In total, the Bachelor’s and Master's Programme in Education include nine study tracks, in addition to which the Faculty is responsible for the international Master’s Programme in Changing Education.
The undergraduate degrees in educational sciences can be completed in both Finnish and Swedish, while the international master’s programme is available in English.
In addition to the undergraduate degrees, the Faculty organises pedagogical studies that provide the qualifications of a teacher to students of other faculties. Students can also complete a doctoral degree and a number of other study options at the Faculty.
The Department of Education has some 200 research and teaching staff, while the teacher training schools employ roughly 150 teachers who are responsible for the provision of teaching at the schools and the supervision of teacher students.
The teaching provided at the Faculty is always a reflection of the times, utilising the latest knowledge pertaining to learning and teaching. Teaching is also a target of continual development, a process where the participating students hold a significant and active role. Collaborative planning is a key starting point in both curriculum design on the degree programme level as well as in the planning of individual courses and teaching sessions.
Studying at the Faculty is founded on research relating to learning and teaching. A unit specialising in university pedagogy operates under the Faculty. Teaching at the Faculty is developed together with specialists in university pedagogy. Education is a multidisciplinary field of science. Consequently, different research traditions and practices are reflected in the implementation of various courses and study modules. For example, the multidisciplinary studies that provide the qualifications of a class teacher involve the study of the didactics of school subjects. As a result, students encounter information practices associated with the arts, natural sciences and social sciences.
In the studies required of teachers, the focus is on strengthening the teacher identity, while other studies concentrate on boosting the expert identity. A central principle in all study tracks is the attainment of professional ethics of a high standard. This is achieved through diverse interaction with Faculty staff and other students.
Digitalisation in teaching refers to both utilising state-of-the-art technical teaching solutions and learning the authentic digital practices of the field. Teaching involves the active testing, development and use of novel technical solutions. Students familiarise themselves open-mindedly with the opportunities afforded by digital solutions, while their applicability to different teaching and learning situations is thoroughly assessed and analysed. Since teaching and learning constitute a subject of research at the Faculty, the teaching provided mirrors the latest understanding of teaching. Socio-digital learning involves, among other things, the creation of shared artefacts by means of digital tools.
Offering as broad a view of university education as possible, as well as of the future and digitalisation of education as a whole, is important in the training of teachers and experts in the education sector. Good digital skills are an important part of the competence of all specialists in the educational sciences, teachers in particular.
The development of digital pedagogy is coordinated by the Faculty’s digital working group together with the Digipedagogiikka nyt (in Finnish) (‘Digital pedagogy now’) project, under which a comprehensive digital learning path at the Faculty has been developed for students. Digitori events, held four times a year, serve as a platform for sharing expertise and networking. Weekly digital coffee breaks support the development of digital pedagogy solutions by Faculty staff.
Acquiring skills relevant to the promotion of a sustainability mindset and sustainable operations constitutes both a part of the content of studies and a method of action. For instance, a study module in sustainability education is organised at the Faculty. Several courses examine the ecological, social, cultural and economic questions of sustainability in connection with education-related phenomena.
Active at the Faculty is KekePeda, a working group focused on sustainable development pedagogy, which is tasked with planning, developing and brainstorming Faculty practices and everyday activities as well as teaching that highlights sustainable development.
With the exception of the teacher training schools, the Faculty’s facilities are located at Siltavuorenpenger in the historical University area in the Helsinki city centre. The buildings, which were originally designed at different periods of time for, among other things, teaching in physics and medicine, form an architecturally interesting whole where the old and the new come together, striving to meet the needs of the 21st century. A number of new pedagogically functional solutions have been implemented on the premises, supporting inclusivity and a spirit of cooperation at the Faculty.
Siltavuorenpenger houses special facilities for teaching didactics in arts and crafts as well as early childhood education. The special facilities make it possible to practise the information practices of various fields of knowledge and provide related teaching. Other teaching facilities offer modern technical equipment and flexibility according to varying needs. Education facility design is one of the many research areas of the Faculty of Educational Sciences. The Faculty’s teaching facilities are continually being refurbished, remodelled and developed.
Alongside physical facilities, students meet in digital environments. The University’s shared information systems relevant to teaching and studying are broadly used in teaching. Teachers actively develop a pedagogical approach and learning environments that combine digital solutions and physical presence.