJ30; 4 ECTS
Electricity, Magnetism and Waves; BE00EJ26; 3 ECTS
Theoretical Electrical Engineering – AC; BE00EJ28; 3 ECTS

Individual Project(studies with individually tutored projects); 26 Aug–25 Oct 2024 or until 20 Dec 2024.

Spring Semester 2025

Study Module; Code; credits; Start Date – End date

Process Automation; 15 ECTS; 13 Jan 2025 – 14 Mar 2025 (3rd year studies)
Control and Automation Design; EA00DD75; 8 ECTS
Electrical Engineering and Field Design; EA00DD76; 5 ECTS
Electric Drives; EA00DD77; 2 ECTS

Energy Efficiency of Buildings; 13 ECTS; 13 Jan 2025 – 14 Mar 2025 (2nd year studies)
Energy Systems of Buildings; BE00EJ33; 4 ECTS
Electric Drives in Buildings; BE00EJ34; 2 ECTS
Automation of Electrical Networks in Buildings; BE00EJ35; 4 ECTS
Small-scale Production and Storage of Electricity; BE00EJ36; 2 ECTS
Developing Professional Identity; BE00EM65; 1 ECTS

Production Automation; 15 ECTS; 17 Mar 2025 – 9 May 2025 (3rd year studies)
Electrical Design of Production Process; EA00DD78; 3 ECTS
Machine Safety; EA00DD79; 3 ECTS
Machine Vision; EA00DD80; 4 ECTS
Virtual Commissioning; EA00DD81; 5 ECTS

Data Collection and Utilisation 2; 16 ECTS; 17 Mar 2025 – 9 May 2025 (2nd year studies)
Working on an International Project; BE00EJ29; 2 ECTS
Technical English 2; KM00EI28; 3 ECTS
Differential Equations and Probability Calculus; BE00EJ31; 3 ECTS
Process Measurements; BE00EJ32; 3 ECTS
Industrial Internet of Things; BE00EI82; 5 ECTS
 
Individual Project (studies with individually tutored projects); 13 Jan – 13 Mar 2025 or until 9 May 2025

More information of the content:
Electrical and Automation Engineering – link to Study Guide

For further information on available study modules, please contact Guidance Counselor  Johanna Heinola-Lepistö .

We offer two study options for our exchange students:

Students must always choose full modules, i.e. 15 credit entities.

For students planning a full year exchange, please note that you are required to select one Business lab and one module from option 2.

Please be advised that the studies listed below are the only ones offered for the academic year 2024-2025. It is not possible to combine the autumn modules with the spring modules, as each is held only once annually.

Option 1: Business labs

Business labs are offered in both the autumn and spring semesters. Students cannot select their own labs or topics; instead, choices are determined by the projects we receive from companies.

Code; Study Module; Credits

BBIB22A-1033; Business Lab: Internationalization; 30 ECTS

IB00EX33; Advancing Research Skills; 5 ECTS

IB00EX30; Internationalization: Project Challenge and Client Communication; 5 ECTS

IB00EX31; Internationalization: Research and Ideation; 10 ECTS

IB00EX32; Internationalization: Prototype and Minimum Viable Product; 10 ECTS

BBIB22A-1034; Business Lab: Sustainability; 30 ECTS

IB00EX33; Advancing Research Skills; 5 ECTS

IB00EX37; Sustainability: Project Challenge and Client Communication; 5 ECTS

IB00EX38; Sustainability: Research and Ideation; 10 ECTS

IB00EX39; Sustainability: Prototype and Minimum Viable Product; 10 ECTS

BBIB22A-1035; Business Lab: Innovation; 30 ECTS

IB00EX33; Advancing Research Skills; 5 ECTS

IB00EX40; Innovation: Project Challenge and Client Communication; 5 ECTS

IB00EX41; Innovation: Research and Ideation; 10 ECTS

IB00EX42; Innovation: Prototype and Minimum Viable Product; 10 ECTS

Option 2: different 2^nd year modules for autumn semester and spring semester.

Autumn Semester 2024

Study Module; Code; Credits; Start Date – End date

BBIB23A-1007 ; Entrepreneurial Thinking through Innovation; 15 ECTS; 26.8. – 25.10. 2024

IB00DU87; Finding Business Opportunities through Innovation; 5 ECTS

IB00DU88; Business Plannig Process; 5 ECTS

IB00DU89; Legal Environment of an Entrepreneur; 3 ECTS

IB00EX16; Pitching Skills; 2 ECTS

BBIB23A-1008; Developing Future Management Skills; 15 ECTS; 28.10.-20.12.2024

IB00DU91; Cross Cultural Communication ; 3 ECTS

IB00DU92; Organizational Behaviour; 3 ECTS

IB00DU95; Supply Chain Management; 3 ECTS

IB00EI87; Management Accounting; 3 ECTS

IB00EI88; Circular Economy; 3 ECTS

Spring Semester 2025

Code; Study Module; Credits; Start Date – End date

BBIB23A-1009; Implementing Marketing Dynamics; 15 ECTS; 13.1. – 14.3 2025

IB00DU96; Positioning and Branding ; 4 ECTS

IB00DU97; Digital Marketing Expressions; 3 ECTS

IB00DU98; Marketing with Data; 4 ECTS

IB00DU99; Customer Relationship Management; 4 ECTS

BBIB23A-1010; Advancing Professional Profile; 15 ECTS; 17.3.- 9.5.2025

IB00DV00; Developing Professional Profile; 2 ECTS

IB00DV01; Business Ethics; 3 ECTS

IB00DV02; Specialization Unit; 5 ECTS

IB00DV03; Practical Implementation of Analytics; 5 ECTS

More Information of the content:
International Business – link to Study Guide

For further information on available study modules, please contact Guidance Counselor  Marianne Autero.

