Part 3: We play by the same rules – nothing new?

In the blog series “What changes with Digivisio?”, Project Manager Eeva-Leena Forma shares her thoughts along the journey of transformation. Eeva-Leena led the transformation program from 2022 to 2024.

Cooperation in expert networks at higher education institutions is familiar territory. In their networks, specialists have developed shared content, defined competence levels and arranged training. Advances in pedagogical work have been made together and eAMK, in particular, introduced common quality criteria for universities of applied sciences and a website offering a shared view of study offerings. It was a good idea to start establishing common rules for using the Opin.fi service.

A discussion on values related to the rules was held within the framework of the change programme in good mutual understanding. Values seem to fit well on the value base already defined by the higher education institutions themselves:

• Learner-orientation shows the high-quality content, pedagogy and service experience that the learner is familiar with in the offering

• Continuous learning becomes a natural part of society

• Openness facilitates an internationally respected learning ecosystem

• Cooperation produces a common way of working that benefits the learner.

It has been a pleasure to see how the practical rules of quality criteria for digital pedagogy have linked higher education institutions to a common understanding of quality. Progress in the change work has demonstrated that the quality criteria have been taken into account and applied effectively in the higher education institution’s own operating processes.

In the project, the learner’s uniform experience has been promoted in a variety of ways, and the learner-oriented approach guides development at all levels. During the autumn, the focus has been on developing the Opin.fi service. 29 higher education institutions are already involved.

Investing in this technical development is part of a larger digital transformation. The aim is to have more uniform operating methods, processes and technical implementations that provide a good learner experience and enable better cooperation between higher education institutions in the future.

In Karelia, quality criteria have been incorporated into the teaching quality process:

“Based on the quality criteria for teaching refined in Digivisio, Karelia has drawn up its own quality criteria for online learning and a checklist to support the work of teachers. Teachers provided feedback and suggestions on the quality criteria, which helped to develop the quality criteria and checklist. This collaboration has helped create a more integrated learning environment for students.”

Action brings about change

Operational change is always challenging and you should expect it to take some time. People are used to doing things in their own way, on their own schedule and with their own goals. Various system changes and developed service platforms have also been made on the terms of their own higher education community, with their own resources and for their own needs.

We are now building a common future for learning, and we are able to utilise the competence of the higher education sector and the developers of the project to achieve common goals. In this case, we deliberate on the common good and its objectives together.

Agile development in the project has challenged higher education institutions. Decision-making cycles and methods are different. If work planning in the project has been carried out on a quarterly and two-week sprint basis, higher education institutions have had to stick to a quarterly basis when considering what change the development brings to their own institution and whose work seems to have been affected at any given time.

Despite the challenges, we must give full marks to higher education institutions for the flexibility and ability they have so consistently exercised in advancing their own development work. In many cases, it has also been possible to align development measures with those already in place. Many report that Digivisio often helps to accelerate these measures in a good way.

As the development of teaching is gradually becoming concrete among academic personnel and, for example, in RDI activities, thousands of academics are dealing with the question of what is changing and what they should do. Indeed, some are already actively producing continuous learning offerings in the Opin.fi service, and their experiences and competence should certainly be shared within and between higher education institutions.

As degree studies are included in development of the service, the importance of networking between different specialists will certainly continue to increase. The best thing has been to hear about the expectations that the change coordinators have communicated throughout this journey. It is now finally high time to meet those expectations and provide you with the support, training and knowledge of the rules that are needed in your organisation for your Opin.fi journey.

Eeva-Leena Forma
Project Manager
Support for operational change and change management

Eeva-Leena Forma, known also as “higher education institution whisperer” at the Digivisio project office, has led the change programme in 2022–2024. The programme supports higher education institutions in the operational change and change management promoted by Digivisio. Work has been carried out in close cooperation with the change coordinators of 37 higher education institutions. It has focused on the changes required by the services and operating models developed in the project and on promoting them in higher education institutions. The change coordinator network has shared expertise between higher education institutions, and supporting its work has been an important part of the change programme.

Read the other parts of the blog series as well: