How Do the Finns Do It?

Finland has an international reputation for quality education, primarily because of its consistently high scores on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams. The esteem, however, is exclusively for Finland\u27s primary and secondary schools. What about their systems of Higher Education? Do these follow the models of excellence of the lower levels? Do they struggle at this level? What issues do they face and what solutions do they develop? Based on a recent six-month sabbatical in Tampere, Finland, this session will be a discussion of Finnish Higher Education: its successes, failures, and current issues, with the goal of looking for possible links to Higher Education in the United States and other countries. Funding, assessment, and the research/teaching balance will receive particular attention. What similarities and differences exist between our systems, and what common issues do we face? What lessons can we learn from our Finnish colleagues? PUHUTAAN! (Let\u27s talk)