Information on Pulse studies

Xamk Open University of Applied Sciences is known as Xamk Pulse. Our courses are available for all, regardless of age or educational background.

Studies at Xamk Pulse cover the same courses as Xamk students complete as part of their Bachelor’s and Master’s degree studies. Studies completed through Pulse can be recognised later in case of starting degree programme studies at Xamk. Pulse studies meet the aims and requirements of degree programme studies, but do not result in a degree. In case certain courses involve requirements or recommendations for prior know-how and skills, such information is listed in Xamk Pulse Course calendar. There are also studies in Finnish.

Xamk Pulse studies are carried out in different ways: completely online, as part-time studies with a few contact teaching days and as full-time path studies with contact teaching on weekdays between 8.00 and 18.00. Studies usually follow a tight, predefined timetable with prescheduled deadlines for learning assignments.

Life will take us on routes unexpected. The trick is to enjoy the ride and to keep a curious and open mind.

Welcome to study at Xamk Pulse

• What to consider when planning to start your studies at Xamk Pulse?
• What happens after enrolling?
• Who to contact if you need further advice?

Xamk Pulse’s staff is happy to help you. You can contact us by email or by calling us.

Check out our versatile list of courses at www.xamk.fi/openstudies and www.xamk.fi/koulutuskalenteri

The largest Open University of Applied Sciences in Finland is here for you!

Xamk Pulse Open UAS courses cost either EUR 12-15 per 1 ECTS credit or a semester fee of EUR 175. Choose the basis for payment on the enrolment form.

BASIS FOR PAYMENT

• Single courses
  • EUR 12-15 per 1 ECTS credit.
  • If you prefer this option, choose the enrolment form’s alternative ”Open UAS course X ECTS credits”.
• Semester fee, Spring or Autumn
  • EUR 175 per semester
  • Spring semester fee entitles you to study courses, which start between 1 January and 31 July.
  • Autumn semester fee entitles you to study courses, which start between 1 August and 31 December
  • Semester fee is invoiced only once during the same semester. In that case, make the same selection for all your enrolments by choosing the checkbox ”Semester fee” on the enrolment form
  • If you have chosen the semester fee of EUR 175 and the sum of your single courses is less than EUR 175, there is no reimbursement for the difference.
  • Semester fee is meant for you in case you take path studies or otherwise several courses during one semester. If you choose for example three courses of 5 ECTS credits, the semester fee is more affordable than paying for all three courses separately.
• Students of other higher education institutions in Finland.  Notice that course fees are charged for students of other higher education institutions in Finland (universities and universities of applied sciences (UAS).
• Diplomas for Higher Education
  • are always invoiced separately (EUR 12-15/ ECTS credit)
  • the fee does not entitle you to choose additional studies from the Xamk Pulse OUAS course selection.
• Additional fees
  • which may apply in some courses for materials or tests for different permits or qualifications, are charged to all students.
• Xamk Pulse does not refund paid course fees, with the exception of situations where Xamk Pulse cancels a course due to low enrolment or some other unexpected reason.

RIGHT FOR FREE STUDIES

• Xamk Pulse studies are free of charge for
  • students at Finnish upper secondary schools and vocational schools (in Finnish lukio, ammattiopisto and kansanopisto).
  • Xamk graduates who have graduated after 1 January 2021. The free continuing education study right is valid for two years after graduation. After this, the studies will be subject to a charge. Notice that a copy of the Bachelor’s or Master’s degree certificate should be attached in the enrolment form. The right to study free of charge does not apply to studies carried out in cooperation with other Universities of Applied Sciences.
• Each semester we offer a wide variety of courses that are free of charge to everyone.

OTHER TERMS

• You can enrol for OUAS studies for the maximum of 50 ECTS credits per semester, covering courses with or without a charge as well as all bases for payment.
• The course or semester fee gives the student the right to study limited in terms of time and content.
• Xamk Pulse can, at its discretion, deny the right to study to a person who has previous unpaid fees at the time of enrolment.
• Note also that our course or semester fees  are receivables under public law and are enforceable without judgment or decision.
• By enrolling for studies, you agree to follow Xamk’s terms of payment and cancellation.

Cancellation policy for courses that start by 31 December 2023

• Courses that are starting nonstop, and in which the students can start their studies approximately within a week after enrolment, the enrolment cannot be cancelled free of charge. This means that the course fee will not be returned.
• If you wish to cancel your enrolment for a course with a specific starting and ending date, contact us by email at openstudies@xamk.fi 30 days before the course start at the latest. If you do not cancel by the due date, we will charge the full cost of the course.
• Cancellations must be made by emailing us at openstudies@xamk.fi.
• Free-of-charge right to cancel enrolment for path studies ends a couple of days after the last enrolment date. Information on the date when enrolment can be cancelled free of charge is either listed in Course calendar’s brochure for the studies or in the path studies invitation message we send before the studies start.
• Cancelling enrolment for path studies must be made by emailing us at openstudies@xamk.fi.
• In case you have not cancelled your enrolment according to the cancellation terms, the course fee is charged in full.
• Please note that the course fee is also charged, when you discontinue studies or do not start completing them at all.

Enrolment for courses starting 1 January 2024 (or after) is binding

• Study place cannot be canceled free of charge if the course starts on or after January 1, 2024.
• You can still cancel your enrolment, but the course fee will not be refunded. Cancellation must be sent to openstudies@xamk.fi.
• If a student interrupts path studies or a study module, such as a diploma of higher education or specialist training, he will be charged the semester fee for the current semester. Fees for the following semesters will be cancelled.
• If the student falls ill before the start of the studies and is unable to start, the course fee / semester fee will be refunded using a separate discretion on a case-by-case basis against a sick leave certificate. The refund is paid within about one month of the student’s notification.

