Skip to content

Assessment principles at Diak

At Diak, assessment is based on learning aims, which are specified for the early, middle and final stages of study.

The assessment criteria are based on the stage in question and the intended learning outcomes of the course or module.

Assessment areas include

  • Professional competence and information retrieval
  • Professional skills, ability to work in expert roles and problem-solving skills
  • Team, network and leadership skills
  • Societal and ethical competence

Assessment criteria at Diak


Guidelines for written assignments

Please find guidelines for written assignments in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Guide 2.0.

Plagiarism i.e. unauthorised use or copying of someone else’s text without citation is prohibited and will result in a process of a suspected cheating case.


Competence requirements for nurses

Information on the competence requirements and contents (180 ECTS credits) for general nurse education is available online.


Assessment appeals

If you are not happy with an assessment of your coursework, you can appeal orally or in writing by contacting the guidance counsellor, teacher, teaching team or supervisory team who issued the assessment or decision.

Submit your appeal within 14 days of the earliest date on which you could have become aware of the assessment results and the way in which the assessment criteria were applied.

See also Diak’s Degree Regulations.

The assessment appeal process

  1. The student requests correction from the assessor in writing within 14 days of receiving the assessment.
  2. The original assessor re-assesses the student’s work (e.g. exam, assignment, thesis).
  3. The assessor explains the assessment decision and how assessment criteria were applied in writing and gives feedback to the student.
  4. If the student is dissatisfied with the re-assessment of their thesis or final exams in interpreting, they must contact the superior of the assessor within 14 days of receiving the assessment in order to have a new assessor assigned. Theses are re-assessed by Principal Lecturers based on the thesis assessment criteria and guidelines. Re-assessment applies to the written part of the thesis. With final exams in interpreting, a new assessor is assigned by the superior of the original assessor. If re-assessment is required for a study achievement other than thesis or final exam, students should follow the process outlined below.
  5. If the student is dissatisfied with the decision, he/she contacts the secretary of the Examination Board in writing within 14 days of receiving the new assessment.
  6. The secretary of the Examination Board instructs the student how to claim for correction from the Board.
  7. The student sends a claim for correction in writing to the secretary of the Examination Board, complete with attachments, no later than a week before the relevant board meeting. (Act 932/2014, Section 57)

RPL decision appeals

If you are dissatisfied with a decision on credit transfer/prior learning accreditation, you are entitled to appeal in writing to the Examination Board.

If you are considering making an appeal on an RPL decision, please contact the board secretary in writing within 14 days of receiving the RPL decision. The board secretary will give you instructions on how to claim for correction from the board.

See also Diak’s Degree Regulations.


Diak examination board

The examination board and its procedures are described in the Degree Regulations.

The decisions of the examination board are recorded. The record log is a public document.

Supporting documents which contain a student’s personal information will not be made public.

Members of the examination board

  • Jari Helminen (chair) (deputy chair Lena Segler-Heikkilä)
  • Anu Arola (member) (deputy member Eeva Kylä-Setälä)
  • Oona Ylikoski (student member) (deputy student member Vilma Houry)
  • Heidi Grundström (secretary) (deputy secretary Sari Tuohinto)

Please send mail addressed to the examination board to tutkintolautakunta@diak.fi.

Meetings in spring 2024

  • 16 January 2024
  • 6 February 2024
  • 5 March 2024
  • 9 April 2024
  • 6 May 2024
  • 21 May 2024

Changes to the meeting schedule are possible.

If you submit an appeal to or request exemption from the language proficiency requirements from the Examination Board, please note that the process usually takes several weeks.

The Examination Board will ask for a statement from the teacher who has assessed or taught you.

Meeting agendas are sent to the members of the Examination Board about a week before the meeting.


Further information

The assessment principles are described in the Degree Regulations.

The assessment of theses is described in the Participatory Research-based Development Handbook.