Finnish Polytechnics Research Articles

Why Finnish polytechnics reject top applicants

ABSTRACT I use a panel of higher education clearinghouse data to study the centralized assignment of applicants to Finnish polytechnics. Many top applicants remain completely unassigned each year. The same applicants' future applications reveal that many of them should have been admitted to a different program immediately. The application system, however, discourages applicants from applying to multiple programs within the same year, while at the same time leaving them in the dark on the set of programs willing to admit them. Improvements to the application system have the potential to substantially reduce reapplications, thereby shortening long queues into Finnish higher education.

Nursing students’ knowledge about an empowering discourse: Pretest and posttest assessment

Summary Background Supporting patient empowerment is an essential part of patient education. One possible supportive intervention is an empowering discourse. Nursing students should learn about empowering discourse during their education and acquire knowledge about this intervention. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate nursing students' knowledge about an empowering discourse in the atomistic and holistic categories in connection to a computer simulation program. The ultimate goal was to discover how students understand the structure of an empowering discourse as a whole. Methods A one-group pretest–posttest design was adopted. The data were collected from graduating nursing students (n=42) in six Finnish polytechnics, through concept maps created in connection to a computer simulation program during pre- and posttest phases. Results Results revealed that nursing students' knowledge of an empowering discourse improved after using the computer simulation as a learning method, but the students still lacked holistic knowledge of an empowering discourse. Conclusion Based on this study, more attention should be paid to learning methods in nursing education so that students achieve a sufficient knowledge base to empower their patients.

Learning about a patient-empowering discourse: Testing the use of a computer simulation with nursing students

The development of patient education towards greater patient empowerment requires more competent patient educators. Therefore, there is a need to design novel methods for nursing students to learn about patient education. One such method is the use of computer simulation, which has shown encouraging learning outcomes regarding other nursing interventions. This study was undertaken to evaluate nursing students’ knowledge structures of an empowering discourse, and the change in these structures after using a computer simulation program. Furthermore, the aim of the study was to compare these possible changes with the students’ background factors. A pretest-posttest design, without a control group, was used. The data were collected from graduating nursing students (n = 43) in six Finnish polytechnics using concept maps pre- and post-test in connection to using a computer simulation program. The students’ knowledge structures were quite fragmented concerning an empowering discourse both pre- and post-test. About one fifth of the students had an improved knowledge structure post-test. The changes in the students’ knowledge structures did not associate with the students’ study orientations or with the students’ socio-demographic factors. This study provided new insight into students using computer simulation when learning about supporting patient empowerment and recommends further testing of learning methods that facilitate the development of patient educators.

Entrepreneurship Education in Health Care Education

This study describes the content of entrepreneurship education in health care education and the kinds of teaching methods that are used when teaching about entrepreneurship. Health care entrepreneurship has increased in many countries in recent decades and there is evidence that entrepreneurs have also a role in public health care. Therefore the health care professionals need to be educated to have the entrepreneurial skills. Education in the field of health care is still based on traditional forms of teaching and does not give enough attention to the issue of becoming an entrepreneur. The data was collected from teachers(n=111)via e-mail from six Finnish polytechnics. The data were analysed statistically and the open-ended questions were analysed via content analysis. Approximately 23% of the teachers had taught about entrepreneurship. The most popular teaching methods were company visits and cases, lecturing, and project work. The courses dealt with establishing a company, entrepreneurship in general, and marketing. Nearly all of the teachers had cooperated with the entrepreneurs or with the companies in question. Approximately 33% of the teachers took entrepreneurship into consideration often in other courses related to entrepreneurship.

