What is in store for the Opin.fi service in 2024?

The Opin.fi service has an important year ahead – the first deployments in higher education institutions are scheduled for the autumn. The service will be launched in 2025.

The new version of the Opin.fi service will bring new features during the spring

Right now, the Opin.fi service focuses on the development of the so-called Technical Release Component 2.0. The technical release component builds upon the previously completed Technical Release Component 1.0: while retaining the previous features, the new version will also bring new functionalities and elements. If you cannot quite remember the features developed in version 1.0, you can revisit them here.

The development of version 2.0 began in spring 2023 and it should be completed on schedule at the end of March.

The completion of the new version means that higher education institutions can automatically import formal study offerings into the service from the Sisu and Peppi systems through interfaces. In their own systems, higher education institutions can determine which content they want to publish in the service, and the options are transferred directly to the Opin.fi service via the interface. It is also possible for the Fitech network to manage the available content.

For the learner, the service now offers new features that allow for searching, browsing, and filtering of formal offerings. In addition, after finding interesting content, the learner can move on to the training provider’s website to register. As a new feature, learners can receive recommendations for content and view their most recently browsed materials.

Learners can access the service with or without a login, and they can also create an Opin.fi account if they prefer. The account allows learners to view their study information. The service is available in Finnish, Swedish and English.

The second quarter will bring tests, fixes and final touches to the beta version

After the completion of Technical Release Component 2.0, extensive testing is expected to follow. From April onwards, the focus will be on running tests that address issues such as information security, accessibility, performance, approval and usability to ensure that the developed service works as desired. Both minor and major findings are expected to emerge.

– Any critical errors and flaws that prevent use will be corrected before Opin.fi is implemented. These may include findings related to information security, slowing down of the service as the number of users increases, or critical deficiencies in accessibility. The smaller findings will be arranged in order of priority and a corrective action plan will be drawn up for them, too, explains Product Manager Annu Schroderus.

Along with conducting tests and fixing any issues found, the transition from the current version to a beta version will begin. The beta phase that will start in the Opin.fi service in the autumn means that the higher education institutions will introduce the service in stages. In order to reach the beta phase, certain additional features must be added to the version 2.0 completed in the spring.

– As Opin.fi will not yet be openly available to everyone at the beta stage, we must consider, for example, how to restrict access to the service. Feedback from users is also essential in the beta phase, which means that functional solutions are also needed for this purpose, Schroderus says.

When these concerns have been addressed, implementation of the service can commence, and we can advance to the beta phase and deployment of the service in the higher education institutions in the autumn.

Autumn will mark the beginning of the beta phase and deployment at higher education institutions

If everything goes as planned, higher education institutions will be able to start using the Opin.fi service during the autumn. Not all 37 higher education institutions will adopt the service at once, but they will join in gradually, starting this autumn. This will allow higher education institutions to bring their own content to the service, which is, of course, the very essence of Opin.fi.

Learners can be included in the service when there is an adequate supply available. At the moment, it looks as though learners can be directed to join the service between October and November.

However, it is worth remembering that the Opin.fi service will still be a beta version at this stage. The service will not be fully equipped with all its features until its official launch in 2025. In addition, Opin.fi will not yet be openly available to all, as its usage will be restricted.

– The service will not be complete in the beta phase, but we place great importance on receiving feedback from real learners regarding their experiences. This allows higher education institutions to assess the quality of data in their own educational offerings, and enables the testing of internal processes related to the service before its official release to the public, Schroderus explains.

Simultaneously with the implementations and the beta phase, work on product development will continue: the service’s next version, 3.0, is already under way. In other words, Opin.fi has a work-filled year ahead, comprising both numerous activities and high expectations – stay tuned!

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