Self-evaluation report for the FINEEC audit 2016

Transcription

1 Self-evaluation report for the FINEEC audit 2016 UEF // University of Eastern Finland

2 CONTENTS 1 QUALITY POLICY Objectives and rationale of the quality policy Division of responsibilities related to quality management Communication related to the quality policy Linking of the quality policy to the overall strategy Summary 9 2 QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM S LINK WITH STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP Information produced by the Quality Management System for strategic leadership Setting strategic objectives Monitoring and analysing the achievement of objectives Functioning of the Quality Management System at different organisational levels Quality culture Summary 16 3 DEVELOPMENT OF THE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Procedures for developing the Quality Management System Development stages of the Quality Management System Quality work up until the audit carried out by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council in Development of quality work in Handling development targets identified in connection with the FINEEC audit in QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF CORE DUTIES Degree education Bachelor s and Master s degree education Postgraduate degree education Research, development and innovation activities Setting targets and planning activities Implementation Assessment and development Social impact and regional development work Setting targets and planning activities Assessment and development Process of regional influence and interest group cooperation Process of internationalisation and cooperation with neighbouring areas Education cooperation process Process of alumni activities Entrepreneurship and innovation process Responsibility and sustainable development process Optional audit target: International academic affairs, arriving and leaving exchange students Student exchange as part of the implementation of the university s strategy Organisation of the activities and operators Managing activities and setting objectives Planning and implementation of activities Evaluation and development of activities Summary 52

3 5 SAMPLES OF DEGREE EDUCATION: DEGREE PROGRAMMES Education in Pharmacy Planning of education Implementation of education Impact of quality work Summary Doctoral Programme in Forests and Bioresources (FORES) Study programme planning Implementation of education Impact of quality work Summary 61 6 IMPLEMENTATION OF SELF-ASSESSMENT 62 APPENDICES

4 1 QUALITY POLICY THE MAIN OBJECTIVE of the Quality Management System used at the University of Eastern Finland is to support the implementation of the strategy and the continuous systematic development of the key, core and support processes according to the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. The system is closely connected to the strategic leadership and operative management of the university and it is also an essential part of the daily activities of all members of the university community. It also includes promoting sustainable development and responsibility. The Quality Management System follows the European Higher Education Area s standards and in this way helps the university integrate into the context of European higher education. 1.1 Objectives and rationale of the quality policy THE FORMATION of the Quality Management System of the University of Eastern Finland was started at the same time the decision was made to merge the University of Joensuu and the University of Kuopio. The aim was for the system to support the formation of common new operating methods and a quality and operation culture. The quality policy and quality work objectives approved by the university s Board and described in the Main Quality Manual provide a starting point for the university s Quality Management System. The quality objectives were set in collaboration with the entire university community for the first time when the activities of the university started in They have been reviewed and modified slightly annually in connection with management reviews. According to observations made during internal audits, the university s strategy and strategic implementation programme and process-specific objectives and operators described in more detail in the Quality Manuals of the faculties, independent institutes and service centres support the development of activities in practice and the identification of the responsibilities of various operators. The achievement of the objectives is monitored with the help of indicators and feedback systems. More specific objectives of the faculties and units are evaluated and developed in connection with the management review of the faculty or unit in question. In connection with the renewal of the strategy, it is confirmed that the objectives of quality work are in line with the new strategy. Observations made during internal audits are also used in reformatting the objectives. Reviews, audits and strategy work methods ensure that a large number of university community members and representatives of stakeholders can participate in setting and renewing the objectives and making decisions about them. The aim has been to make the Quality Management System as clear and as easy to use as possible; however, it should systematically support the development of daily work and activities, and promote common good practices. Based on observations made during internal audits and management reviews, it can be stated that these aims have already been impressively achieved in terms of the education process. There is nevertheless still room for development in other processes. 1.2 Division of responsibilities related to quality management ACCORDING TO our quality system, each member of staff is, for his or her part, responsible for achieving the strategic objectives of the university as well as for a high quality of activities which are developed systematically and which comply with sustainable development. Students are expected to take part in operational development by providing feedback and participating via their representatives in the activities of various planning and decision-making bodies. The role of students, staff and the university in the Quality Management System is described in Table 1 and in Figure 3 of the basic material. 4 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

5 Table 1. Quality operators at the university level. MAIN ACTORS AND TASKS BOARD Ensures that the university s vision is achieved, that day-to-day activities increase in efficiency and that quality is improved. Approves the main versions of the Main Quality Manual (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc.). Outlines quality assurance. RECTOR Approves the preliminary versions of the Main Quality Manual (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc.). LEADERSHIP GROUP Acts as the steering committee of quality work. Carries out the management reviews at the university. FINEEC TEAM Planning and implementation of self-assessment related to the FINEEC audit and benchmarking of the education process. Preparing faculty audits for Compiling and finalising UEF s FINEEC audit report and translation, if necessary. Communications related to the FINEEC audit. QUALITY MANAGER Responsible for the organisation and development of quality work. Responsible for organising internal audits. Responsible for organising external audits. Responsible for organising quality training for staff and students. Responsible for the quality of the work of University Services in collaboration with the persons in charge of quality at each unit of University Services. QUALITY COORDINATOR Acts as the Quality Manager s work partner and deputy. DEAN/DIRECTOR OF AN INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE OR SERVICE CENTRE Responsible for the quality work of a faculty/independent institute/service centre. PERSONS IN CHARGE OF QUALITY IN UNITS In addition to their own duties, responsible for developing quality work in their own unit and maintaining and updating the Quality Manual. INTERNAL AUDITORS In addition to their own duties, perform internal audits according to an agreed schedule. PERSONNEL Participates in the university s quality work. Ensures the quality and development of their own activities. Receives and gives feedback. STUDENT Participates in the university s quality work by giving feedback and acting in administrative bodies, if necessary. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

6 The university s Board is the main body responsible for developing and outlining quality work. According to the distribution of tasks between the Rectors, the Rector is responsible for strategic leadership and the process of social interaction and educational mission, and the Academic Rector is responsible for the quality and development of education and research. The Leadership Group carries out management reviews at the university level and acts as the steering committee of quality work. Representatives from the Student Union also participate in the annual management review, and in reviews have been arranged as public events so that the whole university community can follow them through a network connection. This good practice will be continued in the future. The term of the FINEEC Team appointed by the Rector is 15 May April It is chaired by the Director of Administration and its members include representatives of the faculties, independent institutes and service centres and the Student Union. The team supports the work of the Quality Manager and Quality Coordinator and prepares for the FINEEC audit. The Quality Manager plays a significant role in developing and maintaining the Quality Management System at the level of the entire university. In particular, the Quality Manager is responsible for external audits and organising management reviews at the university level, guiding quality work in the units and quality-related communications. The Quality Manager is also the contact person for the network of persons in charge of quality and the secretary for the FINEEC Team. The Dean and Vice Dean/Vice Deans are responsible for developing the activities and quality of processes in the faculties in accordance with a predefined division of duties. The head of unit is responsible for quality work at the unit level. Other quality operators are specified in the Quality Manuals of the faculties and independent institutes and service centres. The faculties and units have assigned persons who are in charge of quality in addition to their own duties. Students participate in quality work by giving feedback and participating in the activities of various working groups and administrative bodies and by acting as internal auditors. The Quality Manager and the Quality Coordinator provide instructions on the work duties of persons in charge of quality in the units and quality teams and organise 2-3 joint quality meetings annually. Persons in charge of quality in the faculties meet in their own quality teams that may also include student representatives. The Quality Manager or Coordinator visits these quality teams. Quality issues are also discussed in various faculty meetings related to education, research and administration that may also include student representatives. The university trains staff members and students as internal auditors who will carry out internal audits led by the Quality Manager in accordance with the audit plan. The distribution of responsibility of quality work is described clearly and it is mainly fairly established and, according to observations made during internal audits, it functions quite well and staff members are involved in it to a great extent. The university s leadership and the leadership of the faculties and units are very committed to developing the Quality Management System and activities. Persons in charge of quality and internal auditors are also very committed to quality work carried out in addition to their own duties. However, their work should still be made clearly more visible and enough working time should be reserved for it. The deputy system is also in need of further development. 1.3 Communication related to the quality policy THE QUALITY POLICY of the university is described in the Main Quality Manual of the university and in supplementary Quality Manuals of the faculties and units as well as on the quality website of the university. The entity of the Main Quality Manual and other Quality Manuals that follow the same structure is presented in Figure 1. Quality Manuals describe comprehensively the objectives, quality responsibilities and processes of the organisation in question as well as the planning, implementation, assessment and development of activities for staff, students, stakeholders and external customers. 6 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

7 MAIN QUALITY MANUAL Quality Manual of University Services Quality manuals of the faculties Quality manuals of the independent institutes and service centres Two unit-specific quality manuals Quality manuals of the departments/schools Figure 1. The entity of Quality Manuals. There are non-supervised English versions of the Main Quality Manual, the Quality Manual of University Services and the Quality Manuals of the faculties and a couple of other units. A summary of the Quality Management System is presented on the quality website as a prezi presentation (Appendix 1 ) and in a brochure that is distributed to students annually. The Philosophical Faculty, the Faculty of Science and Forestry and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies each have only one Quality Manual that covers all activities of the faculty. In the Faculty of Health Sciences, it has been considered necessary that in addition to the common Quality Manual of the faculty, the academic departments also have their own supplementary Quality Manuals. Customers and stakeholders have been identified and described in all Quality Manuals. The websites of the university, faculties and independent institutes and service centres contain versatile information on the activities of the university and its performace, as well as on the Quality Management System and quality documents managed according to the Archives Formation Plan both in Finnish and English. University-level documents are stored in the Dynasty system used by the entire university staff. The University of Eastern Finland made an agreement in 2016 with four other universities about extensive cooperation that also includes the development of electronic archiving. The university s planning documents include strategies, operational plans and action programmes. Implementation documents include meeting invitations, minutes and memos, instructions, forms, audit and benchmarking reports, management review documents and students study guides and application guides. Assessment and development documents include a data warehouse and reporting entity called Miilu, which is intended to be used by the university s leadership and the units. Reports produced as a result of audits, benchmarking and evaluation and information produced by feedback systems are also part of assessment similar to rankings. The university s Digi-UEF steering group is developing a new online working environment for the staff called UEF Heimo, which guarantees access to information systems regardless of time and place. In this connection, Yammer will be the main channel of internal communication as of the spring of Everyone can produce information as well as participate in discussions and follow-up discussions in Yammer. The purpose of using Yammer is to reduce traffic, increase the transparency of activities and lower any boundaries between the units. Students will in the future have a corresponding working environment, UEF Kamu. Within the faculties and independent institutes and service centres, quality issues and information produced by the Quality Management System are discussed regularly, for example, in steering committees, management reviews, staff meetings and feedback days of the academic departments or academic subjects and various working groups. The memos of meetings are mainly distributed online or they are stored as agreed on electronic platforms where they are readily available to the staff. At the University of Eastern Finland, the quality policy and its practical implementation are communicated through documents and websites and various meetings to students, staff and university SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

8 leadership as well as to stakeholders and cooperation partners in a fairly versatile manner in both Finnish and English, and, to a lesser extent, in Russian. A customer analysis has not been carried out on the versatile group of stakeholders and external customers and therefore, quality communication cannot be directed specifically to various customer segments. The quality perspective should also be highlighted in performance appraisal discussions and good quality practices could be presented to colleagues across department and faculty borders similar to benchmarking. Students should be informed more specifically about collecting and processing feedback, about carrying out necessary development procedures and the importance of counter-feedback, and, in that way, motivate students to respond to surveys and participate in quality work. It could also be helpful if we would start to talk about an Operational System instead of a Quality Management System. In this way, quality would perhaps be considered more clearly as part of daily work rather than as a separate operation. 1.4 Linking of the quality policy to the overall strategy INTERDISCIPLINARY SOLUTIONS the university s strategy for means a clearer profiling of research and education and a transfer from a traditional academic subject approach to a formation of more multidisciplinary thematic entities. The strategy process in involved students, staff, stakeholders and cooperation partners on a very wide scale. This cooperation also continues firmly in the implementation of the strategy, and the staff are quite familiar with the strategy. However, strategy communication must still be invested in so that awareness of the common objectives reaches the whole university community. The actual strategy process was preceded by a foresight project and the Research Assessment Exercise, RAE. Their results were used in preparing the strategy. Indicators were renewed in connection with the completion of the new strategy in The Leadership Group of the university finds that the strategic objectives are quite clear and that they steer the activities well. Figure 3 presents the entity of strategic leadership and quality work and their connections. It also describes how customer needs and wishes are taken into consideration in the university s activities. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP // ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING // QUALITY MANAGEMENT Mission, vision & values STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP CUSTOMERS LEADERSHIP'S RESPONSIBILITY STAFF COMMITMENT TO THE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF OPERATIONS Monitoring analysis and development of operations and their results SATISFACTION RESEARCH EDUCATION INPUT SOCIAL INTERACTION SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES OUTPUT IMAGE REPUTATION RECOGNITION Figure 2. Connecting strategic leadership and quality work. 8 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

9 The strategy is supplemented by the Strategic Implementation Programme and the annual budget. The overall architecture of information systems has been integrated into management and quality work according to the objectives of the Ministry of Education and Culture, as a so-called IT Road Map. The Board and the Rector are responsible for the implementation of the strategy and monitoring of the achievement of objectives. The operative Leadership Group consists of the Rectors, the Director of Administration and the Deans, and the heads of the units of University Services as permanent experts. The above-mentioned groups and persons also have clear roles in the Quality Management System and its development (cf. Table 1). Management reviews and audits at the university, faculty and unit levels, and the entire Quality Management System and related indicators support activities and their assessment, development and furthering of the realisation of the strategy, the attainment of objectives, the development of processes and the adoption of common operating methods. The university s quality policy is closely connected to strategic leadership and there is mainly a positive attitude in the university towards quality and development. For example, audits, benchmarking and internal assessments are considered good practices and their observations and development suggestions affect the development of activities through management reviews. 1.5 Summary Table 2. The strengths and development targets of the quality policy. STRENGTHS The quality policy and objectives are specified clearly and in consideration of the university community. The distribution of responsibilities of quality work is clear and it has been found functional during audits. Quality documentation is comprehensive and various user groups are taken into account. Quality culture is quite established and widely adopted and the Quality Management System functions on all levels. The university s strategy and strategic implementation programme have been formulated by involving the university community. Management reviews connect quality work firmly as part of strategic leadership. Students are involved in quality work as internal auditors, for example. DEVELOPMENT TARGETS Quality work is developed in such a way that we can talk about an operational culture and an operational system instead of a quality culture and the Quality Management System. Quality work is taken into consideration in work plans and it is made more visible in the daily activities of the university. Reducing the number of Quality Manuals, i.e., removing the Quality Manuals of faculty units in phases. Developing the electronic format of Quality Manuals. Developing quality-related websites. Continuing strategy-related communication. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

10 2 QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM S LINK WITH STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP 2.1 Information produced by the Quality Management System for strategic leadership Setting strategic objectives The university s main strategic objectives to be achieved by 2020 are the following: 1) Research is internationally of high quality and effective - we are ranked among the top 200 universities in the world and among the top 50 universities in our strong research areas. 2) Education is based on the most recent research and we train experts for the working life of the future. We want to have the best academic learning environment in Finland and the most efficient learning processes, our education is attractive, teaching is student-centred and graduation takes place within a set schedule. 3) The university is an internationally recognised and socially active operator. We are known as a cooperation partner that shows initiative, a business developer based on our competence and a producer of research data and education that support resolving global challenges. The Strategic Implementation Programme that is prepared on the basis of the strategy and the related budget form a document entity approved by the Board of the university in which the university s activities and finances for the following year are integrated and the key strategic development procedures are defined. The implementation programme includes specified procedures, responsibilities, resources, schedule and indicators for monitoring the university s strategy. Detailed indicators have been set separately for external funding and the action programme of learning environments. Performance agreement negotiations are held with the Ministry of Education and Culture for a period of four years. The Ministry s degree objectives and indicators used as the basis for funding form a package of monitoring data together with the university s 32 indicators. University-level objectives are reviewed annually every spring in connection with the budget, and every autumn the objectives are discussed with the faculties and other profit centres. Ageing, lifestyles and health Learning in a digitised society Cultural encounters, mobilities and borders Environmental change and sufficiency of natural resources BASIC SCIENCES Finding solutions to the complex challenges of our changing world calls for an ability to think and combine things in a novel way. Research and education are expected to provide interdisciplinary solutions and skills to create a responsible and sustainable future. Figure 3. The four global challenges to which the University of Eastern Finland is seeking solutions through scientific research. Work-related objectives for the upcoming period are agreed with individual employees during performance appraisal discussions. Students prepare personal study plans and in that way review their objectives related to learning and studying. The university s strategic objectives have been set while considering various operators to a great extent and they have been specified in a concrete and clear manner. The faculties promote awareness of the strategy with the help of their websites and brochures. 10 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

