Student orientation and working life orientation
Student orientation, learner-centred approach
Student orientation emphasises individual learning and taking the student’s own objectives and interests into account. The realisation of student orientation in Jamk emphasises the students’ active role in learning and aims to support them individually and comprehensively. The objective is to provide students with the best opportunities for learning, competence development and success during and after their studies. The Digivisio 2030 project uses the concept of learner-centred approach when studying is examined from the perspective of continuous learning. At Jamk, curriculum work is a key element in the planning of degree programmes, which means that the person studying for a degree has the status of a degree student. The curriculum manual uses the term student.
Student orientation in practice
- Planning studies and flexibility: enabling flexible personal learning plans.
- Planning of learning shifts the focus from group to individual. Planning of teaching will be replaced by designing learning processes that support individual learning.
- Inclusive and interactive teaching: emphasis is placed on interactive teaching in which students actively participate in the learning process.
- Continuous and versatile evaluation: adapting assessment methods to learners’ needs and learning objectives.
- Guidance and support: student-oriented action also includes provision of career guidance and support, such as study guidance from career tutors and study counsellors, peer tutors, career guidance and other support and guidance services.
- Students’ participation in the development of the curriculum and courses: students’ views and experiences are taken into consideration when making decisions and developing our activities. Engaging students in providing continuous feedback at different levels, such as feedback during courses. Creating opportunities to influence teaching methods, curricula, the study environment and other actions of the higher education institution, for example through student representatives.
Learning at Jamk activates students and is diverse and connected to the world of work. Learner-centred learning processes are sustainable, and they create the preconditions for an individual and motivating learning experience, adapting to the students’ personal needs and learning environments. The student is the owner of their own learning, and learning is activated through hands-on experience, emphasising the student’s active and collaborative role in building information.
Student orientation is considered to increase interaction across the entire academic community. Student orientation shifts the focus of planning from the group to the individual – from teachers’ work plans to the planning of a learning process that supports the student’s learning.
Working life orientation
The basic mission of universities of applied sciences is to provide higher education for professional expert tasks and duties based on the requirements of the world of work and its development and to support the professional growth of students (Universities of Applied Sciences Act 932/2014, Section 4). The working life-orientated curriculum meets the competence needs of the future world of work. The studies aim to closely integrate studies and work, which enables the development of students’ transferable skills during degree studies. The working life-orientated curriculum enables students to develop their individual career paths and workplace skills and make their skills seen. The development of the curriculum in collaboration with employers injects the curriculum with experience-based information about work and improves the relevance of education at work. (tyopeda.fi.)
The Workpeda project crystallises the requirements of the changing world of work for the curriculum:
- Agile and resilient curricula > Working life-orientated learning
- Active dialogue between the higher education institution and employers > systematic identification of workplace needs
- Interviews and surveys > highlighting the employers’ viewpoint
- Mapping the students’ starting point and expectations for working life-orientated learning
- Results of the Competence Foresight Forum and other available foresight information.
Integration of work and learning:
- learning assignments at work
- studification of work
- practical training
- theses
- project studies
- cooperation between master’s and bachelor’s degrees
- utilising alumni
Source: Törn-Laapio, A., Väisänen, K. Pakkala, A. & Lehto, S. Työelämäläheinen opetussuunnitelma. Työelämäpedagogiikka korkeakoulutuksessa – Asiantuntijuus, toimijuus ja työelämätaidot – project blog. Referenced 26 November 2023. https://www.tyopeda.fi/blogit/graafi2-tyoelamalaheinenops.pdf
Sirpa Tuomi 27.11.2023