AllWell? student survey areas as a support for the work of teachers
The different areas of the AllWell? student survey presented below describe how teachers may, through their teaching, support the study abilities of students. Links to further information and materials are also provided.
Teaching and counselling
Definition:
‘Programme workload’ measures how students experience the workload of their degree programme as a whole and how the workload is distributed over time. The workload required of students and the evaluation methods are the main factors Many other factors may also be at play, including the quality of the teaching, the study atmosphere, how light or heavy the student’s burden in life is otherwise, and the requirements the student has set for themself. The degree programme should not be overly strenuous for the student, nor may it contain unreasonable spikes in the workload due to teaching or assessment methods.
Tips for teachers:
An essential factor for managing workload at the programme level is to carefully consider the size of the workload for every course in the programme as well as for the studies in the programme, and then to assess how well the courses and studies are aligned with respect to each other. In order to understand the overall picture and to assess the programme workload, the teaching community needs to engage in dialogue and joint planning. As a teacher, you can influence the student's experience of workload by planning your own teaching in relation to the degree as a whole, if possible, by offering students flexible ways to complete the course and by actively taking part in meetings where teaching is planned at the programme or major level.
Course workload and study time allocation
Curriculum development (Programme director's handbook)
Definition:
The constructive alignment of a degree programme involves the student’s overall experience of a degree programme. A clear conception of the competencies and expertise a programme is meant to produce and how they may be acquired by students through the support of a clearly defined set of studies can help students to set their own goals and guide their own learning. A holistic programme of constructively aligned teaching supports well-being, in-depth learning and smooth progress in studies.
Tips for teachers:
The foundations for constructive alignment at the programme level include carefully composed learning outcomes and dialogue with the teaching community. As a teacher, your part in constructive alignment may be to seek recognition of your course’s position in the degree overall, assessing your course’s learning outcomes in relation to the goals of the programme or major, and to formulate the course’s learning outcomes with respect to the degree as a whole. By actively participating in teaching-related discussions with the teacher community, you can build a shared understanding of the goals of the education and of the alignment of the different areas.
Course workload and study time allocation
Curriculum development (Programme director's handbook)
Definition:
‘Interest in teaching’ measures how relevant and interesting the student finds the content of the teaching to be. The student’s experience is influenced by their prior knowledge, motivation and energy level, as well as how the teaching is organised and how the teachers teach. For example, an activating and engaging style of teaching often increases interest in the subjects taught. When the subjects taught feel interesting, this can engage their study abilities and increase student commitment. In contrast, a student who is not at all enthused by the subjects taught may feel like an outsider and their ability to study may suffer.
Tips for teachers:
Teachers can make their lessons more interesting by enhancing the quality of their teaching and letting their own enthusiasm show. The needs of the student group and what enthuses them should also be taken into account. Employing teaching methods that activate students, giving opportunities for peer learning and connecting the matters for students to learn to their practical (working) life as well as to the other subjects they study can also raise their interest level in the subjects taught. Giving students flexibility and freedom to choose can give students a sense of autonomy and control, helping build their own motivation and interest in the subject.
Definition:
Community building here refers to the measures, teaching and other, through which the degree programme encourages its students to get to know each other and helps them integrate into the university community. Community building is a key factor in making the students commit to their studies and the university. It can support the student’s ability to study in various ways as it makes studying more enjoyable and gives students the opportunity to support each other and together build a future for everyone. However, sometimes students may be fully able to study and happy to do so independently of other students.
Tips for teachers:
Teachers can have a large impact on whether their students get to know each other and become part of the Aalto community. This should be taken into account already when planning courses and course teaching. In a teaching situation, you might ask your students to work in pairs or in groups where they introduce and tell something about themselves. You may also have students perform learning tasks in pairs, in groups or as joint projects. The teacher may also assign the groups. If possible, you might assign a learning task in which students acquaint themselves with Aalto’s research groups.
Definition:
When teaching is aligned, the intended learning outcomes of the teaching and the course requirements are clear to students, the study assignments facilitate student achievement of the outcomes, and these are assessed through, for example, examinations. Teaching of this kind generally supports well-being, in-depth learning and smooth progress in studies. A student’s prior knowledge and study load may also affect how they experience teaching alignment.
