P ac ice Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Ku ki, E.-K., Laaksonen, V., Ales alo, P., Ali-Löy y, S.,
E n all-Hy önen, A.-M., & Rämö, J. (2025). De eloping Unde g adua e
Ma hema ics Educa ion in a Ne wo k o Finnish Uni e si ies. In Kangaslampi, R.,
Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual Con e ence.
Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e, Finland. DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.17631513.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
DEVELOPING UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN A
NETWORK OF FINNISH UNIVERSITIES
E.-K. Ku ki a,
1
, V. Laaksonen b, P. Ales alo c, S. Ali-Löy y d, A.-M. E n all-
Hy önen e, J. Rämö
a Aal o Uni e si y, Helsinki, Finland
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-9266-1329
b Tampe e Uni e si y, Tampe e, Finland
h ps://o cid.o g/0009-0001-5469-3231
c Aal o Uni e si y, Helsinki, Finland
d Tampe e Uni e si y, Tampe e, Finland
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-6720-7722
e Uni e si y o Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Uni e si y o Eas e n Finland, Joensuu, Finland
Con e ence Key A eas: Teaching ma hema ics and physics in enginee ing
educa ion; Open and online educa ion o enginee s
Keywo ds: ma hema ics cu iculum, STEM ca ee in e es , collabo a i e eaching,
online lea ning ma e ials
ABSTRACT
We p esen an ongoing p ojec ha seeks o answe se e al cu en challenges
iden i ied in uni e si y ma hema ics educa ion, and deepen he collabo a ion in
ma hema ics educa ion be ween Finnish uni e si ies. Ou goals a e o nu u e
s uden in e es in ma hema ics s udies; make su e ha beginning s uden s ha e
su icien ma hema ical skills o con inue hei s udies a uni e si y le el; c ea e and
publish online lea ning ma e ials o oday’s digi al milieu; pilo di e en models o
collabo a i e online eaching; and, e en ually, c ea e an adminis a i e amewo k
ha would acili a e s uden mobili y be ween uni e si ies and deg ee p og ammes.
A he ime o w i ing, wo k on he p ojec has s a ed by su eying he cu en s a e
o basic ma hema ics educa ion, online eaching, e ision ma e ials, and he needs
o pa icipa ing uni e si ies. We epo p elimina y esul s and discuss he nex s eps
o be aken.
1
1 Co esponding Au ho : E.-K. Ku ki, emma-ka oliina.ku ki@aal o. i
1 INTRODUCTION
In he na ional STEM s a egy ou lined by he Finnish Minis y o Educa ion and
Cul u e, na u al sciences and ma hema ics a e iden i ied as key compe ences o he
u u e. They lay he ounda ion o o he compe ences such as echnological
inno a ion, ci cula economy, and socially and economically sus ainable
de elopmen (Minis y o Educa ion and Cul u e, 2023). Ala mingly, he ma hema ical
skills o uppe seconda y school and beginning uni e si y s uden s do no always
measu e up o hese ideals; compa e e.g. (Jou senlah i e al., 2016) and he
ansi ion issues obse ed in (SEFI Ma hema ics Wo king G oup, 2013). A he same
ime, Finnish s a is ics show ha while he numbe o a ailable s uden places in
STEM ields was inc eased in 2024, s uden in e es is s agna ing and he newly
a ailable places we e la gely le un illed (Educa ion S a is ics Finland, 2024).
In his wo king pape , we p esen he p ojec "A ac i e and Inno a i e Highe
Educa ion in Ma hema ics h ough Uni e si y Ne wo k Collabo a ion” (MATech),
unde aken by he Finnish Ins i u e o Technology (FITech) ne wo k o uni e si ies
and he Uni e si y o Helsinki, and unded by he Minis y and Educa ion and Cul u e
(FITech, 2025). In b ie , we aim o make su e ha beginning STEM s uden s a e
eady o encoun e uni e si y ma hema ics, and e en ually g adua e wi h he
expe ise o meaning ully s i e o he de elopmen goals se in he na ional
s a egy. Ini ially ocusing on unde g adua e ma hema ics educa ion, he p ojec
consis s o ou wo k packages (WPs) o be comple ed in 2025–26.
