We want to thank all of you who submitted your proposition for Teacher of the Year 2020! We received 73 propositions and a total of 37 HAMK teachers were supported for Teacher of the Year. We are extremely pleased with the number of propositions and the arguments you wrote for them.
We chose three of the propositions and forwarded them to SAMOK (University of Applied Students in Finland). SAMOK is organizing a nationwide Teacher of the Year 2020 award, and each Student Union could send three propositions for the award. In addition, HAMKO will give the three HAMK teachers HAMK Teacher of the Year award in August.
Both the number of candidates and the arguments for rewarding them made the selection difficult, which was, of course, only a positive problem. After discussions, we at HAMKO decided to emphasize especially two things in our choices.
HAMKO’s priorities in selecting Teacher of the Year:
- Successful distance/e-teaching during the COVID19 restrictions, which is also emphasized by SAMOK in the national Teacher of the Year award.
- Transparency of assessment criteria and justifications for assessments that create transparency and strengthen equality between students.
The transition to distance teaching made this spring very exceptional and successful performances certainly deserve to be taken into account. Happily, there has been a lot of good examples in distance teaching at HAMK. We want to thank all the HAMK employees who have done a great job this spring! The work you do has not been overlooked by the students.
As another priority, we decided to emphasize the transparency and clear description of the assessment criteria of module or course. When a student knows what is required of them and what the goals of a course or module are, it is easier for them to achieve the goals. In addition, we emphasized justifications for assessment, which increase transparency and equality between students. The criteria recorded in support of numerical assessment reinforce the role of critique as part of the learning process. It gives the student a more accurate picture of where they has been successful and what skills they might want to improve.
HAMK’s teachers have done a great job this academic year. In August, we will announce the recipients of HAMK Teacher of the Year award and, of course, we will also announce the recipient of SAMOK’s Teacher of the Year award, too. So, remember to follow our communication channels in the summer!