11 2.1.2 Monitoring and analysing the achievement of objectives The monitoring indicators of the university and its units provide relevant information on the success and development of all core processes. The achievement of the strategic primary objectives is monitored on the basis of, for example, success in international rankings, development in the number of primary applicants and completion rates as well as development in the amount of competitive research funding, innovation activeness and stakeholder feedback. The realisation and impact of the action programme on developing learning environments is evaluated annually in connection with management reviews carried out by units in charge of coordination and the university s leadership. The target levels of the strategic indicators are specified at the same time when the amount and procedures of strategic funding have been specified. The activities for the past year are reviewed with the help of indicators during management reviews at the university, faculty and unit levels. Claims are also taken into consideration in the review as well as results from previous years, which thus also enable comparison and an opportunity to analyse the impact of strategic policies and choices. One of the development targets mentioned in the audit report of the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council in 2010 is the development of information systems. A significant investment has been made in this development in the university. MIILU reporting that is based on data storages has been developed in a comprehensive and goal-oriented manner to meet the information needs of the university s leadership. As of the autumn of 2015, the MIILU system produces real-time reports for the university s leadership and for the leaders, directors and heads of the faculties, units, independent institutes and service centres. The functionality of the system has already been praised during internal audits. Massi financial reporting now also includes information that supports foresight. The report selection of Helmi personnel reporting has been supplemented and developed by adopting new entities, such as Taika working time reporting and Johto management reporting. Some of statistics data that was previously produced directly for stakeholders has been replaced with VIRTA data storage. The Proha project management system has been developed to support the preparation phase of research projects and the electronic approval of applications. It also produces information on the activeness of project applications. An electronic plagiarism detection system called Turnitin has been taken into use to verify the originality of theses. Study administration has taken into use joint system services produced nationwide for higher education institutions, such as Studyinfo for educational provision, applying for a study place and student admission, and Oili for registration services for new students. The Jobboard service has been taken into use as a tool for students Master s thesis positions, practical training and workplaces. The electronic examination will be renewed in 2016, when the Exam system will be adopted, and the use of the Peppi system for education planning will start during The university will pilot taking an exam on a personal computer in the autumn of In the summer of 2017, an online entrance examination will be piloted in a couple of academic subjects. The university will invest in enabling year-round studying with the help of e-semester. In the summer of 2016, Summer School activities will begin. It will be a programme in which international students can also participate in addition to the university s own students. A system called DreamApply is being adopted for the Summer School s course applications. Within the CRM system for customer relations, the university s stakeholders have been divided into alumni and other external and internal interest groups. The contact information of stakeholders is used for mailing event invitations and the university s magazines, campaigns, brochures and newsletters, and occasional invitations to surveys. Information on donations made by organisations is also stored in the CRM system. To support human resources management, the HRM system has been supplemented by sub- systems for managing performance appraisal discussions and staff training. The Saima recruitment system has been taken into use for recruitment. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

12 The research database SoleCRIS contains information on the university s experts, their publications and specialist tasks and it produces comprehensive information on publication activities for the directors, decision-makers and staff of the university. The database content is public; the data can be browsed by anyone on the university s public website. The Leadership Group of the university monitors the progress of the university s finances and key operational results in their meetings, such as the number of degrees and economic realisation. The Board monitors the development of finances, degrees, personnel resources and external funding on a quarterly basis. Indicators that affect productivity are monitored bi-annually, including the development of external funding, and the realisation of the previous year is assessed when the financial statements are completed. In connection with preparing the budget, development targets necessary for the implementation of strategic objectives will be specified if necessary. Performance appraisal discussions are held systematically, and the management also receives feedback on their own performance in connection with the discussions. Process assessments, risk assessments and internal control as well as indicators and feedback systems provide managers, decision-making bodies and the university community with information on the success of activities. Internal control is carried out in all operational processes of the university and it applies to all levels of activities at the university. Internal control ensures that legislation is followed and that the objectives of the university are achieved efficiently and economically. Risk management is also carried out as part of management and decision-making systems. Risk management has also supported quality work and, for example, sped up the preparation of process descriptions alongside internal audits. However, several structural changes have made the finalisation of process descriptions more difficult. The internal inspection of the university also supports risk management at various management levels and promotes the university s operational reliability so that the university can identify key risks for achieving objectives and manage them in an appropriate manner. The research assessment report International Evaluation of Research Activities at the University of Eastern Finland (RAE) was published on 4 February 2014 at an open seminar. Information produced by the assessment was used in preparing the new strategy and developing the research activities of the faculties. The next evaluation is planned to be carried out in A pilot assessment of international Master s degree programmes was performed in and a report on the assessment was completed in February The results of the assessment are now used for evaluating the number, quality and productivity of existing international Master s degree programmes. The Council for Teaching and Guidance, the Research Council and the university s Committee on Research Ethics monitor the success of processes within their own operating areas and report their observations annually to the Rector and the Leadership Group. The university receives feedback from stakeholders on their Advisory Board and Board and research steering groups, places of internship and education cooperation. The education feedback systems provide real-time information for teachers on the success of teaching along with students performance, exam results and ECTS credits. Various student feedback days and feedback on courses, study paths and curriculum supplement the feedback entity received on teaching. The feedback is analysed and transferred into development measures. Information is produced in real time at the University of Eastern Finland, and there is quite a large amount of information in particular on the areas of education, research and strategic leadership. However, feedback systems on social interaction processes are still quite scattered and require harmonisation and development. The indicators seem to be relevant and able to support decision-making. Information is also used quite systematically at various levels of the university. It can reasonably be stated that the information produced by the Quality Management System is essential for directing and developing activities. 12 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

13 However, sharing information in the correct format, i.e., establishing how to find relevant information in the enormous amount of data, is sometimes an issue. For example, several feedback methods are currently used in education, which does improve the reception rates of feedback but makes preparing summaries and analyses and comparing various functions more difficult. The situation will be improved and just as in 2016, new feedback system instructions will be produced. Information is communicated well to the faculties and managers at various levels of the university. Communicating information further to the staff depends to some extent on the activities of the faculty and the heads of departments and units. Key figures are discussed quite commonly and regularly in teaching, research and postgraduate education bodies and in staff meetings, but they could also be connected more closely to the annual plan of administrative bodies. Examples of good practices: Meeting minutes of the Basic Education Committee and the Postgraduate Education Committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences are available online. The Philosophical Faculty s Open Agora feedback day and observations received during the day are stored in AgoraMoodle. The Faculty of Science and Forestry s quality work is systematic concerning the international Master s degree programmes. In the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, the results of an external assessment on the international Master s degree programme have been used in development measures. 2.2 Functioning of the Quality Management System at different organisational levels THE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM covers all operational levels and activities of the university and it is used in many ways for management purposes in the faculties, independent institutes and service centres. Using the Quality Management System and the information it produces has made the work of the university s leadership and the monitoring of strategy implementation more structured and systematic. Management review at the university level that is carried out once a year reviews the activities and quality of the entire university and its Quality Management System. The university s strategic objectives have been specified by the Board and published as a strategy. The Rector acts as the presenter in the Board and reports to the Board on the level and quality of activities. The Quality Manager and Quality Coordinator are responsible for the organisation and development of quality work as well as for audits and quality training at university level with support from the Leadership Group and the FINEEC Team. The university s common good practices can be spread with the help of internal audits and benchmarking. About 50 staff members have been trained as internal auditors. In addition, a student auditor participates in the audits of at least all faculties and units that provide teaching. Everyone participating in benchmarking and auditors who participate in audits receive information on other units good practices. In the self-assessments of the faculties, they emphasised the usefulness of audits and benchmarking for the development of activities. A good example of a new operating method that has resulted from the assessments is the Good Practices Seminar Series of the Faculty of Science and Forestry. The Council for Teaching and Guidance and the Research Council led by the Academic Rector and the university s Research Ethics Committee, Coordination and Development Team for Guidance and Academic Heads Team are university-level bodies that support the development of education and research processes and the promotion of quality. However, the Coordination and Development Team for Guidance has not yet fully found their place and the focus of their activities. The activities of the faculties are structured by their own strategies, implementation programmes and budgets as well as detailed Quality Manuals, annual plans, etc. Quality issues are discussed by the Faculty Councils, department and unit meetings, staff meetings and teaching meetings. Currently, the faculties and units quality teams and persons in charge of quality take care of the actual development and maintenance of the Quality Management System and adoption of common practices quite systematically. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

14 During the annual performance appraisal discussions, the supervisor and the employee discuss the overall progress of the previous period and plan the most important events for the next period and assess performance and development targets. With the help of the salary system, the university supports the employee s productivity, work performance and career advancement to the extent possible while considering the financial situation and the development of work duties. Leadership training also supports the adoption of quality management thinking and a more profound quality culture. Students have a distinct role in various meetings and decision-making bodies, such as teaching development teams and the faculties quality teams. Student auditors and student participation in benchmarking and audit interviews is a good practice that has been in place for years. The Quality Management System is established at the university, faculty and unit level and produces information to support decision-making and the development of activities. The system has an impact on the steering and development of activities. As the system has now been in operation for more than six years, its development and maintenance do not require major efforts continuously, but many activities have been included in the daily tasks of the personnel. However, some units suffer from occasional lack of resources, and there are not always assigned deputies for quality work, which may be visible in Quality Manual updating. A solution to the situation could be to distribute quality work in units to several persons, for example, according to teaching and research activities. 2.3 Quality culture WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY S quality culture, quality work and the continuous development of processes have become an essential part of strategic leadership and the university s activities, both at individual and unit level. The quality culture of our university consists of the development of process quality and the commitment of the leadership, personnel and students in development work. The creation of the quality culture is promoted and developed through a positive atmosphere that fosters, encourages and inspires the development of activities. The fact that quality issues are discussed in various meetings enables a major share of students and staff members to participate in quality discussion. However, the personnel cannot always participate in meetings due to other work duties. Meetings and other events are now recorded at the university so that they can be watched later. The system will continue to develop actively with the help of internal audits performed at various levels and management reviews. Internal audits and benchmarking carried out in are presented in the following table (Table 3). 14 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

15 Table 3. Completed internal audits (x) and units that have participated in benchmarking (b) in 2012, 2013 and UNIT Philosophical Faculty b b x b, x Faculty of Science and Forestry b b x b, x Faculty of Health Sciences b b, x x b Faculty of Social Sciences and Business b b x b, x Studies University Services x x Student and Learning Services b, x b x b, x IT Services x x Language Centre b b b, x Library x b x b, x Aducate b x x b University Pharmacy x x Karelian Institute x x x Centre for Tourism Studies/Finnish x x University Network for Tourism Studies Lab Animal Centre x x Sustainable development audits x x x The Introduction to Quality Assurance, an optional online course (1 ECTS) is available to all students twice a year. About 500 students have already completed the course, which also contains a description of the University of Eastern Finland s Quality Management System, and students also have the opportunity to assess parts of the system and give development suggestions in their final assignment. Development suggestions have been taken into account in the descriptions of the Quality Management System and they have also been forwarded to the units. Student members are usually involved in key faculty committees and the faculty s leadershiphas regular meetings with representatives from subject associations. Stakeholder representatives are consulted, for example, when the curriculum of new study programmes is being planned, implemented and monitored. The faculties have functional and evolving cooperation relations and operating methods with Aducate, the Language Centre, the Library, Student and Learning Services and IT Services. Orientation is performed on three levels at the University of Eastern Finland. The aim of university-level orientation is to enable orientation with the same information content on the university s common affairs to all new employees of the university. The faculties and units have their own orientation sessions in which a new employee is introduced in more detail to the operating concept and practices of their own unit. In addition, an essential part of orientation is going over the Quality Manual and an introduction to work during which a new employee will receive personal guidance on work duties that will be his or her responsibility. Human Resources Development Services organises New Staff Orientation events twice a year at the Joensuu and Kuopio campuses with a video connection to the Savonlinna Campus. At the events, new employees will be introduced to the following: UEF s organisation and objectives, the obligations and rights of an employee, communication and acquiring information, safety issues and themes related to well-being at work and developing competence, and quality and sustainable development. The responsibilities and roles of our quality culture have clearly been specified and the focus is on increasing competence and personal development. Our activities are customer-oriented and anticipatory. Indicators are used systematically to monitor the development of activities. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

16 Our good practices include management reviews, internal audits and, in particular, recently adopted benchmarking that has received positive feedback. They are used when monitoring the development of activities and the attainment of objectives and the spread of common good practices, learning about the practices of other units and maintaining the Quality Management System and keeping the culture vibrant and evolving. Audits on sustainable development complement quality audits. Information on quality work and the Quality Management System is communicated openly and extensively, for example, on the Intranet and Internet, and communication reaches staff and students on a wide scale. Members of the university community can participate in quality work through various channels. The quality culture at our university is already quite established and the awareness of quality work and the Quality Management System is extensive. Quality work is connected to the daily work of the personnel in many ways. However, further instructions are needed for the processing of claims. Based on internal audits, it seems that out of all staff groups, researchers are the least able to identify the Quality Management System and its practical operation in their own work. For example, it is sometimes difficult for them to recognise that agreed upon laboratory operations and documentations are in fact part of the Quality Management System. Examples of good practices The Philosophical Faculty s discussion and information session called Facultas Philosophica, in which staff and students discuss current issues. The Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies compiles a monthly newsletter for the personnel, postgraduate students and subject associations. Active quality teams in the Faculty of Health Sciences departments and units. 2.4 Summary Table 4. Summary of the connection of the Quality Management System with strategic leadership. STRENGTHS Information on the quality and productivity of activities is received through information systems. Systematic internal audits provide information on the phases of quality work and bring more structure to quality-related activities. The results of the assessment on international Master s degree programmes have been used for the assessment of other education as well. Collected information and feedback is also used, such as the Research Assessment Exercise, RAE. Quality teams operate actively. DEVELOPMENT TARGETS Producing a sufficiently clear overall image to the leadership about activities and any insufficient quality on the basis of existing information. Collecting and using feedback from stakeholders. Developing management reviews into a more analytical direction. Involving international teachers, researchers and students in quality work. 16 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

17 3 DEVELOPMENT OF THE QUALITY MANAGE- MENT SYSTEM 3.1 Procedures for developing the Quality Management System THE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM is evaluated annually on the basis of internal and external audits and management reviews. After the audit performed by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council in 2011, development targets were listed and a list of responsibilities was prepared. As a result, necessary development measures were planned, scheduled and implemented in (cf. section 3.2.3). Quality Manuals are updated whenever necessary and at least in accordance with the schedule of internal audits. The number of Quality Manuals has deliberately been reduced and the aim is to reduce it still. There are English versions of almost all Quality Manuals. The quality website is developed continuously. Initially, internal audits always comprised the whole Quality Management System of the unit being audited. Currently, we have started to use topic-specific audits, and some of the audits have been replaced with internal benchmarking so that quality work and audits would not become repeated routines but rather would always produce relevant information for units in order to develop their activities. External peer auditors from other Finnish universities have also been used in internal audits as an experiment. Process descriptions have been developed on the basis of the enterprise architecture and the requirements of JHS152 in cooperation with the faculties and University Services. There are already packages for university-level processes related to education, research, international activities, finances and human resources management. At the same time, several operating methods have also been harmonised. The process descriptions of the faculties, independent institutes and service centres have been prepared to the extent possible due to structural changes. Sustainable development and responsibility that have been identified as the starting point for the strategy have been attached as part of the Quality Management System. Experiences and observations made during internal audits support this attachment. The idea of continuous development that has been adopted in connection with the Quality Management System has also evolved into the promotion of sustainable development and responsibility through familiar operating models. Management reviews at the university level have been developed into a model that is available to everyone online. In this way, the whole university community can participate in the review. The Quality Manager and Quality Coordinator also participate, to the extent possible, in national and international quality activities in campus cities and the European University Association area in order to receive new ideas and feedback on our own Quality Management System. In our opinion, the Quality Management System corresponds quite well to the objectives set for it. Development procedures on the university s Quality Management System have been systematically and sustainably planned. According to objectives, it produces versatile information on the attainment of the university s strategies and objectives. It also helps create common operating methods and operating culture and spread good practices and supports the development of core processes and principles of global responsibility, multiculturality, equality, justice and openness. The Quality Management System also provides information about the quality of activities to the university community, stakeholders and cooperation partners, and develops and spreads competence related to quality work and its assessments. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

18 Table 5. Summary about the development of the Quality Management System. STRENGTHS The system is assessed systematically during management reviews and internal audits. Benchmarking to support audits. Sustainable development and responsibility as part of the Quality Management System. Open management review. DEVELOPMENT TARGETS Complementing process descriptions. Reviewing the job description of the Quality Manager when the current Quality Manager retires in Using external peer auditors more efficiently in internal audits. 3.2 Development stages of the Quality Management System Quality work up until the audit carried out by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council in 2010 As the merger process was started by the University of Joensuu and the University of Kuopio in the summer of 2007, a quality working group and a Quality Manager were appointed for the University of Eastern Finland project. At the same time, it was decided that the development of a common Quality Management System for the new university would be started immediately in connection with the merger project and that an audit by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council would be carried out in December The Deans in charge of preparing for the new faculties would also manage the quality work in their faculty. The faculties and their units appointed their own persons in charge of quality and formed quality working groups for the faculties. Other units appointed their persons in charge of quality. The Quality Manager directed the quality work of the faculties and units and organised quality training and various quality-themed days and internal audits. The first university-level management review was held in the winter of 2010 and another one was held in October Based on observations from the reviews, the Main Quality Manual and the use of the OODI feedback system were developed, for example, and a foresight planning group was established for UEF passed the audit carried out by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council in December Although quality work at the merger phase had to be carried out in a tight schedule at the same time with an organisation renewal, according to auditors from the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council, a foundation had been established for a common quality culture Development of quality work in The Quality Manager and Quality Coordinator analysed the audit report prepared by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council in the spring of 2011 and they presented to the Leadership Group development topics and a systematic progress plan for recorded in the report. The Leadership Group appointed persons in charge of the topics and development measures were started straightaway. This plan and its progress have been reviewed and defined in more detail over the years in connection with management reviews. After the audit in 2010, plenty of various development measures have been taken both on the basis of observations from audits and according to needs to create and strengthen new common operating methods. Some of the development suggestions from the audit were no longer relevant as other renewals had progressed. Benchmarkings of academic administration and guidance carried out in 2012, 2013 and 2016 were 18 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

19 received well by the representatives of the faculties, independent institutes and service centres as well as students. It has been found quite laborious, and yet it is a very good opportunity for learning and disseminating good practices. The university uses a quality checklist for laboratories, and the quality of laboratories is monitored with the help of inspection visits every five years or so. Based on memos prepared for the visits, it seems that the quality and safety issues of laboratories have improved considerably in To some extent, internal structural changes have hindered the establishment of some laboratory quality systems. A couple of clinical laboratories of the university have acquired or are in the process of acquiring certificates or accreditations for their Quality Management Systems. The Quality Management System has been developed and maintained systematically. The principle has been that the Quality Management System is ready to be used for an external audit at any time. Preparations for the FINEEC audit in 2016 were started in the spring of Annually, there are 2 3 events organised for persons in charge of quality. In the autumn of 2015, kick-off sessions were organised for all members of the university community via a video connection and a website was launched for FINEEC audits. A self-assessment kick-off day was also organised for each faculty including guidance and a schedule. Separate quality events were organised for teachers and students in Handling development targets identified in connection with the FINEEC audit in ) The development of information systems is described in more detail above in section ) The management of the indicator entity has improved when new indicators have been taken into use along with the new strategy in 2014/ ) Recruitment practices have been further specified and instructed with the help of a new electronic system. Practices concerning orientation and performance appraisal discussions have been harmonised and they are described on the orientation website in Finnish and English. The website also contains a Guide for New Employees. 4) Performance appraisal discussions are held quite systematically but they should still be developed further as, according to internal audits, some members of the personnel do not yet find them very useful. 5) The development of the website is described in section 1.3. Plenty of material in English has been added on the website and all instructions at the university level etc. will also be available in English. 6) The foresight project established for preparing the strategy has been completed and used in strategy work. 7) The leadership holds joint meetings with the Student Union and representatives of the Student Union participate in management reviews at the university level. 8) An International Staff Coordinator has been employed to support the participation of international students and researchers, and annual researcher coffee meetings at campuses are organised as well as themed meetings for international researchers and other international staff. Subject associations activities have become more active and versatile and they also involve international students. 9) The harmonisation of quality assurance practices and process descriptions has continued and the number of Quality Manuals has reduced significantly. Benchmarking has been carried out and internal audits have been set to continue in order to disseminate good practices. Training in the use of the Vision software has been organised in order to harmonise process descriptions. 10) Providing counter feedback in the education feedback system has been discussed to a great extent during internal audits and benchmarking. A renewed feedback system description is being completed, and giving counter feedback will become easier thanks to the development of the OODI system. 11) The process of external funding has been developed and more effort has been put on analysing SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

20 and managing risks related to funding. The qualitative indicators of research have been defined and the citation and publishing practices of various disciplines are taken into account through a national quality classification for publications, and indicators are used for assessing strategic research areas, for example. The objective of the EU Office established in Brussels in April 2016 is to obtain more visibility and EU research funding for the university. The office enables close monitoring of the EU s research and innovation policy and more goal-oriented networking and influencing. 12) Stakeholders and their information needs have already been specified to some extent in order to develop the quality system of the social interaction process. The entrepreneurship and innovation process has been developed considerably in particular in order to identify new promising projects. 13) Quality objectives have been specified for University Services, indicators have been selected and process descriptions have been prepared. 20 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

21 4 QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF CORE DUTIES 4.1 Degree education THE UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND is the most multidisciplinary university in Finland in terms of rights to confer degrees. We offer Bachelor s and Master s degree education in four faculties, 13 fields of study and more than 100 major subjects, and as of spring 2015, the university s new Doctoral School contains 13 subject-specific or thematic doctoral programmes. The Academic Rector is responsible for the education and research processes. The faculties have appointed Vice Deans, who are responsible for education and research and/or persons in charge of education entities. Education is developed according to the university s strategy and the principles of the European Standards and Guidelines towards a communal, student and learning-centred learning process that takes different kinds of learners into account. A student-centred approach in education is still quite new and views about its implementation vary to some extent between various operators. The realisation of a student-centred approach still requires cooperation between teachers and students and support from the faculties and Student and Learning Services. We have specified a student-centred approach, which is presented in Appendix 2. A student-centred approach also means that the availability and accessibility of teaching, studying and support services are also taken into account. Students individual starting points are considered in degree structures and the planning and implementation of education. The concept of student well-being is perceived in such a way that studying is work for a student and the educational institute is a workplace for both staff and students. Everyone is entitled to mental well-being at work. Study ability is a functional entity in which various factors affect one another. The dimensions of the study ability model include a student s resources, study skills, learning environment and teaching activities. Pedagogical leadership and the chain of management have been specified in the Quality Manuals of the faculties, but the familiarity of the topic and practices are not fully established, and further investments are still required. There are several information systems that support the control and development of management and activities, as described in section Feedback is collected from students for the assessment of education and teaching according to the teaching feedback guidelines and from stakeholders in places of internship and research cooperation, for example. Teachers receive feedback and they can give feedback to their superivisor during performance appraisal discussions. The assessment of students learning is based on achieving learning outcomes. Several methods are used in the assessment, such as examinations, proficiency tests, exercises, reflection and portfolios. Assessment information for postgraduate students is also produced by publication referees. The success of the education process is assessed as an entity during annual management reviews Bachelor s and Master s degree education Bachelor s and Master s degree education is of high pedagogical quality and is delivered using a wide repertoire of pedagogical methods. The professional development (PD) training arranged for teachers supports their competence and in this regard, also the development of teaching, and, for example, in the Philosophical Faculty s School of Theology, a superior and a subordinate discuss the development of the teacher s pedagogical skills during performance appraisal discussions. The quantitative objectives of the university s Bachelor s and Master s degree education are agreed upon with the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the internal distribution of resources is agreed SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

22 upon separately with each faculty. Quantitative objectives for Master s degrees are usually achieved quite impressively, but there is still room for improvement for the objectives regarding Bachelor s degrees. The university has improved the efficiency of study counselling and as a result, the number of students who have completed 55 ECTS credits/academic year has increased in the past five years from 29.5% to 34.5%. The qualitative objectives of education are governed by the curriculum, which is prepared cooperatively by several operators. The purpose, objectives and the person in charge of the process are presented in more detail in Table 6. Table 6. Purpose of the Bachelor s and Master s degree education, person in charge and quality objectives. PURPOSE OF PROCESS The purpose is to provide research-based education that is of high pedagogical quality and supports the graduation and well-being of students, generating the sort of expertise and readiness for students that allows them to function as specialists in Finnish society or international positions, or complete postgraduate studies. PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE PROCESS Academic Rector QUALITY OBJECTIVES OF THE PROCESS Student well-being and graduation in accordance with the degree goals are first in priority. Education is relevant for society and based on sound research. The education structures are flexible, and the right to minor subject studies is largely free. The practices of the recognition and accreditation of prior learning support flexible studying. Students are encouraged to adopt critical, international and ethical thinking and responsible actions. Students who are graduating have good knowledge- and proficiency-based readiness for working life as well as the developmental skills for lifelong learning and the ability to develop themselves. The researcher-teachers are motivated and pedagogically capable. Teaching and guidance methods are innovative and support a student-centred and learning-centred approach. Teachers and students have good opportunities for international cooperation. Specified learning outcomes are achieved. The student register covers part-time and full-time students. Remote teaching is used appropriately. The entities of degree education are approved by the Faculty Councils. Degree education is evaluated periodically, in pre-determined years. Student and Learning Services and the Language Centre, the Library and IT Services produce essential services for Bachelor s and Master s degree education in functional cooperation with the faculties. Education provided by the Open University increases the options of minor subject studies. The above-mentioned units have their own Quality Management Systems, indicators and feedback collection methods with which they can obtain information on the success of their own activities. They have also established cooperation practices with faculties so that they can develop their activities together. Based on observations from internal audits, the faculties and students are quite pleased with the support services relating to education and with the commensurability of their Quality Management Systems with the faculties Quality Management Systems. Cooperation is smooth and supports teaching 22 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

23 and learning. For example, each faculty has their own Language Centre contact person. The realisation of cooperation is also assessed in connection with faculty audits. Education cooperation with Karelia and Savonia University of Applied Sciences is developed to obtain synergy benefits, flexible study paths and better relevance to working life. An example of this is the common ICT education path launched in the autumn of 2016 and common entrepreneurship studies. In the future, the aim of the education process is to form more extensive and clearer application targets, so that students have the option to decide on their major during their studies. Extensive Bachelor s degree studies are followed by Master s degree studies profiled according to the areas of expertise in research. The most important operators in Bachelor s and Master s degree education and their tasks are described in more detail in Table 7. Table 7. The most important operators in Bachelor s and Master s degree education. MAIN ACTORS AND TASKS ACADEMIC RECTOR Acts as a pedagogical director and chairperson of the Teaching and Guidance Advisory Committee. BOARD Decides on matters connected with education on the university level. COUNCIL FOR TEACHING AND GUIDANCE (O2, EXPERTS ALSO INCLUDE FSHS, FOR EXAMPLE) Plans, assesses and outlines the university s education. Supports the development of the university s education. Looks after matters connected with the physical, mental and social environment of students. Coordinates the assessment of degree programmes. COORDINATION AND DEVELOPMENT TEAM FOR GUIDANCE (OKKE) Supports students high-quality learning at the University of Eastern Finland. Improves the availability of guidance services and supports the personnel s guidance skills and cooperation in implementing guidance. Prepares policies for the operating methods of education and guidance, procedures for developing them and coordinates their implementation for their own part. Controls the entity of the student feedback system. Prepares issues for the Council for Teaching and Guidance and the working group in charge of academic affairs. Promotes accessible studying and student well-being. ACADEMIC HEADS TEAM (OVA) Prepares and develops the University of Eastern Finland s academic affairs and services, study administration and the organisation and planning of education. Prepares and agrees on common practices for units that provide teaching concerning their academic affairs and study administration. Prepares issues for the Council for Teaching and Guidance and the Coordination and Development Team for Guidance, if necessary. Promotes accessible studying and student well-being. FACULTY COUNCIL Takes care of tasks related to education according to the Administrative Regulations. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

24 MAIN ACTORS AND TASKS FACULTY S EDUCATION WORKING GROUP OR DEGREE PROGRAMME S EDUCATION WORKING GROUP (IF THE FACULTY ESTABLISHES IT) Plans, assesses and outlines the education of the faculty or degree programme. Supports the development of the education of the faculty or degree programmes. LANGUAGE CENTRE Plans and organises language and communication studies required by the Decree on University Degrees in cooperation with faculties. Offers and organises other language and communication studies necessary in the research community, studies or working life. Responsible for the recognition and accreditation of prior learning in language and communication studies. Generates critical expertise from the internationalisation perspective. Develops the learning and teaching of languages and communication related to special fields. EDUCATION WORKING GROUP OF A DEPARTMENT OR A SCHOOL Looks after the planning, realisation and assessment of teaching and related development work at the department/school. UNIVERSITY SERVICES Provides general student counselling. Handles registration at the university as well as tasks related to rights to study, student certificates, transcripts, study guides, upkeep of the student register and career services. Collects student feedback. Manages international student and teacher exchange. Looks after applicant services and other support services for teaching and studying. Looks after international agreements. Coordinates international relations and networks. PERSON IN CHARGE OF AN ACADEMIC SUBJECT Each academic subject shall have a person in charge of the quality of the subject s teaching and the coordination and development of the quality of teaching, in particular. TEACHER Responsible for the quality of teaching situations and the assessment of learning. Plans, implements and assesses teaching and guidance in accordance with the ratified curriculum. Creates and develops a student and learning-centred learning environment. Supports students in learning to learn. Takes care of personal development in his or her own profession. STUDENT Responsible for his or her own learning and progress in studies. Participates in the activities of the university community. Provides feedback. TEACHER TRAINING SCHOOLS Offer training related to studies. Described in more detail in the teacher training schools Quality Manual. UNIVERSITY PHARMACY Offers training related to studies. Described in more detail in a separate Quality Manual. 24 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

25 We are currently strengthening our learning environment with jointly selected development themes. The aim of the learning and education theme is to essentially strengthen the student-centredness of learning environments, a research-based approach and the flexibility of studies and education. The development of the personnel s competence is supported so that they are able to apply the physical and technical solutions of the learning environment in a meaningful manner that promotes learning. The facilities used in teaching and studying are developed so that they are suitable for multiple uses, flexible and pleasant. The operational reliability and availability of the technical learning environment will be improved. The decision made by the Rector on the adoption of an electronic plagiarism detection system as of 1 January 2016 requires that the origin of all theses is verified using the electronic plagiarism detection system. The number of international degree students is increased in a controlled manner. We develop Bachelor level studies offered in English that also attract Finnish applicants in addition to international students. The aim is to increase the international mobility of degree students by ensuring that the exchange period will be fully accredited. The university s transnational education is implemented through the education export company Finland University Inc. Transnational education opens up new possibilities for using competence and for the staff of the university. Transnational education also increases the recognition of our university and acts as a recruitment channel for international students. The quality of transnational education is monitored systematically and in a versatile manner. The implementation of Bachelor s and Master s degree education is described through the following sub-processes. Student recruitment and admissions The main responsibility for student recruitment belongs to the academic departments, which have appointed persons or working groups in charge of recruitment. Student and Learning Services, Aducate and communications also play a significant role in recruitment. Student admissions are prepared by a specific working group that contains representatives from the faculties and Student and Learning Services. Quotas for first-time applicants will be taken into use at the second phase of the national admission renewal implemented in The principle of a single study place will also extend to be applied to all degree education apart from transfer applications. In addition to Bachelor s and Master s degree education, applications for a Master s degree in Finnish are also included in the universities joint student application system in There is a separate Admissions section on the university s website that contains an application guide and plenty of current information and printable material for each application target. Applying through the universities joint student application system takes place in the electronic Studyinfo application system for higher education institutions that contains descriptions of all the university s education and application targets. Most of the University of Eastern Finland s application targets included in the universities joint student application system can only be applied for in the spring. UEF Ambassadors selected from among students at the University of Eastern Finland promote the university s versatile education provision and talk about the daily life of students. They visit schools, education fairs and various events and are also active in social media. The faculties consider the UEF Ambassadors a significant improvement in recruitment practices. An information source survey for those who have participated in entrance examinations is carried out every other year among those who have applied to UEF. Application targets included in the survey are selected with the faculties. Two topic entities stood out as key results from the survey in First of all, the university s website as a whole is by far the most important source of information for young people who are planning to apply in addition to the studyinfo.fi website. Secondly, interest in the field in question is still by far the most important factor when selecting a study place. According to applicants, UEF s attractiveness is an 8.3 on a scale of Annual events for final-year students in the upper secondary school and the science festival SciFest organised in Joensuu every spring are important events where final-year students and younger school children can learn about the university. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

26 Examples of good practices The Faculty of Science and Forestry s LUMA working (abbreviated from luonnontieteet, the Finnish word for natural sciences, and matematiikka for mathematics) is organised for school children and online advertising produced for social media. Department of Applied Physics has organised summer activities for upper secondary school students in research groups for years. The activities have clearly brought motivated students to the field. Planning of education and guidance The objective of the faculties curricular work is the formation of an academic curriculum based on learning outcomes. Developing the curriculum is based on the assessment of education in which, in particular, feedback from students and stakeholders is considered as well as the promotion of guidance practices, principles of sustainable development and using new learning environments. Planning education and guidance proactively to meet the future needs of working life is more challenging each year and requires cooperation with stakeholders and consideration of various kinds of learners. Education and guidance is planned in such a way that studies are motivating and a student is committed to studies and completing a degree. This is important both for the student s own performance and the productivity of the university. Our Bachelor s and Master s degree education provides subject-specific competence but also general skills for operating in an international, multidisciplinary working environment of the future. Many students have already completed other studies, in which case individual study paths are created for them with the help of recognition and accreditation of prior learning and personal study plan practices. Stakeholders are consulted when planning education and research in all faculties, but the participation of external stakeholders in quality work could still be more planned and systematic. The development of teachers competence is discussed in annual performance appraisal discussions and any need for additional training is taken into account in work plans. Examples of good practices In the Philosophical Faculty, the curriculum is created for three years at a time. The Faculty of Health Sciences annual plan of curricular work and the planning and implementation of the biosciences programme in health sciences is arranged in cooperation with Karolinska Institutet. nursing science mentoring days with stakeholders. national meetings of providers of Bachelor s and Master s degree education in the field in various subjects and fields of study. The Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies curriculum is created for two years at a time. strong stakeholder cooperation with the help of Aducate s networks. Implementation of education and guidance Qualified teachers and tutors are a necessary requirement for successful, versatile and high-quality education and guidance that are connected to research. Our university invests significantly in university pedagogy and in the use of information and communication technology in teaching. For example, during the academic year , 10 courses in university pedagogy were arranged. A total of 174 persons participated in the courses. Teachers have completed pedagogical studies studiously and abundantly. The development work on learning environments that is currently in progress in the university helps teachers adopt new teaching methods, such as the flipped classroom (FCR) method. The Moodle online learning environment has been used for a long time and to a great extent. Clearer pedagogical 26 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