Managing teaching and R&D: diverging views of managers

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how the nature of management and leadership is related to the management and development of teaching and R&D (research and development) in higher education institutions.Design/methodology/approachThe nature of management and leadership is approached by consideration of transformational and transactional leadership styles. The emergence and influence of these two styles in management of teaching and R&D are examined using an electronic questionnaire for senior and middle level managers at Finnish polytechnics.FindingsBoth transactional and transformational environments were identified in polytechnics. Senior and middle level managers did not have the same management and development preferences and their perceptions of the operational and management practices differed. Differences found between the viewpoints of these managers diminished when middle managers perceive transformational environment. In a transactional environment teaching was preferred rather than R&D, the role of personnel and students was less important and the good management practices were less common. In a transformational environment, R&D and integrating teaching and R&D had better circumstances to develop further.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is not concerned with how various environmental and contextual factors affect management of teaching and R&D. Nor did this study shed light on the perspectives of teachers on institutional leadership and management.Practical implicationsDevelopment of operations, management and leadership is crucial to integrate and be in transformational interaction involving actors from all levels of a higher education institution. In order to implement changes and improve current practices, managers and leaders should extend the ways they approach and perceive teaching and R&D, their own management and leadership and environment. Personnel training and delegation are both needed.Originality/valueThe paper reports on the findings of an electronic survey distributed to senior and middle managers working in polytechnics in Finland that explores their perceptions of teaching and R&D. This paper provides a topical picture of the operative management of teaching and R&D and its extensive meaning in higher education institutions. In addition, this paper identifies a need to examine practice in Finnish polytechnics in terms of the notion of transformational leadership.

Vaccination competence of graduating public health nurse students and nurses

The purpose of this study was to assess the vaccination competence of graduating public health nurse students (PHN students) compared with public health nurses (PHNs). Structured instruments were developed for this study: a self-assessment (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS) of vaccination competence and a knowledge test. The data were collected through purposive sampling of graduating PHN students (n=129) from Finnish polytechnics representing the main geographical areas of Finland and PHNs (n=405), drawn from health centers in the same areas. PHNs assessed themselves to have higher vaccination competence than the PHN students, and also did better on the knowledge test. In multivariate analysis, when all common background variables were taken into account, there was no significant difference between the students and PHNs in the self-assessment, though the PHNs outperformed students on the knowledge test. Both basic and continuing education could be improved. The knowledge test developed for this study could be used at polytechnics and workplaces to test vaccination knowledge, and self-assessment could be discussed as part of employee development discussions. Future research might focus on developing the existing instruments, observing vaccination situations, and on interviewing clients.

How do Higher Education Institutions Enhance their Financial Autonomy? Examples from Finnish Polytechnics

Numerous studies have addressed how state authorities and public funding bodies control, regulate, steer, supervise or oversee higher education institutions. There are fewer studies on how higher education institutions respond to the actions of the mentioned authorities. States have aimed at increasing the autonomy of higher education institutions. At the same time institutions are expected to generate social benefits and economic growth. There is an endless tension between a policy that will strengthen the autonomy and simultaneously retain a space for state steering. The Finnish polytechnic and university sectors have very different origins from which their financial autonomy takes its shape. This article sheds light on how six Finnish polytechnics aspire to enhance their financial autonomy. The polytechnics operate under two separate steering systems, the state and local owners, and both of these actors exercise their own steering. This article shows that polytechnics are willing and able to enhance their financial autonomy. They calculate their advantages and habitually engage with the Ministry of Education or their owners depending on the case in question. The financial autonomy of polytechnics does not culminate in a form of diversified funding sources, but as balancing between the two masters on whose resources they are heavily dependent.

Teachers' experiences of English-language-taught degree programs within health care sector of Finnish polytechnics

The purpose of this study was to research teachers' experiences of the English-Language-Taught Degree Programs in the health care sector of Finnish polytechnics. More specifically, the focus was on teachers' experiences of teaching methods and clinical practice. The data were collected from eighteen teachers in six polytechnics through focus group interviews. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. The results suggested that despite the positive interaction between students and teachers, choosing appropriate teaching methods provided a challenge for teachers, due to cultural diversity of students as well as to the use of a foreign language in tuition. Due to students' language-related difficulties, clinical practice was found to be the biggest challenge in the educational process. Staffs' attitudes were perceived to be significant for students' clinical experience. Further research using stronger designs is needed.

Comparative and International Education: A Bibliography (2009)

Comparative and International Education: A Bibliography (2009)

Towards a Better Quality and Comparability of Language Education in Finnish Polytechnics

The objective of language studies in Finnish polytechnics is to provide the student with language and communication skills which meet the needs of working life and the student's professional development in future. To ensure high quality and to provide uniformity in foreign language education in Rectors' Conference of Finnish Polytechnics has given polytechnics the recommendations for common national goals and practices in language education. The recommendations are based on the results of a national survey carried out in 2003–2004 to identify the practices used in implementing polytechnic language education. This article describes the development work of polytechnic language education.