Autumn Semester 2024

Study Module; Code; credits; Start Date – End date

Internet of Things (IoT); 15 ECTS; 26.8.2024 – 25.10.2024
Electronics, Microcontrollers and IoT Platforms; TI00DA21-3006; 5 ECTS
IoT-project*; TI00DA22-3006; 3 ECTS
IoT, Architectures*; IT00DE63-3006; 3 ECTS
Introduction to Measurement Technology; TI00DA23-3006; 3 ECTS

*The extent of IoT Project can be modified according to student’s needs 

Game Production; 15 ECTS; 28.10.2024 – 20.12.2024
Game Design; TI00DA93-3003; 5 ECTS
Game Programming; TI00DA94-3003; 5 ECTS
Game Project; TI00DA95-3003; 5 ECTS

Spring Semester 2025

Study Module; Code; credits; Start Date – End date

Internet of Things (IoT); 11 ECTS; 13.1.2025-14.3.2025
Microcontrollers and Electronics; TI00EA58-3001; 3 ECTS
IoT-project*; TI00EA60-3001; 2 ECTS
IoT, Architectures*; IT00EA62-3001; 3 ECTS
Introduction to Measurement Technology; TI00EA64-3001; 3 ECTS

*The extent of IoT Project can be modified according to student’s needs 

3D-visualization and Virtual Environments; 15 ECTS; 17.3.2025 – 9.5.2025
3D Visualization; TI00DA77-3003; 5 ECTS
Game Graphics and Dynamic Environments-3003; TI00DA78; 5 ECTS
3D Projects; TI00DA79-3003; 5 ECTS

Full Stack Web Application Development; 15 ECTS; 17.3.2025 – 9.5.2025
Development with a Framework; TI00EH10-3002; 6 ECTS
Full Stack Web Application Development Project; TI00EH11-3002; 6 ECTS
User Interface and User Experience; TI00EH12-3002; 3 ECTS

More information of the content:
Information and Communication Technology – link to Study Guide

For further information on available study modules, please contact Guidance Counselor  Kirsi Liimatainen .

Autumn Semester 2024

Module 1:
26.8. – 25.10. 2024

Study Module; Code; Credits

Machine Design; 15 ECTS
Strength Theory in Design; BE00DK63-3003; 3 ECTS
Machining; BE00DK65-3003; 4 ECTS
Dynamics; BE00DK66-3003; 3 ECTS
Machine Elements 1; BE00EB48-3001; 3 ECTS
Technical English 1; KM00EI27-3002; 2 ECTS

Structural Analysis; 15 ECTS
Finite Element Methods; BE00DK83-3002; 6 ECTS
Measuring Strength of Materials; BE00DK84-3002; 3 ECTS
Structural Optimization; BE00DK85-3002; 3 ECTS
Numerical Methods; BE00DK86-3002; 3 ECTS

Modules 2:
28.10.-20.12.2024

Machine Elements; 15 ECTS
Machine Elements 2; BE00EB50-3001; 3 ECTS
Tolerances and Fits; BE00DK68-3003; 3 ECTS
Electrical Engineering; BE00DK70-3003; 3 ECTS
Basics of Programming; BE00EB49-3001; 3 ECTS
Machine Design Project; BE00EB51-3001; 3 ECTS

Manufacturing Automation; 15 ECTS
NC Programming; BE00DK87-3002; 6 ECTS
Robotics; BE00DK88-3002; 6 ECTS
New Manufacturing Methods; BE00DK89-3002; 3 ECTS

Spring Semester 2025

Module 3:
13.1. – 14.3 2025

Study Module; Code; Credits; Start Date – End date

Sheet Metal Structures; 15 ECTS
Design of Sheet Metal Products; BE00DK74-3003; 6 ECTS
Sheet Metal Work; BE00DK75-3003; 3 ECTS
Coatings; BE00DM43-3004; 3 ECTS
Technical English 2; KM00EI28-3001; 3 ECTS

Robotics; 15 ECTS
Collaborative Robotics; BE00DL02-3002; 3 ECTS
Robot Programming; BE00DL05-3002; 3 ECTS
Robot Kinematics; BE00DL00-3002; 3 ECTS
Factory Simulation; BE00DL01-3002; 3 ECTS
Robotics Project; BE00DL03-3002; 3 ECTS

Modules 4: 
17.3.- 9.5.2025

Product Development; 15 ECTS
Control Systems; BE00DK76-3003; 3 ECTS
Product Design; BE00DK77-3003; 9 ECTS
Entrepreneurship; BE00DK80-3003; 3 ECTS

Design of Industrial Appliances; 15 ECTS
Product Data Management; BE00DK90-3002; 3 ECTS
Project Management; BE00DK91-3002; 3 ECTS
Design Project; BE00DK94-3002; 9 ECTS

More information of the content:
Mechanical Engineering and Production Technology – link to Study Guide

Currently no studies offered in autumn or spring 2024-2025.