The Finnish Ins i u e o Technology is a ne wo k ounded in 2017, ha comp ises all
nine Finnish uni e si ies ha o e educa ion in echnology.
1
O he ounding
membe s o he Ins i u e a e Technology Indus ies o Finland (Teknologia eollisuus)
and he Academic Enginee s and A chi ec s in Finland (TEK). The ini ial ounding
mission o he ne wo k was o espond o compe ence demands a ising in indus y,
bu he FITech boa d has since decided o s eng hen he collabo a ion be ween
membe uni e si ies a he le el o deg ee s udies.
The aims o he MATech p ojec a e s uc u ed a ound i e challenges in uni e si y
ma hema ics educa ion:
• A ac i eness o STEM ields and lack o s uden mo i a ion: The e is a
p essing need o educa e mo e STEM expe s o he u u e. Acco dingly, we
need o nu u e s uden s’ in e es in STEM ca ee s. Fu he mo e, e en
s uden s o science, echnology, and enginee ing end o unde es ima e he
impo ance o ma hema ics, which has a nega i e impac on hei academic
success and la e p o essional de elopmen .
• He e ogeneous s uden popula ion: The s uden s’ ma hema ical skills and
abili ies a he beginning o uni e si y s udies a e highly di e gen , and some
need o e ise he basics be o e hey a e eady o ackle he uni e si y
ma hema ics cu iculum.
• Lack o cohesion ac oss uni e si ies: E en hough he scien i ic con en o
unde g adua e science and enginee ing p og ammes is la gely he same,
1
The FITech membe uni e si ies a e Aal o Uni e si y, LUT Uni e si y, Uni e si y o Eas e n Finland,
Uni e si y o Jy äskylä, Uni e si y o Oulu, Tampe e Uni e si y, Uni e si y o Tu ku, Uni e si y o
Vaasa, and Åbo Akademi Uni e si y. While he Uni e si y o Helsinki does no g an deg ees in
Science (Technology) and is no a membe o FITech, i ac i ely pa icipa es in he p esen p ojec .
each uni e si y is esponsible o hei own cu iculum and he e is g ea
a ie y be ween di e en uni e si ies and majo s. This impedes cou se c edi
ans e and s uden mobili y be ween s udy acks.
• C ea ing up- o-da e, high-quali y ma e ials wi h limi ed esou ces: Sha ing and
collabo a ion be ween uni e si ies would inc ease e iciency.
• De eloping accessible, digi al, uni e si y-le el cou ses open o all audiences:
Ta ge g oups include bu a e no necessa ily limi ed o s uden s a uppe
seconda y schools, uni e si ies and uni e si ies o applied sciences, as well
as li e-wide lea ne s.
2 AIMS OF THE PROJECT
2.1 Wo k package 1: O e iew o he uni e si ies’ ma hema ics educa ion,
ansi ions, and de elopmen ounda ions
In he i s s age, we p oduce an o e iew o he cu en o ganisa ion o basic
ma hema ics educa ion o STEM s uden s ac oss FITech membe uni e si ies. The
esul s will p o ide us wi h a s a ing poin ha in o ms all o he wo k packages.
In p ac ice, we compile in o ma ion on he con en and ex en o basic ma hema ics
educa ion a he cou se le el. As a “basic cou se” we unde s and a cou se ha is
compulso y o a la ge popula ion o s uden s in a deg ee p og amme o majo , and
impa s ans e able ma hema ical skills. The s uden is ypically expec ed o pass
hese cou ses in hei i s o second yea o s udy, be o e p og essing o mo e
specialised s udies.
The e cu en ly exis subs an ial di e ences be ween he o ganisa ion o basic
s udies in di e en uni e si ies and deg ee p og ammes. The co e con en and
lea ning objec i es o a cou se called, say, Calculus 3 a e no necessa ily he same
ac oss uni e si ies. Consequen ly, ecogni ion o exis ing lea ning is non i ial when
a s uden mo es om one uni e si y o p og amme o ano he . We expec he esul s
o WP1 o bene i s uden mobili y wi hin uni e si ies as well as ans e be ween
uni e si ies o applied sciences and uni e si y-le el enginee ing p og ammes.
