Radio | News week in plain Finnish | Saturday 7.6.2025

Multimodal learning

Listen

You can read the news simultaneously below.

This time, the topic of the news week is studying.

The popularity of blended learning has grown at universities of applied sciences.

More than 30 percent of undergraduate students at universities of applied sciences are hybrid students, meaning they mainly study remotely.

Now we will tell you more about it.

Distance learning is growing in popularity

Open image viewer

Oona Tammisto from Raisio is studying to become a physical education instructor mainly remotely. Once a month she has a face-to-face teaching session in Savonlinna. Photo: Esa Huuhko / Yle

More and more students want to study remotely. Before the coronavirus pandemic, about 20 percent of students at universities of applied sciences chose blended learning. Now, the number of blended students is well over 30 percent.

A large part of the blended learning can be done remotely. There are only a few days of face-to-face teaching per month. The rest of the learning is done independently or in groups.

Campuses are getting quieter

The growing popularity of distance learning is visible in higher education institutions. Campuses are quieter than before, and it is sometimes difficult to get enough students into face-to-face teaching groups, for example.

Many higher education institutions have changed their educational offerings. They now offer more interdisciplinary learning because it is of interest to students.

For example, at the Southeastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, security education was mainly changed to distance learning. After that, the number of applicants for the education tripled.

Distance learning brings flexibility to everyday life

Open image viewer

The flexibility of blended learning suits Oona Tammisto. You can study when it best suits your everyday life. Photo: Oona Tammisto’s home album

Blended learning is particularly interesting for adult students. Many adult students work and may also have children. Independent distance learning is then easier to fit into everyday life.

25-year-old Oona Tammisto also praises the flexibility of blended learning.

Tammisto is studying to become a physical education instructor at Savonlinna University of Applied Sciences, but he lives and works in Raisio, near Turku.

It is important to Tammisto that he is able to combine work and studies.

Repetition

The topic of the news week this time was distance learning, or blended learning.

Distance learning students already account for well over 30 percent of universities of applied sciences.

Distance learning is so popular that it is sometimes difficult to get enough students into face-to-face teaching groups.

Many colleges are now offering more distance learning because it is appealing to students.

Distance learning is particularly interesting for adult students.

That’s all for now - see you tomorrow!