For further information, please contact Guidance Counselor  Johanna Nikkola .

For information on available study modules, please contact Guidance Counselor Piia Aidantausta .

For further information on available study modules, please contact Guidance Counselor  Satu Alatalo .

Autumn Semester 2024

1^st module: 26.8.-25.10.2024

Working in Information Society; 15 ECTS / 1^st year

Orientation; BB00EW37; 2 ECTS
Basics of Programming; BB00EO44; 3 ECTS
Geometry and Linear Algebra; KM00CV11; 3 ECTS
Sustainable Development.Now; VV00EO46; 2 ECTS
Introduction to Communication; BB00EO50; 2 ECTS
Finnish 1; KM00EI34; 3 ECTS

Circular Economy; 15 ECTS / 2^nd year

Circular Economy Principles; BB00DX01; 4 ECTS
Innovation Methods; BB00DX02; 3 ECTS
DF Design Thinking; TB00DI26; 2 ECTS
Design Business Ideas to Circular Business; LT00DJ78; 4 ECTS
Project Management; BB00DI46; 2 ECTS

3D Modelling and Printing; 15 ECTS / 3^rd year

3D Modelling and Printing; BB00DX14; 15 ECTS

2^nd module: 28.10.-20.12.2024

Digitalization in Circular Economy; 15 ECTS / 1^st year

Microcontrollers; BB00EO54; 3 ECTS
Introduction to Information Networks; BB00EW38; 3 ECTS
Digital Services; BB00EO58; 2 ECTS
Algebra; KM00EO60; 3 ECTS
Technical English 1; KM00EI27; 2 ECTS
Finnish 2; KM00EI35; 2 ECTS

IoT – Internet of Things; 15 ECTS / 2^nd year

Basics of IoT; BB00EN70; 5 ECTS
IoT Project; BB00EJ71; 5 ECTS
Basics of 3D Modelling and 3D Printing; BB00EJ69; 5 ECTS

Spring Semester 2025

3^rd module: 13.1.-14.3.2025

Data in Circular Economy; 15 ECTS / 1^st year studies
Databases; BB00EO66; 2 ECTS
Python for Data Science; CA00EO68; 5 ECTS
Circular Economy Value Chains; BB00EO70; 3 ECTS
Technical English 2; KM00EI28; 3 ECTS
Finnish 3; KM00EI36; 2 ECTS

Smart Sensors; 15 ECTS / 2^nd year studies

Smart Systems and Sensors; BB00DX06; 5 ECTS
Sensor Systems Project; BB00EJ73; 2 ECTS
Electricity and Magnetism; BB00DI54; 3 ECTS
Professional Communication; BB00DX05; 3 ECTS
Differential Calculus; KM00CV61; 2 ECTS

4^th module: 17.3.-9.5.2025

Data Analytics; 15 ECTS / 1^st year
DF Data-based Decision Making; BB00EO76; 2 ECTS  
DF Data Analytics Tools; BB00DI42; 3 ECTS
DF Data Analysis Project; BB00EO82; 4 ECTS
DF Quantitative Reasoning for Data Analytics; BB00EO80; 3 ECTS
Finnish 4; KM00EI37; 3 ECTS

(DF in course names = Design Factory)

Cloud Services; 15 ECTS / 2^nd year studies
Principles of Cloud Services; BB00DI55; 2 ECTS
Cloud Services Project; BB00DX08; 5 ECTS
User Interface Design and Usability; BB00DI57; 3 ECTS
Applied Physics; BB00DI58; 3 ECTS
Integral Calculus; KM00CV62; 2 ECTS

Development Project; 15 ECTS / 3^rd year
Development Project; BB00DI63; 15 ECTS

Non-stop studies:

Management and Responsible Procurement (online studies); 15 ECTS / 3^rd year
Team Work Management and Finance; BB00DX09; 4 ECTS  
Value Driven Procurement; BB00DX10; 4 ECTS
Lean as the Cornerstone of Efficiency; BB00DX11; 4 ECTS
Management and Responsible Procurement Project; BB00DX12; 3 ECTS

Currently, no exchanges studies offered.

For information on study modules, please contact guidance Counselor  Minna Määttä .

For information on available study modules, please contact Guidance Counsellor Anu Virtanen.

For further information on available study modules, please contact Guidance Counselor  Andra Ruutiainen .

Please note that if you are enrolling only in the spring modules, it is not possible to take Finnish 3 and Finnish 4.

