Measuring higher-order cognitive skills with multiple choice questions:potentials and pitfalls of Finnish teacher education entrance
This mixed methods study examines the structure of the multiple-choice exam for student selection in Finnish teacher education. Through qualitative content analysis, we categorized multiple-choice ques-tions into items that assessed lower-and higher-order cognitive processes based on the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded four factors that represented lower-and higher-order cognitive processing skills and comprehension of empirical and theoretical items. These were associated with matriculation examination grades, especially with the average grade and the mother tongue grade. When developing future multiple-choice exams for admissions, we recommen…
Debunking the myth of high achievers in Finnish primary teacher education: first-year preservice teachers’ learning strategies and study success
This study aimed to explore the admitted students of Finnish primary teacher education programmes from the viewpoint of learning strategies, and academic success. An overall view was derived from national register data, which were supplemented with questionnaire data gathered from three teacher education units (N = 216). Primary teacher programmes currently seem to attract and select mediocre secondary school graduates from academic perspective, contrary to previous studies. Furthermore, women enter the programmes with higher exam scores than men and have more success in their studies. Based on their learning strategies, students were divided into subgroups of deep and independent learners,…
Creating a National Digital Learning Environment for Enhancing University Teachers' Pedagogical Expertise - The Case UNIPS
This article analyses the design, implementation, and evaluation of a nation-wide project to create a common digital solution for university teaching staff’s pedagogical training in Finland. During three years, eight universities collaborated in developing an online learning platform called UNIPS, the University Pedagogical Support system. The areas to develop were A) a learning platform based on technical design principles, B) pedagogical principles, and C) broadening the scope of offered studies. The results have been promising. With a carefully planned timetable, all participating universities were able to produce, test, and offer UNIPS modules in collaboration with other universities on…