EUR-ACE label awarded again to the Degree Programme in ICT at Jamk University of Applied Sciences
The engineering Degree Programme in ICT at Jamk University of Applied Sciences was awarded the European EUR-ACE label following an accreditation by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC). The degree programme was accredited for the first time in 2017 and therefore, this was the reaccreditation.
The accreditation is conditional and first valid for a year until 9th June 2024. FINEEC Committee for Engineering Education shall decide by this date, whether the accreditation continues by 9th June 2029. Decision will be made based on the development report submitted by Jamk.
The curriculum responds in an excellent manner to the industry needs and the Degree Programme has very strong connections with working-life partners
The accreditation team sees that the Degree Programme in ICT has an up-to-date curriculum which allows
students to excellently prepare for working life. There is close cooperation with the industry partners and additionally, the integration of the teaching and learning with the RDI works well. Quality management processes are well-functioning and existing laboratories excellent learning environments. Students and alumni think that their studies have been beneficial.
“The Degree Programme in ICT at Jamk has an overall very good quality and reputation. Students benefit from a highly motivated and enthusiastic academic, technical and administrative staff and an excellent laboratory infrastructure with effective teaching methods. Very good industry cooperation and partnerships with major local stakeholders are maintained and lead to a strong local presence in the Central Finland region. The program offers up to date specialization areas such as Software Engineering / Software Development, Cyber Security and Data Networks and Servers”, describes the accreditation team chair, Professor Friedrich Praus from the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien.
Jamk sees the accreditation process as a possibility to get external feedback for the improvement of the education
Director of the Jamk’s Institute of Information Technology Tero Kokkonen says that the aim of the accreditation carried out is for the ICT engineering degree organised by the Institute of Information Technology to support the development of education and increase its international comparability. Accreditation provides an external assessment of the quality of the study offer and whether the degree programme provides the knowledge and skills required in working life. In general, the accreditation process was well-functioning and provided valuable input for us. The feedback helps us to identify our strengths and areas for further development”.
“EUR-ACE accreditation is a valuable recognition of the determined and high-quality work done by our staff. EUR-ACE is a widely recognised guarantee of quality, which shows that we also do well in international comparisons. For the second time, we participated in the EUR-ACE accreditation for the ICT engineering degree. We recognise the value of the process, and I believe that we will be involved in the accreditation process also in the coming years,” continues Kokkonen.
The Degree Programme needs to better describe possible study paths for applicants and students
The accreditation team also gave recommendations for the further development for the degree programme. The degree programme needs to describe and publicly document the typical and/or recom-
mended study paths within the degree programme for the applicants, students and the wider
public. The degree programme structure is highly flexible and offers a great deal of choices during studies. Currently, there is guidance available for the students for combining their studies a part of personal learning plans. Student body is consulted while planning a selection of implemented modules for the next academic year.
EUR-ACE accreditations at FINEEC
The engineering programme accreditation is a degree programme specific evaluation that can lead to the European EUR-ACE Label. The accreditation aims to support the development of quality in engineering degree programmes and increase international comparability and recognition of Finnish engineering degrees in the European industry. The engineering degree programme accreditations are voluntary for higher education institutions in Finland.
Accreditation report on FINEEC web site
Further information
Senior Evalution Advisor Kati Isoaho, +358 533 5501, kati.isoaho@karvi.fi