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Aalto University’s goal in teaching is to respond to future challenges by sparking the game changers of tomorrow. Increasing complexity and uncertain futures pose challenges for all education. Graduates of Aalto University need to be capable of grasping and tackling wicked problems related to e.g. sustainability both in their field as well as in multidisciplinary settings. This requires the ability to approach the challenges from multiple perspectives and to identify opportunities for solutions. In this podcast we take a look behind the scenes and discuss these themes with our teachers. The aim of this podcast is to support the well-being of the Aalto community and how we best do so by developing our approaches to teaching. 

The Future-led Learning podcast is part of Aalto University's Oasis of Radical Wellbeing strategic initiative and hosted by pedagogical specialist Riikka Evans. 

Welcome aboard Future-led Learning!

In 2021 Merita Petäjä and her team started the Oasis of radical wellbeing project. During this time, Oasis has explored wellbeing issues at Aalto university from many perspectives, be it as surveys, diversity and inclusion, harassment, safer space, or mindfulness... Oasis has conducted pilots and observed how staff and student wellbeing issues are talked about and developed. Oasis has produced the Art of Living MOOC with Frank Martela, short films and podcasts, the Keys to your wellbeing web pages with research-based information and exercises, as well as the Green Minds Healthy Hearts symposium of social sustainability in 2023. Oasis has contributed in the Starting point of wellbeing and lately into the Aaltogether community initiative. in this episode Riikka Evans and Petäjä discuss wellbeing, social sustainability and also about piloting and what they have to do with the future. 

Season 3 ends in co-teaching. What is that? University teacher Meri Kuikka and postdoc researcher Tuomo Eloranta have been teaching together for years at Aalto and can give us invaluable and practical insights into what co-teaching means in practice.

Riikka Evans discusses academic advising with senior university lecturer Kyösti Ruuttunen. 

Academic advising at its best is a joint journey that supports self-reflection. An academic advisor is a person representing the study programme with whom the students may discuss goals and wishes related to their studies, as well as topics related to the field and research.  The aim of the guidance is to support the students in their studies. Academic advisor is a person who discusses, cares and gives advices if needed. 

Kyösti Ruuttunen is a senior university lecturer teaching and researching biomass refining. Kyösti advises Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. students' theses. His fields of interest include biomass fractionation with chemical and mechanical methods (e.g. chemical and mechanical pulping), wood chemistry, and pedagogy in higher education.

Riikka Evans discusses integrating sustainability into teaching with Professor Matti Kuittinen from the department of Architecture at Aalto University. Matti also develops policies at the Ministry of the Environment. 

In Aalto University’s strategy our purpose stands as follows:  “Aalto University’s purpose is to shape a sustainable future. We do high-quality research, excelling and making breakthroughs in and across science, art, technology and business. We spark the game changers of tomorrow, and renew society with research-based knowledge, creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset. All our work is guided by the values of the university: responsibility, courage, and collaboration.” 

Therefore, finding solutions for sustainability is one of the three cross-cutting approaches in our living strategy. Sustainability is, however, a complex and multifaceted field and many of us struggle to find meaningful ways to integrate sustainability into our everyday work.  

What is inclusion in the context of higher education? What kind of feedback do we get from our students? And what is the teacher's responsibility? Why is it important to foster inclusive learning culture? It's all about interaction.

Pirjo Kääriäinen works as a professor at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture (ARTS) and collaborates closely with the School of Chemical Engineering (CHEM). Since 2011 she has been facilitating interdisciplinary CHEMARTS collaboration together with professor Tapani Vuorinen. Before her career in academia, Pirjo worked eighteen years for Scandinavian textile industry and commerce, and gained experience also as an entrepreneur and consultant for creative industries.

This episode is published as part of the Aalto University's Keys to your wellbeing package about interaction. Find it here.