Autumn Semester 2024

Study Module; Code; Credits

Agricultural expertise in global context; 15 ECTS
Agricultural Expertise; BN00EJ04; 12 ECTS
Finnish 1; KM00DE52; 3 ECTS

Animal production; 15 ECTS
Animal Husbandry; BN00EJ06; 13 ECTS
Finnish 2; KM00DE53; 2 ECTS

Spring Semester 2025

Study Module; Code; Credits

Crop production; 15 ECTS
Crop Plants And Production; BN00EJ07; 8 ECTS
English; BN00DG13; 5 ECTS
Finnish; KM00DE54; 2 ECTS

Agricultural and rural system studies; 15 ECTS
Agricultural Research and Rural Policies; BN00EJ08; 10 ECTS
Sustainable Development.Now.; VV00EH16; 2 ECTS
Finnish 4; KM00DE55; 3 ECTS

More information of the content:
Climate Smart Agriculture – link to Study Guide

Currently no studies offered in autumn or spring.

The contact person at Lepaa is Guidance Counselor  Riitta Ahokas .

Currently no studies offered in autumn or spring.

The contact person at Lepaa is Guidance Counselor  Riitta Ahokas .

For further information on available study modules, please contact Guidance Counselor  Andra Ruutiainen .

Autumn Semester 2024
Study Module; Code; Credits; Start Date – End date

Forest Nature; BNFM24-1005; 15 ECTS; 26.08–25.10.2024
Forest Biology, Species, and Habitas; BN00EZ20; 12 ECTS
Finnish 1; BN00EZ32; 3 ECTS

Forest Data; BNFM24-1006; 15 ECTS; 28.10-20.12.2024
Forest Information; BN00EZ21; 13 ECTS
Finnish 2; BN00EZ33; 2 credits

Spring Semester 2025

Forests and Humanity; BNFM24-1007; 15 ECTS; 13.1-14.3.2025
Guidance on Sustainable Forest Management; BN00EZ22; 8 ECTS
Sustainable Development Now; VV00EH16; 2 ECTS
Introduction to Communication; BN00EZ23; 3 ECTS
Finnish 3; BN00EZ34; 2 ECTS

Forest Management; BNFN24-1008; 15 ECTS; 17.3-9.5.2025
Methods of Forest Management; BN00EZ24; 12 ECTS
Finnish 4; BN00EZ35; 3 ECTS

Summer Studies 2025

Forest Nature Management; BNFM24-1009; 15 ECTS; 12.5-6.6-22.8.2025 (Partly online)
Climate-Resistant Forest Management; BN00EZ25; 5 ECTS
Multi-objective Forest Management; BN00EZ26; 10 ECTS

To be able to nominate your students to HAMK, you will need a user account to our SoleMove system. Please contact [email protected].

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.

• studying at a partner university abroad
• the recommended timing is when at least the first year of studies have been completed
• duration of 2-12 months, but a semester or academic year is recommended
• produce 5 credits/month, the studies are accepted as part of the HAMK degree

Who can study abroad?

All degree students who have completed at least the first year of their studies and who have made progress in their studies in accordance with their personal study plan can go abroad. The appropriate time to change varies from programme to programme.

Selection criteria

As a general rule, all students will be able to go to the exchange destination of their choice. If there are more applicants than places available, the selection will be based on the following selection criteria:

• First-timer status: a student applying for an exchange for the first time has priority over a student who has already been on an exchange before.
• Stage of studies: first priority is given to the student who has the last chance to go on an exchange period before graduation.
• Study progress: the exchange student’s studies must have progressed in accordance with the study plan.

If there are more applicants than places, the first choice will be made according to the selection criteria mentioned above. If there are still more applicants than places, a lottery will be held to select the remaining applicants.

Note: You can only go on exchange to South Korea and the USA for one semester.

Where can I go?

You can study at more than 100 different partner universities abroad from HAMK. You can choose from both within and outside Europe. For more information, see the “before the exchange” section.

What can I study abroad and how will it affect my studies at HAMK?

You should check the courses offered by your host university well in advance with your international affairs planner. You can choose from a wide range of courses to suit your degree. Discuss the suitability of courses with your guidance counsellor. Before starting the exchange, a Learning Agreement is drawn up with your guidance counsellor, in which the student, the sending institution and the host institution agree on the content of the exchange period. Carefully planned studies abroad will not delay your studies at HAMK as they will be accepted as part of your HAMK degree.

How do I start preparing to study abroad?

It’s a good idea to start preparing for the exchange as early as possible. Please carefully read the “before the exchange” section and explore interesting options by visiting our partner universities, and also contact the HAMK International international affairs planner in good time.

Before the exchange

During the exchange

After the exchange

NOTE: The student has 2 months after the end date of the exchange to put things in order, otherwise the balance will not be paid (possibility of recovery).

Interruption or shortening of the exchange

• all or part of your work placement
• full-time work placement
• duration 2-12 months
• a work placement abroad provides 6 credits/month and counts as part of the degree at HAMK
• you can go during the first year
• you can also start a work placement immediately after graduation if you start the application process during your studies
• if the student applies for an internship grant from HAMK, he or she will not receive any other financial support from HAMK or the Finnish National Board of Education.
• the student can be paid for the work placement and still be entitled to a traineeship grant
• for nursing education, the work placements are generally organised through the university. In this case, the application timetable for student exchanges is followed.

