A Quality Management Approach to HAMK’s Guidance Plan Update

The quality of education is a national concern in Finland (Pietiläinen, 2023). Legislation obliges universities of applied sciences to assess and develop the quality of their operations. In order to ensure the quality of education, Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) has established a quality system and developed procedures for quality management.

HAMK’s guidance plan was updated during the academic year 2022–2023. The guidance plan describes the starting points, organization, and responsibilities of student guidance in an educational organization (Opetushallitus, 2023). In addition to its pedagogical role, the guidance plan also plays a less visible but equally important role in quality management. This article describes the process of updating the guidance plan from a quality work perspective.

Guidance plan as a quality management tool

The multi-layered and rapidly evolving activities of higher education institutions, along with the changing operating environment (e.g., Kwiek, 2012), require continuous development of student guidance. Finnish higher education institutions do not have regulations or jointly agreed-upon principles concerning student guidance (FINLEX, 2023). Higher education institutions can organize their guidance services as they see fit (Hautala et al., 2020). Therefore, potential guidance plans for higher education institutions can be formulated and updated in various ways depending on the organization (Raudasoja et al., 2018).

At HAMK, the purpose of the guidance plan is to define the foundation for student guidance, describe the organization and key tasks of guidance, and serve as a basis for guidance work. The aim of the plan is to create a shared understanding of guidance, make the role of guidance visible, harmonize guidance practices, and strengthen the guidance culture. Essentially, the guidance plan is about defining high-quality guidance and providing instructions for its implementation. As such, the guidance plan serves as a tool for quality management and everyday quality work at HAMK, as well as a reflective surface for the evaluation and development of guidance (Opetushallitus, 2023).

Quality system as a guide to update process

Regular review and updating of the guidance plan are important factors in the development of guidance (Helander, 2015; Raudasoja et al., 2018). At HAMK, the guidance plan is reviewed annually and updated on a regular basis. The update of the guidance plan was conducted in accordance with HAMK’s quality system. HAMK’s quality system comprises a set of processes, procedures, and systems that support quality work, guiding personnel to operate and evaluate activities in alignment with jointly approved goals and commitments (HAMK, 2023a; Werner et al., 2022; Nordblad & Kivistö, 2023).

The development of guidance at HAMK aligns with HAMK’s strategy (HAMK, 2023b). Guidance is developed in a process-oriented manner adhering the PDCA cycle model (Plan-Do-Check-Act). In addition to the strategy, the planning and development of guidance are grounded in feedback data, indicators that measure the effectiveness of guidance, and information about the current state and future prospects of the guidance operating environment.

Systematic mapping of update needs – Check

Since this was an update of the existing guidance plan, the updating process began with the ‘Check’ phase of the PDCA cycle. This phase consisted of assessing the current state of guidance. The development of guidance requires systematically collected data (Karvi, 2023; Opetushallitus, 2023). The update process commenced with the efforts of a working group comprising HAMK’s guidance counsellors. Specifically, the working group mapped and compiled update needs arising from day-to-day guidance activities. Following this, Education Development Services, the unit responsible for coordinating and developing guidance at HAMK, defined update needs based on, for example, information generated by feedback systems.

Update needs were also identified through the review of recent research and projects in the field of guidance, with the assistance of experts from HAMK’s School of Professional Teacher Education and HAMK Edu research unit. Additionally, the current state of the operating environment of guidance was examined from the perspectives of legislation, international and national strategies and steering targeted at Finnish higher education institutions.

Shaping updates in cooperation – Act

Based on the assessment and mapping, the primary objective of the guidance plan update was to provide a clearer description of the fundamentals of guidance (the ‘what’ level) than before. A clear articulation of the basic guidance principles is essential, as they form the foundation for guidance practices (the ‘how’ level). Given that guidance is an integral part of the responsibilities of all HAMK personnel, the guidance plan aimed to offer stronger support to the diverse group of staff members working with students. Additionally, the need to document specific guidance procedures and processes within the plan was identified. Furthermore, there was a recognition of the necessity to elaborate on the principles guiding the development of guidance in more detail within the guidance plan.

Based on the updated objectives, the initial version of the updated guidance plan was formulated. This version was deliberated during a development day involving HAMK’s guidance counsellors. Following the discussion, a revised edition of the plan was prepared and circulated for feedback to all parties who hold responsibilities and tasks defined within the guidance plan. Drawing from the feedback, the plan underwent further revisions and was then reviewed with HAMK’s vice president. Subsequently, the plan was refined once again. In the final stages of the update process, the guidance plan was deliberated upon during a development day for HAMK’s heads of degree programs and during a meeting of the guidance counsellors.

The most significant outcome of the update demonstrates the functionality of the quality system – Plan

The most significant reforms in the guidance plan involve the establishment of common principles and shared themes of student guidance. These encompass placing the student at the core, providing needs-based guidance, promoting multidisciplinarity, fostering ownership of learning, and facilitating competence development. While many of the concepts outlined in these principles and themes were previously distributed across various chapters of the guidance plan, they have now been consolidated and organized as foundational principles and guiding ideals for all entities engaged in providing guidance.

It was a surprise that the definition of the common principles and shared themes of guidance emerged as the most significant outcome of the update process. While the need to provide a more detailed description of the fundamentals of guidance was identified during the mapping phase, the actual implementation method only crystallized through co-creation. On the other hand, the most significant output was a natural consequence of the functioning and effectiveness of the quality system: The common principles and shared themes of guidance are rooted in HAMK’s strategy, informed by feedback and research data, influenced by an analysis of the guidance operating environment, and forged through close cooperation. These principles and themes also mirror HAMK’s organizational characteristics and strengths. While they may appear simple and even evident, they encapsulate the essence of guidance at HAMK.

Everyday quality work: implementing updates – Do

The final stage of the guidance plan update involves implementing the updates into everyday work. Implementation is typically the most challenging phase of any development endeavor (e.g. Valkealahti et al., 2019). The execution of the updated guidance plan is supported by guidance counsellors and heads of degree programs. The plan is deliberated upon during various events, and communication materials and instructions are prepared and generated to facilitate the implementation process.

The success of updating and implementing the guidance plan will be reviewed again in the next iteration, in accordance with the quality system. Already at this stage, it can be stated that the update of the guidance plan itself was quite successful as a whole. The development targets for the upcoming iteration encompass greater involvement of diverse units and personnel groups, enhanced utilization of HAMK’s in-house expertise, and a clearer articulation of the update’s objectives from the outset.

The quality system offered a reference point and established clear steps for the update process. Moreover, steering the update process according to the quality system ensured that the updated guidance plan aligns with the implementation of HAMK’s strategy. It can be said that quality management is also integrated into HAMK’s student guidance model and that quality work is an integral component of everyday guidance at HAMK.

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This article was originally published as HAMKin ohjaussuunnitelman päivitys laatutyönä in Finnish in September 2023.