27 leadership and more time would be needed for developing learning environments and strengthening teachers pedagogical skills. Guidelines for tutoring and counselling were completed in Career counselling has been developed, and group counselling is now used in career counselling at the beginning of studies. Towards the final phases of studies, the aim is to support the transfer to working life in a flexible manner. We also use mentors and alumni in counselling. The faculties Heads of Academic and Student Affairs and Amanuenses are also important supervisors and support persons for students. Monitoring the progress of studies and student guidance in the faculties after the first year of studies are not yet systematic. Study guidance should consider more carefully the equal treatment of students, adhering to rules, following the curriculum and ensuring the flexible progress of studies. The Council for Teaching and Guidance supports the work of teachers and tutors and its development. Representatives from Student and Learning Services are involved in developing degree education at least in the Faculty of Science and Forestry. Examples of good practices The Philosophical Faculty s versatile initial guidance and course and peer tutoring. recommended study paths according to which studies progress at a rate of 60 ECTS credits/ academic year. a personal study plan discussion is held in connection with a Bachelor s thesis in the School of Humanities and the School of Theology. In the Faculty of Science and Forestry factors related to the student s workload are considered in practical teaching and support services. teachers have a good opportunity to complete PD training. In the Faculty of Health Sciences versatile learning environments that simulate working life. students graduation is monitored on the basis of indicators on time used for studies and overall completion and intermediate objectives set from a social perspective. In the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies each student goes over their study and career plans during personal study plan discussions. departments arrange teaching in such a way that students can complete 60 credits/academic year. online examinations have been taken into use quite extensively. Education and guidance assessment and collecting feedback The faculties, academic subjects and units collect feedback systematically on their activities and analyse and use the feedback in developing teaching and guidance and also give counter feedback to students. In general, PalauteOodi is used as the medium for giving feedback. However, the response rate is sometimes quite low. Several other feedback collection methods are often used alongside it, such as year-specific discussion events and free-form feedback. These methods do not necessarily produce highly comparable information, but they do highlight any development targets. There are still some minor issues with the feedback collection system for international students, as the number of students is small, and based on observations obtained from internal audits, students are to some extent concerned about being recognised from their responses. Course feedback is mainly compiled annually in the units and faculties and it is discussed by the UEF Leadership Group. Important administrative bodies for teaching and guidance in the faculties that also have student representatives include various educational committees of the faculties and departments and education development teams (such as the Faculty of Health Sciences basic education committee and study programmes Education Planning Committees and the Philosophical Faculty s PETO and its departments KOUKE). SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

28 Students in our university also have the opportunity to give so-called study path feedback. They are university-wide feedback surveys that are targeted at students at the end of their first year of studies, in the Bachelor s degree phase and soon after graduation. The results of the surveys are published on the university s Intranet. An international pilot assessment was carried out in our university on international Master s degree programmes in This creditable report has been used for evaluating all international master s degree programmes in Examples of good practices The Philosophical Faculty s regular meetings between the Deans and the subject associations. feedback days of the schools, such as the Open Agora feedback day. working life feedback from teaching training to students and to the School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education. feedback received from the School of Theology s alumni network in Facebook and development measures made based on the feedback. developing the duration and point of time of a Master s thesis in psychology on the basis of feedback. In the Faculty of Health Sciences work on the curriculum and investing in student guidance, for example, with the help of personal study plan guidance and tutoring students can complete their studies in a more goal-oriented manner. Now, a student s need for additional guidance is also better detected. students are required to have completed certain studies before training periods that are part of the degree, which helps students complete their degree in a more goal-oriented manner. In the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies subject associations also collect feedback on education and forward it to departments. Development of education and guidance Key actors in developing education and guidance include teachers and students and the Council for Teaching and Guidance, the Coordination and Development Team for Guidance and the faculties own education development teams. Development is based on active work carried out by the faculties, units and teachers and using information obtained from feedback systems. Students participation in developing education varies yearly. Student and Learning Services plays a key role in developing education in the whole university. The support and education organised by it in University Pedagogy and educational information and communication technology helps teachers evolve in their work and develop their teaching together with other teachers. Teachers are generally interested in pedagogical studies, but depending on the curriculum, teaching tasks do not always allow them to participate in the studies. Therefore, Student and Learning Services has also customised department-specific training sessions. For example, the Faculty of Health Sciences and its teachers have good experiences of this kind of faculty-specific customised teaching. The university encourages and motivates teachers to develop education by rewarding three teachers each year selected by students for outstanding teaching. In order to highlight the merits of teachers, two awards will be launched in the autumn of 2016; one for the teaching act of the year and the other for a top teacher. The aim is to have a network of top teachers that will support the development of education culture. An essential part of the development of education and guidance is also the development of learning environments coordinated by Student and Learning Services. Development is steered by an action programme for learning environments and by the university s Learning Development Manager. For instance, 43 teachers from 25 units participate in the Flipped classroom (FCR) operating model. When the FCR method is used, students go over the theoretical content of a course independently online after which a teacher can use the time they have together to apply that information, solve any problems and deepen their understanding. This method has already been used in physics for a few years. 28 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

29 Course completion has clearly improved, at least by 20% and as much as by 90%. Physical learning environments have also been developed to support these activities. New ideas and good practices have also been learnt and adopted from colleagues and other units during audits and education-related benchmarking. The Quality Management System produces information on the progress of studies, the quality of education as experienced by the parties involved, the completion of degrees, applicants and admitted students and working life relevance. Students receive counter feedback and information on the progress of their studies and the development of their competence. Quality work and collecting feedback and analysing teaching events, for example, do take some time but when practices have been properly adopted, they have become part of daily activities. Examples of good practices The Philosophical Faculty s joint project between the School of Applied Educational Science, departments and Helsingin normaalilyseo that combines multi-professional education development, a phenomenon-based approach and cooperation with teacher training in natural sciences and mathematics. education for a sustainable future open online course. The Faculty of Science and Forestry s use of observations included in an assessment report on international study programmes in developing international education provision. Table 8. Summary of degree education. STRENGTHS Investing in the continuous development of versatile learning environments. 55 credits/academic year is achieved quite impressively. Transnational education has had a promising start. Teachers PD training has long traditions and functional practices. esemester has been established to support year-round studying. Use of electronic examinations has increased steadily. Entity of student recruitment. Electronic services/digitalisation for applicants and students. Consortium cooperation in many sectors of student services with other Finnish universities. Data storage Opri. DEVELOPMENT TARGETS Clarifying the universities profiles and division of duties on a national basis. Clarifying and harmonising the student feedback system. Uniform adoption and establishment of practices related to pedagogical leadership and student-centredness. Developing application targets into more extensive entities. Development of international Master s degree programmes. Monitoring the quality of employment of graduated students. Extending and establishing summer school activities and year-round studying. Guidance during studies. Faculty-specific peer support for teachers. Career path of teachers. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

30 4.1.2 Postgraduate degree education The University of Eastern Finland offers productive, systematic and high-quality postgraduate education. Possible scientific postgraduate degrees in the university include licentiate and doctoral degrees. In some fields, it is also possible to complete a professional postgraduate degree. The aim of scientific postgraduate education is to train researchers and experts who can work independently, resolve scientific problems and produce new scientific information independently. Table 9. Process of postgraduate education. PURPOSE OF PROCESS High-quality and systematic researcher education is offered to postgraduate students for demanding expert and researcher duties and an agreed number of postgraduate degrees are produced annually. PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE PROCESS Academic Rector QUALITY OBJECTIVES OF THE PROCESS The university produces an annual number of postgraduate degrees as agreed in a performance agreement with the Ministry of Education and Culture. The postgraduate education and guidance offered by the university is efficient and of good quality and available to everyone. All postgraduate students are part of the Doctoral School and the doctoral degree programme of the University of Eastern Finland. Postgraduate degrees are scheduled to be completed in four years. Postgraduate education is arranged in subject-specific or thematic doctoral programmes. As of 2013, all postgraduate students at the university belong to a doctoral degree programme. The programmes form the UEF Doctoral School. The Doctoral School is responsible for the coordination of doctoral degree education and organising general transferable skills studies. The university s Doctoral School is led by the Academic Rector and the Research Council acts as the steering committee of the Doctoral School. The structure of doctoral programmes was renewed in 2015, when the number of programmes was reduced from 28 programmes to 13. Each doctoral programme has a Director, a steering committee and a Coordinator or a similar arrangement. The steering committee of a doctoral programme also includes student members. The objective of the doctoral programmes activities is to ensure systematic and high-quality postgraduate education to all postgraduate students and in that way shorten the time used for completing a doctoral dissertation. The faculties regard the implemented Doctoral School renewal as positive. A couple of years more in practical operation are required to evaluate the effects of changes made in the doctoral programme structure. The activities are already established in some doctoral programmes (programmes that have started operation as doctoral programmes funded by the Academy of Finland) and in others, the practical activities are being formed. Information on doctoral degree programmes is available on the website of the doctoral programmes and in a postgraduate study guide published by the Doctoral School. The guide contains information on regulations and practices related to applying for postgraduate studies at the university and doctoral programme levels, completing studies and graduation. Support services that are necessary for postgraduate degree education are produced by the Administration Service Centres of the faculties (study guidance and study administration), Development Services (coordination of the Doctoral School and support services for research), the Language Centre, the Library, IT Services and Student and Learning Services. 30 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

31 The most important actors in the postgraduate education process are described in Table 10. Table 10. The most important actors in the postgraduate education process. MAIN ACTORS AND TASKS ACADEMIC RECTOR Evaluates and develops the university s postgraduate education. Acts as the chairperson of the Research Council (steering committee of the Doctoral School). Decides on the funding of common postgraduate courses. RESEARCH COUNCIL Acts as the steering committee of the UEF Doctoral School. Coordinates, evaluates and develops the university s postgraduate education together with the faculties. Decides on the curriculum of the university s transferable skills studies. Collects feedback on postgraduate education. HEAD OF RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT AND SENIOR LECTURER IN THE DOCTORAL SCHOOL Coordinates the curriculum of transferable skills studies and the activities of the doctoral programmes. Coordinates university level guidance associated with postgraduate education. Publishes the Doctoral Education Curricula. Arranges common readiness skills education for postgraduate students. SUPERVISOR OF A DOCTORAL DISSERTATION OR LICENTIATE THESIS Responsible for scientific supervision in postgraduate education. Communicates about the progress of the research process and gives feedback on the supervision. Responsible for preparing and implementing a personal study plan for postgraduate studies on the basis of the scientific objectives of the degree and personal objectives. AUTHOR OF A DOCTORAL DISSERTATION Committed to completing a doctoral dissertation as planned. FACULTY Responsible for the management of postgraduate education. Decides on the curriculum and degree requirements of postgraduate studies. Grants the postgraduate study rights, approves the research topic, research supervisors, research and postgraduate study plans and any changes made to them. Appoints the preliminary and final examiners, opponents and the chairman of the public examination (the Custos) for doctoral dissertations and licentiate theses. Grants permission for public examination, approves and grades the licentiate thesis and the doctoral dissertation. Approves postgraduate degrees and awards the degrees. Evaluates and develops postgraduate education. A more detailed task description is found in the faculty s Quality Manual. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

32 MAIN ACTORS AND TASKS DOCTORAL PROGRAMME Processes applications for postgraduate study rights and makes proposals to the Faculty Council on the rights to study to be granted. Responsible for the organisation of studies in the field and discipline. Responsible for guidance on a general level related to the studies and research of postgraduate students. LANGUAGE CENTRE AND LIBRARY Arranges common readiness skills education for postgraduate students. The Library offers comprehensive information materials for research. The Library, the Language Centre and Student and Learning Services organise courses that support postgraduate education, such as training on communication and information retrieval commissioned by the Doctoral School, and studies that are generally available to the staff (such as university pedagogy). The Library s databases and information retrieval services and the IT services provided by University Services are key support services for postgraduate students. Based on interviews carried out for internal audits, it seems that postgraduate students and their supervisors are quite pleased with the Library s databases and related training as well as other services provided by the Library, such as the information retrieval course for postgraduate students. Student recruitment and admissions A person who meets the requirements of the Universities Act (558/2009, Chapter 5, Section 37) can be admitted to pursue studies leading to a scientific postgraduate degree, or a person who has been otherwise demonstrated by the university to possess the necessary skills and competences for pursuing doctoral studies. The university s doctoral programmes have programme-specific admission criteria. When admission criteria are prepared, special attention is paid to the clarity and transparency of the admission criteria. The right to pursue doctoral studies may be applied for from the faculty between one and four times a year depending on the doctoral programme in question. The prospective doctoral student discusses the research topic, doctoral studies and their completion, as well as other supervisors with the future main supervisor. Each doctoral student must have at least two supervisors. The prospective doctoral student and the supervisors negotiate and agree on responsibilities and commitment to supervising the student s research project. An application for the right to pursue doctoral studies is processed by the doctoral programme, and the faculty decides on granting the right on the basis of the proposal made by the doctoral programme. Once approved, all postgraduate students must have a personal study plan for postgraduate studies. The university provides funding centrally for 155 positions in the Doctoral School. Examples of good practices In the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies admission criteria have been clarified and made more transparent, and rejected student admissions include reasons for the rejection and recommendations for developing the application and research plan. Planning and implementation of education and guidance The university s Doctoral School offers transferable skills studies that help postgraduate students develop their skills to act as a researcher and in challenging specialist duties. Some of the transferable skills studies are organised by the Library and the Language Centre. Transferable skills studies include courses on research ethics, project management, business operations, searching data and media communication. Transferable skills studies include a course on studies, a doctoral career and networking that introduces these themes to a postgraduate student at the start of postgraduate studies. The Doctoral School prepares study plans for common transferable skills studies annually and 32 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

33 the Research Council approves them. A certain amount of transferable skills studies is compulsory in the study plan of all doctoral programmes. Postgraduate students also find the Doctoral School s transferable skills studies useful and complete a large number of courses. The faculty is responsible for preparing curricula for discipline-specific studies in the doctoral programmes, and the Faculty Council approves them. Student and Learning Services offers training in university pedagogy to researcher-teachers and postgraduate students. Pedagogical studies are considered necessary but they still require more development. The Coordinator of the university s Doctoral School compiles curricula of the doctoral programmes and the faculties in cooperation with persons in charge of postgraduate studies in the faculties as a Doctoral Education Curricula that is published on the Doctoral School s website and in WebOodi guides. The doctoral programmes and supervisors are responsible for the supervision of research carried out for a postgraduate degree. The supervisor must be a professor, docent or a person with a doctoral degree. The Doctoral School offers training for supervisors every other year. Examples of good practices In the Faculty of Health Sciences postgraduate studies are often carried out in cooperation with stakeholders. detailed objectives have been specified for Tenure Track duties and their attainment is monitored regularly. In the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies postgraduate orientations in Finnish and English make it easier to get started with studies. In the Faculty of Science and Forestry a seminar addressing good practices in guidance has been held. the participation of stakeholders in postgraduate education steering groups is significant. Education and guidance assessment and development The Research Council monitors feedback annually on the transferable skills studies and the Doctoral School carries out a feedback survey among postgraduate students every other year on postgraduate studies, guidance and the courses offered. The doctoral programmes use the results the development of their activities. The steering committee of the doctoral programme is responsible for the development. There is an annual follow-up survey for doctoral students who are studying under the university s Doctoral School funding. The university participated in a doctoral career follow-up survey carried out by the Aarresaari network in 2015 for doctors who graduated in In addition, the Ministry of Education and Culture assessed the doctoral education of universities in their study during which graduates with a doctoral degree, doctoral students, employers and experts on doctoral education were interviewed. Participants in the doctoral follow-up survey were content with the doctoral dissertation process and research-related guidance. There was dissatisfaction with the availability, amount and quality of guidance related to studies. They were satisfied with the competence gained from the doctoral degree with regard to research-related matters (e.g., research area, methodology, expertise, research ethics, research communication). The respondents thought that many scientific skills are developed well during the doctoral education, such as writing, applying for funding, international contacts, performance skills, project-related competence, communication skills and the popularisation of science, information and communication technology, teaching skills, career planning and leadership skills. There was more dissatisfaction with business competence, commercialisation, job seeking, and the development related to IPR competence and entrepreneurship. The faculties have specified indicators and target levels for doctoral education. The realisation is monitored systematically by the Leadership Group and during reviews both at the unit and doctoral programme level. Quantitative objectives are achieved effectively in doctoral education. The faculties also have their own committees on research and/or postgraduate education that assess and develop postgraduate degree education in the faculty. These committees involve postgraduate students. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