Who can go on a Work placement abroad?

All degree students and recent graduates who have started the application process during their studies.

Where can I go?

Companies, universities and private and public organisations are all suitable for traineeships. There are plenty of options, as students usually choose their placements independently. There are options all over the world.

You can find placements available, for example, on these pages:

EDUFI traineeship for higher education students and recent graduates
Erasmus-intern
Work and Travel (in Finnish)
ErasmusInSchool

However, there are a number of organisations that are not eligible for Erasmus+ placements:

• European Union organisations, listed here
• Organisations managing EU programmes (e.g. National Agencies)

However, diplomatic missions abroad (embassies, consulates) in the student’s home or home country are allowed as Erasmus+ work placements. The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs has announced that it is now accepting university trainees in embassies or consulates also through Erasmus+.

Other organisations abroad representing the student’s home or home country (e.g. cultural and scientific institutes, regional representations, schools, export centres) are acceptable placements. The student’s country of origin or provenance is the country of the sending higher education institution and/or the student’s country of origin/citizenship.

Digital skills for an Erasmus work placement

Erasmus+ aims to increase the number of traineeships that develop students’ digital skills. Digital skills could include any of the following: digital marketing (e.g. social social media management, web analytics); digital graphic, mechanical or architectural design; development of apps, software, scripts, or websites; installation, maintenance and management of IT systems and networks; cyber-security; data analytics, mining and visualisation; programming and training of robots and artificial intelligence applications. Note: Generic customer support, order fulfilment, data entry office tasks are not considered in this category.
There is a section in the Learning Agreement where the employer assesses whether the internship counts in this category. The European Commission only collects statistical data on this information.

How do I start preparing for my work placement?

It’s a good idea to start preparing well in advance. Look carefully at the “before the change” section and explore the different possibilities. You should also contact your programme’s placement coordinator and your work placement supervisor well in advance. Together, you’re sure to find the right placement for you!

Before the change

During the exchange

After the exchange

Interruption or shortening of training

Do you want to expand your knowledge in your field and develop your international skills at the same time? There are good opportunities to do so by completing a double degree.

A double degree is a form of cooperation between HAMK and a foreign partner university, in which the student completes a predetermined part of his/her studies at both universities and receives a degree certificate from both universities. It is similar to a study exchange, but the courses to be taken are more specific than for exchange studies and the exchange period is always at least one year. One year is 60 credits and the course must be accepted by both schools.

The basic prerequisite for starting a double degree at HAMK is that the student has completed two years of studies, has successfully completed the studies and has sufficient oral and written language skills. For more information, please contact the international affairs planner of your school.

Double degree partners

Partner	​Country	​HAMK Degree Programme
FHV – Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences	Austria	International Business, Management in Sustainable Business
Thomas More Kempen University of Applied Sciences	Belgium	Business Information Technology
University of West Bohemia	Czech Republic	Business Administration
Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Ludwigshafen (HWG)	Germany	International Business
​Technische Hochschule Deggendorf	​Germany	​International Business
​Hochscule Worms	Germany	International Business
Hochschule Niederrhein, Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences	Germany	International Business
Hochschule Offenburg	Germany	Business Information Technology
​​Bern University of Applied Sciences	​Switzerland	​Business Administration; Business Information Technology; International Business

There are three types of short-term exchanges:

1. SAP studies offered by RUN European University
2. Erasmus+ short-term blended mobility
3. Master’s or teacher education exchange studies

SAP studies offered by RUN European University

• SAP= Short Advanced Programmes always include a short exchange period and on-line teaching.
• Students apply for SAP studies via the courses offered by RUN European University (https://run-eu.eu/).
• After you have received the acceptance information from the host institution, send an email to [email protected] and inform us which SAP you have been accepted to. After that, you will receive instructions on how to complete the SoleMOVE application and how to apply for a grant via SoleGRANT. Remember to inform your guidance counsellor, they you are participating in a SAP.

Erasmus+ short-term blended mobilities

Include a short-term exchange period and also a compulsory virtual component.

• Open to all students.
• The short exchange period is between 5 and 30 days.
• The duration of the virtual session is not explicitly defined.
• The minimum duration of the whole course is 3 credits (= short exchange + virtual course).
• Studies/internships abroad are applicable to the degree and the period abroad is fully recognised as part of the degree.
• Short exchanges can take the form of summer schools or intensive courses at universities abroad, for example, with a virtual component.

Master’s or teacher education exchange studies

• The duration is 1 month or less, which requires presence on site.
• The minimum duration is 2 credits.
• The credits earned during the exchange will be included in your degree or teacher training.

If you want to go on a short exchange, contact the international affairs planner in your programme.

