Tip of the Week: A questionnaire is an easy way for students to order services

What is it?

The backgrounds of the questionnaires is in the HowULearn questionnaire of the University of Helsinki, which was created again two years ago to provide more opportunities for reflection and act more concretely as a service for students.

For two years, these kinds of questionnaires have been used to provide over 1 500 service performances at Aalto ENG and a several times larger target group has been informed about the service production.

How?

The questionnaire is sent to first-year students in the autumn and spring and once during the second and third year of studies.

The student typically gives his or her name when responding to the questionnaire. There is a possibility to respond anonymously, but only few choose to do so. The Learning Services organise services according to the responses given by the students as well as the students' wishes. Service production uses general information messages as a starting point. The messages include a compilation of Into links related to the service. Subsequently, workshops are organised for students according to their needs. If necessary, students are contacted and guided individually.

What is it suitable for?

The practice is suitable for effective targeted service production and producing individual service to students. Degree programmes can also use the questionnaire to become better familiar with the needs for knowledge among their students and receive valuable feedback, e.g. on academic advising and orientation.

Benefits?

The student gets an easy opportunity for ordering a service or obtaining more information. The student structures his or her thoughts using the means of reflection and makes his or her goals concrete with the choices made. The student can see that he or she has an effect on the school's issues as the results are communicated to the entire target group of the questionnaire. The degree programme gains valuable information about the goals of the students, e.g. in relation to their timetable for graduating, number of credits accumulated and programme selection at the master's degree stage.

Based on the feedback, students have even felt like they are maintaining dialogue with their higher education institution.

What is required?

The practice requires a person to produce the questionnaire and link the questionnaires and service producers together as well as plenty of enthusiasm to communicate to the students in connection with the invitation to the questionnaire, reminders and distribution of results. The practice also requires a register description.

Further information:

Project Manager Ville Kivimäki, Aalto ENG, [email protected]

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