Tips for teachers:
Designing an aligned curriculum means setting clear goals for teaching and ensuring that the contents and evaluation methods form a consistent whole. It is important to ensure that students have a clear conception of what they are expected to learn, how they will be evaluated or grade, and what they will be taught. Joint planning and teaching with other teachers in the programme often is a support to alignment at both the course and programme level. From a student viewpoint, aligning curricula at the teaching level is a central factor contributing to study ability and study well-being.
Course workload and study time allocation
Curriculum development (Programme director's handbook)
Defintion:
Assessment and feedback refers to the student’s experience of whether they have received enough teacher feedback promotive of learning. Such feedback is a hallmark of quality teaching and is critical to a student’s development. Teachers can give feedback on exercises and examinations, but feedback may also be received from, for example, a conversation with the course teacher or assistant. A proactive attitude on the part of the student is also a factor in getting feedback. Does the student seek out feedback and are they ready to receive feedback?
Tips for teachers:
It is important for teachers to be interested in their students and their students’ learning, as well as to engage in dialogue with them about the material to be learned and help them deepen their learning. In most cases, working this way automatically provides adequate feedback to support learning. Interim tests, quizzes and self-evaluation assignments provide the teacher with a means to ascertain the level of their students’ knowhow and a chance to give feedback during the learning process. It is also important to explicitly mention when you are giving feedback, otherwise the students may not identify it as such.
Definition:
‘Student-oriented guidance’ means that you and other students can receive study- and career-planning guidance when you need it. You may have different needs for support at different stages of your studies. Some of the support needs are addressed jointly at specific times during studies when a large number of students are expected to need support. Some guidance can be given individually at a student’s own initiative. This is an occasion when time can be spent on your own topics or subjects of concern. It is important that you know that guidance and counselling is available and that you know as well where or from whom you can request it.
Tips for teachers:
Every student has their own goals, needs and life situation. When providing guidance to students, it is important to stop and genuinely listen. Support students in their study and career planning where they set the goals themselves and are realistic with respect to their life situations.
As a teacher and as an academic advisor, your expertise entails having a familiarity with the university's guidance and support services. When you know about these services, you can refer the student to them when necessary as well as turn to them yourself should you need support with your guidance-related work. Please inform students about the university's guidance and support services as a part of your own teaching. The most important sources of these are the Starting Point of Wellbeing and the .
Study environment
Definition:
‘Digital study environment’, as used here, evaluates the user’s experiences of Sisu and MyCourses. Study planning in Sisu and study completion in MyCourses should be technically clear and efficient so that students can concentrate on the essentials, that is, the learning. Sisu and MyCourses are meant to work in tandem for a seamlessly efficient user-experience. The higher education institutions participating in Sisu are developing it based on the feedback the receive from users. MyCourses is based on the Moodle learning environment, to which Aalto has added additional features for the education that takes place here. MyCourses support for student learning depends in large part on how teachers use MyCourses.
Tips for teachers:
MyCourses contains a number of features that you as a teacher can use to support student learning. Clearly marked due dates for turning in assignments facilitate the tracking of student progress in courses. These also improve the quality of the reports that are created for the teacher. Entering grades and feedback for students in MyCourses during a course helps students to follow their progress and return to check their grades and feedback later as needed. On Sisu, you can make the digital learning environment easier for students by keeping the information on teaching events up-to-date, confirming student course admissions as soon as the course registration period ends (in normal registration), and evaluating the coursework of students as soon as possible after they have completed it.
Definition:
‘Physical study environment’ as used here evaluates the physical spaces available for your studies, how suitable they are for learning, and how accessible the self-study spaces are. Study spaces can impact study ability in many ways. They can affect the social intercourse that takes place around studies, the possibilities for interruption or to take a time-out, the feeling of security or being in a safe space, the online study possibilities, the use of time as well as motivation, mood, comfort, creativity, etc
Tips for teachers:
When planning your course, it is important to consider its special requirements. Indicate the activities that will be done online and those that will require attendance in class, and look for ways to enhance the face-to-face interactions with students. Talk with the pedagogical specialists at your school to find out about the latest resources available at Aalto. Ideally, the course structure will determine the space you choose to hold the course in. Room bookings should be done well in advance. Based on your needs and the size of the group, the academic timetable and education planners at your school may help you to find the most suitable location, be it an auditorium, a lecture hall designed for groupwork, or a combination of different rooms. An approach of this kind ensures the optimal learning conditions and improves the overall learning experience. You can also tell students where they can find and book Aalto’s self-study spaces.
