Rights and responsibilities of the teacher in teaching

Freedom of teaching

Universities have freedom of research, art and teaching. While the freedom of teaching entails the teacher’s right to decide on the contents and methods of teaching, the teacher must comply with the rules and regulations issued concerning education and teaching, such as the university rules and curriculum. Teachers are also involved in designing the curriculum .

Principles guiding the work of teachers 

Teaching is a public task of the university and as such, bound by the principles of good administration laid down in the Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003). This also applies to the work of teachers. Below are some examples of how teachers can observe the key principles of the act in their everyday work.

The teacher must treat students equally and objectively. Students must be admitted to courses based on the criteria specified in advance, their coursework must be assessed against uniform criteria and information must be distributed equally. The requirement of equal treatment entails that a student with an impairment or learning difficulty that affects their participation in teaching or completion of a study attainment may be given reasonable accommodation so that they can receive education on an equal basis with other students. (See individual study arrangements at Aalto University) If a final deadline has been set for the study attainment, the teacher has the right and, from the perspective of equality, also the obligation, to adhere to this deadline. 

The teacher must remember not to participate in the assessment of the student's study attainment or in any other decision-making concerning the student if they are disqualified from the process due to, e.g. personal bias. If, for example, a teacher's child or other close relative registers for a course given by the teacher, they must consult the Learning Services of their school about the necessary arrangements. 

The teacher must take into account the legitimate expectations of students. The students have a right to familiarise themselves with the guidelines. The student’s own error or forgetfulness do not create legitimate expectations. Students must have the opportunity to plan their studies based on the information given in the confirmed curriculum and trust that the completion methods and assessment criteria specified in the curriculum will be followed. Teachers have the right to decide on their course completion methods within the framework set by the curriculum, and the obligation to keep to the methods they have decided. However, individual study arrangements must be taken into account as instructed. If the teacher believes they have a justified reason for modifying the curriculum or evaluation criteria, they must first consult the Learning Services of their school.

Student enquiries must be answered appropriately and within a reasonable time using appropriate and clear language. Nonetheless, teachers have no obligation to be available to their students outside of their customary working hours, e.g. in the evenings, weekends or during holidays. Teachers should clearly communicate any longer periods of absence not only to their supervisor and HR, but also to the students and Learning Services. Teachers are not obligated to respond to messages immediately. A good practice is to notify the sender that their message has been received even if you were unable to provide an immediate solution to the issue.

If the course involves multi-channel communication, the teacher must clearly indicate through which channels the course information can be found and how and when they can be reached if there are additional questions. Teachers are allowed to direct students to use these channels in order to manage the number of enquiries and help students find the right information. The teacher has the right to adhere to the appointment time(s) that they have announced to the students.

If any student’s way of communicating starts to feel disturbing or burdensome, for example due to repetition or an inappropriate tone, or concerns arise about a student's well-being for some other reason, the teacher should consult the Learning Services of the school about further measures.

Safe university environment

Teachers have a duty to strive to promote a peaceful and safe university environment in the teaching situations for which they are responsible. A shared policy on working methods and rules should be established at the start of each course. The teacher has a right and a responsibility to verbally address any disruptive behaviour as they see fit. Serious cases are reported to the course teacher-in-charge and the manager of academic affairs of the school. In serious cases, you should follow the procedure outlined in the university guideline ‘Procedures for emergencies and disruptions’. Familiarise yourself with the instructions beforehand to make sure you are equipped to act and help in different situations. 

In the case of an emergency, you should always first call 112, the emergency response centre. 

In other assistance needs than emergencies, you can call the AaltoAPUA helpline (050 46 46 462). The helpline will pass on your request for assistance to the correct people or organisation: the university service unit in question, property maintenance company, guards, etc.

• Rules of Conduct – Students’ Rights and Responsibilities (in force from 1 August 2020)| Aalto University
• Agreeing guidelines for inclusive interaction in course| Aalto University 
• Instructions for investigating suspected cases of misconduct and disruptions of student learning | Aalto University
• Safety – Procedures for emergencies and disruptions|Aalto University

Investigating inappropriate conduct

The student has a right to have any inappropriate conduct they have experienced investigated by the school. Also teachers have a right to have any inappropriate conduct they have experienced investigated by the school. Teachers are obligated to intervene in any inappropriate conduct the observe in a teaching situation.

If a teacher in a party in a conflict, they have the right to present their view on the matter.

Rules of Conduct – Students’ Rights and Responsibilities (in force from 1 August 2020)| Aalto University

Investigating suspected misconduct in studies

Aalto University has a policy on processing suspected cases of misconduct in studies. If misconduct is suspected, instead of failing the study attainment directly or taking other disciplinary measures, the teacher must first contact the school manager of academic affairs for assistance and advice in the matter; the school managers are typically assigned as investigators in cases of misconduct in studies. Link to guidelines and information on investigators, OOS sections 39 and 40.

Aalto University Code of Academic Integrity and Handling Violations thereof Aalto University

Ohjeistusten vastuuhenkilöt ja yhteystiedot (contact information in Finnish)

Academic appeals

Under the Universities Act (558/2009), the student has a right to appeal against the evaluation of their study attainment. The course teacher-in-charge must issue a decision on the matter. 

Academic appeals | Aalto University

Students who are dissatisfied with the teacher’s decision have a right to submit an appeal to the Academic Appeals Board. In such cases, the teacher must contribute to solving the issue and has the right to present their views on the matter.

Preparing a statement to student’s appeal | Aalto University

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