As teachers and facilitators of educational spaces, we do not only need to focus on our field of knowledge or the pedagogical aspects of our everyday work. As members of an educational community and teachers trained in Finland, a country known for its high-quality education system, adherence to government regulations has played a significant role in shaping the success of the education system.
Different types of regulations help to ensure that teachers work within a well-defined framework that emphasizes quality, equality, equity, and the best interests of each of the students. Also promotes a system where every individual can follow their own path and there are no dead ends within the system. Certainly, acknowledging and following several types of regulations is a demonstration of professionalism and ethical behaviour. It shows that we, as teachers and facilitators, take our roles and responsibilities seriously and that we are committed to upholding the values of the education profession.
The acknowledgement of national, regional, local, and institutional regulations is also essential for our practice. Overall, being aware of regulations in our everyday practice helps higher education teachers and facilitators of different types of formal and non-formal educational spaces to maintain the quality and integrity of teaching, support student success: including individual needs and guide in a way that deep learning is promoted; plus supporting that the institution we are representing operates in compliance with the requirements of the higher education sector and adult learning standards and needs.
Over time, there have been various amendments and revisions to the aforementioned laws to adapt to changing educational needs and to improve the quality and efficiency of higher education in Finland. To further explain, here are some specific aspects of the importance of being aware and constantly learning about laws, regulations, amendments, and other types of legal guidance for higher education and specifically VET teachers:
1. Legal Compliance: Like teachers at other educational levels, higher education teachers must operate within the legal framework of the Finnish education system. We need to be aware of laws and regulations that pertain to higher education, including those related to academic standards, accreditation, student rights, well-being, how to promote inclusivity, and psychological safety, among other aspects for students and for us. A safe environment also includes teachers' well-being.
2. Curriculum and Program Requirements: Regulations often dictate the structure and content of higher education programs. Teachers must be aware of these requirements to design and deliver courses that meet the prescribed curriculum and ensure that students receive the necessary knowledge and skills. Being aware of special needs and the reality of students and groups will allow us as teachers to align curriculum and program requirements with the group and individual requirements.
3. Quality Assurance: Higher education institutions are subject to quality assurance measures to maintain academic standards. Teachers need to be aware of these regulations to participate in assessment and evaluation processes, ensuring that the institution meets the necessary standards of excellence.
Finnish VET institutions are required to implement quality assurance mechanisms to ensure the effectiveness of teaching and learning. These mechanisms may involve teacher evaluations, student feedback, and regular assessments of teaching practices among others.
Also, as teachers in VET we must acknowledge the importance of collaborative work with employers and the recognition of prior learning as part of the educational process.
4. Student Support and Welfare: Regulations often address student support services and welfare. Being aware of these guidelines helps teachers to direct students to appropriate resources and support systems when needed.
5. Ethical Considerations: Higher education teachers are expected to adhere to ethical guidelines and professional conduct. Awareness of regulations related to academic integrity, research ethics, confidentiality laws, and student-teacher relationships among others helps us to ensure ethical practices within the academic community.
6. Accreditation and Recognition: Teachers need to be aware of regulations related to program accreditation and international recognition of qualifications. This is particularly important for students pursuing higher education degrees that may have implications for their future careers or further studies abroad. Specifically in this certification program, where we as students come from different parts of the world, the knowledge and clarity in terms of regulations will be very helpful.
7. Accessibility and Inclusion: Regulations often emphasize the importance of accessibility and inclusion in higher education. As teachers, we must be aware of these guidelines to accommodate students with disabilities and other types of particular needs and create an inclusive learning environment, where equality, equity, and accessibility are a reality for every student and for us as teachers.
8. Funding and Budgeting: Higher education institutions may be subject to funding and budgeting regulations. Teachers need to understand these financial aspects to ensure efficient use of resources and to support institutional goals.
9. Professional Development: Regulations may require higher education teachers to engage in continuous professional development to enhance their teaching skills and stay updated with advancements in their field.
10. Institutional Policies: Like any educational institution, higher education universities and colleges may have their own internal policies. Teachers need to be aware of these regulations to align their practices with the specific expectations and culture of their institution.
Legislation in Finnish higher education
Finnish higher education is regulated by various laws and amendments that ensure its quality, accessibility, and governance. Some key laws and regulations governing Finnish higher education include:
1. Universities Act (558/2009): This is the primary legislation that governs traditional universities in Finland. It outlines the organization, administration, and funding of universities. It defines the role of universities in research, education, and societal development.
2. Universities of Applied Sciences UAS Act (932/2014): This legislation regulates polytechnics, also known as universities of applied sciences, in Finland. It covers their organization, administration, funding, and the types of degrees they can award.
3. Act on Quality Assurance in Higher Education (558/2009): This law sets the framework for ensuring the quality of education and research in Finnish higher education institutions. It establishes a national quality assurance system and defines the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders in maintaining and enhancing quality.
4. Universities Decree (770/2009): This decree provides more detailed regulations concerning the implementation of the Universities Act. It includes provisions related to university degrees, student admission, doctoral education, and more.
5. UAS Decree (1129/2014): Similar to the Universities Decree, this decree provides more specific regulations for polytechnics concerning degree structures, teaching, and student admission, among other things.
