(ENG) Best practices in the degree programme (updated in May 2023)

Table of Contents

• • • • • • The learning atmosphere and commitment to the Kumpula Campus code of conduct
          • Registration for courses
          • Course platforms 
          • Calculation exercises 
          • Course completion methods, assessment and examination practices
          • Determination of grades 
          • Publication of course grades
          • Student feedback
          • Examinations and retake opportunities at general examination sessions
          • Retaining examination papers and answer sheets 
          • Cheating and plagiarism
          • The rights and duties of assistants
          • Individual arrangements
          • Language issues
          • Accessibility
          • Communication between students and staff

The learning atmosphere and commitment to the Kumpula Campus code of conduct

• A safe, encouraging and constructive course atmosphere supports learning. All at the Faculty of Science are committed to complying with the Kumpula Campus code of conduct.

Registration for courses

• Students register for courses in Sisu. Registration ends on the Sunday before the beginning of the teaching period, after which course places will be confirmed. If necessary, teachers can confirm registrations before the registration deadline.
• As a rule, late registration is possible until the last week of teaching during teaching periods. If registration practices differ from those set out above, teachers should inform the programme education coordinator, who will make the information available to students in Sisu.
• If students must register for exercise groups, the group selections will be confirmed after the registration deadline.

Course platforms 

• It is recommended that the University of Helsinki Moodle site be used for course platforms. Other options include external course pages and DigiCampus.
• Teachers can create a Moodle area on their course page. If they do so, the students whose registration for the course has been confirmed in Sisu will be automatically added as students to the Moodle area.
• Course teacgers and coordinators should always check and update their course pages before the course begins. They can use the pages to post instructions and preliminary assignments required before the beginning of the course.

Calculation exercises 

• It is recommended that calculation exercise sessions be used to work on assignments requiring submitted work and that the model solutions for the assignments be provided to students elsewhere (e.g., on Moodle).
• For assessment, teachers can use Moodle’s ‘Advanced grading’ feature (a rubric), record scores directly on the relevant Moodle page or keep separate notes of the results of calculation exercises.
• Each teacher decides whether calculation exercise scores are determined by an assistant or based on self- or peer assessment.
• Teachers are not obliged to assess late work. They inform students of submission dates and course practices at the beginning of courses.
• It is recommended that the following scale be used to score assignments and exercises:
  0% – The assignment has not been completed or the answer is completely incorrect.
  50% – The student has tried to complete the assignment and the answer is partially correct.
  100% – The answer covers key physical and mathematical principles and reasonings, even if it is not completely correct.

Course completion methods, assessment and examination practices

• At the beginning of each course, the teacher explains whether they will use an invigilated on-site examination, a take-home examination or an Examinarium examination (e.g., on the Mathematics for Physicists courses) or whether assessment will not be based on an end-of-course examination. In addition, they explain to students the determination of the course grade (see Determination of grades).
• The teacher tells the students what resources, calculators and devices they can use in the examination.
• According to University of Helsinki regulations, students may use Finnish or Swedish to complete their studies and may obtain written examinations and other study-related assignments in the language they request, that is, Finnish or Swedish. Further information: https://studies.helsinki.fi/instructions/article/languages-study-and-degrees
• Students unable to attend the end-of-course examination can register in Sisu for a resit examination organised at a general examination session (or otherwise) or can complete the course by sitting a general examination.

Determination of grades 

• The following recommendation applies to grade limits:
  • < 45% = fail
    45–55% = grade 1/5
    55–65% = grade 2/5
    65–75% = grade 3/5
    75–85% = grade 4/5
    > 85% = grade 5/5
• It is recommended that the end-of-course examination account for two-thirds and the calculation exercises for one-third of the grade. For example, a 35% score for calculation exercises equals 0.35 x 1/3 of the course score, whereas a 100% score for calculation exercises equals 1/3 of the course score. However, as this is only a recommendation, teachers must always explain their grading practices to students at the beginning of courses, in writing on Moodle or on the course pages.
• Teachers can determine a minimum score for exercises or examinations.
• In special cases (e.g., a very poorly formulated question or assignment), teachers can scale up the scores for answers or lower grade limits.
• They can use other assessment scales as well.

Publication of course grades

• Teachers assess and grade your studies within one month of the date of completion (within two months for studies completed between 1 June and 31 August). They record grades in Sisu.

Student feedback

• Course feedback is collected using the Norppa system. Teachers can award points equal to, for example, one successfully completed calculation exercise to students who give feedback. If at least five students give feedback in Norppa, their student numbers will be visible to the teacher.
• The feedback form includes University-level and degree programme–specific questions. Teachers can ask the degree programme director or course feedback coordinator to remove the programme-specific questions, and can add their own questions to develop their course.
• Course coordinators can ask the staff of the bachelor’s programme for assistance in interpreting feedback or compare the feedback with the general summaries on the ‘Course feedback’ page.
• We recommend that course coordinators respond to student feedback through Norppa, summarising their comments in a few sentences and explaining what they intend to do as a result of the feedback. This will help students see the benefits of giving feedback.
• Teachers can also use other methods to collect and obtain feedback.