Fu he mo e, he e is cu en ly no comp ehensi e unde s anding o he se o key
ma hema ical skills ha e e y Finnish enginee ing s uden should possess a e
comple ing hei unde g adua e deg ee. One o he u u e goals o WP1 is o p epa e
a ecommenda ion o such a amewo k. In he u u e, we will ask he same ques ion
o mas e ’s s udies.
A he ime o w i ing, he MATech p ojec has been unning o less han wo mon hs
and is e y much a wo k in p og ess. As a simple illus a ion o he cu en s a e o
Finnish enginee ing educa ion, we p esen he amoun o basic ma hema ics
cou ses, in ECTS c edi poin s, ha a B.Sc. (Tech.) s uden is equi ed o pass. The
able only akes in o accoun Bachelo ’s p og ammes in Technology, augh in ei he
Finnish o Swedish, a esea ch uni e si ies. The Uni e si y o Helsinki only g an s
Bachelo ’s deg ees in Science, and does no igu e in his p elimina y o e iew.
Undoub edly, mo e in o ma ion is needed in o de o unde s and he ac ual con en
and concep ual le el o compulso y basic ma hema ics s udies. The disc epancies in
b ead h be ween di e en uni e si ies and deg ee p og ammes can be pa ially
explained by he needs o each deg ee p og amme, he inclusion o ma hema ical
con en in cou ses ha a e no s ic ly abou ma hema ics, and pa h dependency.
Table 1. Minimum amoun o c edi s (ECTS) o basic ma hema ics cou ses in Finnish B.Sc.
(Tech.) deg ee p og ammes by uni e si y, including di e en majo s in each p og amme, as
o Ap il 2025
Uni e si y
N (p og ammes)
Median (ECTS)
Range (ECTS)
Tampe e
12
25
20–30
Aal o
15
25
15–35
Jy äskylä
2
25
25–25
LUT
8
16
9–25
Vaasa
4
17
12–17
Tu ku
8
20
20–20
Oulu
8
25
20–30
Eas e n Finland
3
25
19–25
Åbo Akademi
3
20
15–25
2.2 Wo k package 2: A ac i eness o s udying ma hema ics and su icien
basic skills a he beginning o uni e si y s udies
The second wo k package add esses he ansi ion om school o uni e si y. Why
a e an inc easing numbe o s uden s losing in e es in pu suing STEM subjec s a
he uni e si y le el? How o e ec i ely each uni e si y ma hema ics o i s -yea
s uden s wi h widely a ying ma hema ical backg ounds?
We s a by looking in o uppe seconda y and uni e si y s uden s’ a i udes owa d
ma hema ics h ough ques ionnai es and in e iews. The aim is o ind ou , on one
hand, wha discou ages s uden s om pu suing s udies in a ma hema ical ield and,
on he o he , o le hem unco e aspec s o ma hema ics hey ind a ac i e and
ele an . Based on he esul s o he su eys, we will c ea e con en ha shows he
aspec s o ma hema ics ha a e meaning ul o seconda y school s uden s. This may
include, o example, s o ies o STEM g adua es and hei ma hema ical jou neys as
well as examples and hands-on p oblems ha illus a e he ole o ma hema ics in
socie y. A panel o s uden s and eache s om he a ge schools will p o ide
eedback on he ma e ials, allowing us o ailo hem o he needs o he s uden s and
schools.
Ano he ocus o he wo k package is o ensu e ha s uden s ha e su icien
p e equisi es o ake uni e si y ma hema ics cou ses. In i s -yea enginee ing
cou ses, he s uden popula ion is e y he e ogeneous in hei ma hema ical abili ies,
and an o e all decline in s uden s’ ma hema ical p o iciency has been obse ed bo h
in Finland and ab oad (e.g. Kangaslampi e al., 2024; Deeken e al., 2020). We a e
by no means he i s o a emp o add ess his issue; see, o ins ance, he Ma h-
B idge p ojec (Kangas e al., 2010).
We design and pilo a diagnos ic es ha can be used in Finnish uni e si ies. The
new es will be based on he es o s uden s’ basic ma hema ical skills c ea ed and
cu en ly in use a Tampe e Uni e si y; simila es s exis o ha e exis ed a o he
Finnish uni e si ies. The diagnos ic es will di ec he s uden s o hose e ision
ma e ials ha will help hem enhance hei knowledge and skills o he equi ed le el.
