The Student Union of Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences – METKA would like to present its views regarding the new Learner’s Path -curriculum design instructions and knowledge-based curriculums in Metropolia.
METKA would like to express its appreciation to Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences for its new Learner’s Path -model and encourage the staff of Metropolia to fully embrace the methods described in it. From the students’ point of view the best aspects of the model are the larger multi-disciplinary study modules that follow the five credit scale and the 30 credit minors.
On the other hand, METKA is worried about Metropolia’s ability to execute the learning-based curriculums due to its varied education sectors’ different ways of executing teaching and learning. METKA has a very specific concern regarding the creation of knowledge-based targets, whether they will be written from the students’ point of view instead of the teachers’ and if the curriculums are written so that they make sense to the students. In addition, it is critical to ensure that the new larger study modules will not cause new additional bottle-necks to the study progress of the students of Metropolia.
Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences needs an education commission
METKA feels that it is nearly impossible to reach the goals of the curriculum design instructions and knowledge-based curriculums in Metropolia without a concentrated decision-making body responsible for approving the curriculums. This is the only way to ensure the consistency of the curriculums and improve multi-disciplinary cooperation between different fields of education in Metropolia.
At the moment the approving is done by the board of Metropolia based on the degree regulations. These decisions, largely made automatically, do not represent the board’s core areas of expertise and cause extra work. In addition, the upcoming changes in the polytechnic act will most likely remove the internal board of Metropolia within a few years.
With the previous arguments METKA proposes the establishment of the education commission of the Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences with the purpose of approving curriculums and elective and minor study modules. The education commission must have the right to return the curriculums and other topics under their decision-making power to preparation if they do not meet the parameters of the Learner’s Path and the knowledge-based curriculums of Metropolia.
Proposal for changes in Metropolia’s degree regulations:
“Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences has an educational commission appointed by the rector. The educational commission’s responsibility is to approve the curriculums and elective and minor study modules. The members of the commission include one teacher with pedagogical qualifications from each study field, each unit director or a person appointed by a unit director and two students appointed by the Student Union of Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. The education commission’s term lasts two years.”
and
“The person responsible for designing the curriculums for degree programmes in bachelor and master’s degrees as well as elective and minor study modules presents them to the Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences education commission.”
With the structure proposed by METKA it is possible for the education commission to make professional and thorough decisions about the curriculums based on the Learner’s Path -model and knowledge-based curriculums. Hence, it is possible to further advance multi-disciplinary work study modules and develop cooperation between study fields. The student representatives in the commission serve an important purpose as they are able to state if the curriculums and other documents are written in a way that is clear for the students using them.
Other observations
METKA supports all the goals of the Learner’s Path, but would like to see more integration of DIR (KIT) -activities in the new curriculums, DIR (KIT) -credit recognition in the study records and special DIR (KIT) -work certificates handed out to students with DIR (KIT) -studies.
METKA shares Metropolia’s views about internationalization at home as a high priority matter in degree programmes executed in Finnish.
METKA supports the work-orientated approach as one of the goals of the Learner’s Path -model, but would like to include emphasis on entrepreneurial education and approach to independent entrepreneurship. It is a small but significant matter in a situation where only a few percentages of students become entrepreneurs after graduation.
To ensure multi-disciplinary cooperation, the execution timing of the curriculums is vital. The approach should be to ensure year-round studying i.e. summer studies and particularly mandatory studies that enable students to advance in their programmes.
Technology should serve us and not the other way around. At this moment Winha and some of the other platforms used by Metropolia have limited support for larger study modules and they force for example a fifteen credit module to be sliced into three five credit courses to enable evaluation. This is unacceptable.
METKA would like to encourage all the members of the Metropolia community to embrace the Learner’s Path -model as a part of their working methods and thank all the people who have participated in building this fine structure in Metropolia.
In Helsinki on 3rd of September 2013
The Student Union of Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences – METKA
Pirja Vitikka
Chairperson of the Board
Katri Manninen
Vice Chairperson of the Board
Additional information:
Aku Aarva
Specialist, Educational Policy
+358 45 267 0828
aku.aarva@metkaweb.fi
This post is also available in Suomi.