Humak University of Applied Sciences received a quality label in the audit by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC). The quality label is valid for six years from 18 June 2018. The quality label shows that the quality system of the university of applied sciences fulfils the national criteria for the quality management of higher education institutions, and corresponds to the European principles and recommendations.
The audit team commends Humak for the open interaction, which fosters giving direct feedback and strengthens a participatory, established quality culture.
– The values listed in the strategy of Humak University of Applied Sciences – we respect each other, we are open, we succeed together, and we are brave in the way we renew and are renewed – have been clearly recognised as the foundational values for the quality culture. The staff are committed to quality work, which enhances the strategic development of the operations, states the chair of the audit team, Vice President Päivi Karttunen from Tampere University of Applied Sciences.
The quality management of the core duties of the university of applied sciences is functional
The quality system of Humak covers all of the core duties of the university of applied sciences. Coaching functions as the framework for degree education, emphasising communality and worklife orientation. The curriculum process is comprehensive. The use of feedback data in the development of degree programmes is systematic.
Humak operates as a nationwide network, and there are wide contacts with the working life. Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) projects are assessed diversely from the point of view of the strategy and Humak’s strengths, in cooperation with the project partners. The objectives for societal impact and related indicators are compiled in Humak’s financial and operational plan.
The optional audit target chosen by Humak was Learning on the digital campus. Procedures for developing the digital campus already exist, but the audit team noted that in the future it is necessary to pay attention to ways of helping students and staff commit to the development of the digital campus. The feedback system should be improved to provide information on the adequacy of guidance, and how the principles of coaching pedagogy are accomplished in online education, among other things.
Communication to students on quality work should be increased
– The communication toward students on quality work could be improved. It could be more focused, using channels that students find relevant and functional. Students are interested in finding out what development measures have resulted from the feedback they have given. Students should also be offered more information on how studying based on learning outcomes is carried out in education integrated with working life and RDI-activities, notes Päivi Karttunen, chair of the audit team.
The audit team concludes that Humak does not have a set of confirmed, explicit procedures for the assessment and development of the quality system. Forming such procedures based on existing practices would create a clearer foundation for assessing the quality system as a whole and the achievement of objectives set for the quality system.
Humak University of Applied Sciences operates in four regional units, located in the capital region, Turku, Jyväskylä and Kuopio.
Further information
Chair of the audit team, Vice President Päivi Karttunen, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, paivi.karttunen@tamk.fi, 050 568 5358
Senior Advisor Kirsi Mustonen, Finnish Education Evaluation Centre, kirsi.mustonen@karvi.fi, 029 533 5515
Report:
Audit of Humak University of Applied Sciences 2018
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