Teaching and Supervision
My teaching experience spans over 15 years. I started my academic path as a full-time university teacher in 2008–2010, when I was in charge of Films Studies (a minor subject available to all enrolled students) at University of Oulu, Finland. This experience was both very fascinating and very challenging for a young academic, and it inspired me to dive deeper in the world of teaching and to begin pedagogical studies. Over the following years, I finished university pedagogy training (25 ECTS) and completed also Finnish pedagogical teaching qualification (60 ECTS), at the School of Vocational Teacher Education.
I have planned several new courses based on my interdisciplinary research work and given lectures in different universities – University of Oulu, University of Turku, University of Helsinki, and Aalto University. Further, I have given lectures as a part of courses at different institutions, also at University of Applied Sciences, at a high school and in a course targeted for elderly adults (life-long learning). I have been involved in courses covering all the levels of university education from bachelor’s to doctoral level.
Teaching ideas in a nutshell
The primary aim of university-level teaching in the topics under my expertise is to develop students’ critical thinking and help them towards new insights.
The student must be motivated to learn; learning is an active process that does not begin without a genuine interest. It is crucial that the student finds the topic meaningful.
Student’s previous knowledge acts as the basis of learning; it is important to create links between different courses and give possibilities to consider how the topic under scrutiny relates to other studies/other interests.
The teacher must acknowledge the diversity of the students: they have differing backgrounds, personalities and learning styles. It is central to take different learners into consideration.
Feedback is important part of teaching and learning: teacher should give feedback to students about their learning continuously, and vice versa, students should be able to assess the teaching continuously. Both parties must change their course of action if needed.
Role in thesis supervision
I have acted as a supervisor or advisor of over 20 bachelor’s or master’s theses. Currently I’m also acting as an advisor of four doctoral theses of computer science, which draw from design and/or social science. The fields of supervised/advised theses reflect my interdisciplinary background, including cultural and design anthropology, information networks, design, computer science, and global politics and communication. I have also a long history in supervising trainees and research assistants in different research projects.
My approach to supervision and advising is informed by my broad knowledge base, covering several disciplines and their epistemological and methodological approaches as well as practices of different fields. I see meetings and discussions with students as learning possibilities also for myself, regardless of the stage of the student’s studies. I want to approach people so that they feel they can be emotionally safe, meaning that I intend to see students and researchers not just through their professional role, but I acknowledge they have complete lives that affect their performance and actions. I wish to create an atmosphere that enables sharing and processing also failures and negative feelings – although recognizing and celebrating successes is highly important as well.