Definition:
Cultural study environment as used here evaluates to what extent Aalto students with their differing opinions feel accepted by the Aalto community. In an international and diverse community such as Aalto’s, there may be conflicting expectations, values, attitudes and traditions. We may have different experiences of whether a study environment is genuinely one of equality, open to all, participatory and valuing diversity. Every member of the Aalto community has the right to be treated with respect, and we do not accept any kind of harassment, bullying or inappropriate conduct. Read more here.
Tips for teachers:
You can promote a study environment culture which is open and accepting of everyone in the class and in which every student feels respected. One practical step to do this is to start your course by settling on the principles for a safe space. This means that students and staff have discussions together to decide on rules they will abide by when interacting and working together. In general, a diverse range of teaching methods, materials and ways for students to take part ensure better participation and learning opportunities for all.
If you notice disruptive or discriminatory behaviour, it is your duty as a teacher to intervene. In doing so, you have the support of your school's Learning Services staff and HR Services staff.
Supporting students' sense of community and belonging
Equality, diversity and inclusion at Aalto (EDI at Aalto)
Support in cases of harassment (for students)
Definition:
‘Safe environment’ as used here evaluates the environment in which students can feel free to experiment, take risks and ask for assistance without fear. These are natural parts of learning. A safe study environment enables creativity and allows challenging or sensitive topics to be discussed in a calm manner with an equal exchange between the parties involved. A safe space that encourages interactivity develops cognitive and social skills and supports learning and well-being.
Tips for teachers:
At the start of your course, encourage open discussion, e.g. where students can speak up to ask questions or to challenge assertions; through your own behaviour, show how you are open to different viewpoints and willing to have dialogue. State clearly to students how you can be reached and what support is available to them. As a teacher, you can enable low-threshold participation by using tools that ensure anonymity, collecting feedback, and having students conduct discussions in pairs or small groups during lecture classes and when going over learning tasks. In groupwork and project work, the teacher may divide the class into groups in advance and support the groups’ work while they are meeting. You can find tools for developing group-work skills here.
Agreeing on guidelines for inclusive interaction in the course
Psychological safety (Aaltogether)
Definition:
‘Peer support’ measures how well a student receives help and support for understanding the study subjects when discussing them with other students. Peer support is often important not only for learning, but also for well-being and for study ability more widely conceived. On the other hand, some students prefer to study independently, as they can acquire more meaningful learning that way. One of the easiest ways for students to get support from their student peers is for the teaching to group them together (team building). On the other hand, it is also important for students to take the initiative and seek our peer support when needed.
Tips for teachers:
Through their teaching, teachers can help students to work together and support one another in their studies. Through guided discussions, as well as through groupwork and student projects when clear guidelines have been set, a peer support culture can be fostered. Teamwork skills can be taught in their own right and included as an element in course evaluation. Using peer evaluation encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning as well as that of others. Please note that both groupwork and peer evaluations are time-consuming ways to complete studies, so using these methods may mean that the student’s workload will increase beyond what was intended.
Study skills
Definition:
Prior knowledge refers to your experience of having such a solid base of knowledge in your field of study that it facilitates learning the contents of the degree programme courses. As new knowledge is largely built on existing knowledge, having a solid body of prior knowledge is an important factor in one’s ability to study. Your experience of having inadequate prior knowledge may be affected by, not only your competencies but, for example, self-efficacy or level of tiredness. Lack of prior knowledge may slow down your academic progress or lead to problems in learning, as well as stress or motivation challenges. High-quality teaching often involves the teacher paying attention to individual differences in the students’ prior knowledge and where possible, adjusting their teaching to match the starting level of the students.
Tips for teachers:
In planning and implementing of teaching, it is important to consider the level and subject area of the prior knowledge that students have before beginning the course. When planning your course, think about what kind of information and skills the student needs in advance to make a smooth start in the course, and clearly state this information about the prerequisites in your course description. You can also start your course with a baseline test to give the students a sense of the course’s starting level and to test the students' competence level; then adapt your teaching accordingly. If your course is designed for early-stage bachelor’s degree students, determining the baseline of students can be particularly useful.
