Diak develops teaching and services based on student feedback

In the spring of 2022, first- and third-year students responded to a feedback survey. Diak has gone through the feedback and based on it, many development actions have been defined.

‒ Feedback from students is a valuable and significant part of the development of teaching and services. I would like to thank all the students who gave feedback, says Pirjo Hakala, Vice Rector and Director of Education.

The learning platform Diakle is developed based on feedback

The students of the bachelor’s degrees gave feedback on, for example, the content of the courses and the development of the Diakle rooms.

‒ Feedback has been taken into account and we have been actively looking for ways to develop the courses and Diakle. For example, a checklist is created for lecturers, which allows them to go through the Diakle room before the course begins. The checklist includes, among other things, the functionality of the links, dates, clarity of learning assignments, assessment criteria, return times and so on, Pirjo Hakala says.

The contents of the course will be reviewed more actively in the future. The materials and instructions are kept more up-to-date and clear than before. Communication about the impact of feedback will also be intensified so that at the beginning of the course, students will be told how the course has been developed based on the feedback from the previous group.

Improving teamwork practices and career guidance

Bachelor students also gave feedback on group work practices. A number of measures have now been agreed to develop them.

‒  It is a good idea for small groups to make a plan for their own work for their teacher before starting the actual work. A reflection is added to the learning task, in which the group describes their own work and the division of tasks, Hakala says.

Master’s degree students gave feedback on, for example, the thesis process and career guidance.

‒ The feedback clarifies the thesis process. More attention is paid to guidance: it should support the student’s process and be of uniform quality. Career guidance has already been included in the new curricula, Hakala says.

Services are planned on a long-term basis

Diak’s services receive mostly good feedback from students. The development of services is continuous and active. The aim of Library and Information Services is to promote students’ progress in their studies and their growth into professionalism.

‒ With the feedback, we have invested in, for example, the availability of course literature by extending the loan period and sufficiency by increasing the number of volumes. During the past year, we have developed the Theseus phase of the thesis process, where the Restricted Collection, the Koha and Finna systems, and an online course on information retrieval have been built, says Susanna Kinnari, Head of Diak’s Library and Information Services.

Digitalisation has increased satisfaction for services

With regard to the study offices, student well-being and guidance services, the students estimate that the service has improved due to the increase in digital and self-service services, because they are no longer dependent on, for example, the opening hours of the study office. But there is still room for improvement in career guidance and alumni work.

‒ In the future, we aim to make better use of alumni’s expertise in teaching and career guidance throughout their studies by intensifying cooperation between lecturers and guidance counsellors, says Pia Juusela, Head of Student Services.

Student health care services are provided by the FSHS, and although the services as a whole are considered functional, there is a slight decrease in the results.

‒ We are doing close cooperation with the FSHS, and we strive to do our part to ensure that the needs and wishes of students are taken into account as correct and timely services, Juusela says.

How can I give feedback?

• Feedback is collected more extensively from 1st and 3rd year students and at the end of their studies.
• Feedback is also collected in connection with each course.
• You can give open feedback at Diak’s website.