The quality of a University of Applied Sciences degree is not just a formality but a concrete promise to students and employers regarding the level of competence of students. The Finnish Education Evaluation Center (Karvi) supports quality management in higher education institutions and assesses whether education meets jointly agreed criteria (Tukea laadunhallintaan, n.d). When degrees are regularly reviewed by an external body through regular audits, we can be even more confident that graduates from different higher education institutions are in a comparable position.
Student Unions are a statutory part of the structure of higher education institutions and play an important role in quality control. For example, at JAMKO, the Student Union of Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences, quality control is carried out through an anonymous survey during Grumble weeks, which allows students to give feedback on, for example, the quality of education. The feedback is forwarded directly to the school’s management and reviewed with the relevant persons. (Jupinaviikot, n.d.)
SAMOK also plays a very important role in this, as it is easier to convey messages directly to decision-makers and to have an impact through Karvi, for example. Student Unions, on the other hand, are more familiar with their own higher education institutions and work to influence matters locally. An example of this is the degree regulations at each higher education institution, which the student unions are familiar with. SAMOK should take advantage of the Student Unions’ expertise in this area and pass on the message.
When quality management works at both the local and national levels, it creates a system that is both close to the everyday life of students and in line with national objectives. The assessments and audits carried out by Karvi are not just pieces of paper, but concrete tools that guide the development of education (Korkeakoulutus, n.d). This means, for example, that any identified weaknesses must be addressed and that development must be based on knowledge, not just imagination.
Ultimately, effective quality management is a collaborative effort: Karvi creates the structure and evaluation criteria, higher education institutions are responsible for implementation, student unions ensure that student feedback is heard, and SAMOK carries the voice of students to those who make policy decisions. This creates a functional system in which a degree is not a matter of chance but a jointly ensured high-quality outcome.
However, the importance of quality assurance does not end here. The world of employment is changing rapidly, and the pressure to update skills is constantly growing. Therefore,
quality assessment and student-oriented feedback must continue in the future as systematically as they have done until now. This will enable us to ensure that University of Applied Sciences education remains valuable in ten years’ and that students can trust that what they are studying is relevant in a changing world. Quality management is therefore a continuous and changing process, not a project that can be declared complete.
Sources:
- Jupinaviikot. N.d. Sub-page on Student Union JAMKO’s web page. Referred 19.10.2025.
https://www.jamko.fi/edunvalvonta/osallistu-ja-vaikuta/jupinaviikot/. - Korkeakoulutus. N.d. Sub-page on Karvi web page. Referred 19.10.2025.
https://www.karvi.fi/fi/arvioinnit/korkeakoulutus. - Tukea laadunhallintaan. N.d. Sub-page on Karvi web page. Referred 19.10.2025.
https://www.karvi.fi/fi/tietoa-meista/tukea-laadunhallintaan.
Author: Annu Suvilehto, candidate for SAMOK board for 2026
During the autumn, candidates for the SAMOK Board of Directors for 2026 will be presented on the SAMOK blog and on social media. For more information about the General Assembly, click here.