UniHow has now been in use at University of Helsinki for a year and the results, in terms of university quality management, are excellent.

Quality at the heart of everything

University of Helsinki places emphasis on quality in all studies, operations and services: students obtain top marks and degrees, leading research is conducted and the university also carries great weight in society. Without quality management, achieving quality results becomes more difficult. This is where UniHow tools have proven very valuable.

– Quality management covers all curricula. Every campus has pedagogical university lecturers entrusted with the task of supporting in the analyses of the curriculum feedback and planning the development and practices, says Päivi Pakkanen, Head of Services at University of Helsinki.

– The HowULearn surveys and data gathered using UniHow have been included as a part of the syllabus in all curricula. It is a part of the studies. It is important for the teachers as well as other personnel to receive feedback from all students, not just the most active ones. Each voice needs to be heard.

Research-driven approach especially important in UniHow

Surveys conducted using UniHow tools and the feedback given back based on the data – as well as corrective measures undertaken using the UniHow data – are based on a University of Helsinki research in the field of pedagogy and educational psychology. This is an important starting point for the University of Helsinki in using UniHow.

–The results are reliable and further development of the survey is also based on the learning research, not on current trends or transient topics in education policy, says Pakkanen.

The UniHow products are used for devising surveys about learning to student groups or teachers as well for gathering valuable data to be used for developing teaching. The HowULearn survey, the main tool in the UniHow product family, is conducted four times during the studies of the students at University of Helsinki.