Gi en ha many membe uni e si ies al eady o e e ision cou ses o ma e ials, he
p ocess began wi h a su ey o he ep esen a i es o he membe uni e si ies o
iden i y exis ing esou ces and gaps. The su ey e ealed ha while he cu en es
ques ions co e almos all ele an ma hema ical opics, hey p ima ily ocus on
calcula ions and lack emphasis on concep ual unde s anding. As a esul , we will
de elop new concep ual asks; compa e Jou senlah i e al. (2016). The esul s also
highligh ed ha he uni e si ies ha e di e se needs, unde sco ing he impo ance o
adop ing a modula s uc u e o he e ision ma e ials. This modula app oach
enables each s uden o selec he opics hey need o e ise. Ul ima ely, collec ing
exis ing ma e ials and c ea ing new ones collabo a i ely no only op imises
esou ces bu also s eng hens coope a ion and ne wo king be ween he
pa icipa ing uni e si ies.
2.3 Wo k package 3: Inspi ing online lea ning ma e ials and co- eaching
pilo ing
The hi d wo k package ocuses on online cou ses, beginning wi h an o e iew o he
cu en o e ing and iden i ying needs o u u e de elopmen . We will also conside
he possibili y and possible me hods o online-based collabo a i e eaching. Ideally,
sha ing and collabo a i e planning would p omo e he e icien use o esou ces
wi hin he FITech ne wo k.
In Feb ua y 2025, we conduc ed a p elimina y su ey add essed o ep esen a i es
o pa icipa ing uni e si ies on exis ing online cou ses. The esponden s we e
likewise asked o exp ess any wishes o u u e de elopmen om hei poin o iew,
as well as hei in e es in pilo ing collabo a i e eaching. The esponses p o ide
WP3 wi h a s a ing poin o b idge he gap be ween he cu en s a e o online
eaching and he exis ing demand o i .
As hings s and, he pa icipa ing uni e si ies al eady possess a lo o digi al lea ning
ma e ials and p ac ices. Howe e , he e is a a ie y o implemen a ions and a ge
g oups (deg ee s uden s o ex e nal lea ne s). Many esponden s we e less
in e es ed in c ea ing new cou ses han upda ing exis ing esou ces. Ma e ials ha
ha e been ca ied o e om ea lie implemen a ions may need o be eadap ed o a
wo ld whe e AI has o soon will become an e e yday ool. A he same ime, he e
appea s o be a demand o mo e basic ma hema ics cou ses in English.
We will c ea e ma e ials in all h ee ele an languages, and make hem eely
a ailable o bo h eache s and independen lea ne s on exis ing pla o ms, no ably
he Lib a y o Open Educa ional Resou ces (h ps://aoe. i) and Abacus
(h ps://abacus.aal o. i).
The pu pose o he eaching pilo is o es new modes o collabo a i e eaching
ac oss uni e si ies, a ailable o all FITech s uden s. Pa icipa ing uni e si ies will be
able o expe imen wi h di e en models based on hei needs and in e es s, and we
hope o disco e some good p ac ices ha could e en ually be deployed h oughou
pa icipa ing uni e si ies.
One such model could be o locally o ganise u o ials in small g oups, while lea ning
esou ces and exe cise p oblems will be a ailable online, wi h s uden - eache
in e ac ions based e.g. on lipped lea ning (Kangaslampi e al, 2024). The EXAM
so wa e (h ps://e-exam. i/in-english/) enables s uden s o be e alua ed unde
supe ision on hei home campuses. The online componen could be eplaced
simply by li es eaming lec u es, which has he ad an age o being easy o
implemen wi h exis ing ools and esou ces.
2.4 Wo k package 4: Collabo a ion in ad anced s udies
As he ou h and inal wo k package, we will su ey he needs o and demand o
collabo a ion in ad anced ma hema ics s udies, and seek o upda e exis ing ne wo k
ag eemen s acco dingly. The ocus o WP4 will be on adminis a i e ma e s, while
pa icipa ing uni e si ies and eache s a e esponsible o he scien i ic con en . Ou
pu pose is o b ing oge he he ele an people and ins i u ions, making hei
collabo a ion as luid as possible. The guidelines and amewo k o WP4 a e
p o ided by he Digi isio 2030 p og amme (Digi isio 2030, 2025).
