At the beginning of this year, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences switched to electronic diplomas. So those who graduated during the spring and those who attend the graduation ceremony in June will receive… nothing. Electronic certificates are already in use in several higher education institutions nationwide. While it is good to go paperless where a digital version is just as viable, if not better, its place is not in celebrating the completion of several years of education. The change came as a surprise to METKA and student associations, but especially to students. Students were not asked about their opinions and views in the matter, although, from a legal point of view, the parties involved should always be heard.
The electronic certificate sounds like a small, and in many cases, very convenient change. The electronic certificate is also an example of one of the objectives of the Digivision 2030 project for higher education. However, there is a lot of solemnity and ceremony associated with a paper certificate and now years of hard work for a university of applied sciences degree is rewarded with only a link to the website. We can’t wait for the awkward coffee table conversations at graduation parties when a student tries to teach their grandparent to read a QR code so that we can all try to wonder about the credits together.
This reminded us of HUS’s (Helsinki and Uusimaa healthcare provider) “thank you” to its employees: print out a thank you card yourself and fill it with praise for a colleague. The electronic certificate confirms Metropolia’s indifference to the student, we are just a student number and a few bits that need to be put to the Ministry of Education and Culture’s servers so that business can continue.
The electronic diploma is convenient in Finland, where jobs are always applied for electronically and attachments can be added to the application form. But it is a different story in southern Europe, for example, where even paying by card is difficult in many places. A separate equipment is now required to open the certificate.
However, the lack of a paper certificate is mainly linked to graduation. Not everyone celebrates graduation, but for some it can be the biggest event of their lives so far, which they would like to celebrate with friends and family in all its ceremonial glory.
With nearly 17 000 students and around 1 000 staff, it is not reasonable to think that there will be no paper waste or unnecessary printing. In this context, issuing a paper certificate to 3000 graduates will not make much difference. The electronic certificate was piloted for the autumn 2022 graduates, where students received both an electronic and a paper certificate. Why couldn’t this practice continue?
Pauliina Tuominen
Chairperson, METKA, Student Union of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
pauliina.tuominen@metkaweb.fi
Tia Tast
Chairperson, Demoni ry
Tiia Tuomaala
Chairperson, HTO ry
Erika Lampinen
Chairperson, KaMA ry
Stina Rantanen
Chairperson, MYRO ry
Justus Kalliokoski
Chairperson, MysteRy
Nima Shapouri
Chairperson, Trombi ry
Mikael Kutvonen
Chairperson, TXO ry
Santeri Hietanen
Chairperson, UIO ry
This post is also available in Suomi.