Modes of study and pedagogy

At Diak, students study in many different ways

At Diak, we develop versatile, student- and working life-oriented learning environments. During your studies, you will familiarise yourself with current research as well as practical work. The focus is on students’ communal interaction and reflection on their professional activities.

At Diak, learning processes are built and supported in many different ways. Both on contact teaching days and during remote periods, you work a lot in a groups. The studies include:

Lectures on campus or online
Discussions and group work on campus or online
Exams
Seminars and presentations
Projects and field visits
Independent study – for example, written assignments as group or individual work or preparation for exams.
Health care studies include also skill labs and simulations.

Some of Diak’s study module implementations include more face-to-face contact teaching and some more online teaching. Online teaching takes place remotely in the Zoom. This enables participation regardless of location.

Participation in all forms of study requires commitment and readiness for independent study and small group work. It is important to take into account that studies are considered full-time in terms of work load. The scope of the degree is 210 ECTS, approx. 30 ECTS/semester, 1 ECTS = 27 hours of study.

Daytime studies (Nursing degree)

Contact teaching takes place 2–5 days a week between 8 am and 5 pm. Your studies will progress with the group. In addition to contact teaching, the studies include time-bound teaching online, remote days and practical training periods. As studies progress, the amount of contact teaching decreases and the number of online studies increases. During remote days, there are teamwork and independent learning assignments. Internships are full-time studies.

Blended learning programmes (Social Services degree)

In our blended learning programmes, the learning processes are built and supported in various ways through a combination of online learning and contact sessions. This approach is also referred to as multi-modal learning.

The studies cover both current research as well as practical work. Key aspects are communal interaction and reflection of professional practice in an online environment.

The blended learning features vary depending on the programme in question. You can have face-to-face classroom meetings, independent study online, and courses which are also attended by students from other campuses.

Blended learning programmes include contact and distance learning sessions and work placement periods. The most common mode of blended learning consists of a contact learning week at the campus generally every 2-3 weeks. Each semester includes approximately 5-7 contact learning weeks. The distance learning weeks consist of for instance scheduled online lectures and supervision, independent study days and group work. Work placements require full-time attendance.

Both contact and distance sessions include supervision, working in groups and interaction with other students and teachers. Instructions are provided at the orientation class in the beginning of the study module. Supervision is provided during the course both online and at campus depending on the course.

Scheduling of studies

The studies generally progress according to your personal study plan, which you will draw up with study guidance counsellor.

Many of the students in our blended learning programmes are in full- or part-time employment or have other responsibilities alongside study.

It is worth noting that blended learning programmes are considered as full-time study, which means that each ECTS credit corresponds to approximately 27 hours of study.

Successful completion of courses requires attendance on contact and distance sessions and passing the required assignments. Studies include full-time work placement periods of 6-12 weeks at different stages of the study path.

The length, number and total ECTS credit load of work placement periods vary depending on the programme.

In addition, students participate in joint projects organised in cooperation with workplace organisations and other research and development activities in workplace environments.

These activities have a bearing on the number of contact and distance sessions and modes of study.

In case you are taking courses from across different semesters and your studies overlap, please contact your study guidance counsellor.

Further information

Details of available modes of study are published in the programme-specific information.

For open UAS studies, the modes of study are specified in the study module enrolment information.

Online learning takes place in the Diakle environment as as well as other digital applications.

Pedagogical choices at Diak

Diak’s pedagogical philosophy is based on dialogue and transformation. It describes the way in which Diak delivers education and nurtures learning and the development of expertise.

What is pedagogy?

Pedagogy refers to the method of organising teaching and education. Education in universities of applied sciences is delivered under the UAS Act based on the requirements of working life and its development and on the premises of academic research and academic and artistic education.

In addition to the UAS Act, education and teaching at Diak are delivered according to the institution’s strategy for 2021–2030. Diak’s strategy states: “Diak seeks, does and sees good, and nurtures helpers who want to build a sustainable and equal world.”

Diak’s dialogue-based, transformative pedagogy is underpinned by four key aspects: dialogue (learning as participation), learning as knowledge acquisition, learning as knowledge creation, and transformation.

Dialogue – learning as participation

Dialogue refers to empathy and interpersonal skills which are at the core of all of Diak’s study programmes. In the context of education and learning, the dialogue-based approach means honest encounters, a way of being in the world, respecting the uniqueness of each participant, and constructing shared meanings.

Participation is a specific focus of Diak’s pedagogical approach. Learning as participation also means that learning is centred on learning methods, professional growth, contextuality and situational particularity. Situational learning means that learning is linked to activities, the environment and the organisational culture.

Learning as knowledge acquisition

In the learning process, personal meanings are constructed from content. This requires the ability to grasp wider concepts and make broader connections between topics.

In universities of applied sciences, skills acquisition and evidence-based practice are emphasised.

Learning as knowledge creation

Knowledge creation is an integral part of dialogue-based transformative pedagogy. It refers to knowledge creation practices that are valued in academic and working life contexts, such as the development of shared products, working practices and models.

Key aspects include co-development, building on prior knowledge, and the creation of innovative expert communities.

Transformative capacity

Our graduates are able to face changes and transformation by drawing on their personal and educational strengths. By emphasising processes around skills and knowledge we can enable and improve students’ engagement and participation.

The sense of participation improves when learners are able to examine their own views on humanity and the world and their relationship with the surrounding environment. The pedagogy should facilitate the development of transformative capacity.

Community-based participatory research

Study in cooperation with workplace organisations

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR, in Finnish OSKE) serves as a dialogue space for students and workplace organisations.

Workplace organisations offer our students learning assignments, development projects and thesis topics as well as opportunities for more broad-based collaboration.

As a Diak student, you have opportunities to participate in participatory development activities in which workplace representatives collaborate with Diak by offering student projects, Bachelor’s thesis topics, etc. The events are excellent networking opportunities.

Participatory and research-based development describes the principles that provide the basis for collaboration between Diak, our students and organisations.

Students get involved by participating in workplace development projects. Community-based participatory collaboration is strongly linked, but is not exclusive, to thesis projects.

How do I get involved?

Students are recruited to activities through community partnership events (OSKE events) and other events. The activities can be virtually anything that serves the needs of a workplace organisation, project or voluntary work.

Cooperation initiatives are usually proposed by workplace organisations. If you have an idea, be proactive and get in touch with a suitable workplace contact to start the ball rolling.

CBPR workshops and community workshops are for existing collaborations involving joint development activities to serve the needs of workplace organisations and learners.

They are based on the joint objectives of Diak and our workplace partners and organised by individual faculties.

To ensure that participatory research-based development is as easy and smooth as possible, the collaboration should be aligned with the learning objectives of your studies.

Contact us!

Do you have a question? Get in touch: oske@diak.fi.

Students in Diak projects

Would you like to complete studies as part of Diak’s projects? Diak has dozens of projects where you can, for example, carry out your internship or thesis.