Accessibility in teaching at TAMK

Accessibility in curriculum work

Curriculum work belongs to the core of the higher education institution’s educational processes and defines both teachers’, heads’ and other professionals’ work. Curricula determine competence objectives, learning methods and focus areas as well as build possibilities for professional growth and learning of generic skills. Construction of curricula is a communal process in which staff, diverse students and interest groups participate. Special attention is paid on diversity issues.

Students’ diversity is recognised in planning of teaching and different ways of completing studies are enabled for students. Flexibility and possibility to make personal choices can be planned into curricula. 

Curricula may also describe assessment principles. From the accessibility viewpoint, diversity of assessment methods enables equal competence demonstration for students.

Support and counselling of students

TAMK’s student counselling aims at making sure that students feel well, achieve the degree programme and degree objectives and graduate in the target schedule.
Student counselling is a targeted and well-timed part of the education process and covers the entire study path. Whole TAMK staff participate in student counselling and guidance based on their roles. Students are guided in learning, professional growth and career planning by teachers and different guidance and counselling professionals. The key student counselling professionals are:

• Teacher tutors are students’ immediate guidance providers. Teacher tutors have the largest role at the beginning of the studies when they support new students’ engagement in their studies in cooperation with student tutors. As the studies progress, teacher tutors guide students in making choices during their study path and search for solutions to challenging study-related situations together with students.
• The purpose of student tutoring is to familiarise new students with one another, study environment, key matters of the studied field and student life. All new bachelor’s degree student groups except for part-time students have a trained student tutor who works with the teacher tutor.
• Student counsellors mentor teacher tutors. Student counsellors guide in credit transfers and planning of individual study paths. They also guide special needs students, help in planning of studies and the future if studies slow down or are interrupted, organise support measures for students to finish their studies and are in charge of overtime students’ stu-dent counselling.

TAMK students are also guided by training supervisors at TAMK and the workplace, thesis super-visors, special needs teachers, student wellbeing advisors, social counsellor for international students, study affairs coordinators, international coordinators and alumni and working life services. The Parvi concept gathers together study ability and wellbeing activities.

TAMK’s guidance and counselling services

Student's Guide: Guidance and counselling staff and their contact information
Koppari
Student's Guide: Student wellbeing site (Parvi)
Student's Guide: TAMK Parvi

Practical training and career counselling

TAMK’s students, staff and working life partners can find information and guidelines on practical training and working life in TAMK’s public student’s manual. TAMK has TAMK-level guidelines and degree programme specific guidelines. The guidelines clearly state the student’s, supervising teacher’s and workplace’s training supervisor’s roles. Students plan their practical training in accordance with the curriculum. Tutor teachers, TAMK’s training supervisors, training coordinators and student counsellors provide related information, guidance and counselling.

Jobs, training places and career planning materials, services and events can be found at TAMK’s international career platform JobTeaser except for social and health care training places which can be found on the national Jobiili platform.

Career counsellors help students to transfer to working life, search for training places during their studies and search for a part-time work. The career counsellors’ services include group coaching, workshops and personal career counselling.

TAMK’s procedures

Student's Guide: Practical training and working life
Student's Guide: Career services

Students’ right to individual study arrangements

TAMK’s public student’s manual has a site on accessibility and individual arrangements for stu-dents. Students can read about individual arrangements already at application stage. The student’s manual also includes guidelines on application for individual study arrangements.

Teacher tutors and student counsellors tell new students about the possibility to have individual study arrangements at the beginning of their studies. The matter is discussed on the teacher and student tutors’ day at the beginning of the semester. As the studies progress, the individual study arrangements possibility is told about on tutor lessons, in personal study plan discussions and if necessary, in connection with teaching.

TAMK’s senior lecturer for special needs (special needs teacher) works as TAMK’s accessibility contact person and is in charge of special needs support and individual study arrangement processes. A special needs teacher or student counsellor makes an individual study arrangement suggestion together with the student. Schools also have named accessibility contact persons who inform of accessibility matters, consider accessibility in different activities and ensure resourcing of individual study arrangements. The special needs teacher gathers information on how many individual study arrangement suggestions were made during the semester, what arrangements were implemented and how much teacher resource was used.

TAMK’s procedures

Student's Guide: Accessibility and individual study arrangements for students
Student's Guide: Granting of individual study arrangements