Flexible pedagogy and JYULearn
Flexible pedagogy refers to much more than just multimodal learning methods. Flexible pedagogy also means pedagogical solutions that are built into courses to best support the reinforcement of students’ competence, academic expertise and internationalisation skills. Flexible pedagogical solutions allow the student’s individual study path and competence level to be taken into account. Pedagogical solutions concern, for example, languages used in teaching situations, learning tasks, delivery methods of study units, feedback and assessment. We are constantly developing new, effective approaches to all of these.
In addition to contact teaching, many Movi courses offer an option for remote participation and some courses can be completed entirely independently. Some courses also include simultaneous hybrid teaching. (For more information on the different modes of teaching at the University of Jyväskylä, go here.)
Learning is perceived as a communal experience where, through discussion and reflection on perceptions and experiences with others, students develop a sense of belonging and their personal professional identity.
The starting points for the pedagogy of communication and language studies are interaction and student-centered learning. Learning is a communal experience where, through discussion and reflection on perceptions and experiences with others, students develop a sense of belonging and their personal professional identity. Verbal skills, in particular, are difficult to assess if the student and teacher only interact remotely. On the other hand, studying remotely can give students a sense of empowerment and increase their confidence, for example in presenting, if they can participate in classes in a familiar environment.
At Movi we focus on giving students a sense of belonging when they participate in language and communication studies regardless of the mode of teaching. For both students and teachers, developing a sense of belonging is influenced by factors such as the learning environment and the interactive relationships that are formed within it, the opportunity to influence things, the experience of being valued, individual characteristics and received support For an example, see this blog post on building a sense of belonging (in Finnish). Through our pedagogical solutions and curricula, we aim to provide the best possible support for strengthening students’ skills at different stages of their studies, from their first year at university to their doctoral studies.
We also work to keep up to date with pedagogical developments and the use of different applications in our teaching. At Movi, we see AI as an assistive intelligence that, when used ethically and appropriately, enhances and supports students’ learning and skills. For students, we have created guidelines for the use of AI-based applications in studies at Movi as a supplement to the general guidelines of the university.
Movi currently has a team working on flexible pedagogy. Its members are engaged in developing various flexible pedagogical solutions for their own courses, and these are shared with other teachers at Movi and across the university community. The team members’ areas of expertise include hybrid working, learning environment development, accessible learning materials, designing online education, online interaction, flipped learning, appropriate use of AI and various technological applications.
Members of the team are also involved in JYULearn activities in various roles. For example, we have been involved in drawing up guidelines on the use of hybrid equipment and in developing the university’s policies on blended learning, teaching and guidance. In addition, some of the team members are involved in JYULearn’s sparring activities.
