Master’s degree programmes at Xamk are provided by Master School. Master School is a multidisciplinary, international and change-oriented learning and RDI environment. You can choose from a number of different learning paths to develop your expertise and skills and promote your career.
Graduates from Master School are experts in understanding and recognising changes in work environments. At Master School, you have the opportunity to study in multidisciplinary learning and development environments that are closely linked to work-related development and innovation.
You can flexibly choose courses from the selection offered by Xamk’s Master School.
Your teachers provide guidance and counselling, encouraging critical thinking, argumentation and generation and application of new knowledge.
The general and programme-specific learning outcomes and the process of students’ professional growth and learning are specified in the curriculum of the university of applied sciences. The curriculum is based on the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and National Qualifications Framework (NQF).
Level 7 corresponds to the knowledge and skills achieved by completing a Master’s degree. The curriculum is based on the needs and development of the world of work and the overall strategic choices of Xamk.
The competence-based curriculum consists of the programme’s learning outcomes, modules and courses. The objectives, contents, teachers, learning and teaching modes, arrangements, work required, timetables and evaluation methods for courses are specified in implementation plans.
The implementation plans provide the foundation for students’ personal study plans (‘HOPS’ in Finnish) and individual choices. In addition, they provide the basis for fruitful co-operation between students representing different fields of study.
An education program provides the ability to evaluate and develop data-based welfare services. Education focuses on an innovative development perspective and a future perspective. Through education, the student can expand and deepen his / her expertise in utilizing well-being information in his / her own work, in developing his / her own field and in multidisciplinary collaborative networks, evaluating the effectiveness of welfare services from customer and organization perspective, evaluating and developing operational models and profitability of data-based welfare services and in designing and managing knowledge-based welfare services.
Complementary studies consist of the studies offered by the Master's degree in accordance with the student's personal study plan (HOPS). Complementary studies can also be selected from other higher education degrees offered at higher education institutions. The student can build his / her study path, for example, on his / her own professional competence in depth, on the development of professional life or by professional expansion in general.
The content and implementation of the education program is designed in co-operation with Xamk's various fields of education. Xamk's master degree studies are studied in a multidisciplinary student and learning community at the Master School. Development of Data-based Welfare Services (YAMK) education program is organized as studies, which includes coaching, online teaching, independent and group work. There is an average of 2 teaching days per week.
The new Xamk Active Life Lab is a learning environment that provides the ultimate in research, development and teaching of digital welfare interventions. The guiding principle of the Laboratory's research activity is the development of data-based welfare services and the measurement of the effectiveness. Studying at Active Life Lab gives a lookout for the future of welfare services planning. Xamk Active Life Lab is located at the new Saimaa Stadium in Mikkeli.
Competence-based curricula require competence-based evaluation.
Your degree programme applies Xamk’s common evaluation criteria for Master’s programmes, from which course-specific evaluation criteria have been derived. Students receive grades for courses in accordance with the degree regulation. Course-specific evaluation criteria can be found in the course description.
The most important objective of evaluation is to inform students of the level of their knowledge and skills and help them to improve their skills. Various assessment methods are used for the evaluation of learning, including course- and module-specific evaluation by the teacher, peer evaluation and evaluation by the employer. In addition, students evaluate themselves. Self-evaluation is part of the process of professional growth which is promoted through guidance discussions between the group tutor and the student.
Study counselling is an important tool for achieving the goals of students by supporting students’ self-direction and commitment to their learning process. Counselling enhances collaboration between the partners involved in the learning process. With the help of counselling, students’ inner growth and development towards becoming professionals will be enhanced.
At the beginning of the studies, there will be an orientation day, which starts the drawn of personal study plan. Mentor teachers are responsible for that planning. Personal study plan supports students personal learning process and development in a goal-oriented and professional growth. The personal study plan will be updated second school year and later if necessary. There are also optional staff members at each unit, who are responsible for coordinating optional studies, personal study plans and international studies. Help is also available in social an health matters. Additional information can be obtained from mentor teachers, peer tutors and study secretaries.
The degree programme uses the Moodle learning environment, where you can find study material, study support, guidance and counselling. The Moodle learning environment is in Finnish.
Xamk offers excellent facilities to support your learning. A significant part of studies take place outside the classroom. Innovation and project environments (e.g. Xinno, Xentre, CampusIT and Logistiikkaverstas Logistics Workshop), different kinds of simulation environments and teaching restaurants, eLearning environments and working-life and RDI projects will facilitate your learning. You can also conduct your studies in two authentic local environments: in the forest and at sea.
Xamk values quality and the improvement of quality is integral part of the work of all staff and students. Xamk continuously improves the quality of teaching, guidance, learning environments and degree programmes.
The feedback collected on a regular basis from students, staff and stakeholders is very important for the quality improvement work. As a student, you have a central role in the continuous development of quality at Xamk. During your studies, you will be asked to answer a number of quality surveys. Course feedback, the entry and development surveys carried out during your
studies and the feedback collected at the graduation stage constitute part of our quality assurance system.
Staff and students process quality feedback together on various collaboration forums, deciding on new methods and discussing the effects of previous development measures. These forums provide an efficient channel for students to express their views on performance and planned measures. The figure below illustrates the path of course feedback.
Student Teacher Director of Education
COURSE FEEDBACK
RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK
SUMMARY
PERFORMANCE REVIEW
Our quality assurance system is based on the so-called circle of continuous development, or quality circle: Plan – Do – Check – Act. For more information about quality assessment and improvement, see the Student intranet.
After completing the education program, you can work, for example, in welfare planning tasks, as a leader in development projects, as an expert in acquiring welfare services or as an independent entrepreneur. The education program gives the same qualifications as the Master's degree.