Finnish polytechnics as providers of knowledge-intensive services

Polytechnics are newcomers in companies' regional innovation environments in Finland. Particularly in regions with no university of their own or with only few knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) providers, they may become, and in some cases already are, important providers of science-and-technology-related services. The aim of this article is to analyse the roles, possibilities and challenges of polytechnics as public KIBS providers. Also, the position of polytechnics as a tool of Finnish innovation policy will be discussed.

Workplace learning and higher education in Finland: reflections on current practice

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to describe the organization of workplace learning in Finnish polytechnics, the models that have been developed for this purpose, and the challenges presented.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the models for embedding workplace learning in the curriculum are described and analysed. Second, the conflicting factors encountered in building the network of expertise to support students' workplace learning in the cooperation of polytechnics and working life are investigated. Third, suggestions are made regarding some of the questions raised by the introduction of connectivity that might be explored to better understand the similarities and differences between workplace learning and learning at school (polytechnics). The study was carried out in five Finnish polytechnics in 2002‐2006. It focused on the bachelor' s degree programmes in the fields of social services, business administration and engineering. Data were collected through thematic interviews conducted with teachers supervising and organising workplace learning. The different models utilized in the five polytechnics with respect to the three educational fields are incorporated into a single holistic model on the basis of a theory‐led content analysis of the interviews. Further analysis of the interviews indicates the institutional barriers and obstacles that exist to the development of placements.FindingsPlacements in working life by Finnish polytechnics exhibit considerable variety. In addition the cultural practices that guide and limit the organising of placements are presented. These include the location of placement in the curriculum, negotiation of students' contracts, guidance in the workplace and practices, assessment including self‐assessment, student remuneration, and rewards for employers. The development of quality in workplace learning is heavily dependent on local initiative, as introducing connectivity is a practical process that has to be implemented and reflected on by networks of expertise. The debate on similarities and differences of workplace learning and learning in education could be enhanced by a more detailed exploration of the questions on what is learned and where.Originality/valueThe description given here of the organisation of placements can be utilized by higher education institutes and polytechnics as a tool in reflecting on their own models. Furthermore, the questions presented here within a framework grounded in a socio‐cultural approach may be used by teachers and developers of education as stimuli in developing quality assurance tools and in analysing the strengths and weaknesses of their placement systems.

Between policy and practice

PurposeThis study considers the recently established higher vocational education reforms with Swedish advanced vocational education (AVE) and Finnish polytechnics in terms of organisational structure, the design of workplace learning, and furthermore, what kind of practical implications these new models of learning at work have resulted in.Design/methodology/approachThe research strategy includes three main steps. First, a number of domestic research studies, government reports and other policy documents were examined. Secondly, this study brings the most recent national data available. Thirdly, a conceptual framework for cross‐national analysis was developed.FindingsThe results suggest that despite differences which stem from the nations' political, economical and socio‐cultural background, the formal methods engaging educators and representatives of working life are rather similar. However, the general implications are different. While the Swedish AVE has focused more on a principally demand‐led system with de‐centralised planning and design of programmes to fit the specific needs of regional labour markets, the Finnish polytechnics have instead maintained a strong institutional framework, focusing more on research and development issues.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some methodological considerations that need to be addressed. First, there are differences on the curricular level between the two systems. Secondly, although Swedish and Finnish labour markets have developed along similar patterns in terms of industrial sectors and the emergence of labour unions, and employer associations, differences do exist on how these various representatives view the role of training, as well as their requirements for granting work licences and certificates.Originality/valueProvides evidence that workplace learning can be decided by the complex relationship among the state, labour and capital.

Lessons from interprofessional e-learning: piloting a care of the elderly module

Educating health care professionals is a key issue in the provision of quality healthcare services. Interprofessional education has been suggested as a means of meeting this challenge. Four Finnish polytechnics providing education for nurses, social workers and physiotherapists wished to develop the content and methods of teaching the care of the elderly by collaboratively creating and implementing an interprofessional module of 15 European Credit Transfer units, using e-learning. This paper examines the planning and assessment of the impact of the pilot module. The web-based environment eminently suited teaching interprofessional care of the elderly. It supported content and methodological development and renewal of the module. It enabled discussion and collaboration between nursing, social work and rehabilitation teachers and students from the Polytechnics which are located in different parts of Finland. However, it became evident during the pilot that the most crucial challenges of the web-based pedagogy were in the ability of the teacher to supervise, support and motivate students and the organisation of interprofessional learning offered by collaborating institutions.