3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The “A ac i e and Inno a i e Highe Educa ion in Ma hema ics” p ojec is unded by
he Finnish Minis y o Educa ion and Cul u e. This wo k pape is pa ially based on
he o iginal p ojec p oposal, whe e Sanna Vii anen (Aal o Uni e si y) and Johanna
Luomala (FITech) ha e con ibu ed subs an ially, in addi ion o he au ho s o his
pape . The p ojec is coo dina ed by Jaakko Hyy iä (FITech), who ga e commen s
on he manusc ip .
REFERENCES
Deeken, C., Neumann, I., & Heinze, A. (2020). Ma hema ical P e equisi es o STEM
P og ams: Wha do Uni e si y Ins uc o s Expec om New STEM Unde g adua es?
In e na ional Jou nal o Resea ch in Unde g adua e Ma hema ics Educa ion, 6(1),
23–41. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s40753-019-00098-1
Digi isio 2030. (2025). Basic in o ma ion on he Digi isio 2030 p og amme.
h ps://digi isio2030. i/en/basic-in o ma ion-on- he-digi isio-2030-p og amme/
(31.03.2025).
Educa ion S a is ics Finland (2024). Vipunen – ope ushallinnon ilas opal elu:
Ko keakoulujen hakenee ja paikan as aano anee . Ope ushalli uksen ylläpi ämä
opiskelija alin a ekis e i. A ailable a h ps:// ipunen. i/ i-
i/_layou s/15/xl iewe .aspx?id=/ i- i/Rapo i /Haku%20ja%20 alin a%20-
%20ko keakoulu%20-%20li e.xlsb (31.03.2025).
FITech. (2025). A ac i e and inno a i e highe educa ion in ma hema ics h ough
uni e si y ne wo k collabo a ion. h ps:// i ech.io/en/a ac i e-and-inno a i e-highe -
educa ion-in-ma hema ics- h ough-uni e si y-ne wo k-collabo a ion/ (31.03.2025).
Jou senlah i, J., Ali-Löy y, S., & Pohjolainen, S. (2016). De eloping Lea ning and
Teaching in Enginee ing Ma hema ics wi h and wi hou Technology. In SEFI 2016
Annual Con e ence P oceedings, Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion
(SEFI).
Kangaslampi, R., Kaa akka, T., Immonen, P., Äijälä, M., Hi onen, J., Bhayo, B.,
Kuosa, M., & Naukka inen, J. (2024). Fi s -Yea Enginee ing S uden s’ Ma hema ical
Skills And Pe cep ions O S udying Ma hema ics. In SEFI 2024 Annual Con e ence
P oceedings, Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI).
h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.14254743
Kangaslampi, R., Rämö, J., & Nokelainen, P., Hi onen, J., Vi o, E., Ali-Löy y, S.,
Vuo enpää, V., & Kaa akka, T. (2024). Changes in s uden s’ app oaches o lea ning
on enginee ing ma hema ics cou ses wi h wo di e en ins uc ional models.
In e na ional Jou nal o Educa ion in Ma hema ics, Science, and Technology
(IJEMST), 12(3), 750-772. h ps://doi.o g/10.46328/ijems .3938
Kangas, J., Kauhanen, J., Miilumäki, T., Mäkelä, T., Nykänen, O., Pohjolainen, S.,
Rau iainen, E., Sa ikka, H., Silius, K., Tu unen, E., & Åke blom, M. (2010). Ma h-
B idge – Eu opean ma hema ics online b idging cou ses. So wa e h p://www.ma h-
b idge.o g (31.03.2025)
Minis y o Educa ion and Cul u e. (2023). Finnish Na ional STEM S a egy and
Ac ion Plan. Publica ions o he Minis y o Educa ion and Cul u e: 2023:22.
h ps://u n. i/URN:ISBN:978-952-263-733-8
SEFI Ma hema ics Wo king G oup. (2013). A F amewo k o Ma hema ics Cu icula
in Enginee ing Educa ion: A Repo o he Ma hema ics Wo king G oup. Eu opean
Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI). A ailable a
h ps://www.se i.be/publica ion/a- amewo k- o -ma hema ics-cu icula-in-
enginee ing-educa ion/ (31.03.2025).