Johannes Kaira works as a teacher in the Aalto Ventures Programme, the entrepreneurship education program at Aalto University, where students in multidisciplinary teams work on hands-on exercises. We discussed with Johannes about teamwork and what it requires as a method from students and teachers. We talked about trust, communication skills and flexibility and how they contribute to a well-functioning team.

Aalto University’s career systems are based on the principle of commitment from university and individual to academic careers. The tenure and lecturers' track systems are comparable to the standards of other world-class universities, with clearly defined expectations, incentives, and assistance in personal development. In this episode we take a closer look at Aalto University’s teaching competence assessment process and other teaching related matters with our provost Kristiina Mäkelä.

Oasis of Radical Wellbeing, an incubator gathering knowhow about wellbeing from around and outside our community, and spreading and curating information about holistic wellbeing as an essential part of the Aalto everyday life. Contemplative practices and a dialogue about wellbeing are needed both on a personal level as well as a part of our systemic thinking

This is the second of two episodes featuring professor emeritus and senior advisor at Aalto University, Esa Saarinen.

Last summer, philosopher and professor Esa Saarinen retired from Aalto University, after lecturing at Aalto for 19 years. He has been a very popular teacher, and he leaves an impressive legacy. What is his teaching philosophy? Riikka Evans met with the professor, emeritus, at the Aalto University School of Business. This is the first of two episodes with Esa Saarinen. This episode of Future-led Learning marks the beginning of the Oasis of Radical Wellbeing project At Aalto University. Please see more at .

One of the concrete actions in Aalto University’s current strategy is focusing on holistic wellbeing. One point of this is understanding diversity and inclusion as essential parts of the wellbeing of our community. What does inclusion in higher education teaching mean in practice? Aalto pedagogical specialist Sara Rönkkönen interviewed freelancer Kiia Beilinson, who teaches at Aalto University School of arts, design and architecture and has extensive experience with this topic from in and outside of academia. 

What is the role of supervision and support in doctoral studies and doctoral students’ learning and wellbeing?  Sara Rönkkönen, the pedagogical specialist at Aalto University School of Engineering discusses these teams with Maija Taka. Maija is a postdoc researcher and project manager in the Water and Development Research Group (WDRG) at Aalto School of Engineering. Maija is also innovating new culture for doctoral students' instruction. 

The AllWell questionnaire studies the wellbeing of our students on a yearly basis. The results of the questionnaire help us to identify many things, among them good practices in teaching. One of the programmes that has achieved very well is run by Marko Keskinen, Associate Professor at the Department of Built Environment in the School of Engineering.

Marko is also the Director of the Master's Programme in Water and Environmental Engineering and a successful and very well-liked teacher.

This episode was actually recorded as the pilot for this series. The interview was done by our producer Sakari Heiskanen, and as it is very interesting we decided to publish it.

Life-wide learning and constant development of one's skills are central to working life (in 2020's). Any university degree is not enough, we have to keep on learning all through our careers, and indeed, through our whole life.

Riikka Evans discusses these themes with Dr. Pekka Mattila, the Group Managing Director and Associate Dean of Aalto University Executive Education and professor of Practice at the Aalto University School of Business. Pekka has an extensive career in coaching and consulting, and hence a unique opportunity to get an overview on the ways degree students and people working in active management roles learn.

In this episode, Riikka Evans meets professor of practice Niina Nurmi, the director of International Design Business Management (IDBM) program at the department of management studies in Aalto University.

Niina Nurmi has had a long and successful career both in academia and business. She has Ph.D. in work and organizational psychology and, besides working in academia, she has also worked as a human resource manager in the Finnish digital health company CRF Health.

Nurmi's teaching topics include work and organizational design, teamwork, leadership, employee well-being and creative performance, and virtual work.

The focus in this episode is how we to best support the community to make most out of the virtual learning experience when navigating through Teams and Zoom meetings and collaborating online.

This is the episode 0 of the Future-led Learning podcast series from Aalto University. Hosts Riikka Evans and Sara Rönkkönen and producer Sakari Heiskanen discuss the goals of the series.