Kielibuusti Project 2025–2028 Supports International Students and Staff at Aalto University

The focal points of the Kielibuusti development work for 2025–2028 are the employment and language skills of international students at Aalto University. The project facilitates students’ language learning paths in collaboration with the Language Centre and schools. In addition to popular Finnish courses, an AI-assisted Finnish 1 online course and a Finnish as a second language minor will be created for the curriculum period 2026–2028. Other initiatives include a language learning planning tool called Language-PSP (Kieli-HOPS) for academic advising, as well as training for Aalto's teaching staff on multilingual education.

"The goal is to provide Aalto’s international students with even better opportunities to learn and use the Finnish language at the university, so they are more prepared for the workforce upon graduation," says Sanni Heinzmann, Kielibuusti project manager.

The project also focuses on developing teaching and working practices that support Aalto University’s multilingual community and language policy implementation. In the academic year 2025–2026, workshops and training will be offered to Aalto University staff to incorporate language policies into teaching, and guidelines for multilingual operations in work communities will be published in cooperation with Human Resource Services.

During the Kielibuusti project phase 2021–2024, research-based solutions for learning and teaching Finnish and Swedish were developed through the collaboration of five universities. The results included the nationally beneficial Kielibuusti.fi website, which offers various learning and teaching tools for language learners and teachers, as well as resources for universities and work communities. The website maintenance and development continue, as does the collaboration with stakeholders in higher education, integration, and employment sectors. The Kielibuusti project for 2025–2028 is implemented by Aalto University and the University of Helsinki.