34 The perspective of working life is closely connected to those doctoral programmes in particular in which some of the postgraduate students work elsewhere and work on their doctoral dissertation alongside working (such as in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies and the Faculty of Health Sciences). In addition, the staff and students of the Law School practise at the Kuopio Administrative Court, and in that way, information is also obtained on the needs of working life in practice. However, there is a clear need for career counselling and adding a working life-related perspective into all postgraduate education. The doctoral programmes cooperate with regard to teaching even across faculty borders. For example, the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies cooperates with the Philosophical Faculty in organising methodological studies. The Quality Management System of postgraduate degree education produces information on the quality of education as experienced by the parties involved, completing degrees, number of publications, study schedules, applicants and admitted students and relevance to working life. Students receive counter feedback and information on the progress of their studies and development of their competence. According to the faculties, quality work and related systematic approach to collecting feedback and analysing teaching events, for example, do take some time but when practices have been properly adopted, they have become part of daily activities. Examples of good practices In the Faculty of Science and Forestry double degrees are completed in cooperation with foreign universities so the good practices of postgraduate education processes are also tested in this connection. Table 11. Summary of postgraduate education. STRENGTHS Systematic and high-quality division of duties and cooperation between the Doctoral School and doctoral programmes. Developing studies on working life skills along with a new Senior Lecturer position. The university s common feedback survey for postgraduate degree students. The university s Doctoral School positions enable the full-time completion of a doctoral dissertation. Increasing the number of international students and degrees. A regular application process for the university s early stage researcher positions. DEVELOPMENT TARGETS Establishing the activities of the new doctoral degree programmes. Developing guidance in postgraduate studies. Improving the monitoring of progress in postgraduate studies in particular, that of passive and part-time postgraduate students. Developing transferable skills studies with regard to entrepreneurship and innovation activities and career counselling. Better visibility of the research areas and supervisors of the doctoral programmes to applicants. Centralised guidance for applicants. Developing education provision in English. Overall assessment of postgraduate education course selection. 34 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

35 4.2 Research, development and innovation activities THE UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND is a multidisciplinary research university which, in accordance with its strategy, seeks solutions for global challenges through interdisciplinary, thematic research areas. The university has identified, on the basis of several international research evaluations, five top-level international and five advanced-level strong research areas. The university will profile its research activities through these thematic strategic research areas, not through individual disciplines. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, the university seeks to find new kinds of research-based innovations to global challenges. The university makes sure in its strategic action plan that the strategic research areas have opportunities for development, and will support their actions towards research excellence at the international level. The strategic research areas are of a high scientific quality, interdisciplinary, focused, constantly renewing and internationally networked competence clusters. The top-level international research areas are: 1) Aerosols, climate change and human health, 2) Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, 3) Forests, global change and bioeconomy, 4) Neurosciences, and 5) Borders, mobilities and cultural encounters. The advanced-level strong research areas are: 1) Photonics: Theory, materials and applications, 2) Sustainable governance of natural resources, 3) Learning in interactive environments, 4) Translational cancer research, and 5) Musculoskeletal disorders. Table 12. Purpose, person in charge and quality objectives of the research, development and innovation activities process. PURPOSE OF PROCESS The objective is to generate new information for national and international innovation and for the needs of society and education in accordance with the university strategy. PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE PROCESS Academic Rector QUALITY OBJECTIVES OF THE PROCESS Research is of high quality and international and part of the international scientific community. The research environment is modern and observes a high standard. Research funding is on a solid footing. The university s research training is systematic and of a high quality. The research career is attractive. The Academic Rector is responsible for research, development and innovation activities. The Research Council, Research Services and Development Services cooperate with the Academic Rector. The faculties and units have clear objectives for research activities and indicators for monitoring them. The faculties strategic research areas have been selected based on the international peer review of research. Representatives of research groups participate in the work of quality teams at the departmental level. The key actors of research, development and innovation activities and their tasks are described in more detail in Table 13. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

36 Table 13. Key actors of research, development and innovation activities. MAIN ACTORS AND TASKS ACADEMIC RECTOR Responsible for the continuous development and sufficient quality of the research process and the sufficiency of research funding. Serves as a chairperson for the Research Council. Appoints the Committee on Research Ethics. Responsible for ensuring that the guidelines of the Committee on Research Ethics are followed (supervises responsible conduct of research, examines suspicions related to offences in responsible conduct of research and scientific fraud). Prioritises project applications on the university level, if required to do so by the funder. RESEARCH COUNCIL Coordinates, evaluates and supports the research-related strategy work of the units in accordance with the Board s policies. Assesses the level and impact of the university s research. Monitors and reviews the university s scientific publishing activities. Helps to develop the university s national and international research collaboration. Coordinates and develops the university s postgraduate education and the activities of the doctoral programmes. Coordinates and develops the acquisition of external research funding. Improves research preconditions and promotes the researchers career progress. Coordinates the development and activities of large research infrastructures. DEAN Approves the faculty s future research projects and related agreements. Outlines the faculty s research strategy. THE FACULTY S RESEARCH GROUP (IF ONE IS ESTABLISHED BY THE FACULTY) Outlines, develops and evaluates the quality of the faculty s research process. UNIVERSITY SERVICES Offers expert services related to external funding and agreements. Supports the Rectors in developing and implementing research activities and the strategy. Coordinates the assessment of research carried out at the university. The tasks are described in more detail in the Quality Manual of University Services. RESPONSIBLE LEADER OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT Leads research in the research project. Responsible for project management and reporting tasks in accordance with the instructions of the funder and the university. RESEARCHER Carries out high-quality research. Adheres to responsible conduct of research in his or her work. 36 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

37 MAIN ACTORS AND TASKS THE UNIVERSITY S RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE Evaluates the ethicality of human-targeted non-medical research projects and issues statements on them, if required to do so by a funder or another party. Evaluates, if needed, the ethics of other research projects if the evaluation has not been imposed on other parties by legislation. Promotes research-ethical training and provides guidelines related to research-ethical questions at the university. Works as an expert body in research-related ethical problem situations emerging at the university. Maintains discussion associated with research ethics at the university. Monitors and participates in the preparation of national research-related ethical guidelines and ensures their implementation at the University of Eastern Finland Setting targets and planning activities The new strategy for the years was formulated in cooperation between the scientific community of UEF and external scientists and stakeholders. A survey aimed at the university s most important stakeholders was also completed in In the survey, the stakeholders were asked about their views and opinions on the local and global challenges the university s research could provide solutions to and have an impact on societal development. The strategic research areas were recognised on the basis of the results of the Research Assessment Exercise, RAE, performed in 2013 and were formulated and defined in cooperation between the Rectors, the Deans and the university s professors. The actions needed to develop research excellence towards an outstanding level are: 1) Renewal and internationalisation of research personnel (from doctoral candidates to professors). A key action in strengthening the expertise and excellence of the research areas is the recruitment of new, talented researchers into these fields of research. UEF will actively headhunt for internationally recognised researchers into Tenure Track positions and professorships. 2) Modern research infrastructure: UEF is improving access to and utilisation of infrastructures, as well as by boosting cooperation within the university. UEF has shared infrastructures with several national-level research institutes and with Kuopio University Hospital. The university participates in several infrastructures presented in the Finnish and ESFRI roadmaps for research infrastructures. UEF is preparing an action plan for research infrastructures and is committed to maintaining the development of crucial infrastructures supporting the research of the top- and advanced-level research areas. 3) Professional acquisition of external research funding. The action plan lists about twenty different actions, which aim to improve the university s economic and functional skills and know-how in the acquisition of research funding. UEF will support the implementation of the action plan for external research funding from its strategic funding and other basic resources. 4) High-quality and effective doctoral education. see According to the faculties, the Research Assessment Exercise has become more concrete as the strategically central research areas have been identified at the university and faculty levels Implementation The university supports the activities of the research areas specified in the strategy with basic resources, its own strategic funds and the Academy of Finland s profiling funding. New professorships and Tenure Track researchers are recruited to research areas with PROFI funding in and with basic resources in accordance with the university s strategic human resources plan. The university SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

38 annually opens 10 postdoctoral researcher positions for research areas with its own strategic funding and the employment of doctoral students is supported annually with a total of MEUR The university s Research Infrastructure Programme has been formed to support the activities of the research areas with the help of the university s strategic funding. We will confirm the Open Science policy principles of the university in order to increase the availability and usability of open data. The university s Open Access programme was approved in December 2015 and the related action programme in the spring of Research groups from the University of Eastern Finland are involved in national and Nordic Centres of Excellence in Research. These Centres of Excellence represent the international forefront in their field. They renew research, develop creative research environments and train new talented researchers for Finnish research and business life. The university hosts three Academy Professors granted by the Academy of Finland and one FiDiPro - Finland Distinguished Professor Programme professor funded by the Academy of Finland and the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, Tekes. In addition, the university currently has two ERC Advanced Grants and three ERC Starting Grants. All recipients of ERC funding are guaranteed a Tenure Track career path. The Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies hosts research clusters (such as KWRC, LYY, Spatia, VERA) and the Centre for Tourism Studies, which operate in such a way that they in principle support social impact and regional development Assessment and development UEF will monitor the development, implementation and impact of research activities through the following 3-step evaluation: 1) Self-evaluation of the research areas. Responsible actors: Steering groups of the research areas. All the strategic research areas have prepared work plans for the years All the research areas have a leader/leaders and a steering group to coordinate their management and development. The steering groups of the research areas will follow the development of the research area annually and will also update the work plan accordingly. The university has agreed that the research areas will follow at least the following indicators in their development: number of JUFO publications, amount of external research funding, and number of doctoral degrees. In addition, all the strategic research areas have to have their own mechanisms to follow-up and evaluate the actualisation of their research plans, their milestones, success in personnel recruitments and development of the research infrastructure. 2) Internal evaluation at UEF. Responsible actors: Board and Leadership Groups of UEF and the faculties. As part of the strategy work, the Board of UEF will assess the effects of the strategic actions annually. The strengthening of the research areas is the most crucial action in the strategy work. The faculties and the Leadership Group of UEF will monitor and report on the performance of the research areas to the Board of the university. The research areas will be requested to submit their progress reports and updated work plans to the Leadership Group every year. 3) External evaluation. Responsible actors: Steering Group for Research and Research Assessment Exercise. UEF will perform the next international RAE in 2019 in order to evaluate the research areas of the university as a whole, including the top-level, advanced-level and emerging research areas. In the next RAE process, the evaluation will focus on the performance of the research areas, and not on the activities of the departments and schools. UEF and its researchers receive and utilise feedback on research activities from several evaluations carried out by publication reviewers and research funders: 38 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

39 Researchers get feedback on their research proposals submitted to research funders and publications submitted to publishers (peer-review process). The university gets feedback from the Academy of Finland, from the evaluators of the profiling funding calls (PROFI applications). The university and its disciplines get feedback from national and international research evaluations (carried out, e.g., by the Academy of Finland, State of Scientific Research in Finland). The university has commissioned a SciVal database (science validation tool) from Elsevier. With the help of SciVal, the university can benchmark and evaluate its publications in scientific journals at the national and international levels. The Research Council plays a significant role in developing research and innovation activities. The research areas have prepared development plans for the period of Regional development needs have also been identified in these development plans, and the realisation of the plans is evaluated annually. All research areas monitor their progress by Jufo publication numbers, the development in the amount of competitive external funding and the number of doctoral degrees. In addition, the realisation of research area-specific objectives is monitored as well as the success in key recruitments and the development of research infrastructures. Identifying and supporting emerging research areas is part of the strategy work of the faculties. Research in both the strong and the emerging research areas may evolve into top-level research during the strategy period. A major part of research at the university is carried out using external funding in various research projects. The development of research infrastructures and postgraduate education are integrated firmly in the activities of the research areas. Support services, such as Research Services operating within University Services, offer training, for example, on preparing framework programme and ERC applications and project management. The Library s activities are very appropriate and support well information retrieval for research purposes, as well as entrering information in the SoleCris database. Information regarding the university s research projects, publications and specialist tasks as well as visits by teachers and researchers is entered in the SoleCRIS research database. Information obtained from the database is comprehensive and usable and it is used in many ways. The aim is to have publications included in better publication series (JUFO2-3) and this is monitored annually at the university, faculty and unit levels. Researchers receive feedback on the results, which have an effect on the financial distribution model. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Services operating within University Services has an expert role in supporting and promoting the commercialisation of research results and competence achieved at the university. They assess in cooperation with our research groups and business and industry the commercial potential of research and help transfer competence as growth platforms for new business operations and entrepreneurship. They provide assistance with promoting innovation competence, actions involving invention disclosure notifications, planning and implementation of research projects that are aimed at commercialisation, assessment of innovation proposals and their usefulness, protection of intellectual property rights and related technology transfer for commercial use. They also serve as a link for our research and those planning their own business operations to business life, regional and national corporate development and intermediate organisations, and funders of new business operations in the initial stages. Our university carries out some commissioned research and studies and supplies expert services, although these kinds of activities are not part of the university s core processes. Commissioned research is carried out by the academic departments and research centres. A suitable research cooperation partner can be found in the university s research database that contains information on our staff s expertise, research projects and publications. Research carried out in the university s fields of expertise generates important scientific research results for society, industry and business life. The university s research is connected with the innovation cluster of Eastern Finland along with the research utilisers. Local business and industry can benefit from research carried out at the university. The process is also associated with the sub-processes of societal interaction and the educational mission. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

40 Examples of good practices In the Philosophical Faculty an annual report prepared by the Research Council is discussed for the management review. Borders, Mobilities and Cultural Encounters Research Area (BOMOCULT) cooperation with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. In the Faculty of Science and Forestry Grant Writer activities are being launched. The Faculty of Health Sciences infrastructure working group is responsible for preparing annual investments. In the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies the Research Coordinator assists in the application process for external funding. Table 14. Summary of research, development and innovation activities. STRENGTHS The Research Assessment Exercise has been completed and its observations have been used in organising and developing research in the faculties and research groups. The research areas have been identified in accordance with the strategy and activities have started. The Research Infrastructure Programme and the policy of Open Science and Research have been confirmed. Assessment of research ethical issues as early as the preparation phase of projects (support from the Committee on Research Ethics to researchers). Research support services have become stronger. The university has significant national and international research infrastructures. DEVELOPMENT TARGETS Taking full advantage of the EU Office in Brussels. Developing the information systems in research administration in such a way that the systems also serve the promotion of research visibility. Promoting open science and the operating culture of research within the university. Developing the support services of research to assist in applying for research funding. Integrating the activities of the research areas identified in the strategy. Increasing the recognition of research infrastructures and taking full advantage of joint usability. 4.3 Social impact and regional development work Our university functions in Eastern Finland and its educational fields and disciplines are in many ways connected to activities ongoing within society and future competence needs. The process of social impact and regional development is based on high-quality research and teaching processes. Aducate s share in the process is significant. According to the strategy, we support the development of competence-based economy and regional effectiveness and strengthen the visibility of research in society. It is important for the success of the process that the university cooperates with its stakeholders in a reliable and sustainable manner. 40 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

41 Table 15. Objectives for social impact and regional development. PURPOSE OF PROCESS The purpose of cooperation is to promote and support society, business life and Finland s international competitiveness as a whole. PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE PROCESS Rector QUALITY OBJECTIVES OF THE PROCESS The university is regarded as an important and reliable actor and regional developer in the area of Eastern Finland. The university s research activities generate new enterprises and renew business life. The university has high-quality, active national and international partnership agreements. The Open University and continuing education are productive. University graduates are employed in Eastern Finland. The university s faculties and their academic departments have plenty of established operating methods in accordance with process objectives with the school institution, parishes and social welfare and the health field, for example. The staff also often act as experts and persons issuing statements. Training that is part of studies is also a significant part of this process. The activities of the university are based on responsibility, and it develops its activities by taking ecological, social, economic and ethical dimensions into account. The key actors of social impact and regional development are described in Table 16. Table 16. The key actors of social impact and regional development. MAIN ACTORS AND TASKS RECTOR Responsible for maintaining and developing public relations. BOARD Decides on process policies. THE UNIVERSITY S ADVISORY BOARD Supports the leadership of the university in implementing the process of social interaction. Provides feedback. LEADERSHIP GROUP AT THE SAVONLINNA CAMPUS Supports the leadership of the university in implementing the process of social interaction. Provides feedback. ADUCATE Responsible for the development of competence in the local area for its part. DEVELOPMENT SERVICES Supports and assists the Rector and other actors with the process. FACULTIES AND UNITS Implement the process. STAFF Each staff member represents the university in their own role. Function in their area of expertise in specialist tasks and positions of trust. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

