How to improve study success - Dutch students benchmarking in Tampere

The TAMK Kuntokatu Campus was like asleep during the holiday week, but the vibrant discussions started immediately when the group of Student Council members from Delft University of Technology arrived here yesterday morning. The Dutch engineering students were on a benchmarking trip in the Nordic countries in three destinations: Copenhagen, Trondheim and Tampere. The core question of their visit was how to improve the study success.

The President of Central Student Counsil - ORAS, Enne Hekma, explaining the aims of their research during the trip

 

In the Netherlands the current demands for reforming the higher education are similar to ours in Finland. Decreasing average study duration and changing the student state funding system are hot topics in both countries. Also the governmental budget for Dutch universities is more and more performance based, measuring education quality and study success. 

However, in the discussion with Student Union Tamko representatives, Henri Mäntysaari and Kristian Staack, we noticed also differences in the students’ situations. Students have different attitudes towards the study loans and the costs of studies also vary between the countries. 

The sunshine and lovely scenery over the Lake Näsijärvi made our guests to smile

The other important topic of the day was the working life connections. TAMK Student Recruitment Services presented what kind of support and options TAMK offers for the students. Also the concept of New Factory with Demola and Protomo environments was introduced. Our guests seemed to be thrilled with this unique combination of multidisplinary team work, creativity and working life contacts. Hopefully they got some new ideas to bring back home! Best of all, sharing experiences helps the hosts to see the own system from a new perspective as well.

During the week in Tampere the group visits also University of Tampere, Tampere University of Technology, Nokia and enjoys the winter activities.

Stylish way to promote Student Council's theme colors

Text: Kaisa Merilahti, International Services

Photos: Tuula Härkönen & Kaisa Merilahti

Language Bath - Learning language in practice

Henri Mäntysaari, Kristian Staack, Viktoriia Moiseeva, Arthur Duchamp
and Iddah Ali took part in Finnish Bath last spring

Are you going for an exchange and you need to freshen up your language skills? Do you want to learn spoken language instead of grammar? Would you like to meet people who are interested in your native language? Or did you learn a new language during your exchange and you want to maintain your skills? If yes, Language Bath could be a good option for you!

The Student Union TAMKO started the Language Bath service last spring and because of the good experiences, it's here again! In Language Bath you can teach a language you know and learn a language from native speakers in discussion.

Viktoriia is having a conversation with three native speakers
in French Bath group.

Last spring international degree students Arthur Duchamp and Viktoriia Moiseeva took part in Language Bath groups as teachers and students. About Finnish Bath Arthur said: "Here I can use the words and the things I've learned in the Basic Finnish course." Viktoriia added another positive aspect: "In Language Bath group I can ask about the vocabulary that I'm interested in and that I need in my everyday life."

Find more information about joining the groups on TAMKO web page.





Text and photos: Kaisa Merilahti, International Services

Christmas Party at Kuntokatu

As Christmas is almost at the door, the Finnish Way of Life Club has ended for 2009. This week was the last event of the club, the Finnish Christmas Party was held at the PIRATE livingroom in Kuntokatu Campus.



Tasting Finnish Christmas pastries, drinking hot glögg, listening to some Christmas tunes and a thrilling Santa Claus trivia! Congratulations to the winners! The atmosphere was warm and discussion about the exchange students' own Christmas traditions was exciting. At the end of the party it was time to take the last photos together and wish a Merry Christmas to everyone. For the Finnish Way of Life Club this was an eventful year with lots of good moments!

Thank you all for making the semester G-R-E-A-T!

Text and photo: Miia Lehtinen

Spy Museum spills its secrets

On Monday 26th October Finnish Way of Life Club visited the Spy Museum in Tampere. This was a unique opportunity for the exchange students, who were interested in seeing the first spy museum in the world!



This spy museum in the Finlayson area was opened for public in 1998 and it is logical to have in in Finland, as we have been in the heart of the battle between East and West for decades, at the forefront of international espionage. In the museum the visitors can really experience for themselves - break codes, hack into emails or more traditionally write secret and invisible messages to someone with a spy pen!



Text and photos: Miia Lehtinen
(on the left in group picture)

Hockey hockey hockey!!

Last weekend the Finnish Way of Life Club went to Hakametsä ice hockey hall to see a thrilling game. The two main league teams of Tampere (Tappara and Ilves) kept us all on the edge of our seats!



This event was the most popular club event so far among the exchange students, since a total of 30 students came to root their favorite team on! For some of the students this ice hockey match was the first to see live (ever) and not on TV, so they were very excited and got lost in the heat of the game. Almost all of the students cheered Tappara (for some reason) and eventually they won 2-0. Everyone was very satisfied after the game about the result, the great atmosphere in the ice hockey hall and of course about the opportunity to see real Finnish ice hockey!

Text and photo: Miia Lehtinen

Forest invites exchange students

At the third meeting of the 'Finnish Way of Life Club' it was time to see some Finnish nature by walking in the Niihama forest. At first the group of students took a bus to Niihama area and then walked to the camping area to grill some sausages and marshmallows.



I was so happily surprised of the large amount of exchange students who came, as there were altogether 25 exchange students of PIRAMK, who wanted to walk in the forest and taste some Finnish sausages. They even wanted to walk back from the forest to PIRAMK and didn't want to take bus, even though it was already getting dark. This evening was really successfull in every way!

To be continued next week...

Text and photo by Miia Lehtinen

G.L.O.B.E. - Just what is it?

On the 16th of November 2008 I wrote this piece on the, then, new GLOBE forum:

“Well, G.L.O.B.E. was founded by environmental engineering students for environmental engineering students. If you have concerns about your studies then we will point you in the direction of the best person in TAMK to help, if you want some advice on aspects of your studies and student life in general then we are here to listen and help! But we are more than that. We want to get pro-active on the environmental issues that concern and effect us all, we want to help shape the future of environmental engineering, in TAMK, in Finland and around the world. We want your help in calling attention to and solving problems in the environment. GLOBE is much, much more than just a society for getting drunk together, for while we love a party as much as the next bunch, we want to make a difference!! AND A BIG ONE AT THAT! As a student body we offer such an incredible rich and diverse background that we can use for the advantage of everyone, so be proud to be a part of something BOLD!”

So to a more general view.

GLOBE is a student run society with lofty ideals! A society for anyone studying Environmental Engineering at TAMK, be it for 4 years or 4 weeks, your all welcome and the moment you start your studies at TAMK you automatically become a member. There is no joining fee, all that is asked is that you GET INVOLVED!

Environmental Engineering students are an incredible friendly bunch of people, who share many common ideals and while the academic programme is why your here, taking time to grow the social aspect of being an Env. Eng. Student is why GLOBE is here! GLOBE organises a wide range of social events, from Christmas Parties to cultural visits, but always with an ecological stand point! The students of the Environmental Engineering degree programme come from every corner of the globe, and harnessing that diversity is a big part of the ethos of GLOBE. Participating in GLOBE events with your fellow students not only further cements friendships but shows everyone the wide variety of ideas that only a group of students such as ours can achieve, and these ideas and ways of working not only contribute to a successful GLOBE event or initiative but can stay with you into your working lives and can help us all go onto.

Gareth
President for G.L.O.B.E. 2008-2009