The Ģֱ receives the quality label of a top athlete-friendly higher education institution
The recognition of a top athlete-friendly HEI has raised great interest in the HEI network, and as many as 16 institutions have already applied for the audit. The first audits were held in 2023.
The recognition was received by Professor of Practice Sami Kalaja from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences on 6 May.
“Jyväskylä wants to promote the combination of sports and studies at all educational levels,” says Professor of Practice Sami Kalaja. “The Ģֱ wants to emphasise the development of dual careers, and one example of this is the establishment of the professorship of practice in cooperation with other educational institutions in Jyväskylä. We are also committed to put top athlete-friendly studying into practice in our higher education institute.”
“Varying modes of completion and remote exams enable pursuing studies independent of time and place,” says Vice Rector Marja-Leena Laakso. “In addition, it is possible to get additional time for completing a degree on the basis of high-performance sport.” The study offering of open university path at JYU is extensive and supports the studies of student-athletes in a flexible way. The offering also includes study modules planned for athletes.
“The label of a top athlete-friendly higher education institution opens new opportunities to support athletes in daily life and highlights the importance of cooperation between HEIs and sports academies,” says Aki Karjalainen.
“For the most part, combining studies and sport has gone well,” says Fanny Teijonsalo, an Olympic swimmer who studies to become a subject teacher and class teacher. “Many teachers have truly understood the requirements of sports and have offered flexible opportunities to complete courses.”
“It is important to be present when studying education,” Teijonsalo says. “At the same time, swimming requires a lot of practice hours and the training season lasts for the whole academic year. Sometimes this combination makes it difficult to complete studies alongside competitive sports. In this situation, it is helpful to keep the study pace sufficiently moderate and rely on planning, scheduling and prioritising. It makes things easier that everything is nearby in Jyväskylä. You even have time to eat in a student cafeteria after the second workout of the day.”
The quality model has six areas for evaluation
The evaluation of top athlete-friendly higher education institutions is based on a quality model consisting of six areas and 23 quality factors. These factors are related to, among others, personal study guidance, flexible study arrangements, recognition of skills acquired through sports, and cooperation with the sports academy. One key objective is to smooth the transition from upper secondary education to higher education for athletes.
The experts of the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) have helped to build the evaluation model. The audits are interactive and enhance participation. They help HEIs to recognise their strengths, good practices and development targets as well as to create preconditions for continuous development of operations.
The audits of the Ģֱ, the University of Lapland and VAMK University of Applied Sciences were held in autumn 2023 and official labels were awarded in connection of the sports institute seminar in Helsinki on 6 May 2024.