42 The university receives plenty of feedback and influences from the chairperson of the Board and from external Board members in order to develop its activities. The university s Advisory Board also heavily supports the development of the university. The university s new uniform brand that applies to all materials being produced in the university is considered very positive and a factor that will increase the university s visibility and credibility. It highlights the profile of the university well. The process of social impact and regional development has clearly evolved during the operation of the university. Sub-processes have been identified and some indicators have also been selected. However, the process is very multilateral and it is closely connected to education and research. It also involves many internal and external parties of the university, and therefore, it is clearly one of the development targets of the university to perceive the process and focus on it. Based on the faculties observations, involving students more closely in the discussion on social impact and regional development would provide more information for developing the process Setting targets and planning activities In accordance with the Strategic Implementation Programme, the objective of social impact and regional development is to develop cooperation with research institutes and business and industry by increasing the joint use of research infrastructures and participation in the international research funding application process. Our experts participate in the work carried by discipline and field-specific working groups and in producing information that is necessary for social decision-making. We also strengthen local innovation activities by clarifying the use alternatives of research results and encouraging graduates to start competence-based companies. The basis of operational planning is identifying strategic partnerships and managing customer relationships. In the CRM database, the stakeholders of the university s leadership, communications, alumni activities and fund-raising are divided into alumni and other external and internal stakeholders. The contact information is used for mailing event invitations and the university s magazines, campaigns, brochures and newsletters, and occasional invitations to surveys Assessment and development Feedback and instructions obtained from meetings with stakeholders, project funders and customers are taken into account in activities. Information is collected, for example, on the level of service implementation, the usefulness of results and whether the service/task met the needs of the customer. Information is collected from companies, places of internship, places of completing a thesis and other stakeholders quite regularly. The use of information varies in the units so there is still room for development in the harmonisation of activities. With the help of information stored in the Sole CRIS database, it is possible to evaluate the success of social impact and regional development programmes and the attainment of objectives. However, the possibilities offered by the database are not yet in full use by the university. Therefore, the faculties and units do not always have sufficient information on the participation of individual persons in the social impact and regional development process, and information cannot necessarily be used for developing the activities systematically. The inclusion of social impact as part of basic work must be strengthened by identifying, naming and instructing the task of social impact and taking workload into account in the work plan and valuing the task as part of each person s work. The task must be attached as part of performance appraisal discussions and leadership. According to the faculties, the university s register of experts should be developed. Currently, it is difficult to know whom to contact if you need information about something. There should also be a helpdesk or similar that could be contacted for a suitable specialist. The financing model of the university and the faculties does not yet sufficiently recognise social impact and regional development activities and therefore, it cannot motivate the development of the process financially. In addition to quantitative data, it is also important to obtain qualitative data on social impact. However, monitoring qualitative information is quite problematic and it is not always unambiguous, so it is difficult to monitor the success of the process. 42 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

43 Nevertheless, the faculties already have several good practices. Examples of good practices In the Philosophical Faculty various working life events are organised, such as a Career Day for Humanities Students and a Translator Day. secondary school students can complete familiarisation with working life periods. alumni career stories have been collected on the faculty s website. In the Faculty of Health Sciences the School of Pharmacy carries out an annual survey on the social interaction of the staff. In the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies researchers are also encouraged to record their expert duties in the SoleCris system. The sub-processes of social impact and regional development identified in the university include the phenomenon of regional impact and stakeholder cooperation, the process of internationalisation and cooperation with neighbouring areas, the educational cooperation process, the process of alumni activities, the entrepreneurship and innovation process, and the process of responsibility and sustainable development Process of regional influence and interest group cooperation The university continues to develop cooperation with its campus cities. The bioeconomy and learning environments are emphasised on the Joensuu Campus, and on the Kuopio Campus, the focus is on cooperation based on research and innovation activities policies in the health industry. The extended Leadership Group of the Savonlinna Campus includes members of the university community and representatives from the ELY Centre (Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment), the South Savo Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Council of South Savo and the city of Savonlinna. Aducate, the Centre for Training and Development, is an important regional operator of the university. Aducate produces Open University education and continuing professional education for regional needs and carries out various development projects and training workshops that are based on the faculties strong competence. In 2015, the university s Café Smart science cafés were started that bring researchers closer to the public. Reporting on regional projects is in place, and operators have clear roles. The steering committees of projects include representatives from stakeholders, companies and funders. They enable the creation of networks, transfer of information and quick reaction to feedback. The university s two stakeholder magazines report in a versatile manner on the university s research, education and other activities. The Saima magazine is posted to nearly 6,000 recipients, including alumni and other cooperation partners, educational institutions, libraries, editorial offices, ministries and other authorities. The annual UEF Bulletin in English is distributed to about 900 recipients and it is handed out throughout the year in connection with visits and international conferences. Examples of good practices The Philosophical Faculty s School of Theology s close cooperation with church employers. Common Advisory Board for Orthodox Theology and the Orthodox Church of Finland. students of translation studies are members of Osuuskunta Monikieliset, a student-operated translator co-operative. students can form working life contacts during the Science Day in Savonlinna. several schools present themselves to the public during the science event on the Joensuu Campus. staff members are involved as columnists for a local newspaper, Karjalainen. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

44 The Faculty of Health Sciences strong local cooperation with the University Hospital. nationally strong position in providing degree education, continuing education, postgraduate education and specialisation studies (such as psychotherapist training, specialist medical training, specialist dentist training and hospital chemist training) for experts in health services. study programmes meet the national and regional needs of working life well. Advisory Boards are used for support when developing working life skills as they have a versatile representation of employers. every five years, a survey is carried out among graduates working as physicians by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. research is also communicated to citizens in an understandable manner. The Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies education and research are closely connected to the surrounding society and its phenomena. research clusters, fields and groups strongly support social impact and regional development and produce relevant information to support political decision-making. staff members are often involved in social discussion, interviewed by the media and as columnists in local newspapers. organising popular science seminars and receiving national awards are a sign of success and social visibility and impact Process of internationalisation and cooperation with neighbouring areas International cooperation is realised in many ways in connection with education and research processes as well as development projects in accordance with the university s strategy. The university ensures the high standard of research and teaching by functioning as part of the international scientific community. With regard to the university s top-level international research areas, Borders, Mobilities and Cultural Encounters is one of the most internationally recognised and currently very topical research clusters specialised in the borders of Europe and Russia, socioeconomic and cultural development in the border areas, mobility across borders, and cultural and linguistic encounters. Several conferences related to research in the field have been organised at the university. Research is carried out with nearly all EU countries as well as Russia, China and Mexico. The Faculty of Health Sciences is strongly involved in international research and education networks, such as the Marie Curie network Education cooperation process The promotion of lifelong learning is a function of the university as well as a general principle behind its activities. Open university education and continuing education are processes related to lifelong learning, the task of which is to flexibly respond to the increasingly versatile needs of lifelong learning on the part of clients and society. At the University of Eastern Finland, these processes are organised by Aducate, the Centre for Training and Development, in close cooperation with the academic departments of the university. Aducate educates and trains about 16,000 students a year, and it is one of the largest university-based educators in Finland. Aducate s education is based on our university s areas of expertise and use of the most recent scientific data. Aducate s education takes advantage of remote connection methods to a great extent. The academic departments work in close cooperation with Aducate in organising Open University education and development projects. Aducate also has project and expert services. As part of the nationwide LUMA network, the LUMA Centre operates in the University of Eastern Finland. The operating principle of the LUMA Centre is to develop and activate cooperation between schools, the university and business and industry in order to strengthen education in the natural sciences and mathematical subjects. The School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education trains LUMA teachers with the help of information obtained from research and development projects. 44 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

45 The university has organised university activities for children together with Snellman-instituutti for several years. Encouraged by the massive success, university activities are also being launched for young people. Examples of good practices The Faculty of Science and Forestry s several units participate actively in the national SciFest event in Joensuu organised annually with the Joensuu Science Society. SciFest is a science, environment and technology festival intended for children, young people, school children and teachers. The festival includes operational workshops, competitions, lectures, exhibitions and plenty of other activities and information related to science, the environment and technology. There are also participants at SciFest from outside Finland. Department of Applied Physics has provided summer jobs for about 100 upper secondary school students since The first participants have already graduated from the study programme with a Master s degree and several of them are currently studying. The Philosophical Faculty s cooperation between the teacher training school s supervising teachers and lecturers and supervising lecturers from other schools. links to working life required by the new specialisation studies in psychology. training supervisors give feedback on teacher training that is part of teacher education. on the Savonlinna Campus, teaching students participate in the integration of asylum seekers as part of their studies in cooperation with Viittakivi Oy Process of alumni activities Alumni activities support the interaction between the university and its former students and employees, the university s business- and research-related cooperation, educational marketing, visibility and social impact, as well as working life relevance of studies and the placement of graduates in working life. Alumni activities refer to versatile liaisons with all who over the years have graduated from the University of Eastern Finland (or its predecessors) or worked there. The activities maintain and strengthen the university s and its current students relationship with the surrounding society and with those who have moved on to working life outside the university. Alumni strengthen the university s working life connections and also promote fundraising. The university also receives feedback from the alumni and the university offers them the opportunity for lifelong learning and services, events and current information that they can use in working life. An alumni website is maintained for the alumni and they receive an online alumni newsletter and a stakeholder magazine. As part of the translator education of the Philosophical Faculty, employed translators, self-employed translators and other operators in the translation industry give guest lectures to the students about their work and operating sector. At Aducate, the alumni are used as trainers and experts. During the existence of the university, UEF s alumni activities have clearly developed; however, the organisation and resourcing of the activities should be reviewed and connected more clearly to the level of activities in units Entrepreneurship and innovation process The objective of the university s entrepreneurship and innovation activities is to promote a connection between research-based competence and business life in particular in Eastern Finland by identifying and assessing the commercial importance of research results. Besides the campus cities, key cooperation partners include business and industry, universities of applied sciences, sector research institutes and the university s alumni. The university actively forms networks in order to increase interactive activities on a local, national and international level. The commercial use of research results promotes general financial efficiency as new research and development activities, the implementation of new product and service solutions and the creation of new and successful entrepreneurship and business operations are all implemented. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

46 The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme of the University of Eastern Finland complements the university s Strategic Implementation Programme and defines the development and implementation of entrepreneurship and innovation activities: stronger entrepreneurship, innovation and working life skills, increased interest in competence and research-based entrepreneurship, development of technology transfer activities, increased interaction between the university and business and industry, and improved funding opportunities in the case of competitive research funding. The Academic Rector is responsible for the university s entrepreneurship and innovation activities. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Services supports and promotes the commercialisation of research results and competence achieved in the University of Eastern Finland. They operate in cooperation with our research groups and business and industry when the commercial potential of research is being assessed and help transfer competence as growth platforms for new business operations and entrepreneurship. They also serve as a link for our research and those planning their own business operations to business life, regional and national corporate development and intermediate organisations, and funders of new business operations in the initial stages. Intellectual property rights owned by the University of Eastern Finland are used commercially as new enterprise or business operations. Intellectual property rights owned by the university can be handed over for commercial use for the market price. The entrepreneurship, innovation and working life skills of students, postgraduate students and researchers are developed with the help of new teaching methods and learning environments and by providing courses on competence productisation, entrepreneurship, corporate business operations and innovations. Courses are targeted at students and researchers regardless of the degree and included in the course selection of the doctoral programmes. The university uses invention compensations, that is invention disclosure notification and patent compensations, and dividing the net income from the sales or licensing of an invention as internal incentives. In addition to existing incentives, a more extensive incentive system is being planned, which will encourage researchers and research groups to consider the possibilities of commercialisation more widely and at an earlier stage. University Services monitors and reports on the realisation of entrepreneurship and innovation activities. Indicators being monitored include invention disclosure notifications, patents and other forms of protection applied on behalf of the university, technology transfers (licensing and sales) and research-based spin-off companies. Spin-off companies are mainly established in the Faculty of Science and Forestry and the Faculty of Health Sciences. The SibLabs unit has been established in the university, whose task is to combine and market the expertise and equipment infrastructure of the University of Eastern Finland in the fields of biomaterials, materials technology, photonics, spectral colour research and digitalisation. SibLabs has close cooperation and networks with companies Responsibility and sustainable development process The activities of the university are based on responsibility, and it develops its activities by taking ecological, social, economic and ethical dimensions into account. It is important for the success of the process that the processes of research and education are of high quality and also of a high standard internationally and that the university cooperates with stakeholders in a reliable and sustainable manner. Sustainable development, which forms part of the university s strategy, profile and areas of expertise, is a fundamental part of all activities. The university s Action Programme for Sustainable Development and Responsibility and the university s Environmental Policy help the university, its units and members implement the university s strategy and promote sustainable development in a comprehensive manner so that when an area is being developed, it will not result in a regression of sustainable development in another sector. 46 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

47 The university has made a Society s Commitment for and it will actively promote, with the Student Union, Fair Trade activities, and aims to operate according to the Green Office practices as a whole. The units and research groups that provide teaching consider promoting sustainable development in research and education. A study was carried out in the university in 2015 on how many courses include material related to sustainable development. The university has also reacted quite quickly to the situation involving asylum seekers in the autumn of 2015, and various activities have been organised for asylum seekers in the region with the help of about 70 volunteers and the university s Human Resources Development Services. Examples of good practices In the Philosophical Faculty sustainable development is included in the Education for a sustainable future and Education in diverse cultures courses in which cooperation with the surrounding society is also realised. In the Faculty of Science and Forestry sustainable development is included in every study programme in the faculty in line with the integration principle, and the faculty steers its students to act according to the principles of sustainable development. the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences coordinates the university s multidisciplinary environmental studies. In the Faculty of Health Sciences sustainable development is also taken into account in teaching situations, such as at the dental clinic and laboratories. facilities and research equipment are used and shared extensively within the faculty/university. In the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies research has been strengthened on sustainable development and responsible operation. Sustainable development and responsible operation are also visible in the way various student groups are taken into consideration. The university monitors the progress of responsibility and sustainable development with the help of national indicators, and audits on responsibility and sustainable development are carried out every other year. Audit reports are compiled on the Intranet. Table 17. Summary of social impact and regional development. STRENGTHS Clear sub-processes have been identified. Aducate s versatile activities. CRM system in use. Plenty of connections with stakeholders and cooperation partners. Investments in raising science-related interest and activities for children and young people (SciFest, children s university). Sustainable development and responsibility as part of the Quality Management System. DEVELOPMENT TARGETS Using alumni and SoleCRIS for assessing the success of the process. Closer connections to stakeholders and cooperation partners. More efficient use of the CRM system and alumni activities. Changing the funding basis to support the process of social impact and regional development. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

48 4.4 Optional audit target: International academic affairs, arriving and leaving exchange students Student exchange as part of the implementation of the university s strategy The objective of the University of Eastern Finland s strategy is to improve the international image, recognition and attractiveness of the university, so international cooperation and internationalisation are the cornerstones of the university s activities. The university s objective is to increase in a controlled manner the number of international staff and students and promote the internationalisation of the university community in various ways. Our international activities focuse on developing smoothly functioning partnerships and international education and research cooperation with key strategic partners. The university has cooperation agreements with leading universities and research institutes around the world. The strategic cooperation areas include in particular Europe and North America and emerging economies, in particular, China and Russia. New university-level cooperation agreements will only be made with universities or research institutes that support our profiling. We efficiently utilise the exchange systems and funding opportunities that promote the mobility of students, teachers and researchers. We wish to offer students plenty of opportunities to complete a part of their degree abroad and we encourage international mobility by ensuring that studies completed during the exchange period will be fully accredited for the degree in the curricula. However, there is variation in the achievement of this objective in the faculties. For example, in medicine, nutrition and pharmacy, it is not usually possible to have studies fully accredited. International activities have been developed in recent years and the structures have been renewed. Despite this, it has been recognised by several parties in our university that the described entity requires further development Organisation of the activities and operators Matters related to international student exchange are handled by the faculties and their schools/units and various units of University Services. Within University Services, there are about 10 persons who handle these matters in addition to about 70 persons in the faculties. Table 18. The key actors in international student exchange. KEY ACTORS AND THEIR TASKS RECTOR Acts as chairperson in the Advisory Board of International Relations. Signs bilateral university-level agreements. ACADEMIC RECTOR Tasks related to education, research, research funding and international affairs. A permanent expert member of the Advisory Board of International Relations. ADVISORY BOARD OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONs Outlines the University of Eastern Finland s international activities at the strategic level. Plans and develops the university s current affairs related to internationalisation at the university level and international cooperation. 48 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

49 KEY ACTORS AND THEIR TASKS UNIVERSITY SERVICES, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS A review of the international operating environment, strategic planning and budgeting of internationalisation and coordinating the implementation of activities related to the internationalisation of the university s strategy in cooperation with the faculties, departments and other units. Coordination of the activities of the Advisory Board of International Relations. Matters related to the university s international partnership agreements. Preparing the university s operational plan for international marketing and marketing material in cooperation with Communications and Media Relations. Strengthening the university s visibility and recognition. UNIVERSITY SERVICES, DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Coordination of international development activities in accordance with the university s strategy. Coordination of Erasmus mobility and global mobility. Managing Erasmus exchange agreements. UNIVERSITY SERVICES, INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY SERVICES Managing international mobility programmes (ERASMUS+, FIRST, Nordplus), allocation of funding, applying for funding and grant payment and reporting. Managing student exchange grants paid from the university s funding. Communication on exchange options and the Finnish Friend programme. Application process of exchange students leaving from Finland, guidance and support. Application process of foreign exchange students and postgraduate students, guidance and support. Coordination of international tutoring. Coordination of teacher and staff exchange. Coordination of Summer School activities. International mobility reports and statistics, assessment and development. DEPARTMENTS/SCHOOLS, CONTACT PERSONS FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Looking after the renewal of department-specific/school-specific Erasmus agreements. Matters concerning exchange students arriving in Finland, such as - processing of applications - approving learning agreements - academic counselling and guidance for students. Matters concerning exchange students leaving from Finland, such as - motivating students and informing them about international exchange possibilities - approving students exchange applications and study plans (Learning Agreement). Informing students and staff about international affairs. STUDENT UNION Recruitment of international tutors and coordination of international Master s degree tutors. Organising the Finnish Friend Programme. Supervision of the interests and support for international students. Communication in English. Entry services and survival kits. ERASMUS STUDENT NETWORK (ESN) ACTIVITIES IN KUOPIO AND JOENSUU Organising leisure activities for international students. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

