Impactful educational activities
Laurea’s new pedagogical programme was published in autumn 2023. The programme was created through a communal process, with a large number of Laurea staff and students participating in its implementation. The themes and priorities selected for the programme emerged from Laurea's strategy, student feedback and a quality audit performed by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC).
Prioritised themes of the pedagogical programme include the assessment of students’ competence, recognition of prior learning, accreditation of competence acquired through work during studies, taking internationalisation, sense of community and multiculturalism into account in learning, and using scientific knowledge as a basis for development activities. We have begun promoting the pedagogical choices recorded in the programme, and during the autumn, we made numerous decisions on how Laurea will survey and assess the automation of its education and which programmes or their parts that are suitable for automation. We have also evaluated the curricula of our degree programmes and enhanced our pedagogical management policies communally with our teaching staff supervisors.
Learning by Developing will continue as a cornerstone of Laurea’s pedagogy. As part of the new pedagogical programme, Laurea has also begun the promotion of its Learning by Developing model. The aim is to combine the active role of students, research-oriented approaches and partnerships, as well as the needs of Laurea’s RDI activities more seamlessly in Laurea’s pedagogy.
85% of those who graduated from Laurea in 2018 were satisfied with their degree. (University of Applied Sciences’ national career monitoring survey)
The online orientation of new students was revamped in 2023 and structured in accordance with Laurea’s pedagogical policies and programme. Particular efforts have been made to strengthen our students’ sense of community and agency as part of our higher education community. The aim of our online orientation is to ensure our students a smooth start at Laurea and thus support their attachment to their studies and roles as students.
Laurea’s newly launched degree programmes have been designed for the needs of working life both in Uusimaa and across the nation. The new Bachelor’s degree programme for rehabilitation counsellors began at Laurea’s Otaniemi campus in Espoo. The programme was developed in close collaboration with working life, and a comprehensive, working life-oriented steering group helped Laurea determine the competence needs that are currently most vital in the field. There is a high demand for rehabilitation counsellors, and Laurea’s newly launched degree programme is the only one of its kind in southern Finland.
Laurea launched two new Master's degree programmes: Clinical Expertise in Nursing, and Development and Management of Correctional Services. Clinical experts in nursing are an important resource in the health care system and patient care, especially now with the introduction of the Finnish wellbeing services counties and Finland’s health and social services reform. Meanwhile, the fully remote Master's degree programme in correctional services was designed for the field’s national needs, which are the result of the organisational reform of the Criminal Sanctions Agency.
Laurea published its first guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and studies. The purpose of these guidelines is to ensure that AI is used to support teaching and learning in a useful and reliable way. The recommendations issued by the Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences on the utilisation of AI were used in the drafting of these regulations. As a rule, AI and language models may be used to support teaching and studying. The use of AI should always be implemented in a responsible and open manner.
Examples of impactful educational activities
Good practice: Orientation for Open UAS Path Studies online course
Laurea’s Pedagogical Advance of the Year award was given to the Orientation for Open UAS Path Studies selection course. The first Orientation for Open UAS Path Studies selection course was arranged as part of the UAS path admissions process in autumn 2021. This solution has helped prospective students orientate themselves to Open UAS studies and provided a more open process for applying to Laurea as a path student.
The student selection for path studies is based on the Orientation for Open UAS Path Studies online course. The course is a self-study course that is only available online.
Master’s degree graduate Gabriel: “The master's degree will open new doors for me”
On Thursday 14 December, the graduation ceremony for the students of Laurea University of Applied Sciences was held in Helsinki. One of the students to complete their studies at Laurea is Gabriel Riako. Riako, living in Espoo will graduate from the Master’s Degree Programme in Global Health and Crisis Management. Gabriel, who works as a nurse, is happy to complete the studies leading to a master’s degree. Read Gabriel's story
Laurea alumna of the year Pauliina Törnqvist has embarked on an international career in gaming
“Pursue your dreams” This statement accurately describes the career of Pauliina Törnqvist, who was named Laurea's Alumni of the Year for 2023. Pauliina, who now lives in the United States, graduated from Laurea in 2015. Right after graduating she got a job in Paris at the gaming company Ubisoft. Since then she has worked as a producer in several different gaming companies and many internationally well-known game productions, including Call of Duty. Learn more about Pauliina's career.
Future nurses and practical nurses train together to hone their working life skills
Careeria's practical nursing students and Laurea’s nursing students participated in a joint resuscitation training event at Careeria’s simulation learning environment in Porvoo. This type of shared learning allows nurses and practical nurses to gain valuable insight into how they will work together in their future careers. The aim of simulation learning is to create authentic situations where students can safely practice their nursing skills and transfer their competence to real-life scenarios. The teachers directing the event can also share their knowledge and good practices.
A super popular course introduces general upper secondary school students to life at a café
Since 2019, Laurea has organised the Café Work study unit twice per year for general upper secondary school students in Espoo and Helsinki. The course prepares them to work at a café, and students receive two credits for the course, which they can use in their studies if they later apply to study at Laurea. Students can also complete the Hygiene Passport as part of the course. The study unit has become very popular among general upper secondary school students.
Laurea’s physiotherapy programme has trained passionate and skilled students for 25 years
Laurea’s celebrated the 25th anniversary of its physiotherapy programme at its Otaniemi campus in September. The planning of the degree programme began in 1998 at Espoo-Vantaa University of Applied Sciences, and much has changed and evolved since then. Over the past 25 years, Laurea has trained nearly 700 physiotherapists. The demand for physiotherapists has only grown over the years, which is why Laurea continues to increase its student intake. Currently, the programme has 268 students.
The HEIComp project puts Laurea's LbD expertise into practice in Latin America
The HEIComp project (Bridging the Gap between Student Competences and Working Life Needs) coordinated by Laurea was launched at the start of the year. The aim of the project is to develop the education provided by higher education institutions in Brazil and Paraguay to better meet the needs of working life and thus promote the employment of the students. The key approach applied to the project is Laurea’s Learning by Developing (LbD) model. Learn more about the HEIComp project.