Definition:
Self-efficacy refers to the student’s confidence in their efficacy as a student as well as their confidence in being able to learn even the more complex subjects of their area of study. Self-efficacy is at the core of the student’s study motivation and influences whether the student is willing to take the trouble to really apply themselves for the sake of their studies. Self-efficacy is therefore important for the student’s well-being and ability to study. Self-efficacy is influenced by the student’s history regarding learning, feedback and evaluations. Teaching arrangements, tiredness or the study atmosphere also play a role in self-efficacy.
Tips for teachers:
A student’s self-confidence and self-efficacy can be increased by determining their prior level of knowledge and taking this into account when planning learning tasks. An atmosphere that emphasises the opportunities to develop, that is accepting of mistakes and that continually provides feedback in a constructive and positive manner is generally conducive to good self-confidence. It is important to give recognition to students for making an effort, exerting themselves and, on the whole, devoting themselves to the learning process.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
Definition:
Test anxiety refers to the feeling of pressure and nervousness that can be brought on by assessment situations such as examinations or presentations. While it is natural to feel a little anxious before a situation where one’s performance is assessed, feeling very anxious may have a considerable effect on the ability to study: even when the student does manage to get courses done, severe test anxiety may stop them from demonstrating their true competence. There are various reasons for test anxiety. Often your beliefs about the assessment situation and the significance of those situations for you can affect your feelings of anxiety. Also the teaching arrangements and the teacher’s actions have an effect on test anxiety.
Tips for teachers:
The teacher should keep in mind that many students get nervous about performance situations, such as examinations or presentations where they are evaluated by others. As a teacher, you can greatly influence how students experience teaching and evaluation situations. It is important to give students clear assessment criteria, carry out evaluations in a way where the overall evaluation is based on several different performances and where students have the chance to improve their performance based on feedback. It is also essential to create an atmosphere in which one dares to try out new things and make mistakes.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
Individual counselling by study and career counselling psychologists
Definition:
Self-criticism refers to the student’s relationship with themselves, particularly when faced with failures or insurmountable challenges. If the student’s relationship with themself is harsh, their inner critic is activated even when it is not helpful in the situation, and past failures and mistakes tend to weigh on their mind. In such cases, the student is likely to start comparing themselves to others: they might think that others are better at overcoming challenges, or they might see themselves as inadequate or inferior to others. Being highly self-critical clearly increases the risk of burnout and can lead to the student avoiding challenging study tasks, as they involve the risk of failure.
Tips for teachers:
Students who are highly self-critical may have difficulty responding in a kind manner towards their own mistakes and failures. Emphasise that errors are part of the learning process and offer opportunities for growth and development. Positive, respectful and supportive feedback may motivate them to carry on with their work even when challenges arise. Encourage students to focus on the overall picture and on their own successes, not just specific outcomes, errors or achievements. Using a diverse range of teaching methods and techniques gives every student a chance to have successes and thrive. In a safe and affirming learning environment, students can take up challenges without an incapacitating fear of failure. Providing support to students for expressing their emotions and increasing their self-knowledge helps them to understand why they react in a certain way in different situations.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
Definition:
Organised studying refers to a study method that is planned, systematic and scheduled. Organised studying is clearly helpful for progressing through studies at university, for university students have a great deal of responsibility for their own initiative. Good planning and use of time are often keys to well-being as well, so long as one’s schedule is not too demanding or confining.
Tips for teachers:
It is much easier for your students to do their own planning and scheduling if well ahead of time they are informed of your course’s schedule, goals, and assignments and workload. Ideally, the student will have this information on all the courses they are taking at the same time, making it easier to organise their studies as a whole. The way teaching is organised and the teaching methods used can have a large impact on the student’s organisation of their studies. When a teacher structures their course contents and course schedules well, breaking them down into smaller parts and laying out the parts clearly, then students have a much easier time doing their own planning and scheduling. Students’ ability to organise their studies may also be fostered by good overall planning of their degree programmes and by offering a broad range of guidance on their personal study plans (HOPS). Unexpected changes to courses and curricula complicate the student’s work. Students in the early stage often need more support with planning and organisation than do students who are further along.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
Definition:
A deep learning approach is one that aims to combine pieces of information, find the underlying reasons and ultimately understand the topic. Students who study in this manner can construct their own view of the bigger picture, which also helps them to remember the material well and for a long time. This deep approach to learning, though often conducive to long-term learning outcomes, may be sometimes burdensome for students who have large workloads or who do not organise or prioritise their studying well.