50 4.4.3 Managing activities and setting objectives Managing international student exchange In accordance with their division of duties, the Rectors are responsible for international affairs and in that way also for international student exchange at the university level. The Dean is responsible for the activities with respect to the faculty. University Services produces services related to international student exchange and also coordinates the production of services both within the university and with cooperation partners, such as the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY), the Finnish Associations of Student Housing Organisations, and cities. Setting quality objectives The student exchange objective set by the University of Eastern Finland for leaving and arriving students is a total of 900 students each year. International Mobility Services promotes with their own activities and with the faculties, departments, schools and units the attainment of the objectives and produces services for both leaving and arriving students and the staff. The quality objective of International Mobility Services is to offer functional and appropriate services for students, study programmes and partner universities. Process indicators The challenge at the university level is the annual number of exchange students leaving from and arriving in Finland. The indicator is monitored by the Leadership Group and the Board. Customer feedback is the indicator for Student and Learning Services. Feedback is processed in weekly meetings and the management review of Student and Learning Services. In addition, the faculties have their own indicators Planning and implementation of activities The key processes of International Mobility Services, i.e., the application process for both leaving and arriving exchange students, and the coordination of Erasmus exchange teachers and staff members, are described in the Quality Manual and process descriptions of Student and Learning Services. Practical measures follow the processes. Students are provided with necessary services on all three campuses. Tasks are handled by a total of five persons in International Mobility Services at the Joensuu and Kuopio campuses. Services on the Savonlinna Campus are handled in cooperation with the staff from the faculty s Administration Service Centre. In addition, one person works as a Summer School Coordinator on a temporary basis. A two-week UEF Summer School will be organised for the first time in August 2016 coordinated centrally by Student and Learning Services. Summer schools have been arranged at UEF by several departments and the intention now is to bring them together. The Summer School Coordinator handles matters related to applications and practical arrangements in a centralised manner (application process, accommodation, arrival, student registration, etc.). The Summer School Coordinator also coordinates the social and cultural programme that is an essential part of the Summer School. The objective of the Summer School is to increase the course selection available during the summer for UEF s (international) Master s degree students and also pilot education that is subject to a charge. International Mobility Services coordinates the application process of exchange students leaving the university in cooperation with contact persons in charge of international affairs in the departments/ schools. Development Services operating within University Services submits current information to International Mobility Services on the university s Erasmus agreements and international exchange agreements. International Mobility Services informs students of exchange possibilities at the university level and 50 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

51 application rounds and organises exchange info sessions and events for students. In addition, International Mobility Services organises a departure orientation for exchange students and students leaving for a training on all campuses twice per academic year. After the exchange period, a return orientation is organised on all campuses twice per academic year. The orientation concentrates on practical matters related to the exchange (such as grants and scholarships, housing, information related to completing studies, study practices) and any challenges that could be related to an exchange period (such as adjusting to a new environment). In addition to training and info sessions, International Mobility Services offers personal guidance and counselling for students. International Mobility Services opens the application process for international exchange students twice a year. Information on the application process is provided on the website and by to partner universities and within the university. Facebook groups have been set up for exchange students where they can find information on current affairs. International Mobility Services responds to international queries about study opportunities at the university and provides advice and guidance for international exchange and degree students at all phases of studies. Orientations are organised for international students at the beginning of each semester on each campus. International Mobility Services prepares a campus-specific Practical Guide for International Students and compiles campus-specific information into the International Study Programmes section on the university s website. International Mobility Services also coordinates the university s international tutoring and trains international tutors together with the Student Union. The orientation concentrates on practical matters related to the exchange (such as grants and scholarships, housing, information related to completing studies, study practices) and any challenges that could be related to an exchange period Evaluation and development of activities Achieving quantitative objectives is monitored annually at the faculty and university level. The overall objective for the number of exchange students has not yet been fully achieved but the tendency is good. The university is involved in several international exchange programmes, the purpose of which is to provide a safe and useful exchange period for as many students as possible. It seems that this objective has already been achieved when the exchange with various countries is examined (Table 11 in the basic material). The share of so-called free movers continues to decline. International Mobility Services collects feedback from students regularly at the events that they organise. The organiser of the event in question goes through the feedback and uses it when planning events in the future. In addition, International Mobility Services collects feedback from international exchange students when they are leaving Finland. The survey collects feedback on the success of the exchange period, academic studies and services provided by the university and cooperation parties. A summary is compiled of the feedback annually, and the university and cooperation parties receive information on the summary. Students who have completed an exchange period abroad submit exchange programme-specific reports. A part of the feedback is available to other students. We will also monitor the number of ECTS credits completed during exchange periods and training. Other factors also affect the attainment of exchange objectives apart from the activities of International Mobility Services. For those planning to complete an exchange period abroad, factors that have a significant effect include funding (grants and financial aid for students), course selection offered by an exchange university and its attractiveness, personal life situation and the structure of the study programme. Those who consider an exchange period in Finland are affected by, for example, the attractiveness of the University of Eastern Finland, the selection of courses in English, the service level and the housing situation in the campus cities. The functionality of services is assessed and developed on the basis of feedback received from exchange students. International students also give feedback on courses. Teachers take this into account. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

52 Joint meetings are held once per semester with the faculties International Coordinators, during which current affairs related to international exchange are discussed. Similarly, Student and Learning Services holds fairly regular meetings with the Student Union, and there are separate meetings on international affairs. The Advisory Board of International Relations has been in operation for about a year and it has not yet had time to focus on the issues related to international student mobility. Its composition could still be supplemented with an expert on practical matters related to international mobility. Based on the feedback received from international students, they feel that they receive good service from various parties of the university and the Student Union. They think that the staff is easily approachable and helpful Summary Table 19. Strengths and development targets of international student exchange. STRENGTHS Uniform services on the main campuses for students. Competent staff. Equal treatment of students. Extensive exchange agreements at the university level. Mobility information system (SoleMove). Capability to adopt new activities (Summer School pilot). DEVELOPMENT TARGETS Clarifying the management and responsibilities of the international entity. Full accreditation of studies completed during an exchange period. Better use of SoleMove. Harmonisation of practices and instructions of the faculties. 52 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

53 5 SAMPLES OF DEGREE EDUCATION: DEGREE PROGRAMMES 5.1 Education in Pharmacy BACHELORS OF SCIENCE IN PHARMACY (B.Sc.(Pharm)) and Masters of Science in Pharmacy (M.Sc. (Pharm) are health care professionals authorised by the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira). The employment rate is very high among these health care professionals and they are employed in all sectors of health; the majority in pharmacies (85% of B.Sc.(Pharm), 52% of M.Sc.(Pharm)), the pharmaceutical industry and research, teaching and national social welfare and health authorities such as KELA (the Social Insurance Institution) and Fimea (the Finnish Medicines Agency) Planning of education The curriculum process is carried out at the School of Pharmacy, which is operating under the Faculty of Health Sciences. The process is led by the Deputy Head of School who is responsible for education. From the beginning of 2016, a Lecturer position was established to plan and coordinate the education in pharmacy in order to develop teaching. The planning of education is carried out in cooperation with other pharmacy educational units. The curriculum process follows the guidelines and schedule of the Faculty of Health Sciences. The key body is the Education Planning Committee (KOSTI) led by the Deputy Head of School who is in charge of education. The committee includes the Head of School, Senior Lecturer in charge of developing education and representatives of the disciplines (Biopharmacy, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical chemistry, Pharmaceutical Technology, Social Pharmacy, Toxicology), teachers and students. The feedback students provide about teaching as well as the feedback from teachers, teaching pharmacies, employers and other collaborators are processed to improve teaching for the next academic year. Once procedures have been agreed upon, the planning of an individual course continues at the discipline level led by the course director. Courses are scheduled as evenly as possible along the academic year in a year-specific schedule in order to ensure the smooth progress of studies. The curricula are approved in the Faculty Council. Working life feedback is received annually in particular from the pharmacy sector including representatives from the Association of Finnish Pharmacies and employee organisations. Feedback received during teaching pharmacies discussion days (i.e. Opetusapteekkipäivät in Finnish) and from the persons in pharmacies in charge of students internship contains information on skills provided by studies in the Bachelor of Pharmacy phase. Course directors have contacts with experts in their discipline, and these experts are used as guest lecturers on several courses. A collaboration partner in education and research is Kuopio University Hospital that is located nearby. The key domestic authority in the field, the Finnish Medicines Agency (Fimea) is also an important collaboration partner. An example of this cooperation is an exercise related to the practical training at a teaching pharmacy initiated by Fimea and planned with various cooperation partners. Students hold a lesson in elementary schools about the correct use of medicines for children. Students are involved in education planning through their representatives in the Faculty Council, the Education Planning Committee and the School s quality team. For example, in 2015 a Swedish course was transferred in accordance with an initiative from FORTIS (pharmacy students association in Kuopio) to the Education Planning Committee. Students participate in an annual department education day (i.e. Opetuksen päivä in Finnish) that includes a presentation made by the students association. In addition, the pharmacy students association organises an annual event regarding the teaching and studies under the School of Pharmacy (Avaudu Opiskelusta in Finnish,) and the memo of this event is discussed by the disciplines and the Education Planning Committee. Education is research-based as most teachers also carry out active research, and most recent research findings are applied to teaching. For example, latest production and research methods of medical products are applied in students exercises. In the M.Sc.(Pharm). phase, students are integrated into research groups as they are working on their Master s thesis. They can also complete their thesis SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

54 outside the university, such as in a community and hospital pharmacy, a pharmaceutical company, a foreign university or with national health authorities, such as KELA and Fimea. Often, research carried out by students is also published as a scientific article or as part of a patent. In the international QS World University Rankings by Subject 2016 comparison, the School of Pharmacy at UEF was ranked among the best In 2015, 165 peer-reviewed articles were published at the School of which 99% were published in high-standard international publications. Education is planned from pedagogical premises, and most teachers have completed pedagogical studies. In 2015, a total of 82 ECTS credits were completed in university pedagogical studies organised by Student and Learning Services. The staff participate actively in national and international meetings and networks addressing the development of the scientific field and education. Lifelong learning is taken into account by cooperating with the Centre for Training and Development, Aducate. For example, Aducate organises Medication Review Expert Training (20 ECTS credits) and Advanced Medication Review Training (15 ECTS credits). Aducate also enables completing a study module of pharmacy (25 ECTS credits) as Open University studies. In 2015, 550 students completed studies in the study module, a total of 1,576 ECTS credits. In summary, the School of Pharmacy has recently strengthened education leadership and coordination. Various working groups ensure that development needs and ideas will be processed and information flows between different members of the School. Practices are found to be functional even though there might be some overlapping practices which are sought to be identified and removed. All members of the School are committed to quality work and it is integrated as part of the School s activities Implementation of education A personal study plan is prepared by students during the first academic year and at the beginning of the Master of Pharmacy phase in the autumn of the fourth academic year. The Bachelor of Pharmacy phase includes mostly obligatory courses which form a schedule for studies. In order to support the students as they move from the Bachelor s to Master s phase and also to equip them to apply for a job after they finish their studies, a course (2 ECTS credits) that lasts for the entire 2-year period (4th and 5th years) has been created. In addition, students can identify their competence and progress by using the online WebOodi system to obtain information on course-specific learning outcomes, completion and assessment methods, and they can view the results of completed courses. The well-being of students is supported by guidance offered by tutors, teachers and supervisors during the entire study path. To support students progress and well-being, the curriculum is planned and scheduled to evenly distribute the workload of studies. In addition, an environment for low threshold for applying support is built for students. Thanks to these supporting tools during studies, appealing education and good employment opportunities, only a few of our students drop out. Various teaching methods are used in pharmacy and the most appropriate method depending on the learning outcomes of a course is applied. Education in the Bachelor s phase clearly prepares students for working as licensed professionals and thus it contains plenty of practical training. The amount of laboratory training is about 150 hours, and the amount of 30 hours training related to dispensing and patient counselling is carried out in a classroom that simulates a pharmacy. Case-oriented teaching is common in courses that aim to develop customer service skills, an understanding of clinical pharmacy and problem-solving skills. The Master of Pharmacy phase also includes laboratory work or studying in small groups depending on the disciplines. The Faculty of Health Sciences offers a natural environment for cooperation between students in the field of health care. For example, IRTI TUPA- KASTA (STOP SMOKING) is a course that is implemented for students from medicine and pharmacy in cooperation with Savonia University of Applied Sciences. Students also take advantage of education provided by other faculties; for example, in 2015, pharmacy students completed a total of 628 ECTS credits in business studies. In the future, it is necessary to increase a multi-professional approach. The e-learning environment such as Moodle is used in almost all courses and it is available for students regardless of time and place The Moodle environment contains all course material, exercises instructions and material related to lectures, for example, and exercises for independent learning. The flipped classroom method is used in some courses. 54 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

55 An internship is carried out in working life and it takes place at the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy phase (6 months, 30 ECTS credits). It is usually completed in two periods in the spring of the second and third academic year, when students have achieved sufficient knowledge and skills. Students practice patient counselling in authentic work situations assessed by practicing pharmacists as their mentors. Teaching pharmacies are approved by the School of Pharmacy. Teaching pharmacies are the University of Eastern Finland s pharmacy, community pharmacies and hospital pharmacies. The student has an assigned person, mentor, in the teaching pharmacy who takes care of the student s orientation and supports the completion of learning assignments. The teaching pharmacy organises the possibility for the student to practise the tasks of a licensed professional as required by the Government Decree (564/1994). An orientation day and teaching pharmacies discussion seminar (Opetusapteekkipäivät in Finnish) for personnel of teaching pharmacies are organised annually. The working life relevance of the Master of Science in Pharmacy phase is enforced, by the possibility to include a training period in the studies in a pharmaceutical company or with health and medical authorities, such as Fimea and KELA. Another example of a strong connection to working life includes a week-long working period in the production unit of the Finnish Defence Forces pharmacy. This period is part of a course on industrial pharmacy. In addition, students can be involved in project work where they can plan, implement and assess a real project. This can be carried out with a collaboration partner and it lasts the whole academic year. More working experience is gathered by working in hospital or community pharmacies during vacations after the third academic year as licensed professionals. Students complete a thesis both at the end of the Bachelor s and Master s phases. There are written instructions related to supervision and assessment; however, further development of the process is related to the identification of electronic plagiarism and to streamline the overall process of a thesis. During a student exchange period, students can complete either part of internship or perform other studies. The School has 34 ERASMUS agreements in 18 countries. In 2015, 20 students left abroad for internship and 44 students arrived in the School. For example, Master s theses have recently been prepared in the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Germany. Learning assessment methods include exams, online exercises, proficiency tests or portfolios, depending on the learning outcomes. For example, a proficiency test is used during the customer service course where a student practices customer service in a pharmacy with an amateur actor, and a pharmaceutical technology course during which a student completes a dosage form, such as ointment. Learning diaries and self-assessment exercises are also used to support the student s own assessment of their learning. Course feedback is collected at least every three years in accordance with the university s policies. The responsible teacher of a course compiles an evaluation of the feedback and gives counter feedback to students. The summary of feedback and development procedures on the basis of the feedback are processed at the teaching meeting of the discipline. The summary of feedback is also handled by the Education Planning Committee and during annual management reviews. Study path feedback is collected from first year students as of academic year in the socalled personal study plan feedback and from students at the Master of Pharmacy stage during feedback discussions held in the spring of the fourth year of studies. This feedback provides information on studies as a whole and it is used together with working life feedback in education planning and management reviews. Besides feedback, a student can also make a complaint, a request for rectification or a serious development target, that is a claim, using their own name. Claims are entered on a claim form and processed according to the university s instructions. Due to a previous development target identified during a FINEEC audit in 2014, a compilation table concerning the course feedback at the whole School was taken into use. This table contains feedback of courses, development procedures planned on the basis of the feedback and information about the response for students. This makes the processing of feedback more systematic. Recently, special attention has been paid to the low response rate of course feedback and some development procedures have been considered to improve it. Teachers well-being is contributed to by recruiting teaching and research staff as needed and by distributing teaching duties evenly. The School s laboratory personnel assists in organising teaching in laboratory. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

