Statement: Universities of Applied Sciences must ensure the quality of distance learning

Higher education shifting to distance learning raises concerns about the quality of teaching and the pedagogical skills of teachers in digital environments. The results of a distance learning survey (spring 2020) conducted by the University of Applied Sciences Students in Finland SAMOK ry for UAS students show that almost half of BBA students experience a deterioration in the quality of teaching after the transition to distance learning. As many as 44% of BBA students who responded to the survey feel that the quality of teaching has become worse or much worse.

Universities of Applied Sciences must ensure that the transition to distance learning does not deteriorate the quality of teaching.

Schools must provide functioning platforms and more resources, e.g. licenses and teacher training so that the quality of learning can be provided via online teaching as well. They effect the fluency of the teachers’ work, which in turn is strongly reflected in students' motivation to study.

“As remote studies increase, special attention must be paid to ensuring equal learning opportunities. The special needs of disadvantaged students, such as students with learning difficulties, must be taken into account”, says Jere Liitiäinen, the next chairperson of Students of Business and Technology.

Applying to low-threshold support services suffers when studying takes place off-campuses. Higher education institutions must therefore ensure the availability of support services and the students´ awareness of them.

Collecting course feedback is even more critical than before, as the feedback plays a significant role in the development of course implementations. Through active monitoring of course implementations, higher education institutions find potential problem areas and are able to react to them.

“With high-quality teaching, the student's appreciation for their own degree increases, which means that the student is motivated and committed to completing their degree until graduation,” reminds Pyry Meriluoto, the Chair of Students of Business and Technology.