Guidance peer review – more than just an examination of HAMK’s guidance reform

In the spring of 2025, a peer review of guidance will be conducted at Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK). The review will examine the comprehensive reform of guidance and the current state of guidance at HAMK. This article outlines the background, objectives, and implementation of the review. Guidance is part of HAMK’s educational process, so the review will provide information not only about guidance but also about HAMK’s educational activities and supporting services (HAMK, 2023; HAMK, 2024a). Thus, the review also has a broader perspective on HAMK’s operations.

Significant investments in student guidance at HAMK

HAMK offers 40 degree programmes leading to a bachelor’s degree (AMK) and 16 programmes leading to a master’s degree (YAMK), as well as five vocational teacher and guidance counsellor training programs. Additionally, HAMK has a growing range of open university and other continuous learning courses (HAMK, 2025a). In 2024, HAMK had 9,414 AMK students, 858 YAMK students, and 600 vocational teacher and guidance counsellor students. HAMK is the sixth-largest university of applied sciences in Finland in terms of student numbers (Vipunen, 2025).

HAMK has strengthened student guidance through a comprehensive reform of guidance carried out in 2020–2021. The aim of the reform was to increase guidance resources, standardize the distribution of tasks and operating models in guidance, and support students in graduating on time (HAMK, 2025b). Before the reform, the job titles and tasks of the staff providing guidance were varied, and there were differences in them between degree programmes. Additionally, the number of students at HAMK, especially in degree programmes conducted in English, has increased in recent years (Vipunen, 2025; HAMK, 2024b). The reform aimed to address the needs arising from the growing and diversifying student body.

The most significant and visible change in the reform was the development of a new role for guidance counsellors at HAMK and the recruitment and resourcing of guidance counsellors so that each degree programme at HAMK has a full-time guidance counsellor to support students. The role of the guidance counsellor was developed under the leadership of HAMK’s Education Support Services in collaboration with HAMK’s degree programmes, shared services, and management.

The recruitment of guidance counsellors for the degree programmes has been gradual. Recruitment began in 2020, and most of the guidance counsellors in line with the reform were recruited by the end of 2021. Currently, HAMK employs 28 full-time and three part-time guidance counsellors (HAMK, 2025c). This number is relatively large in the national context. One of the HAMK’s guidance counsellors focuses on guidance related to continuous learning, which is rare in the Finnish university of applied sciences sector. HAMK’s investment in study guidance has, therefore, been significant.

Strategic perspective of the review

The guidance peer review is an intermediate goal of HAMK’s strategy. In HAMK’s strategy, peer review is related to the theme of developing competence and learning. HAMK aims to provide its students with an excellent learning experience and enable them to utilize HAMK’s study modes (8–16, i.e., full-time studies; 18–100, i.e., part-time education; 24/7, i.e., accelerated learning). Guidance supports the achievement of these strategic goals (HAMK, 2025b; HAMK, 2025d; HAMK, 2025e).

Since the main goal of the reform was to develop the role of the full-time guidance counsellor, the review will focus particularly on study guidance and the work of the guidance counsellor. The review will examine the organization and distribution of tasks in study guidance, and the role of the guidance counsellor. The main questions of the review are: 1) What is the current state of study guidance at HAMK? and 2) How successful have the main goals of the comprehensive reform of guidance been?

The review is part of HAMK’s quality work and educational quality assurance (HAMK, 2025f). Finnish higher education institutions do not have regulations or common principles regarding student guidance due to their autonomous status, so they can organize their guidance services as they wish (Ammattikorkeakoululaki 932/2014). This emphasizes the importance of an external review in examining and developing HAMK’s guidance: an external reviewer can bring completely new perspectives to guidance development.

The objectives of the review have been defined by HAMK’s Education Development Services (EDS) in collaboration with HAMK’s head of quality management and vice president. A research permit for the review has been obtained from HAMK’s Library and Information Services.

Developmental and participatory review

The guidance peer review is a developmental review (e.g., Karvi, 2025). The review is participatory in nature, aiming to identify effective practices and areas for improvement. The review will produce information that will be used to systematically and purposefully develop HAMK’s study guidance, its organization, and its quality. The review also aims to strengthen mutual understanding and expertise related to study guidance. Additionally, the development goals formulated based on the review will form the basis for a possible future international review of guidance.

The review is planned and conducted by a four-member evaluation team from Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Laurea) in collaboration with EDS. Laurea was chosen as the reviewer because, like HAMK, Laurea offers a wide range of education and operates on multiple campuses. Additionally, Laurea has the necessary expertise to conduct the review. The main data collection method for the review is a group interview. For the review, Laurea’s evaluation team will interview HAMK’s guidance counsellors, heads of degree programmes, lecturers, students, and senior management. In addition to the information produced by the interviews, the review will utilize background material such as documents related to guidance (e.g., HAMK’s guidance plan), student survey results (e.g., AVOP, National Career Monitoring Survey), and the results of a self-assessment of guidance conducted at HAMK in 2022.

Progress of the Review and Communication of the Review Results

Laurea’s evaluation team has familiarized itself with the background material for the review during the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025. The group interviews related to the review will be conducted in March 2025. After the interviews, Laurea’s evaluation team will write an evaluation report, which will be discussed at HAMK’s board meeting in June 2025.

Based on the review, EDS will prepare a proposal for actions and a schedule for developing guidance at HAMK. The results of the review will be communicated through HAMK’s internal communication channels, and the results will be discussed with HAMK’s senior management, heads of degree programmes, guidance counsellors, and other necessary guidance actors and stakeholders. Additionally, publications related to the review will be published in HAMK’s publication channels.

The multiple dimensions of the review

At HAMK, guidance is understood as an entity formed by interaction, structures, processes, expertise, and collaboration, aimed at supporting the student and the progress of their studies at different stages of studies. Student guidance at HAMK is a shared responsibility of the entire personnel (HAMK, 2023). Therefore, the guidance peer review is more generally related to HAMK’s pedagogical development, educational and administrative processes, and the distribution of tasks and responsibilities between different guidance actors, units, and functions at HAMK, as well as their effectiveness.

The guidance peer review can also be used to monitor the achievement of HAMK’s accessibility goals. HAMK has an accessibility program, one aspect of which is the accessibility of study and teaching. Enabling the progress of a student’s studies is a key part of accessibility at HAMK. Guidance, in turn, is a key means of supporting a student’s progress (HAMK, 2025g; HAMK, 2025h).

In addition to accessibility, the guidance peer review also has a perspective related to the equality of the staff providing student guidance. HAMK’s equality plan aims to ensure fair and equal treatment of HAMK’s employees (HAMK, 2024c). The peer review will provide information, for example, about the number of students assigned to HAMK’s guidance counsellors and any differences in their tasks.

Overall, the peer review of guidance has many dimensions. It can be stated that the review has a broader significance than just examining the reform and current state of guidance. The review is a comprehensive examination of HAMK’s study guidance, but at the same time, it is also a more general partial examination of HAMK’s operations and structures.

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This article was originally published as Ohjauksen vertaisarviointi – enemmän kuin pelkkä HAMKin ohjauksen kokonaisuudistuksen tarkastelu in Finnish in March 2025.