Developing university teaching together in Oulu

At the University of Oulu, we have worked systematically for decades to strengthen our teaching expertise. Now we are bringing university pedagogy studies, day-to-day support for teachers, digital teaching development and research on teaching closer together. We thank everyone who has helped lay the foundations for this work. We invite everyone interested to join us in shaping the future of university teaching.

For us in Oulu, developing expertise in university pedagogy is part of teachers’ professional development throughout their careers. University pedagogy studies strengthen teaching competence and support the pedagogical development of teaching communities and the university as a whole. To ensure a pedagogical foundation for teaching, we require everyone working in teaching and guidance roles to complete at least 25 ECTS credits of basic studies in university pedagogy.

We also offer shorter study modules both for those starting their teaching careers and for those who have already completed pedagogical studies. OPE and the Faculty of Education and Psychology will continue to offer university pedagogy studies (60 ECTS credits) that provide a pedagogical qualification for teaching.

Opintori and mentoring continue as the University Pedagogy Team grows stronger

The University of Oulu has a long tradition of developing university pedagogy and teaching competence together. One concrete example is Opintori, an event associated with university pedagogy studies that will be held for the 20th time in spring 2027. Opintori provides a forum for sharing good practices and new ideas in teaching, guidance, and learning. At its heart are presentations of the outcomes of teaching practice by participants in university pedagogy studies.

University pedagogy studies will continue to be grounded in research, strengthen teacher identity and encourage teachers to take a reflective, inquiry-oriented approach to their own teaching. Mentoring will also continue, with more experienced teachers supervising the teaching practice of those taking part in the studies.

The University Pedagogy Team within OPE is taking shape and brings together teachers and lecturers in university pedagogy. Merja Maikkola and Mervi Heikkinen will join the team from the Faculty of Education and Psychology, bringing the faculty’s expertise with them. Both have taught university pedagogy studies for many years and have each done valuable work to advance teaching competence at the University of Oulu. The team will also be strengthened through new recruitment.

“We are not starting from scratch, but building on a strong foundation. This new phase gives us an opportunity to bring university pedagogy studies, support for day-to-day teaching and the development of teaching across the university together more naturally,” says Sanna Eronen, Director of OPE.

Supporting teachers throughout their careers

Teachers need different kinds of support at different stages of their careers. By strengthening OPE and university pedagogy studies, we want to bring staff orientation, pedagogical studies, mentoring, peer learning and the collaborative development of teaching together into a coherent continuum.

In practice, we help new teachers get started and provide support with teaching design and assessment. We offer pedagogical studies and mentoring, and we support collaborative development work within teaching teams. We also collaborate with degree programmes on broader curriculum revisions. Digital pedagogy, the use of artificial intelligence in teaching, and questions related to online teaching form part of the same framework.

Our aim is for teachers to find appropriate support when they need it – whether they are starting their careers, taking on new teaching responsibilities or drawing on their experience to develop teaching. We develop solutions together with faculties, degree programmes, teachers, and students.

We will establish a broadly representative steering group to support the research-based approach, quality, and strategic development of our activities. The Faculty of Education and Psychology will continue to provide intermediate studies in university pedagogy (35 ECTS credits). Close cooperation between OPE and the faculty will continue. Completing both the basic and intermediate studies in university pedagogy (60 ECTS credits in total) provides a broad pedagogical qualification for teaching.

We are also bringing research on teaching and practical development work closer together. We want to enable joint research and development projects in which teachers, students, pedagogical experts and researchers examine teaching, learning, and pedagogical reforms together. Research helps us understand what works in teaching, for whom and in what circumstances. Collaborative experiments, in turn, generate new questions for research. In this way, research on teaching does not remain separate from development work but supports the long-term renewal of the university’s teaching culture.

Valuable work in networks continues

For almost three decades, Merja’s work has combined the development of university pedagogy with cooperation between higher education institutions. In June 2026, she received a certificate of recognition from the Finnish Research Association of University Pedagogy (YPED) and the Finnish Higher Education Pedagogy Network (FinHE) for her long-standing and distinguished work with the Pedaforum network and Kouke, the network of educators and developers.

“I would like to emphasise that network collaboration is not something you do alone. I have had the pleasure of working with enthusiastic and innovative higher education developers and teachers, initially across universities and, since our network expanded a few years ago, also with universities of applied sciences. In addition to the developers, special thanks go to the hundreds of teachers who have boldly and open-mindedly set out to investigate and develop their own teaching,” says Merja Maikkola.

The network collaboration Merja describes is also an important part of the next phase of university pedagogy. We want to continue sharing experiences and developing teaching together with other higher education institutions. The best pedagogical insights rarely emerge in isolation. We need cooperation between teachers, researchers, pedagogical experts, students and higher education institutions.

An invitation to develop teaching together

Digitalisation, artificial intelligence, students’ diverse needs and changes in working life challenge us to renew teaching in higher education. The Ministry of Education and Culture’s Vision for Higher Education and Research 2040 provides national direction for this work. We do not have ready-made answers to every question, so we need shared learning, research, experimentation and the exchange of experiences, both within our own university and between higher education institutions.

The year 2026 is a period of preparation and transition. Our strengthened university pedagogy activities will begin in 2027. We are consulting faculties, degree programmes, teachers and students about the support and cooperation they need and would welcome from this new framework.

We also invite colleagues from other higher education institutions to join us in dialogue, joint research and development projects, pedagogical experiments, and networks. Let’s share experiences and shape the future of higher education teaching and learning together.

Authors
Director Sanna Eronen, OPE – Centre for pedagogical support and development
Specialist Venla Vuorjoki, OPE – Centre for pedagogical support and development
Professor Minna Uitto, Faculty of Education and Psychology
University Lecturer Merja Maikkola, Faculty of Education and Psychology

What is OPE?

OPE – Centre for Pedagogical Support and Development is an expert partner in advancing teaching, pedagogy and digital pedagogy. We support day-to-day teaching and innovation and provide opportunities to meet and share expertise.

We work with teachers, teaching teams and communities, as well as degree programme directors, to support the long-term development of teaching. We also contribute to the strategic development of teaching across the university, promote the recognition of teaching and foster pedagogical well-being.

In accordance with the University of Oulu’s decision, we will also be responsible for providing basic studies in university pedagogy (25 ECTS credits) for university staff from the beginning of 2027.