6. Degree Structure Reform (2017): Finland underwent a degree structure reform, unifying the degree system across universities and UAS. The new structure comprises bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.
7. Act on Vocational Education and Training (531/2017): This legislation regulates VET institutions and covers the role of VET, as well as their organization. It primarily governs the vocational education system in Finland. It aims to provide students with practical skills and knowledge necessary for specific professions, enabling them to enter the workforce directly after completing their studies. Finnish VET is well-regarded internationally and is an essential component of the Finnish education system.
The Finnish National Agency for Education (Opetushallitus) sets the qualifications and competence requirements for teachers in VET. Teachers are expected to have both pedagogical qualifications and professional expertise in their respective fields.
There are other types of legislation besides the ones mentioned above that are important to acknowledge in terms of teacher's work, and safety in teaching and in educational environments:
1. Constitutional Law
2. Rescue Act
3. Student Welfare Act
4. Occupational Safety and Health Act
5. Data protection, confidentiality laws: Copyright Act and ownership, GDPR
As one can see there are many considerations a teacher and/or facilitator should consider. We covered many issues in the different webinars, not just this one, where on February 4th, of 2023 each group covered some aspects mostly related to data protection, confidentiality, and copyright which are not something to take lightly as we as teachers handle more sensible data and information than one might think of. As all the legislation to be considered by teachers and institutions is substantial, it is possible to find guidelines for teachers in most HEI in Finland to have resources for teachers and the educational community to support the continuous development and access to such information.
During the webinars, we had the chance to explore for example some of the online resources available at universities such as OAMK, Helsinki, and Turku. Although every member of the educational community has access to all this info by using different sources, the lack of knowledge of regulations does not exempt individuals from the consequences of inflicting the rules. Hence, as teachers, it is essential not only to keep up to date with legislation but also to include elements of reflection on the importance of taking the rules into account in learning spaces with groups and students.
Some of the elements mentioned by the different groups in the working session on legislation will now be included as a summary:
o Data protection: it is important to point out that anyone who processes personal data in their line of work is responsible for the implementation of measures to guarantee data protection. This certainly includes teachers. Personal data relates to personally identifiable data that allows the identification of an individual, either by direct or indirect means. Personal data includes sensitive personal data, general personal data, and details of criminal offences.
o Processing of personal data: any operation or set of operations that is performed on personal data, either by manual or automated means. As teachers, we should always consider how to individualize a student based on the principle of minimizing personal data use. In real practice, this means we must pay close attention to actions such as attendance lists, informing students of data collection, use of video on remote teaching and recording sessions, data requests, and recollection, record keeping times, etc.
o Confidentiality law (Salasspitolaki) – GDPR Art. 5 and the principles relating to the processing of personal data: Basically, we should always remember that when processing data we have to comply with all the elements, such as lawfulness, fairness, and transparency plus purpose limitation, data minimization (mentioned above), accuracy, storage limitation, integrity, and confidentiality. In real conditions, this is included in Chapter 11 of the Act on VET – Processing and disclosing data and for UAS Section 21 of administrative procedures and confidentiality: personal data Act (523/1999) – UAS Act 932/2014 and amendments up to 516/2020.
o Copyright is the protection of the creative’s own work produced by a natural person, this can be a teacher or a student. In an educational setting, copyright-protected materials can be used for educational purposes (see Copyright Act criteria) and an agreement between Kopiosto and HEI (also important to check this). Nevertheless, and especially for materials online it is advised to use open-licensed materials, as it has been discussed since the beginning of the certification. As for us as teachers we own the rights to the learning materials we prepare, and a license via Creative Commons can be granted to allow others to use such material. If we use materials by others to complement our own set of materials, we should always provide the credits of the author and we do not breach the immaterial rights.
- Safety and Welfare: Safety can be defined in psychological, physical, social, and legal terms. Also, for our reflection on pedagogical safety, it’s important. As mentioned above there is legislation to be acknowledged on this topic such as the Constitutional Law, Rescue Act, Student Welfare Act and Educational Safety and Health. Pedagogical Safety for the Ministry of Education applies to all learning situations (institutional and teacher-oriented actions) and consists of an environment that is safe to grow in that it includes the documentation and plans such as the curriculum, and that promotes a safety culture, guide teaching and support all learning situations regarding the student. The work to promote an educational community where equity, equality, accessibility, and learning and well-being are crucial.
Additional sources:
– Data Protection in Finland: Overview; by Charlotta Sittnikow, Bernt Juthström, and Ida Keränen, Waselius & Wist, with Practical Law Data Privacy & Cybersecurity; Thomson Reuters
– Data Protection Authority Registration and Data Protection Officer Requirements for Data Controllers: Finland; by Charlotta Sittnikow, Bernt Juthström, and Ida Keränen, Waselius & Wist, with Practical Law Data Privacy & Cybersecurity; Thomson Reuters
– https://teaching.helsinki.fi/instructions/article/data-protection-teachers
– https://studentprivacycompass.org/scheid1/
– GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION (GDPR); Art. 5 GDPR – Principles relating to the processing of personal data - General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (gdpr-info.eu)
– https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/79951/opm41.pdf?sequence=1
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