The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre has conducted an audit of Savonia University of Applied
Sciences and has awarded the institution a quality label that is valid for six years from 14 April 2016.
The quality system of the institution fulfils the national criteria set for the quality management
of higher education institutions, and corresponds to the European quality assurance principles
and recommendations for higher education institutions.
The object of the audit was the quality system that the institution has developed based on its own
needs and goals. The freely selected audit target chosen by the institution was “Comprehensive
student counselling”.
The following elements were regarded as key strengths of the quality system:
▪▪ Savonia’s strength is that its information production is systematic, correct and up to date;
the information production has improved substantially over the last few years. Savonia
utilises information systematically to develop its operations; information production is also
defined as a key factor of success in the core process of education. Continuous development
has also helped Savonia to identify issues in the quality system and to streamline it.
▪▪ Strategic management, operations management and the quality system are integrated in
an excellent way. The systems constitute a harmonised, concrete whole, which is based
on the institution’s strategic goals and which continues to operational goals, taken to
different levels of the organisation, and to active goal monitoring. It is a daily task for
Savonia personnel to comply with the quality system.
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▪▪ Savonia contributes a great deal to developing the region. Priority areas and related research,
development and innovation activities are consistent with the province’s goals, and the
activities are closely linked to the region’s development programmes. Research, development
and innovation activities are networked with companies, other educational institutions
and sectoral research institutes in the region. External stakeholders report that Savonia is
on the same path with other operators in the province. Savonia actively interacts with the
working life and business sector.
Among others, the following development recommendations were given to Savonia University
of Applied Sciences:
▪▪ In the future, Savonia should assess the functionality of the team approach on the basis
of the experiences so far, and to make sure that the operations are of a consistent quality.
Some fields have practices which differ from the common rules to some extent, and these
practices should be harmonised.
▪▪ Multidisciplinary cooperation (compliant with the Open Innovation Space approach) in
education planning and implementation is, to some extent, implemented very well, for
example, between design and technology. However, a thoroughly multidisciplinary university
of applied sciences would provide more varied opportunities for cooperation, which have
not been utilised yet. The audit team encourages Savonia to expand its multidisciplinary
cooperation. In addition, Savonia should more powerfully underline the significance of
artistic activities and their connection to other fields.
▪▪ Students can submit electronic feedback on courses. The response rate is low and Savonia
has attempted to increase it in many different ways. Savonia should continue to remind
students of how important it is to give feedback so that the response rate would increase.
Verbal feedback channels are used in addition to the official ones. Savonia should specify
joint procedures for documenting and processing verbal feedback. Savonia should take care
of motivating students and staff to contribute to quality work, for example, with regard to
submitting and processing feedback, as well as to operating in working groups.