Goals for the curriculum design work in 2024–2026

The goal of our strategy is ambitious: we want to shape a sustainable future. We want to respond to global grand challenges by educating game changers who have the advanced research-based knowledge needed to solve multidisciplinary and complex challenges. This is no easy task and will also require a willingness to reshape the curriculum.

For the programmes, this means adopting a future-led way of thinking that allows the crystallisation of the programme aims and updating the intended learning outcomes to support those aims. Furthermore, programmes or other study modules should be designed, in collaboration with the teacher community, so that they are aligned and employ a wide variety of inclusive teaching and learning methods. At its best, the curriculum design process contributes to the well-being and inclusiveness of the community when the whole academic community of the programme – teachers, students and other stakeholders – are invited to join in the work.  

The outcome of this development work will be a future-led curriculum that allows the students to gain both generic skills and in-depth knowledge of their field of study. 

In the 2024–2026 academic years, our shared goals in curriculum design will be the following:

1. We will continue to integrate sustainability, radical creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset into our programmes. The programmes will continue the work of identifying the sustainability challenges and solutions that apply to each field and developing the intended learning outcomes to respond to them, then updating the curriculum to correspond to the revised outcomes.
2. We will continue strengthening education that supports lifewide learning. As part of the curriculum design work, schools and units are asked to identify such components of their education offerings that meet the needs of lifewide learning (courses or parts thereof, larger study modules or ‘microcredentials’).
3. We will implement the new language guidelines. Implementation of the Aalto University Language Guidelines and an assessment of the Aalto University Guidelines on the Languages of Degree and Instruction will take place in 2023. The measures to be implemented on the basis of the assessment will affect the 2024–2026 curriculum. More information on the assessment process will be available in 2023. 

In addition to the above goals, our curriculum design work is also influenced by the previous teaching and learning evaluation exercise (TEE) and two other assessments to be completed in 2023 as well as the development measures taken based on their results.

• Responding to the development needs identified in the TEE evaluation: Based on the recommendations given in the teaching and learning evaluation exercise (TEE), we will further the systematic development of our curriculum with a view to creating future-led and continually developing programmes with crystallised aims. 
• Responding to the results of the quality audits conducted by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC): The results of the FINEEC quality audit were published in April. The development measures identified based on the results may affect the curriculum for the 2024–2026 academic years.
• Responding to the results of the International Student Barometer (ISB): Aalto’s results in the International Student Barometer, a survey on the study experiences of international students at universities, will be presented on 3 March from 10–11.30 in an open virtual event. Once the results have been presented, the university will agree on the related development measures and their implementation. The feedback as well as the development measures may influence also our curriculum design work. For additional information on the ISB survey, contact [email protected] and [email protected].