Tips for teachers:
Teaching can support deep learning. It is important to get students to actively construct their own knowledge and to present the reasoning behind their knowledge. This is possible when the learning tasks require the student to apply knowledge, make connections and correlations, and evaluate knowledge. What is essential is to keep the student’s workload reasonable, and thus give them time to digest and reflect on the information. Peer evaluation practices almost always support deep learning. The student’s level of interest in the subjects taught also relates directly to their desire to adopt a learning approach that aims at comprehension, rather than just rote learning.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
Definition:
A study technique involving self-assessment refers to a study technique where the student explains to themselves and others what they know or do not know yet about a given topic and tests their own knowledge from time to time. Research shows that this is one of the best ways to achieve deep learning and remember what you have learnt for a long time. Learning a study technique involving self-assessment and developing it further is an important skill for university students and may help in tackling problems in learning. The teaching and evaluation methods used by teachers may also play a role in the students’ choice of study techniques.
Tips for teachers:
There are many ways that a teacher can support the development of a student’s self-assessment study techniques. Importantly, the student should know what they can and cannot do yet, and be able to explain this to themselves and to others. In a teaching situation, you might instruct students to record for themselves what they have learned and what they still want to learn, as well as to ask each other questions about the subject being taught. Be aware also that the evaluation method you choose can influence what kind of study techniques the students prefer. You should familiarise yourself with flipped- classroom method and judge how suitable it would be for your course. You could also reflect on the suitability of learning journals or peer review methods for your course.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
Definition:
Problems with studying refer to the difficulties the student has experienced in understanding and mastering the studied topics. In other words, these are at the core of the student’s ability to study. These problems may relate to having limited prior knowledge of the topic, or study techniques poorly suited to university studies, or a lack of motivation or time management skills, or in some cases, a learning difficulty. Stress and fatigue or attending lessons with too straining or complex teaching methods may also lead to this kind of experience.
Tips for teachers:
The problems experienced by students in studying may have many causes. Teaching may affect some of the factors, but not all. Teachers should adapt the level of their teaching to suit the students’ level of knowledge and ability; teachers should also ensure that their teaching is clear, constructively aligned and outlined in advance for the students. Keeping the workload reasonable is also important. Learning tasks and assessment approaches, when they students to draw connections between various aspects of the studied topics as well as to form an overall picture of the course content, usually help the students to maintain the feeling that they are managing to keep up with their studies.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
Personal resources
Definition:
Well-being refers to the student’s view of their overall well-being and its bearing on their ability to study. When the student is unwell, they are often unable to study to their best ability. On the other hand, smoothly running and purposeful studies can significantly increase the student’s well-being. Other building blocks of well-being include health, social relationships, identity certainty, life situation, nutrition, work, overall workload and purposeful hobbies. One of Aalto University’s strategic goals is to promote comprehensive well-being in the university community.
Tips for teachers:
Often the best thing a teacher can do for a student’s holistic well-being by keeping high quality standards in their own basic teaching. High-quality teaching and learning opportunities for students can be part of building in them the feeling that they have a good and meaningful everyday life. As a teacher, you will sometimes meet students face to face, and then there may be opportunities to ask them how they are doing. This can be an important gesture for well-being, and may give you a chance to guide the student to other services, such as the Starting Point of Wellbeing.
Sustainable wellbeing in teaching (Aaltogether)
Tips for students:
(FSHS)
Definition:
Life situation and conditions refers to the extent to which these factors complicate the student’s studies. Income, work, hobbies, living arrangements, transportation to the university, concern for loved ones, family situation or residence permit validity are examples of life situations that may affect the student’s personal resources and ability to study. Ideally, the student’s life is in such good order that they are able to focus on studying and learning. While the university cannot influence its students’ life situations as such, it is important to take varying life situations into account and when needed, leave room for flexibility in, for instance, the time given to complete studies or courses.