Before the exchange

Learning agreement for studies abroad (opintosuunnitelma)
Erasmus+ Student Charter – Erasmus+-opiskelijan peruskirja
Additional support for student with children

During the exchange

Documents (if necessary)
Changes to Learning agreement (page 3 of above Learning Agreement)

After the exchange

Letter of Confirmation

SoleMOVE – when you return
Credit transfer application

Before the exchange

Learning agreement for traineeships
Erasmus+ Student Charter 
Additional support for student with children

During the exchange
–

After the exchange

Traineeship Certificate

SoleMOVE – When you return

SoleMOVE

Logging in and filling in application
Filling in a digital learning agreement on SoleMOVE
Replying to an additional information request
When you return

Short-term (less than 2 months) studies and work placement

SoleMOVE instructions

SoleGRANT instructions
Applying for a grant

Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support OLS language training online

The purpose of the OLS language training is to assess the need for language training and to measure the development of language skills during the period abroad. Participation is voluntary. If you would like to participate, please contact [email protected].

About HAMK’s accident insurance

HAMK’s accident insurance is valid for student exchanges and unpaid internships and only covers the daily internship/study period and the journey between the internship/school and the local residence. The HAMK accident insurance does not cover accidents during free time, travel sickness, luggage or damage to persons or property caused to others. It is therefore the responsibility of each exchange student to ensure that he/she has adequate insurance cover, in accordance with the following guidelines. You must not go on an exchange without adequate insurance cover.

ALL THOSE GOING ON A STUDENT OR TRAINEE EXCHANGE MUST PROVIDE FOR THEMSELVES:

1. Travel insurance
   You must have your own travel insurance for the duration of your exchange, check with your insurance company. Travel insurance does not usually cover normal medical expenses, so you will need separate sickness and accident insurance or a European Health Insurance Card.

2. a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if you are going to an EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
   For more information, see European Health Insurance Card
   Each country provides care according to its own system. You will have to pay the same patient fees and co-payments as permanent residents. If you go to a hospital or doctor who is not covered by the scheme in that country, you will have to pay the costs yourself.
   OR
   health insurance/sickness and accident insurance if you go outside the EU/EEA countries.
   Sometimes the host country or institution will recommend a particular type of insurance, but usually it is sufficient to have a comprehensive policy.
   A few non-EEA countries have signed a social security agreement with Finland, for more information, please visit the Kela website: Social security agreements
   If the host institution or employer asks for a HAMK certificate of insurance (an English-language explanation of what the HAMK’s insurance covers for its students), you can get it from the HAMK office ( [email protected] )

IN ADDITION, ALL THOSE GOING ON A PLACEMENT WITH A PAID WORK PLACEMENT MUST FIND OUT:

1. Does the employer’s insurance include liability insurance?
   If your employer does not include you in their liability insurance, the work placement will most likely not be possible, as it is almost impossible for an individual to obtain liability insurance for the duration of their work.
2. Insurance during working hours
   In paid work placements, you are usually insured by your employer for the time you work, but different countries have different practices, so check this carefully. Note! HAMK’s accident insurance is not valid for paid work placements. Therefore, if your employer does not insure you during your working hours, you will have to take out accident and sickness insurance yourself, both during working hours and during your free time.

NOTE: Internships for recent graduates
HAMK’s insurance does not cover the internship period of recent graduates.

Insurance abroad – who is responsible?

	Exchange and double degree (3-12 months)	Work placement (unpaid)	Work placement (paid)
Accident insurance (covers study/training time and travel between school/work and home)	HAMK	HAMK	EMPLOYER
Liability insurance	HAMK (not USA and Canada)	HAMK (not USA and Canada)	EMPLOYER
Travel insurance, free time	STUDENT	STUDENT	STUDENT
Health insurance (European Health Insurance Card or non-EU health insurance/sickness and accident insurance)	STUDENT	STUDENT	STUDENT

Insurance glossary

Travel insurance = Travel insurance protects and compensates you if something happens during your trip. Check the conditions with your insurance company.

Liability insurance = Liability insurance is insurance that covers damage you cause to third parties for which you are legally responsible.

Before you go abroad, it’s good to remember:

1. Check the vaccinations required by the destination country and get them well in advance. In some countries, vaccinations are compulsory for visas, but it is always a good idea to get the recommended vaccinations.
2. Check out the EU health care website EUtervey.fi for information on getting sick when travelling abroad.
3. Visit your doctor, especially if you take regular medication.

Also check out:
1. Health guide for travellers (only in Finnish)

To Europe

If you are an EU national going to another EU country:
You do not need to obtain a residence permit or visa in advance from Finland when you go on an exchange. If your stay abroad lasts longer than 3 months, in some countries you will need to register your residence permit. This is usually done with the local police or other authority.
Check with your host university or traineeship centre to see which documents are required in your host country. You will usually need a valid passport, proof of place of study, a guarantee of sufficient funds (e.g. study grant decision, scholarship decision), proof of health insurance (Kela E-form) and passport photos.

If you are a non-EU or EEA national going to an EU country:
If you are not an EU or EEA national, check the residence permit requirements. As a general rule, third-country nationals should always apply for a separate residence permit for the exchange period at the nearest consulate of the country of destination.

Outside Europe

If you are travelling outside the EU:
Check visa regulations. For more information on visas and residence permits, contact the Finnish embassy in the country of destination.
Visa and/or residence permit can be obtained from the Finnish embassy in the country of destination before your departure and can take from a few weeks to a few months.

https://um.fi/missions

If you are going to a high-risk area, you should make a travel notification at www.matkustusilmoitus.fi .