Examinations and retake opportunities at general examination sessions

• For courses that can be completed by sitting an examination without attending classes, students have four examination opportunities at general examination sessions during the academic year (once in the autumn, spring and summer, respectively).
• Course resit opportunities are offered at general examination sessions or as separately indicated by the course coordinator.
• Students use Sisu to register for general examinations and resits at general examination sessions. They must register for general examination sessions at least 10 days before the examination.
• Students can register for up to two examinations during the same session.
• Teachers can use not only on-site examinations, but also Examinarium examinations or take-home examinations to be submitted via Moodle.

Retaining examination papers and answer sheets 

• In accordance with University guidelines, teachers must retain examination answer sheets for six months.

Cheating and plagiarism

• It is both permitted and recommended (unless otherwise instructed in a specific course) that students complete coursework together. Similarities in answers resulting from such collaboration do not constitute plagiarism. 
• Answers written in the student’s own handwriting are considered plagiarism only if it is obvious that the purpose has been to complete the assignment with as little effort as possible without attempting to understand the matter in question. 
• It is not acceptable to submit copies or scanned versions of old templates or someone else’s answers. 
• General University guidelines apply to suspected cases of cheating and plagiarism.
• See also these University instructions: Using AI to support learning | Instructions for Students (helsinki.fi) and Artificial intelligence in teaching | Instructions for Teaching (helsinki.fi)

The rights and duties of assistants

• To be updated during autumn 2023.

Individual arrangements

• Individual arrangements promote equality in learning. The goal is to ensure equal opportunities for all students to complete studies.
• Under the Non-Discrimination Act, students are entitled to reasonable individual arrangements when their need has been demonstrated. See detailed instructions and guidelines on the Instructions for Teaching
• It is recommended that teachers enquire about student needs for individual arrangements at the beginning of courses. Teachers should use the course platform (e.g., Moodle) to notify students of the date by which students should contact them about individual arrangements. If such arrangements are required for a course, students should be asked to contact the teacher without delay. If the arrangements are required for an end-of-course examination (or other final project), students should contact the teacher no later than 10 days before the examination.
• Teachers are not obliged to take into account the need for individual arrangements retroactively, for example, in assessing an examination if a student contacts them afterwards.

Language issues

• The languages of degrees completed in the programme are Finnish and Swedish. Some courses are taught in English too.
• For more information about the languages of teaching, assignments, examinations and courses, please see the Language policy for studies and degrees | Instructions for Teaching (helsinki.fi) and Languages of study and degrees | Instructions for Students (helsinki.fi).

Accessibility

• As a rule, students should be able to complete courses in an accessible format. This means that accessible substitutes for course material should be available when necessary. Accessible material may include textbooks offered as an alternative to course handouts and available from Helsinki University Library as accessible e-books.
• Please note that LaTeX documents generally do not meet accessibility requirements. For example, if course assignments have been typeset using LaTeX, the teacher must offer them in an accessible format too, provided that a student requests this.
• Detailed guidelines for accessibility can be found on the Instructions for Teaching and Instructions for Students websites.

Communication between students and staff

• General guidelines for communication are available on the Instructions for Teaching website.
• If students have questions about general study-related matters, they should send an email to the kumpula-student@helsinki.fi service address, from which messages are forwarded to the right individuals.
• If students have questions about a specific course, they should primarily use the communication channels (e.g., Moodle forum) indicated for the course.
• If social media platforms (e.g., Telegram) are used in a course, please take into account their usage guidelines. To ensure that essential information reaches all students taking the course, it is important to use official course communication channels (not just social media platforms).
• If students have questions about courses, they may contact teachers by email too. If you are a teacher, bear in mind that your replies are important to students, so please try to respond to their messages without significant delay.
• If you lack the time to help a student, you should refer them to someone else. Encourage students to continue getting in touch if they need further assistance.
• Students can also contact their PSP teachers whenever they need advice. PSP teachers are obliged to advise students or refer them to the right individuals.

The Bachelor’s Programme in Physical Sciences offers a wide range of high-quality teaching. If you are interested in developing new types of teaching, contact a colleague and tell them about your ideas. Here are some examples of teaching methods used in our courses:

• An assistant and self-assessment in weekly calculation exercise sessions (Mathematical Methods of Physics Ia, Anca Tureanu)
• An Examinarium examination (Mathematics for Physicists I–III, several lecturers)
• Prime-time learning (Basics of Quantum Physics and Fundamentals of Theory of Relativity, Kimmo Tuominen)
• Continuous assessment, with no end-of-course examination (Interactions and Bodies, and Matter and Interactions, Tuomo Nieminen, Kirsi Svedström)
• Continuous assessment, with a learning journal (Physics for Natural Scientists, Katja Lauri)