Quality Management in Education

Operating Methods

The below list describes the operating methods that JAMK deploys in quality management in education:

Planning

• JAMK’s strategy and principles: the choices made in JAMK’s strategy as well as the pedagogical principles and principles of R&D activities steer the planning of education.
• Performance agreements and the budget: The targets agreed with the Ministry of Education and Culture and JAMK’s strategy are translated into School -level goals in performance agreements (TATU agreements) between the Rector and the Schools. Budgeting with strategically correct targeting supports the achievement of the objectives.
• Plans: When drafting the contents of curricula, the needs regarding the required competences in working life are established and anticipated. Furthermore, student feedback is taken into consideration when planning the implementation of teaching. The curricula are discussed with representatives of working life and they are approved according to a common procedure. In degree programmes and vocational teacher education, the student prepares a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) to support the development of his/her competence.

Action

• Processess and guidelines: The most essential processes are described in the JAMK Process Manual (TOKA). The most important operational guidelines are Degree regulations and study guides.

Follow-up and evaluation

• Feedback: In Bachelor's degree programmes course feedback is collected on courses selected by the Head of Department. Student feedback is also collected after six months of study, after two years of study and at the stage of graduation. In Master’s degree programmes feedback is collected from the students as they graduate. From students in vocational teacher education, student feedback will be collected as they start and finish their studies. In Open Studies student feedback is collected at the end of the semester. In Bachelor’s degree programmes follow-up surveys are sent to the graduates after one year and five years from graduation. In Master’s degree programmes and vocational teacher education follow-up surveys are sent to the graduates in every two years. In specialisation studies and continuing education feedback is collected and processed as described in the quality guides of the Schools.
• Evaluations: Performance review of education is carried out by the JAMK Management team three times a year. In every two or three years, JAMK commissions various external thematic evaluations associated with the education or RDI activities.

Quality improvement

• Development projects and tasks: Strategic development projects as well as development tasks identified on the basis of the follow-up and evaluation data are carried out according to plan.
• Making use of follow-up and evaluation: Procedures for dealing with and making use of the follow-up and evaluation data have been agreed on.
• Daily improvement: All persons working and studying at JAMK continuously strive for developing their own work and competence. Changes in course implementation are made by a teacher at his or her discretion based on course feedback. Furthermore, if necessary, teacher will discuss the required development measures with the Head of Department. Corrective measures based on the feedback will be taken as seen necessary by officers responsible for specialisation studies and continuing education.

Results in Education

The results regarding JAMK’s education are manifested in indicators, feedback and evaluations.

Indicators

Applying for education
Information on the number of applicants can be found through Koulutusnetti (reports section in Finnish only), which is a national portal administrated by the Finnish National Board of Education.

More indicators can be found on the website JAMK’s results.

Feedback

OPALA
OPALA is a joint student feedback system of Universities of Applied Sciences and the Ministry of Education and Culture. The OPALA -inquiry system gathers information on the employment of the graduated students and on the success of education and practical training in students' opinion. The results can be found on a national register.


One year after graduation placement follow-up
Graduates from Bachelor’s degree programmes are asked to provide an evaluation concerning the education they have completed and information on their placement in the labour market approximately one year after their graduation. The figures below display information extracted from the three most recent enquiries. They disclose both the respondents’ conceptions of the degrees they have completed and information about their employment situation at the time of response.

Five years after graduation career follow-up
Every other year a career follow-up survey is carried out among graduates that have completed a Bachelor’s degree five years previously. The figures below display information extracted from the two most recent enquiries. They disclose information about the respondents’ employment situation and about their contentment with the degree.

More results can be found on the website JAMK’s results.

Evaluations

Centres of Excellence
In evaluations carried out by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council (FINHEEC) two centres of excellence have been acknowledged at JAMK: Team Academy in 2000 and Education in Sexology and Sexual Health Promotion in 2010-2012. Please see FINHEEC’s reports on the Universities of Applied Sciences Centres of Excellence (in Finnish).

Cross-evaluations of Degree Programmes
JAMK has implemented an internal evaluation system called the cross-evaluation of degree programmes in the years 2004-2011. The procedure was developed at JAMK for the purpose of enhancing the quality of degree programmes. All the degree-awarding programmes at Bachelor’s and Master’s level as well as the Teacher Education have been evaluated once. There are 43 evaluations in total and they have been published in JAMK’s reports (in Finnish, Abstracts also in English).

More evaluations can be found on the website Quality Management in RDI activities and Services.