By making a declaration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can contact you if necessary, for example in the event of a crisis situation.

The Professional Development Programme for Pedagogical Experts in the region is based on the previous work conducted by the region’s pedagogical centers together with Häme University of Applied Sciences. The aim of the programme is to educate another cohort of (approx. 30) experts, who will work in the pedagogical centers in the future.

The training is a tailored programme that has the goal of developing the competencies needed in teaching higher education pedagogy to the faculty members in the universities (training-the-trainer competences).  The training program is conducted fully online. The participants are awarded 12 ECTS certificates.

​Client: A governmental organization in the Middle East

The project has the objective of developing Primary Teachers’ skills in using technology and digital tools in teaching and learning

The Consultant’s program is based on the competence-based education approach conducted in an online environment and consists of training, mentoring, and implementation of pedagogical development projects. The professional learning processes use versatile pedagogical approaches and digital tools. The ultimate goal is to ensure practical impact in each institution and long-term optimization of teacher education processes.

Client: Ministries of Education and Teacher Training Institutes of three Caribbean countries.

Partnering with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education of Egypt, this project aims to strengthen TVET teachers’ and trainers’ capacity to work in competence-based TVET, which is implemented in cooperation with the world of work.

The proposal for the Finnish-Uruguayan Forestry Foresight project is to develop the foresight process in applied higher education in forestry, and the related training activities, in Finland and in Uruguay. The aim is to create new methods and knowledge to serve as input to develop both universities’ operations and collaboration, in education in applied forestry higher education. The result is the creation of new models and best practices in Finland and Uruguay for future foresight processes, in close proximity to the world of work.

Client: Team Finland Knowledge programme of the Finnish National Agency for Education is funding the collaboration between HAMK and Dirección General de Educación Técnico Profesional – Universidad del Trabajo del Uruguay (DGETP-UTU).

HAMK Edu Research Unit and HAMK School of Professional Teacher Education participate in the project as specialists and developers in the field of vocational education, professional special needs teacher education and student guidance.

It is an online non-stop training programme which is tailored to meet the competence needs of early childhood education teachers. It focuses on the main principles and pedagogical methods of Finnish early childhood education.

Client: ​ Kipinä Kids Preschools Worldwide

This project aims to bring optimizations to the teacher Education Programme developed in 2021-2022 and piloted subsequently, and more specifically towards an implementation destined for applied higher education teachers.

Client: Dirección General de Educación Técnico Profesional – Universidad del Trabajo del Uruguay (DGETP-UTU).

This is a 26-month long project which is part of Kazakhstan’s Education Modernization Project financed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, World Bank). In the project, HAMK in partnership with JAMK University of Applied Sciences (JAMK) and Autonomous Organization of Education Nazarbayev University (AOE NU) provides consulting services and expertise to the Kazakhstan universities providing pedagogical education programmes, which are the beneficiaries of the project.

The project includes four overlapping stages starting from legislative review and analysis of current practices in initial teacher education, as well as international benchmarking, improving the content and form of initial teacher education, curricula revisioning, and finally, faculty training in the beneficiary universities. The long-term result of the project is the improved quality and relevance of initial teacher education for teachers working in secondary education, and who are responsible for implementing the newly reformed secondary education curricula. The education modernization project is aligned with the human capital driven strategic approach of the Republic of Kazakhstan according to the State Program of Education and Science Development 2016-2020 (SPESD).

Client: The Ministry of Education and Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The goal of the project is to investigate key competences, both domain-specific and generic, in highly employable industries in Europe that are strongly experiencing digital disruption and automation. Based on the research results the project aims to co-create new training solutions for learning at work with partner companies including digital cMOOC for competence developers.

Funded by Erasmus, the project is to develop future cohorts of teachers in Europe and beyond who are both globally competent themselves and have the skills to develop global competence in their students.

This project will establish an international Global Competence Network of Educators to help the project consortium analyse and develop global competence curricula, materials and trainings within national teacher education programs. It will also foster better intercultural education practices, including through teacher and student mobility and the use of virtual reality technology to enable non-mobility based experiences and sharing.

Assignment name: Talent and Skills for the Agroforestry Sector in Uruguay 

Summary: About 60 managers and responsible teachers in agroforestry education  participating in the training programme in different stages.  Duration: 3 years

This training programme aims at improving the relevance of Uruguay’s technical and vocational education (level II), professional Higher Education (level III) and professional education for Sustainable Development of Agro-Forestry Industry, by implementing a professional development program and institutional capacity building project for TVET (Nivel II) and professional higher education teachers (Nivel III) who wish to develop their educational institutions and increase their own competence in modern pedagogy. It also provides professional development for managers of TVET and professional higher education institutions who are responsible for pedagogical and institutional management.

The program provides tools, ideas, methods, theories, and world-renowned models, examples and concepts to enhance the relevance of TVET and professional higher education in the Uruguay’s agroforestry sector. The program is oriented on pedagogical models and the design of competence-based education, and specifically focused on the agroforestry education development.

