VAMKs self-assessment report submitted to the auditors
Digital platform increases the openness of quality culture
In the coming audit
- It will be assessed if VAMK’s quality work meets the European standards
- It will be assessed if VAMK’s own quality assessment support our continuous enhancement
- We are encouraged to be international, experimental and enhance creative atmosphere
- We are on our part accumulating open and transparent information on the quality work in Finnish HEIs
The audit process will be implemented on the FINEEC’s digital platform where VAMK’s self-assessment report has been uploaded on 30 December 2020. The platform serves as a basis for self-assessment and for the audit report. An audit implemented on a digital platform is more transparent as well as more interactive. The implementation method enables a wider utilisation of audit results as both the self-assessment and the auditors’ assessment are publicly available for everyone interested. The self-assessment and the auditors’ assessment are available on the FINEEC’s platform after the audit process has ended and the results have been published. The aim of this implementation is to increase inclusive and open quality culture. VAMK’s audit is the first audit in English to be implemented FINEEC using this model. The audit model for Finnish HEIs developed by FINEEC is based on criteria of ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education). The self-assessment has been implemented as an assessment that focuses on our activities – the work was started with a bench-learning project with Novia University of Applied Sciences and with self-assessment of our degree programmes in the spring of 2019. The report was produced by an audit group appointed by VAMK and each assessment area had a person in charge who is knowledgeable in the area. Texts were read and commented by peers. The self-assessment summarises our own assessment of our modes of operation and VAMK’s strengths and enhancement areas. We have recorded three strengths and enhancement areas under a subsections of each assessment area. In addition, the self-assessment report includes numerous examples of our good practices.
Detailed themes in workshops
14.1.2021 workshop for all staff
In the first workshop you will hear how the audit process is progressing, how VAMK’s strategy and its goals steer the work of all of us and how we know if we have succeeded achieving our goals. We will also present VAMK’s quality system. In coming eight workshops during spring we will look into the assessment areas and the self-assessments written on them. The workshops are facilitated by Innolink, which we have been using previously in the strategy process. The area- specific workshops continue until 16 March and the last workshop for all will be held on 18 – right before the audit visit 23-24 March 2021.
Online Audit
Agreement on online audit
We have agreed with the FINEEC that VAMK’s audit will be implemented online completely by complying with the FINEEC’s principles of online implementation. The dates of the audit visit to VAMK are 23 -24 March and 25 March has been agreed as a reserve day for interviews in case there are problems with the implementation. An online audit can also have an effect on requests for additional material or extra hearings in cases where the proof required by the auditors remains deficient in some parts. In practice, the audit will take place on the Teams platform so that all interviewees will participate using their own computers on the time agreed for the interview. The invitations will be sent as group-specific invitations before the interview.
Audit team
VAMK’s audit team is chaired by Professor emerita Eva Werner. She has been Rector of Krems University of Applied Sciences and her areas of responsibility included academic quality assurance. The members of the audit team are Touko Apajalahti (expert, Teknologiateollisuus ry, higher education policy, entrepreneurship and competence) Jade Brouns (student, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands) and Tero Janatuinen (Quality Manager, Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences). Experts participating from the FINEEC are Sirpa Moitus, Counsellor of Evaluation and Hanna Väätäinen, Evaluation Expert.
