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 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 well as other digital applications.

Pedagogical choices at Diak

At Diak, you will study through a dialogical transformative pedagogy. This means that learning is not simply about acquiring knowledge or passing exams. The aim is for you to learn how to think, act and develop working life together with others.

At Diak, we believe that learning can transform people, and that people can transform the world. That is why we educate professionals who want to build a sustainable, just and equitable society.

What is pedagogy?

Pedagogy refers to the way teaching is organised and learning is guided.

At Diak:

you learn together with others
you combine theory and practice
you create new knowledge and ways of working
you grow both as a person and as a professional
you make an impact on the world around you.

The four dimensions of dialogical transformative pedagogy: how do we learn?

1. Dialogue – learning as participation

At Diak, you learn through interaction with others. Dialogue means listening, engaging in discussion and thinking together.

You are an active participant whose ideas and experiences matter. This is reflected, for example, in:

collaborative discussions with fellow students, lecturers and representatives of working life
group work
projects carried out in collaboration with working life
encounters with clients and communities.

An important part of learning is developing the ability to engage with people from different backgrounds in a respectful and constructive way.

2. Learning as knowledge acquisition

Learning is not just about memorising existing knowledge. You will learn how to find, evaluate and use information critically and responsibly. You will also receive guidance and practical experience in understanding both the opportunities and limitations of artificial intelligence in information gathering and evaluation.

The aim is for you to:

understand the importance of research-based knowledge as a foundation of professional practice
apply knowledge in practical contexts
develop the ability to justify your views and engage in constructive dialogue.

At Diak, theoretical knowledge is closely connected to practical learning and real-life professional situations.

3. Learning as knowledge creation

At Diak, you do not only study existing knowledge, you also create new knowledge together with others. You will have opportunities to develop:

new ways of working
solutions to challenges in professional practice
collaborative projects and shared practices.

At Diak, we encourage collaboration, experimentation and the confidence to develop new ideas. Through these experiences, you will learn how to contribute to positive change in your field and in society.

4. Transformative capacity – learning transforms you and the world

At Diak, the goal of learning is not only to qualify for a profession, but also to grow as a person and as a professional.

You will learn to:

reflect critically on your own thinking
work effectively in changing situations and environments
understand the impact you can have on the world around you.

After graduation, you will be equipped to act as an active agent of change, helping to reduce inequality and promote social justice. At Diak, we aim to educate professionals who are committed to building a better, fairer and more sustainable world.

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.