The STRENGTh project focuses on increasing Social and Emotional competence of career counsellors. It aims to propose concrete solutions to train a new generation of socially aware career guidance professionals who are able to develop and use interpersonal and social intelligence skills to successfully build professional relationships and navigate diverse social environments.

This project aims to seek ways to ensure that the skills of VET (Vocational Education and Training) teachers meet the needs of the working life now and in the future. It also explores ways to improve teacher’s professional learning.

The partners of the project: five organizations from Finland including HAMK, the United Kingdom and Netherlands.

Assignment name: A Study Tour to Finland to Visit an Accredited Academic Institution That Specialises in Forestry Sciences 

Summary: 4 experts from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) participated in the training programme. Duration: 1 week

This is the knowledge-transfer study tour with the aim of helping the participants to develop a forestry curriculum higher education qualification. The programme covered strategies for curriculum design and development, and awareness of content and activities for teaching forestry subjects (relating to modes of study).

Client: United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Tshwane University of Technology (TUT)

Assignment name: INFOTEP Vocational Education Development Programme

Summary: 60 educational experts and managers from INFOTEP participating in the training programme. Duration: 12 months.

This professional development programme is aimed for education administrators and managers, and through their intermediary for teachers, who wish to increase their own competence in modern pedagogy and pedagogical management, and develop their educational institutions. The programme provides tools, ideas, methods, theories, and world-renowned models, examples and concepts to enhance managers’ and teachers’ professional identity from education professional to a school developer and pedagogical expert.

Client: INFOTEP in Dominican Republic

It is an online non-stop training programme which is tailored to meet the competence needs of early childhood education teachers. It focuses on the main principles and pedagogical methods of Finnish early childhood education.

Client: ​ Kipinä Kids Preschools Worldwide

The Future Work research team of HAMK Edu contributed to the European development project DC4WORK (Work-based learning in a digital age – promoting digital competences for better employability & innovation) in 2017-2019. The goal of the Erasmus+ -funded initiative was to research and promote digital competences, in reference to the EU’s Digital Competence Framework 2.0 and continuous learning in small and medium-sized enterprises. There were five countries collaborating on the project: Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany and Portugal. The partners compared their national policies and flagship development projects of digitalisation and applied research of digital competences in SMEs.

On the basis of the study results, the project partners developed an open web-based “Toolbox 4.0” for the use of digital promoters in companies and in educational institutions (www.dc4work.eu) as well as guidelines to support promoters in facilitation of learning digital competences at work. The contribution of Finnish partners focused on pedagogical expertise, for instance, developing learning methods and models for continuous learning at work and facilitating collaboration between educational institutions and companies. The methods included e.g. the development of an open digital badge and a MOOC (massive open online course) for facilitating digital competences at work.

More information:

Project website: www.dc4work.eu

Dr. Essi Ryymin, Project Manager
[email protected]

This is a tailored programme to support the client’s vision of building a professional teacher academy in the future.

The training program starts with a 2-month intensive face-to-face course in Finland followed by a 4-month development project in the client’s home country. The development project focuses on each participant’s own development project within his / her own institution, as well as the cooperation network that has been formed between the participating teachers.

The participants are awarded 22 ECTS certificates. 2 cohorts have completed this training programme

​Client: a governmental organization in the Middle East

Assignment: Community and Industry Based Forest Management “Professional Development Training”

​Summary: 9 forestry advisers from Indonesia participated in the training program. Duration: 6 + 4 weeks.

This training program is designed to help the participants to build entrepreneurial spirit and competences in the communities to reach the wealth potential that forests can offer.

The training program starts with a 6-week intensive face-to-face course in Finland followed by a development project in Indonesia. The development project focuses on the practical application of the newly learned methods in the local learning environments and through the development work.

The participants are awarded 10 ECTS credit points certificates.

​Client: a governmental organization in Indonesia

Assignment: Training on Renewable Energy

Summary: 15 managers of the top management level from a Top 500 energy corporation in China participated in the training program. Duration: 2 weeks.

This program presents to the participants the latest technology development and the best practices in the area of renewable energy from Finland.

Client: A Top 500 energy corporation in China

Assignment name: ​​Gira Mundo Finlândia Paraíba  -Professional Development Programme

​Summary: 100+ teachers have participated in the training programme. Duration: 8 months/group (Appr. 20 teachers per group, in total 6 cohorts: 10/2016, 10/2017, 03/2018, 08/2018, 10/2018, 10/2019).

Gira Mundo Finlândia Paraíba – Professional Development Programme is a continuing education programme for teachers in basic, secondary and vocational education. The programme is divided into two parts. The first part is in Finland, where the participants have an intensive training for two months having both practical, hands-on experiences and thematic observations, as well as theoretical insight into the core components of student-centered education and innovative pedagogy. The second phase of the programme concentrates on the practical application of the newly learned methods in the local context and it is guided by HAMK experts using e-learning methods and environments.

The participants are awarded 12 ECTS credit points certificate on level seven of the Bologna frame of reference.

​Client: ​The Federal State of Paraíba, Brazil