Eye on TAMK 2023 - five eventful days of networking and sharing knowledge
“It was good to see that despite the event being so big we could still create the warm and positive atmosphere that TAMK is known for," says Henri Annala, Senior Lecturer in Pedagogical Innovations and Culture and Head Coordinator of Eye on TAMK’s Teaching & Education track.
“The fact that our international guests from partner universities return year after year and also new ones join in each year, means that we are doing something right,” says Kirsi Jokipakka, Head of Support Services for Learning and Wellbeing and Event Manager of Eye on TAMK.
TAMK works
“Finland works” is a slogan used in Finland’s country marketing. According to the feedback from the international guests of Eye on TAMK, so does TAMK. The organisers were praised for both the quality of the programme and the arrangements where everything worked, and everyone was taken care of.
“Each evening we sent a personal message thanking each participant for the day and reminding them about the programme for the following day," explains Virpi Heinonen, Team Leader for Latin America and Caribbean in TAMK’s Global Education and Head Coordinator of Eye on TAMK’s Educational Leadership track.
“It’s the little things that make all the difference, like coffee served at the networking lounge or having the seminar programme streamed for the ones that needed to have own meetings during the day. But they also require a lot of planning and work,” adds Jokipakka.
High-level support and grassroot experiences
Pekka Haavisto, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs was one of the keynote speakers. The city of Tampere, who was sponsoring the event, was also well represented in the programme.
“Many of our international guests were astonished that we could have such high-level speakers and get such support from the city,” says Jokipakka.
The Finnish school system and its success was again the topic of many discussions during the week. Some of the international guests also got a grassroot experience of it as school visits were included in the programme. For many, these were the absolute highlight of the week.
“We visited for example Vuores preliminary school where the “forest group” of preschoolers spends all days outdoors. Joining them on a cold and wet day and walking on the icy, slippery forest paths was quite an experience for our international guests,” tells Heinonen.
“During the week the guests also had a chance to follow TAMK courses. This was very much appreciated,” adds Annala.
Networking, networking, networking
The event had a theme: (Re)connecting professional networks. And networking there was – on multiple levels and occasions.
“The speed networking on the first day set the tone for the whole week as people got to know each other right from the start. It was nice to see that also our own staff took the opportunity to visit the networking lounge and meet and discuss with international colleagues,” says Jokipakka.
TAMK’s students were also involved to the event during the week.
“The student participation during the week was great. They were hosting the seminars, taking care of the catering and a team even arranged a separate networking event for students,” Annala tells.
Many projects were planned during the week and even some of the first steps were taken towards new collaborations.
“Our Australian guests want to start a network for co-teaching. They are particularly interested in sharing our pedagogical experience and knowledge in digitalisation,” explains Heinonen.
All in all, the hard work of the organisers paid off. The week was a success. Even the forces of nature were favorable as northern lights lit up the sky on the last night of Eye on TAMK. Planning for Eye on TAMK 2024 hasn’t started yet, but maybe something can be interpreted from what Annala, Heinonen and Jokipakka all say: “According to meteorologists 2024 will be an even better year for northern lights…”
Additional information:
Kirsi Jokipakka, Head of Support Services for Learning and Wellbeing, Event Manager of Eye on TAMK, kirsi.jokipakka [at] tuni.fi (kirsi[dot]jokipakka[at]tuni[dot]fi)
Henri Annala, Senior Lecturer of English, International Coordinator, Digimentor, School of Pedagogical Innovations and Culture - Head Coordinator, Eye on TAMK, Teaching & Education Track, henri.annala [at] tuni.fi (henri[dot]annala[at]tuni[dot]fi)
Virpi Heinonen, Team Leader, Latin America and the Caribbean, Global Education - Head Coordinator, Eye on TAMK, Educational Leadership Track, virpi.heinonen [at] tuni.fi (virpi[dot]heinonen[at]tuni[dot]fi)
Text: Helena Pekkarinen
Pictures: Jinxian (Miya) Zhong