56 Courses provided by university service units, such as the Language Centre s courses on oral and written communication and the courses offered by the Library are integrated into pharmacy studies. Field-specific Swedish and English courses focus on practicing study and work-related situations in the pharmacy sector in a foreign language, such as customer service situations in a pharmacy. Teachers of pharmacy were involved in linking the Library s information retrieval course and its modules to suitable stages in the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy studies. The study programme is monitored and assessed regularly, development measures are recorded and their implementation is monitored. The aim is to respond to the needs of society and health care proactively. At the moment, clinical pharmacy is being developed in the basic studies. Specialisation studies are being launched so that there are medication assessment experts available for the new social and health care service system. In summary, the implementation of education contains many functional elements. Students also progress in their studies and they are highly employed in roles within health sectors. Regardless of the large number of students, students have an opportunity to develop their practical skills and work in a small group. Since several disciplines and faculties are providing teaching, there is a risk that education can become fragmented. Education has a close connection to working life. The School has good practices for monitoring the implementation of education. Feedback on education is collected comprehensively and students also receive counter feedback. However, the feedback rates from students are low. The Faculty of Health Sciences offers a good framework for developing multi-professionalism as part of studies, but multi-professionalism is not yet firmly linked to the whole duration of studies Impact of quality work Quality work was started at the School in the early 2000s. The responsibilities and operators of quality work have been specified and the activities are coordinated by the Head of School. Staff and students are responsible for activities in accordance with the strategy. They are participating by acting through their representatives in committees and by giving feedback. Quality issues are discussed regularly in School s meetings related to education, research and administration that often include student representatives. A quality team meets regularly and it includes representatives from researchers, teachers and students. The quality team handles issues related to the quality of research and education and prepares common practices. Quality issues have been integrated in education. There are also separate courses on quality issues, such as Laatuajattelun perusteet (LPE) Introduction to Quality Assurance online course (1 ECTS credit) available to all students. In addition, there is a course, Principles of quality in Pharmacy (1 ECTS credit) that focuses on quality work in pharmacies. The strategy-based quality indicators for are presented in connection with the basic material. The impact of quality work is evaluated in annual management reviews with the help of feedback received from audits, other external assessments, such as external assessment on research, and benchmarking. The feedback is processed and used systematically for developing curriculum. For example, based on information obtained from quality indicators, the curriculum is rescheduled in such a way that students could complete at least 55 ECTS credits per year and could graduate faster. To sum up, the School comprehensively follows the Quality Management System described in the university s Main Quality Manual and the faculty s Quality Manual. Quality management methods are comprehensive and they also involve students. Some of the quality management methods are considered laborious. The School follows the quality indicators of the curriculum regularly and they are used in developing them. 56 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

57 5.1.4 Summary Table 20. Strengths and development targets of Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Pharmacy. STRENGTHS Attractive education, high degree of applicants and high degree of employment. Extensive development of education and established quality work. Diverse learning environment: laboratories, a classroom that simulate a pharmacy, internship in teaching pharmacies, working life-based Master s theses. Close connections to collaborators in developing and implementing education. Consistent practices related to feedback, counter-feedback and using feedback for developing education. DEVELOPMENT TARGETS Establishing the role of the Senior Lecturer who is in charge of developing and planning education. Assessment of the effects of this new Senior Lecturer position in terms of the objectives of curriculum. Using multi-professionalism in education. Activation of students in collecting and analysing feedback. Reviewing the overall process related to a thesis. 5.2 Doctoral Programme in Forests and Bioresources (FORES) THE DOCTORAL PROGRAMME in Forests and Bioresources offered by the Faculty of Science and Forestry is part of the UEF Doctoral School. It is a thematic, multidisciplinary programme covering forests and the sustainable use of forests. With a strong international focus, the programme covers all fields of forest sciences and research training for postgraduate students with an interest in the forest-based bioeconomy, renewable resources and biomaterials. Our doctoral programme is the only doctoral programme in Finland focused on forests and the renewable resources and biomaterials provided by them and it therefore represents the clearly distinct and unique profile of the University of Eastern Finland. The basis for the current doctoral programme is formed by the national Graduate School in Forest Sciences that was started in 1995 and coordinated by the University of Joensuu. The Doctoral Programme in Forests and Bioresources contains about 80 students at various stages of their studies. About half of the degrees completed in the doctoral programme are completed by international students, and the extensive international and national networks that postgraduate students and supervisors have support and advance the international networking of postgraduate students and ensure the versatility and high quality of postgraduate studies. Annually, an average of 10 doctoral degrees are completed under the doctoral programme. In the doctoral programme, doctoral students complete systematic, in-depth studies and pursue their own research projects to familiarise themselves with the methods and practices of scientific research in the field of forest sciences. Forest sciences are closely linked to disciplines such as biology, environmental sciences, physics, chemistry, statistics, economics, social sciences and engineering. Usually, postgraduate studies also include other studies than studies in forest sciences, and in many cases, one of the supervisors is from a closely related discipline. The doctoral programme provides students with an opportunity to develop and apply different research methods in issues related to forests and the renewable resources provided by them. Students are trained to pursue research projects under supervision, and each student in the doctoral programme has at least one personal supervisor for their doctoral studies and research project. Working in research groups with several other doctoral students and supervisors supports effective, high-standard doctoral training. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

58 Eligibility for postgraduate education and admission criteria Application requirements and admission criteria for the Doctoral Programme in Forests and Bioresources are described in the University of Eastern Finland s Doctoral Education Curricula and on the website of the doctoral programme both in Finnish and English. Students can apply to the doctoral programme if they have completed a relevant qualification in Finland or abroad and if the doctoral programme confirms that they have adequate knowledge and methodological skills for completing a doctorate or a licentiate in forest sciences. The required Master s degree can have been obtained in any field. Non-Finnish-speaking applicants are required to have sufficient proficiency in English. When applying to the doctoral programme, an applicant must have a research plan and they must be able to name a supervisor/supervisors for their research project at the application stage. At least one of the supervisors must be a professor working as a teacher in the School of Forest Sciences or a Senior Researcher with a docent s qualification. As from August 2016, applicaions to the doctoral programme may be submitted on an on-going basis. An average of ten students start the studies annually. Table 13 in the basic material presents the applicants to the doctoral programme, students who have accepted a place of study, and students who have graduated in Study programme planning The Faculty Council confirms the curriculum presented by the steering committee of the Doctoral Programme in Forests and Bioresources on an annual basis. Required studies are divided into transferable skills studies (5 ECTS) and discipline-specific studies (25 ECTS) that also include a research seminar. The steering committee of the doctoral programme contains extensive competence in the field of the doctoral programme and of each individual student. Pedagogically, the doctoral programme has developed its activities by renewing the content and scope of a personal study plan for postgraduate studies and by also involving the supervisor in the planning of postgraduate studies necessary for the doctoral dissertation clearer than before. In the doctoral programme, each student s personal learning outcomes are defined in more detail in a research plan and a related personal study plan for postgraduate education, which doctoral students prepare with their supervisors. The personal study plan considerably enhances the preconditions for completing a doctoral degree, as it will help postgraduate studies directly support the work on the doctoral dissertation. The topic of the research steers the course selection for postgraduate students. Postgraduate studies are planned in such a way that their content is focused as clearly as possible on the theme of the doctoral dissertation and that they improve methodical abilities, for example. Forest policy themes connected to social sciences, for example, require quite a different method competence than research on wood materials science, for example. The main supervisor gives a statement on the suitability of studies regarding the subject matter of the doctoral dissertation and the student s competence and missing skills. Various kinds of laboratory work and fieldwork related to experimental research are planned together with the supervisor and a research network, if such a network is available. Supervisors and the doctoral programme ensure that planned studies meet the degree requirements and form a relevant entity, and support and advance the student s competence and the development of both personal skills and abilities and the progress of research. The supervisor monitors the implementation of a personal study plan with the student. If necessary, the student can update the personal study plan later as their studies progress. Postgraduate studies must be clearly focused, for the most part. The only required general studies are research ethics, project management and scientific thesis-related postgraduate studies. A broad study plan also enables the inclusion of previously acquired knowledge and skills in studies. However, the supervisor s responsibility is emphasised in the case of broad study plans. One of the development targets could be ensuring that all students receive equal supervision of standard quality. Postgraduate students participate in the education of the School of Forest Sciences by giving lectures and overseeing practical exercises and supervising Bachelor s and Master s theses. The possibility to teach increases the scope of a degree and postgraduate studies and provides necessary skills for working life. However, the maximum teaching time is limited to 56 hours per academic year in order 58 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

59 to ensure the progress of research and personal postgraduate studies. Postgraduate students research results are used in the education of Bachelor s and Master s degree students. In this way, research results can be spread as widely as possible and they can be applied and adopted. The doctoral programme is socially of high relevance. Transferable skills studies have a significant role from the perspective of working life relevance. Several doctoral dissertations are also completed in cooperation with a company. The aim has been to invite alumni who have graduated from the programme to the annual meetings for postgraduate students to talk about the possibilities offered by working life after postgraduate studies. In addition, the alumni network of the University of Eastern Finland distributes information about seminars organised by the university as well as research and education-related news to postgraduate students. Often, students complete postgraduate studies while holding down a job. When a student is preparing a personal study plan, the student s knowledge and skills acquired in working life can be taken into account as well as their time management. If a student has worked as a project manager, for example, the course on project management can be substituted. Similarly, if a student can present scientific, refereed publications not included in the doctoral dissertation, or if the student has presented their research results at a conference, these can be counted towards postgraduate studies or required courses can be substituted. Also, if a student acts as a teacher, for example, in a lecture or in a practical exercise, it can be taken into account in the personal study plan for postgraduate studies. Stakeholder operators also often participate in supervision. One of the postgraduate student s supervisors may also be from another unit, and cooperation between units with regard to supervision often also takes place across faculty borders. Working life representatives also often act as supervisors. In this way, the doctoral programme s alumni, for example, are generally involved in supervising a doctoral degree as part of the personal guidance of individual students. Many of the alumni also work in the other research facilities in the campus area and they can therefore easily participate in the supervision of postgraduate students. A significant share of doctoral programme students are foreigners. Both at the Master s and doctoral degree stage of studies, there is also an extensive international cooperation network with foreign universities (the European Forestry Master s degree programme, the CBU FOR Master s degree programme, the Nordic NOVA network and Forest Industrial Research School on Technology, FIRST II), which supports student recruitment, supervision processes of postgraduate students and the formation of national and international research networks. The theme of the Doctoral Programme in Forests and Bioresources is closely related to the university s strong research areas and its activities form a natural continuum for international Master s degree programmes Implementation of education Versatile learning methods and environments support individual learning Studies incorporate diverse and multi-modal teaching and learning methods as well as various learning environments. Several transferable skills studies provided by the UEF Doctoral School are implemented as mass lectures; however, studies related to field-specific research and the actual research work are most often carried out in small groups in which discussions between the supervisor and other research group members form an essential part of the learning experience. Studies may include teaching that takes place outdoors and/or hiking trips and some courses can be completed independently as online studies. It is also possible to include examinations on literature that is customised for the personal research project. Postgraduate students receive tutoring and peer support in several different ways. Usually, research groups include students who are at different stages of their postgraduate studies in the same field who can share their experiences openly alongside daily working and act as peer tutors for each other. In practice, the supervisors of doctoral dissertations also guide the doctoral programme students very closely in their research groups in which case the supervisor can also offer tutoring with the other members of the research group. The postgraduate students own association also offers a channel for peer tutoring. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

60 In addition, the research seminar that is included in postgraduate studies trains postgraduate students for researcher duties, they gain experience in performing and the ability to assess and present their research results in a critical manner and evaluate the research results of other students. In this way, the seminar also trains postgraduate students for the upcoming public examination of their dissertation and offers an excellent opportunity to network with other postgraduate students and receive peer support. Doctoral programme students use several support services provided by the university, such as services provided the Library (such as information retrieval services), IT services and laboratory services in experimental studies. Postgraduate students also often include courses offered by the Language Centre in their personal study plan for postgraduate studies. With regard to monitoring the learning and well-being of postgraduate students, the supervisors of postgraduate studies and peer students play an important role. Most often, a supervisor and students that belong to the same research group, for example, meet regularly, in which case the learning and well-being of students can be monitored. Postgraduate students are not eligible to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service, but postgraduate students in an employment relationship can use the university s occupational health care services. Unfortunately, scholarship researchers are not covered by occupational health care. A general development target for national doctoral education could be providing student health services to postgraduate students. Feedback received by postgraduate students consists of feedback on individual courses and most of all peer review feedback on publications, continuous feedback received from the supervisor and feedback from preliminary examiners and the opponent at the final stages of postgraduate studies. Doctoral dissertations consist of at least three scientific articles that meet the quality requirements set for international, peer-reviewed scientific series. In practice, this means that the student and supervisor(s) receive feedback regularly on the quality of research and they must respond to the feedback. The feedback is processed with the student in person. Typically, each article may include several feedback rounds from the editors of the publication series. During the course of the process, the student will not only receive feedback but also practise how to respond to feedback. The student takes the feedback into consideration in the actual publications and also in the summary of the doctoral dissertation. In other words, at least 8 10 persons who have a doctoral degree and researcher education have participated in assessing the quality and significance of the doctoral dissertation and its publications. A doctoral dissertation can be submitted for preliminary examination when at least two publications have passed the review procedure for a scientific series. Quality work that is related to international peer review feedback is a key factor in the quality of the doctoral programme, and the quality control process for doctoral dissertations can be considered quite extensive and demanding. In accordance with a common scientific practice, the reviewers of scientific series give their statements anonymously, which in principle increases the level of criticism in the assessment and tightens the quality requirements Impact of quality work Key indicators for the quality work of postgraduate education include the progress of postgraduate studies (ECTS credits/year) and publications in scientifically peer-reviewed and, in particular, in scientific series of the highest quality. On a national and university level, students graduation times (the time it takes students to complete a degree), graduation age, placement in working life and internationality are also monitored. Information obtained from these surveys is used for monitoring and developing the activties of the doctoral programme. Feedback collected on individual courses will also be visible to the person in charge of the course so that they can take the feedback into account when planning the course. The objective of the doctoral programme is to further improve the quality of publishing activities and 60 UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

61 feedback by aiming to have the majority of publications published in more high-quality series (high publication forum class or Impact Factor). This has already been affected by monitoring the publication forum class and/or Impact Factor of approved publications. Usually, the supervisor evaluates with the postgraduate student to which series the publication will be offered. The supervisor gives continuous feedback to the student as work on publications progresses. Usually, the supervisor of a doctoral dissertation is also one of the authors of the publications in the doctoral dissertation. Therefore, the supervisor also participates in preparing each publication and communicates continuously with the student and gives feedback on the publications and drafts. It has been noted that research carried out by the School of Forest Sciences is clearly of high quality in international rankings. The School of Forest Sciences that implements the doctoral programme received the highest score in the University of Eastern Finland in the international research assessment exercise carried out in Graduates with a doctoral degree hold nationally and internationally important positions in public organisations. Important information has been obtained from statistics collected at the university level on the students graduation times and age, and various placement surveys. However, the response rate for general level surveys is most often average or low. It might be necessary to also collect this information systematically for individual doctoral programmes or at least in cooperation with other programmes in the faculty. Career counselling for postgraduate students should be developed so that after graduation, students would have a clear continuum into working life and the knowledge, skills and necessary networks to obtain research funding, for example. The website of the doctoral programme is being renewed in connection with the renewal of the website of the University of Eastern Finland. The aim is to construct the website in such a way that all necessary information is available on the website of the doctoral programme Summary Table 21. Strengths and development targets of the Doctoral Programme in Forests and Bioresources. STRENGTHS The only doctoral programme in Finland focused on forests and the renewable resources and biomaterials provided by them. Represents a clearly distinct, unique profile in the University of Eastern Finland. A profoundly international programme in which the majority of studies are completed in English. Abroad study plan that enables very individual personal postgraduate study plans and taking advantage of previously acquired competence. Doctoral dissertations are of high quality and include publications that have been peerreviewed (at least 50% of publications must be approved for international scientific series). Studies and research projects are versatile, often including laboratory work and fieldwork. Functional teaching and research networks in the background (such as NOVA). Cooperation with stakeholders for guidance. DEVELOPMENT TARGETS Publications in increasingly high-quality peer-reviewed scientific series. Ensuring equal supervision of standard quality. Monitoring the placement of graduates. Career counselling during studies and close to graduation. Developing the website for the doctoral programme. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //

62 6 IMPLEMENTATION OF SELF-ASSESSMENT 1) The Quality Manager created the basic framework alongside the FINEEC Team in the autumn of ) The matter was discussed in the autumn of 2015 in public kick-off meetings and in the faculties self-assessment kick-off days. 3) The faculties prepared their own self-assessments according to the basic framework by 31 January Typically, the chairpersons and secretaries of self-assessment day teams processed the material further. It was then discussed by quality teams and the Faculty Council and/or the steering committee of the faculty. All units and the entire staff had the opportunity to give comments. The faculties considered preparing a self-assessment useful and they described that they had identified plenty of concrete development targets as the work progressed. A major part of the development ideas is already being put into practice. 4) The faculties carried out a mutual benchmarking related to the education process on 15 March 2016 and the Quality Manager compiled a report on it. 5) The Quality Manager and the FINEEC Team compiled the university s self-evaluation report on the basis of the faculties self-assessments, results of the education benchmarking project and other available materials. 6) The Leadership Group, the Research Council, the Council for Teaching and Guidance, the faculties, the independent institutes, theservice centres and the Student Union commented on the university s self-evaluation report in February May ) The Rector approved the self-evaluation report on 30 May UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

63 Appendix 1. SELF-EVALUATION REPORT //