Text: Laura Jokela, Michael Järvinen, Emma Lindroos, Saana Mannerhovi, Katri Sulin
In Laurea University of Applied Sciences’ online studies, students are randomly divided into small groups. Working with strangers may seem uneasy, but the purpose is to facilitate sparring and to create a sense of community. (Hämäläinen & Pohjanoksa 2024.) Connecting strangers who are working with the same topics seems to be successful in its purpose. But even though the work is done smoothly; it does not yet prove the feeling of inclusion.
In our own small group, there is a 30-year age gap between the youngest and the oldest member. We are “in the same boat,” even though our ages, life situations and prospects differ. In 2023, nearly 70% of those who began university-level studies were under 30 years of age, but the age distribution is broad. Among the new entrants, there are also a handful over the age of 60, and those over the age of 40 accounted for 12% of all new students. (Vipunen 2025.)
As we delved into the InCITIES project’s (InCITIES 2022) goals regarding inclusion (Laurea 2024), we began to consider how age affects students’ experience of inclusion. We observed that this topic has been relatively under-researched.
We investigated the inclusion experiences of students in different age groups with a small survey. Although the number of responses remained small (10 responses), we received answers from every age group and the respondents represented a diverse range of life situations.
Four respondents felt the sense of belonging to the community of their university, and six felt appreciated by teachers and fellow students. Most respondents (6/10) had not participated in school activities outside of lectures, citing lack of time (6/10) and feeling unwelcome at events (3/6) as the main reasons. The suitability of events for different age groups also emerged as an issue. Feelings of discomfort were rare: four respondents experienced discomfort rarely or occasionally, and only one experienced it often. One respondent (1/10) had experienced age-based discrimination, and even then, rarely. Further investigation is crucial to be able to draw broader conclusions.
Concrete suggestions for improving inclusion were few. One suggestion was that teachers should avoid making assumptions about students’ skill levels at the beginning of studies, as this can create a feeling of exclusion. This is an important observation for teachers to consider.
We interviewed Senior Lecturer Eeva-Kaisa Kinnunen to find out a teacher’s perspective on this matter. According to her, especially in online studies, the students’ situation or feelings are not conveyed to the teachers. Group work is generally used as a means of strengthening inclusion and sense of belonging. Teachers get to know the students’ backgrounds, and based on this information, students with different experience bases can be divided into groups. In this way, a shared knowledge and skill base is created to enrich the theoretical teaching.
Although the survey results do not allow for direct conclusions about the inclusion experiences, they can be used as a conversation starter. We conclude that it would be beneficial for higher education institutions to obtain more extensive data on student inclusion to support teaching, learning, and a sense of belonging.
References
Hämäläinen, K. & Pohjanoksa V. 2024. Opiskelutaidot ja ammatillinen orientoituminen. Orientation day. Lecture 20.8.2024. Laurea University of Applied Sciences. Online Campus.
InCITIES 2022. About InCITIES. Referred 25.2.2025. https://incities.eu/about/
Kinnunen, Eeva-Kaisa 2025. Interview on 25.2.2025
Laurea 2024. Referred 25.2.2025. https://www.laurea.fi/ajankohtaista/uutiset/laurea-allekirjoitti-julkilausuman-yhdenvertaisuudesta-moninaisuudesta-ja-osallisuudesta/
Ministry of Education and Culture 2023. Eurostudent VIII -katsausartikkeleissa selvitettiin korkeakouluopiskelijoiden ajankäyttöä ja kokemuksia opintojen sujuvuudesta. Referred 25.2.2025. https://okm.fi/-/eurostudent-viii-katsausartikkeleissa-selvitettiin-korkeakouluopiskelijoiden-ajankayttoa-ja-kokemuksia-opintojen-sujuvuudesta
Vipunen 2025. Education Statistics Finland. Korkeakoulutuksen aloittaneet. Referred 25.2.2025. https://vipunen.fi/fi-fi/_layouts/15/xlviewer.aspx?id=/fi-fi/Raportit/Korkeakoulutuksen%20aloittaneet_B1.xlsb
Suurin osa Showcasen blogeista on toteutettu osana Laurean opintojaksoja. Koko koulutustarjontaamme voi tutustua nettisivuillamme. Tarjoamme kymmenien tutkintoon johtavien koulutuksien lisäksi myös paljon täydennys- ja erikoistumiskoulutuksia sekä yksittäisiä opintojaksoja avoimen AMK:n kautta!