Tips for teachers:
Teachers cannot affect a student’s life-situation directly, of course, but their situation is reflected concretely in their possibilities for taking courses and learning. However, teachers through their own actions can have an influence so that students in different life situations can complete courses. For example, a teacher can allow a course to be completed in different ways, give extended time for completing a course, and in general, be sympathetic and flexible towards students who bring up their own life situation as causing them difficulties in completing a course.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
Definition:
Social relationships here refer to the experience of having people in your life who understand you and are there for you when you need them. Your social network may be made up of several different circles such as your friends and family, the workplace or student community and people with whom you spend leisure time. Social relationships may give you both practical and emotional support and help your ability to study, while the lack of meaningful social relationships may impair your ability to study.
Tips for teachers:
Teachers can contribute to students’ social relationships by building up community and a safe space within their own teaching situations, for example, assigning groupwork and socially interactive learning activities, as well as encouraging students to study together and support each other. If a teacher is concerned because a student seems lonely, it would be good to bring this up with the student, listen to them, and if necessary, direct them to where they can find further support. Suggesting concrete steps for loneliness is seldom helpful. You can direct the student to the Starting Point of Wellbeing, where they can examine possible practices or beliefs they may have that may keep them separated from other people. also offers support for loneliness, and offers education for staff. Aalto’s student guilds and student organisations also arrange community-strengthening activities.
Definition:
Career certainty refers to the student’s belief in that they are heading towards a meaningful career path. Career certainty refers to the student’s trust in the fact that university studies give them the skills and opportunities to enter the world of work, develop with support from other specialists and do well as professionals in their field. If the student views professional life as a world of endless or uncertain possibilities, they may feel stressed or incompetent or even feel that they have chosen the wrong field to study in the first place. Exploring their options or committing to the choices already made gives the student a positive outlook on life and a sense of purpose.
Tips for teachers:
The teacher may help a student to reflect on what is important in their studies during the current academic year; encourage the student to examine their career options, and how their studies prepare them for those options. Identifying opportunities increases the student’s optimism and their ability to tolerate uncertainties and ambiguities. Teachers can also help students with goal-setting and with planning and assessing their activities. By trying out different options, the student learns more about the world of work and learns to identify what they can commit to. Teachers can help the student to develop their own self-assessment skills and to find alternatives. The teacher can encourage students to share their experiences and support each other. This can help them to feel part of the student community in studies or in work placements; it can also help them to learn practices used in their own prospective field of work. In career questions, teachers can prompt students to get in touch with career services, a career counselling psychologist, or the Starting Point of Wellbeing.
Definition:
Certainty over the direction of your life refers to an identity where the student is clear about where they are going in life and what they wish to achieve. This type of identity experience is a resource, which brings meaning to the student’s life and increases their well-being. Young adulthood is the time where individuals start finding and building themselves as individuals and begin setting life goals for themselves. Identity is shaped by living independently, studying, working with others and making personal life choices. Sometimes, significant life experiences or a new life situation can change the previously certain direction of a student's life and necessitate redefining what they want out of life.
Tips for teachers:
Although students form their own identities and set the directions for their lives, a university education and teachers may play a significant role when students are performing this identity work. As a teacher, you may be serving as a role model for students, even if unnoticed as such, or your course’s information may alter the student's worldview. If you wish, you could actively contribute time and tools to students for their identity building, for example, giving assignments in which students can express their own values or opinions and discuss them.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
(MyStudies Success Team)
Definition:
Concentration refers to the student’s ability to focus their attention on a given topic or task. Concentration is furthered by the ability to show interest in the topic, as well as having the appropriate alertness level and study techniques. Concentration is a skill you can develop. If the student cannot concentrate even when they try very hard, have a good alertness level and effective study techniques, the reason may be an underlying attention problem.
Tips for teachers:
You can give students support for developing their powers of concentration. Focusing attention can be facilitated by a learning environment that is calm and has a suitable soundscape with only minimal disturbances. Requesting firmly that students put aside their mobile phones during class or having all students join in a concentration exercise before beginning a new stage of classwork can show students some ways of improving their ability to concentrate. Skills at generating or maintaining one’s own level of interest can be supported through using interesting concrete examples when teaching, asking that students connect the new learning in a lesson with previously learned content as well as with the abilities required in working life. If a student has a diagnosed attention-related problem, the student may learn essential working-life skills during the time of studies.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
Definition:
Executive function refers to the student’s skill in limiting the task to fit their resources and adjusting their actions according to the circumstances. A student with good executive functioning skills will be able to: distinguish which task in larger whole is key for making progress; start working towards the task in a goal-oriented manner; keep working on it for a purposeful period of time; and stop working on it when needed. Typical challenges with executive function are problems getting started, or on the other hand, using too much time on details.
