The University of the Arts Helsinki has a high standard of teaching - the university passed the FINEEC audit
The University of the Arts Helsinki (Uniarts) received special praise from the FINEEC audit team for its teaching that supports students' growth as artists already during their studies. The university promotes the bildung of the Finnish society, and actively takes part in the cultural policy debate and contributes to its renewal. The university community also has the will and courage to tackle different societal challenges.
The Uniarts trains artists of the future
The high quality of the arts education at the Uniarts is recognised inside and outside the university. The university’s strength is its understanding of the students’ growth as artists, which is strongly reflected in the focus areas in teaching and guidance. The teaching of artistic skills and thinking as well as individual guidance is considered important at the university.
The close interaction between students, teachers and alumni in teaching enables in-depth understanding of students' needs and development, changes in the art scene, and the development of artistic thinking, comments professor Hanna-Leena Pesonen, chair of the audit team and dean at the University of Jyväskylä.
The Uniarts has been actively working for common operating principles for its three independent academies, i.e. Academy of Fine Arts, Sibelius Academy and Theatre Academy. According to the audit team, common educational activities, internal student mobility and the sharing of good practices and sense of community between the academies could be further strengthened.
The work burden of both students and staff challenges the university, and various solutions have been sought to this issue. The audit team encourages the university to review attendance requirements and teaching cultures to reduce work burden. Strategic measures should also be focused, prioritised and timed to reduce staff workload.
The Uniarts has an open, participatory and dialogue-based culture
The university staff participate in the development of the university in many ways. Strategic responsibilities are also shared within the university community. Evidence-based management supports the management of the university and the implementation of its strategy.
Uniarts has a good understanding of its development needs and addresses them. The university has a collegial, dialogue-based quality culture and an ability for self-reflection," says Hanna-Leena Pesonen.
The university has systematic processes for staff competence development. According to the audit team, the university should continue to focus on the development of an inclusive and multilingual community with everyone having equal opportunities to express themselves and participate in decision-making. In particular, the language has been identified by the university as a key challenge for internationalisation and efforts are made to embrace multilingualism at the university.
The Uniarts promotes bildung and pushes it forward
The University of the Arts Helsinki's strategic goal is to strengthen artistic thinking and the arts in society. The university embraces and promotes the bildung of the Finnish society. The Uniarts actively participates in the ongoing cultural policy debate and supports its development. The university community also has the will and courage to tackle societal challenges.
However, the university’s unique position is not always fully recognised. According to the audit team, the university could communicate more clearly its specific nature and role in society. The university’s strong values and cultural cultivation could be more prominent in the societal debate. The unique position of the Uniarts as a pioneer in the arts field enables a multidisciplinary approach and innovative research in the arts, enriching both the art community and society at large.
The university’s willingness and courage to innovate is underlined by its focus on social, cultural and ecological sustainability. Ecological sustainability is a strategic focus area of the university and is integrated in education, research and artistic activities in a crosscutting manner. The university should ensure the continuity and leadership of the promotion of ecological sustainability at the university when the development project focusing on the topic comes to an end.
As a result of the successful audit, the University of the Arts Helsinki received a FINEEC quality label valid for six years. By passing the audit, the university showed that its activities and quality system meet both the national criteria and the European quality assurance criteria for higher education institutions. The focus of the audit was on the procedures used by the university to maintain and enhance the quality of its education provision, research and artistic activities, and societal engagement and impact. The evaluation criteria applied in the audit are available in the FINEEC audit manual.
Audit report is available on the FINEEC audit platform.
For further information, please contact
- Hanna-Leena Pesonen, chair of the audit team, hanna-leena.pesonen(at)jyu.fi
- Mirella Nordblad, project manager of the audit, +358 29 533 5541, mirella.nordblad(at)karvi.fi