Quality work in our daily lives: closer to students by constructive and open interaction

Kovanen and Keski-Orvola are active student influencers and worked at the Board of the Student Union of Tampere University TREY in 2022. During the year as board members, Kovanen was responsible for issues related to organisations, international community and volunteers, and Keski-Orvola’s duties focused on events and member services.

Flexibility in studies and in transfer to working life

In her studies, Kovanen is specialising in biotechnology and biomedical technology, and Keski-Orvola has graduated as Bachelor of Science in Computing Sciences. By choosing appropriate minor subjects, they have been able to modify their studies to their liking. Both share the view that during studies it is good to focus on the things that are of interest. They think that participating in the activities of the Student Union has been useful for acquiring knowledge.

“I take advantage of opportunities to develop myself during studies. If necessary, I can also make adjustments to studies and specialisation,” Kovanen says.

She thinks it is important that there is room for flexibility in the studies and opportunities for seeking direction. She began her studies at Open University. Flexibility is also needed during studies in transition towards working life. Kovanen and Keski-Orvola say that many of the staff members understand this and offer flexibility, for example, by providing two alternative exam dates. However, this is not always possible. Opportunities for flexibility could also be identified together with employers.

“Dates that are important for students could be viewed from the perspective of working and studying, and, for example, job positions could be branded student-friendly,” Keski-Orvola points out.

Importance of peer networks and support in studies is emphasised

Different forms of support are important for smooth study progress. Kovanen mentions that a variety of support services have been quite well available at the University though they became more difficult to reach due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is important to scale the services to the high demand. Keski-Orvola says he completed his Bachelor’s studies within target time, and he wants to thank his PSP teacher especially for the smoothness of the initial phase.

“I was very active in finding out things during my first year of studies, and joined in the activities of student organisations as a fresher. I had many conversations with senior students. It was important to have a peer perspective on matters,” he notes.

The importance of peer support has also been emphasised in TREY’s activities and was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kovanen also points out permanence in peer support.

“Universities are under pressure to design their degree programmes to meet the needs of working life and the latest research data. From the students’ point of view, permanence is also important; peer support cannot be given in the same way if previous students have not attended a similar course or study module,” Kovanen mentions.

Towards an active and participatory community

In Kovanen’s and Keski-Orvola’s view it is good that students’ perspectives are actively collected at the University. The student representatives in administrative bodies, for example, are invited to various groups, and this way things can be achieved. Students have also participated in the curriculum design via student associations’ representatives.

Even though feedback is collected, it is sometimes difficult to see the its effectiveness. Kovanen and Keski-Orvola hope that students’ views would be utilised more at different phases of decision-making. In addition to having an influence at the upper level, they think that overall transparency and different low-threshold feedback channels are important.

“I would like to see the creation of a more active community in which the members actively want to participate,” Keski-Orvola says.

They emphasise the importance of feedback giving skills: “If the feedback says everything is okay, it is hard to do anything based on it,” Kovanen says.

In addition to the University’s channels, TREY also offers many opportunities to collect feedback and participate. Keski-Orvola says that since the University and TREY must compete with the rest of the world for students’ time and attention, reaching students is sometimes challenging. In fact, to attract interest requires communication via several channels. Info screens, contacts with student associations, and social media like Instagram, for example, are useful.

“The University must keep a finger on the pulse and also be a little bit of playful. If a communication channel requires separate login, it causes a threshold. And if exceeding the threshold is not considered relevant, the student will not login,” Keski-Orvola points out.

Power of audit, feedback, and coffee and cake

The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre Karvi (FINEEC) will audit the quality management system of Tampere University in May 2023. The focus will be on the procedures used by the University to maintain and improve the quality of its operations (Karvi (FINEEC’s) audit 2023).

In Kovanen’s view, the audit will be useful because there are so many levels included. The audit will start from grass-roots level to offer students ways to participate and to look at what could be better. Keski-Orvola hopes that the audit will produce good data which can be brought close to the students. Both consider it important that development needs are identified and taken forward. Concerning students, they want to emphasise the importance of feedback:

“Give feedback and bring up your opinions, because the only way to change things is to tell about them,” Kovanen and Keski-Orvola say.

From teachers and other staff they wish constructive debate and that students are actually listened to, encouraged and guided.

“Never underestimate the power of coffee and cake,” Keski-Orvola summarises with a smile.

Text: Piia Tienhaara and Terhi Yliniemi 

 

Read the previous articles in the series: 

• Quality work in our daily lives: developing training to meet the needs of customers and partners (7 Feb 2023)
• Quality work in our daily lives: developing teaching by encountering students and co-operating with businesses (3 Feb 2023)

Contact persons: 

• Development Manager Leena Ahrio, leena.ahrio [at] tuni.fi (leena[dot]ahrio[at]tuni[dot]fi), +358 40 190 1535
• Chief Specialist Terhi Yliniemi, Operations Management, terhi.yliniemi [at] tuni.fi (terhi[dot]yliniemi[at]tuni[dot]fi), tel. +358 40 849 0469

Quality management at Tampere University

Our quality management aims to support the University’s core tasks, strategic targets, and the impact of operations in accordance with the University’s values. Read more about our quality management on our website.