Integrating Environmental Education Into Business Schools' Educational Plans in Finland

Environmental education in business school context has a significant effect on the way companies view environmental problems. Business schools train the future decision makers who can, with their own attitudes and practical actions, influence the contribution of business to the process of ecologically sustainable development. However, several studies show that no systematic thinking has been undertaken within business education as to what the educational prerequisites of the process of ecologically sustainable development are. In this article, I will firstly analyze by means of environmental education how business polytechnics in Finland have taken into consideration ecologically sustainable development. Secondly, I will raise the starting points for the development of the implementation of environmental education as part of the business schools▪ educational plans. Integrating environmental education into the vocational courses is identified as being one of the most effective ways of increasing the effectiveness of environmental education. Thirdly, the emphasis is on identification of barriers of integrating environmental education into the educational plans of business polytechnics. Theoretically, the article is attached to the objectives and learning concepts of environmental education and to educational planning theory in general. The empirical data are based on interviews I conducted 1999–2000 in all Finnish polytechnics offering business education. My article increases theoretical and practical understanding of how environmental education should be implemented in business education and how the current situation could be developed.

Teachers’ views on curriculum development in health promotion in two Finnish polytechnics

This study describes teachers’ views on how to improve the health promotion element in the curricula of two health care polytechnics in Finland. The theoretical background of this study draws on curriculum development in nursing education and how to promote a human- or resource-centred approach in health promotion. The research data were collected by interviewing 10 teachers from both the schools involved in nursing or public health nursing education since August 1997. The data were analysed using content analysis. The findings showed that most of the teachers interviewed were involved in local curriculum development. This work was impeded by lack of time and real commitment, as well as the teachers’ desire to protect their own teaching domains. In both polytechnics, they regarded the curriculum mainly as a document guiding their own and students’ work. Teachers in one of the polytechnics emphasised the importance of national guidelines in ensuring professional competence, but no one stressed the importance of their school as a regional educational institution. Almost all agreed that health promotion was adequately included in their curriculum. The project “ Health for all by year 2000” was taken as the basis for the curriculum in both schools, but some teachers expressed a need for an additional study unit. The findings revealed teachers’ traditional views on health promotion in curricula and that there was no evidence of a new approach being adopted.

Investigating student nurses' constructions of health promotion in nursing education.

This article describes student nurses' constructions of health promotion and the change of these constructions during their nursing education in two Finnish polytechnics. The data consisted of essays written by the 19 student nurses before they began their nursing education in 1997 and of stimulated recall interviews with the same students during the second year of their education in 1998. The data were analyzed by using thematic analysis. During the first study year, 13 students' constructions of health promotion changed. Six students had initially broad constructions of health promotion and their constructions remained unchanged. Four basic changes were found in the students' constructions: (1) the emphasis shifted from physical to multidimensional health promotion, (2) health promotion became more concrete and contextual, (3) the conception of perfect health became more permissive and relative, and (4) the interpretation of health promotion shifted from performing towards being there for the patient. These results may indicate that student nurses in Finnish polytechnics were attempting to adopt the empowerment approach to health promotion for their constructions. Moreover, the results represent a major challenge concerning nursing education and health promotion learning from the constructivistic approach to knowledge building.

Integrating Internet‐Based Distance Guidance With Services Provided in Career Centers

The Internet has evolved so rapidly that there is little information on integrating Internet‐based distance guidance opportunities with resources and services provided by existing career centers. In this article, the author describes career centers and then explores the need for career centers in the information age, the types of Internet web sites, the functions of an integrated web site in promoting cost‐ effectiveness, options for integrating user needs, the role of instructional design in web site development, cost‐effectiveness and staff collaboration, web master responsibilities, Internet web site implementation, staff training, and ethical issues. This article is based on a paper presented at a seminar titled, “Guidance in Open Learning Environments in the Finnish Polytechnics” at Espoo‐Vantaa Polytechnic, Vantaa, Finland, 1998.

Education for holistic care: a pilot programme in Finland

A new educational system, polytechnics, has been introduced in Finland to provide a vocational route in higher education. This article discusses Oulu Polytechnic which has the most social and health oriented profile amongst Finnish polytechnics. Oulu Polytechnic is a multidisciplinary institution comprising health, social and business fields and has started to introduce shared studies across these traditionally separate educational routes. It has been agreed among the members of Oulu Polytechnic that the general mission is furthering human health and well-being: that task demands co-operation of all the fields involved.