Tips for teachers:
Clearly defined goals and assignments support the student’s executive functions. Based on them, students can set realistic goals and timetables and set appropriate limits on their work. Encourage students to evaluate how they function in their own activities, and encourage them to adjust their milestones flexibly so that the learning process moves forward and doesn’t get stuck in details irrelevant to the whole. Executive functions can be developed with the tools suited to the individual. For many people, efficient scheduling and to-do lists support prioritisation tasks, while the Pomodoro technique can help with procrastination. As a teacher, you may also tell the student about how you have developed your own executive functioning skills. Teaching may include practices in retrieving relevant information from instructions, breaking down tasks into small bits, and maintaining focus.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
Study well-being and workload
Definition:
The risk of study burnout is made up of two factors: high stress levels related to feelings of inadequacy that can disrupt sleep and personal relations; and a decline in study motivation, which presents as a lack of interest in studies and thoughts about dropping out. The risk of study burnout may increase if a student’s workload is unreasonable, their life situation is weighing heavy upon them, the teaching they receive is unclear, the evaluation practices unfair, or if the student’s self-criticism is too harsh, or their way of studying is incompatible with the requirements of university studies. High stress alone can decrease study ability. Student with no opportunities or means to recover from the pressures of studying may face study burnout, which often causes a long-term decrease in their ability to study.
Tips for teachers:
The teacher can influence some of the risk factors for study burnout. It is important to ensure that individual courses do not have an unreasonable workload and that the course’s teaching is given clearly and is well aligned. The workload of students is reduced when the course evaluation methods are transparent and communicated clearly. The key is to look at the degree programme as a totality and ensure that the contents, teaching and evaluation methods form a consistent whole. This is supported by good communication between teachers as well as joint planning and teaching.
Teacher's checklist for a course unit
Tips for students:
Individual counselling by study and career counselling psychologists
Groups, workshops and online materials for supporting wellbeing and study ability
In 2025 AllWell? student survey, second-year bachelor's students report that they spend an average of 36,5 hours a week studying, first-year master's students 37 hours. About 10% of students report that they study more than 60 or less than 15 hours a week.
It is planned that studying one credit takes 27 hours. If a student wants to proceed his studies to 60 ECTS in an academic year, this often requires full-time study. A student's opportunities to study are greatly influenced by the teaching, guidance and learning environment, as well as their personal resources and study skills, which the student can always develop.
In 2025 AllWell? student survey, second-year bachelor’s students report that they spend an average of 6 hours a week on paid work, first-year master's students 10 hours. About half report that they do not do paid work at all. About 10% of bachelor's students report that they work more than 20 hours a week, 10% of master's students report that they work more than 30 hours a week.
For some students, doing paid work while studying is a financial necessity, for some it is a way to promote their own career and acquire new skills, for some it is perhaps a way to get something meaningful to do in addition to their studies. Combining full-time studies with paid work often requires good study skills and sufficient resources.
More information
The AllWell? student survey
The AllWell? student survey is sent to all Aalto’s 2nd year bachelor's and 1st year master's students every year.
Areas of the AllWell? student survey as support for students
The AllWell? student survey measures aspects of student's study ability and experience of study wellbeing. The student's study ability and study experience are thought to be constructed from four different areas and their interaction: Student's personal resources, study skills, the study environment provided by the university, and teaching and counselling.
The AllWell? student survey and development of teaching at Aalto University
The annually conducted AllWell? student survey gives us research-based data for planning pedagogical development. A summary of AllWell? results are distributed 91ÇàÇà²Ý programme directors and school management.
Starting Point of Wellbeing
The Starting Point of Wellbeing offers students easy access to counselling and advice on matters of well-being and study ability. The services available to you include drop-in (no reservation) advising/counselling sessions, peer support groups, and online materials. You can also make an appointment to receive individual counselling.
