Education evaluation results to be published in autumn 2023

Release

The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) will publish several sets of topical evaluation results in autumn 2023. Among other things, these publications deal with comprehensive school students’ learning outcomes, new forms of student counselling introduced as compulsory education was extended, and the competence produced by vocational education and training in relation to the requirements of studies at universities of applied sciences.

This press release contains advance information on evaluation results that will be published between August and October 2023. The purpose of this summary is to promote better use of evaluation evidence. The next summary of future releases of evaluation results will be published in late 2023.

Publications that concern several levels of education

Evaluation of the new forms of student counselling (OHJA) 2022–2024

The evaluation focuses on new or enhanced forms of student counselling brought about by the extension of compulsory education. It covers the continuum of student counselling related to the extension of compulsory education from basic education up to guidance counselling provided for students who have completed an upper secondary qualification. The evaluation covers basic education, basic education for adults, preparatory education, liberal adult education, VET and general upper secondary education.

The first evaluation results and an interim report on the views of personnel and student groups in basic and secondary level education as well as liberal adult education on the organisation and delivery of student counselling will be published in October 2023.

Further information:

Main elements of quality management in the education and ECEC sector

Ensuring that every party providing ECEC and education has effective processes and practices in place for developing their activities and for detecting and correcting any shortcomings is the key to securing learners’ learning, wellbeing and equity. The quality management structures and operating models also enable successful management and make it possible to evaluate how the objectives of the educational organisation have been achieved. The publication titled The main elements of quality management in the education and ECEC sector gathers for the first time together the characteristics of effective quality management and national responsibilities for quality work.

The publication came out in Finnish in summer 2023. Swedish and English versions were also be published in early autumn.

Further information:

Early childhood education and care

Implementation of local ECEC curricula at day-care centres and in family daycare

The evaluation examines how the processes of reforming the local curricula for early childhood education and care (ECEC) have been realised. The evaluation provides information on how the introduction of local curricula has been managed after 1 August 2022 and which factors promote or prevent the provision of inclusive early childhood education and care and the delivery of child support in day-care centres and family daycare.

The evaluation report will be published on 31 October 2023.

Further information:

Leadership in early childhood education: the current state, strengths and areas of development

The evaluation examines leadership and management systems in Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC). It has a particular focus on the role of organisational structures and culture of early childhood education and care in enabling the work of the head of the day-care centre. The first phase of the evaluation (published in 2021) found that the work of a head of early education centre comprises a number of tasks and that there is also a great deal of variation in their duties. Following these observations, the report to be published will take a closer look at factors that can support their leadership work. Based on the first phase, attention was paid especially to the head’s opportunities to influence their work, the position of the head in the organisation, and deputy management arrangements.

The evaluation report will be published on 31 October 2023.

Further information:

Basic education

Factors affecting mathematics competence in the final stage of grade 9  

The report examines factors that affect competence in mathematics based on an assessment of students in the final stage of grade 9 conducted in spring 2021. Key findings based on the data concerning equality (Metsämuuronen & Nousiainen, 2021, in Finnish), technical details of the assessment including confidence analysis (Metsämuuronen & Nousiainen, 2023, in Finnish) as well as background to national changes in competence (Metsämuuronen & Suomilammi, 2023, p. 127, in Finnish) have already be reported.

The report adds depth to the earlier examination of factors that explain competence, data concerning students who perform particularly poorly or well, and cost of education data. The report also examines variations in long-term change in the light of demographic trends and asks if the changes in competence have differed in various linguistic, municipal and regional groups and among students of different levels.

The report will be published in October or November 2023.

Further information:

Learning outcomes in A syllabus of Swedish in the final stage of basic education 2022

These assessments of learning outcomes provide information on students’ competence and the factors that influence it at the final stage of basic education. The assessment of learning outcomes in A syllabus of Swedish provides up-to-date national information on learning outcomes, the students’ perceptions, and the learning and teaching of Swedish.

The report will be published on 5 September 2023.

Further information

Evaluation of engaging school community work

The aim of engaging school community work is to support students and school staff in preventing school drop-out, promoting commitment to school attendance, making up for the effects of absences and strengthening the wellbeing of the school community.

FINEEC published the final report on the evaluation of engaging school community work and a summary publication on students’ experiences of support for school attachment on 8 August.

Further information:

Vocational education and training

Competence provided by vocational education and training in relation to the requirements of studies at universities of applied sciences – initial evaluation results

In the work on the Vision for higher education and research in 2030 and the Education Policy Report, the target was set at increasing the share of young adults with a higher education degree to 50% of the cohort. The evaluation examines how the competence of students who have completed vocational education and training meets the requirements of studies at universities of applied sciences. Factors in the backdrop of the evaluation also include changes in the admission procedures of universities of applied sciences and the wider use of vocational qualification certificates in student admissions.

The initial results of the evaluation will be published in October 2023 and full findings in January 2024.

Further information:

Higher education

Evaluation of the state and reform of higher education pedagogy

After the student’s personal characteristics, teaching is one of the key factors affecting the student’s learning, competence and development of expertise. This is why evaluating higher education pedagogy and its current state at Finnish higher education institutions is important.

The evaluation provides information about the current status of higher education pedagogy, including the pedagogical policies and operating models of higher education institutions, the role of digitalisation in teaching and learning, higher education institutions’ internal activities for developing teaching and education, and cooperation between higher education institutions aiming at developing pedagogy. It also provides information about supporting and providing incentives for teachers’ pedagogical competence. The evaluation supports higher education institutions in developing and renewing higher education pedagogy.

The backdrop to the evaluation comprises the Vision for higher education and research in 2030 and the Ministry of Education and Culture’s development projects for competence in higher education pedagogy.

Further information:

Evaluation of Government’s key projects for higher education 2017–2022

The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the outcomes and impacts of the key projects for developing higher education (Key project 3) and teacher education development projects (Key project 1) funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The evaluation is aimed at producing information on the implementation of Key projects 1 and 3 as well as the outcomes and impacts of their results and operating models. In addition, the aim is to produce information on the effectiveness and sustainability of the selected development model and recommend methods for developing higher education and teacher education in the future.

Further information:

Audits of higher education institutions

The purpose of the audit is

  • to evaluate whether the quality work at the higher education institution corresponds to the European principles for quality assurance,
  • to evaluate whether the quality management system produces information that is appropriate for strategy implementation and the continuous development of activities, and whether it leads to effective development measures,
  • to encourage higher education institutions to internationality, experiments and a creative atmosphere and
  • to compile open and transparent information about the quality work of Finnish higher education institutions.

The audit covers the mission of higher education institutions, or education, research and societal interaction. The possibility given by the audit model for higher education institutions to select one of the evaluation areas supports their development. The audit also covers a benchlearning method.

University of Tampere

The University of Tampere selected Study plan and its guidance as its optional evaluation area. The benchlearning partner chosen by the higher education institution is Dublin City University, and the benchlearning target is Digital Learning.

The audit report was published on 25 August 2023.

Further information:

University of Turku

The optional evaluation area chosen by the University of Turku is support services for societal impact.  The benchlearning partner selected by the University is University College Cork – National University of Ireland, and the benchlearning target is Sustainable development.

The audit report was published on 25 August 2023.

Further information:

Accreditation of the Degree Programmes in Electronics and Communication Engineering in the University of Oulu in 2023

The accreditation of engineering programmes is a degree programme specific evaluation leading to the international EUR-ACE quality label. The aim of accreditation is to support the enhancement of quality in degree programmes in engineering and to increase the international comparability of Finnish degrees in engineering and their recognition in working life.

The results of the accreditation will be published on 8 September 2023.

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