Language Centre:
Address:Fabianinkatu 26 (classrooms, Study Office, administration)
or Vuorikatu 5 (teachers)
P.O.Box 4
00014 University of Helsinki
Quality and evaluation
The University of Helsinki defines quality as expedience of operations and the results of high quality.
Quality assurance at the Language Centre is based on a quality culture which acknowledges quality and quality assurance as an inherent part of all activities and recognises quality assurance as a means to develop one’s work. The aim is to achieve a standard of quality which has been jointly created and maintained, and which is based on the Language Centre’s target programme (in Finnish) and the quality policy of the University of Helsinki.
The Language Centre Operations manual is based on the University of Helsinki Operations Manual and was written as a team effort by the Language Centre Committee for the Development of Teaching and by small groups focussing on a specific topic. The Manual is being revised in autumn 2011.
The Language Centre participates in the evaluations and audits undertaken by the University of Helsinki.
The Language Centre has participated in the following evaluation projects:
Assessment of teaching quality at the University of Helsinki(2010)
International evaluation of education at the University of Helsinki (2007-2008)
Audit of the University of Helsinki quality assurance system (2007)
Evaluation of the quality of education and degrees at the University of Helsinki (2002) (in Finnish)
Development of language teaching through benchmarking (2001) (in Finnish)
Maikki Friberg award for outstanding work to promote equality at the University of Helsinki 2011
Centre of Excellence in Teaching 2010-2012
Honourable mention in the University of Helsinki Educational Technology Award competition, 2009: Kielijelppi, an advisory practice tool for better academic communication in Finnish and Swedish
Honourable mention in the University of Helsinki Educational Technology Award competition, 2007:
The Kaleidoskooppi/Kaleidoscope site (created in cooperation with the Virtual University Unit of the University of Art and Design Helsinki). When planning language studies, students may use this site to reflect on their characteristics as language learners.
University of Helsinki Quality Award, 2002:
The Language Centre was awarded for its efforts in international cooperation and the development of its staff’s professional competence.
University of Helsinki Educational Technology Award, 1997:
The Språknät site for Swedish studies (created in cooperation with the Language Centres of the Universities of Tampere and Turku and the Department of Languages and Communication at the Helsinki School of Economics).