Enrolment for nonstop start courses cannot be cancelled free of charge.

Enrolment for courses starting 1 January 2024 (or after) is binding

ECTS CREDITS

• The extent of studies and student workload required is described in ECTS credits. One ECTS credit equals 27 hours of student work.
• Usually one course covers 5 ECTS credits, totalling 135 hours of student work, and equalling to approximately 17 working days.
• The number of hours is theoretical and varies according to student effort.

PART-TIME STUDIES

• Part-time studies include approximately 2 to 3 days of contact teaching per month.
• Studies also include independent learning online.

ONLINE LEARNING

Online learning means studying through an online learning environment according to the teacher’s instructions. Studies do not include contact teaching on campus.

Depending on the course online learning can involve:

• realtime lectures online, for example, through Teams or Zoom: In such cases you need headphones and a microphone.
• recorded lectures available through an online learning environment: These lectures you can watch according to your own timetable.
• written learning assignments: These assignments can have predefined deadlines.
• discussions
• group tasks
• online exams.

As a student you are responsible for getting to know the learning environment and the course materials, for participating in discussions and for completing the assignments required on time. When working in groups you are responsible for your own part in completing the assignments, and commitment to group work is required.

Online learning is not an easy way of achieving ECTS credits. It requires as much work as traditional studies. When studying online, please plan your use of time and make time for studies.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

• Xamk recommends using either desktop computers or laptops for studies. Some courses can involve assignments that cannot be completed with tablets or smartphones.
• The online learning environment Learn works best with the Mozilla Firefox browser.
• During your studies Xamk provides you with an Outlook email account, enabling the use of Office365 applications. This means that you do not need to have a wordprocessing program of your own, for example.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Pulse studies include various written assignments that require mastering correct spelling, text type specific features and professional style. Text types involved include for example exam answers, lecture diaries, summaries, essays, research plans and reports. Please make use of the ready-made templates for writing, available on the intranet Lux. The same webpage also provides access to Xamk’s Reporting and Referencing guidelines as well as a PowerPoint template in Xamk style and outlook. Note that you can log in to Lux and access the previously mentioned information, only if you have active Xamk IDs.

When writing for study-related purposes it is important that you produce the text by yourself, as copying others’ text, ie. plagiarism, is against Xamk’s Ethical guidelines for studies. There is the Ouriginal online service in use for monitoring, if course assignments include copied parts. Xamk’s Ethical guidelines for studies define Xamk’s values as well as students’ rights and responsibilities. These guidelines also explain the procedures for cases of students’ misconduct or inappropriate behaviour.

DURATION OF STUDY RIGHT

Students’ right to study is based on the duration of the courses. Courses must be completed by their end date. It is not possible to postpone the right to study until the next time the course is implemented, for example, until the next semester.

EXAMS

Courses can include exams either on campus or online. In some courses it can be possible to retake a failed exam. More information on retakes is provided on course’s learning environment.

RECOGNITION OF PRIOR STUDIES

Single Pulse courses cannot be replaced with other previously completed higher education studies.

Xamk ID and password

• In order to access the students’ online services, you need active Xamk IDs (username and password).
• If you can identify yourself in suomi.fi service, you can get your Xamk ID (username) and password via the Xamk ID service.
• If identification is not possible, please contact us on openstudies@xamk.fi.

Learn and Open Learn

• The online learning environments of Xamk Pulse studies are called Learn and Open Learn.
• You receive a course invitation by email before the course start. The invitation includes instructions for accessing the Learn / Open Learn course platform.
• All course-related messages from the course platform, such as discussion messages and the teacher’s messages, go to your student email. The default email on Learn is always the Xamk student email. This default will not change, even though you would change your email on Learn. The change is not saved, and the default setting is restored, when you access Learn the next time. In case you definitely want to forward the student email messages to another email address, you can do so in the Outlook settings.

Outlook student email

• An email account is created automatically for students. You can access the student email through the Lux intranet or this direct link.
• Email accounts are created in the Microsoft Office 365 environment.
• Accessing student email takes place with a login that follows the form username@edu.xamk.fi. For example, the login could be amoma001@edu.xamk.fi.
• Teachers only use the Xamk student email addresses for communication. It’s therefore important to follow the student email regularly.
• If you definitely want to use some other email account, you can forward your messages to your personal email address.

Lux intranet

• The Lux intranet is a joint communication channel for students and staff. Lux includes events, news, instructions and other essential studying information.
• Accessing Lux takes place with a login that follows the form username@edu.xamk.fi. For example, the login could be amoma001@edu.xamk.fi.
• In the front page of Lux you can also create your own link shortcuts and bookmarks to the online services you use, such as the Learn learning environment, Outlook student email and the Peppi system.
• You can use the writing instructions and ready-made templates available on Lux.
• Also Xamk’s Ethical guidelines for studies are available on Lux.

Teams

• Microsoft Teams is an online collaboration platform developed by Microsoft. Teams offers many tools for online learning and group activity.
• Teams is part of Microsoft Office 365 service, that includes also Outlook email, Onedrive cloud files, and Office apps.
• It is recommended to log in to Teams with your Xamk IDs (username@edu.xamk.fi)
• Participating in Teams online meeting is however also possible without logging in (as guest), when using Chrome or Edge browser.
• It is recommended to learn the basic skills of Microsoft Teams. You can get to know Teams in a course in Open Learn.
• More information about Teams and other collaboration environments, such as Zoom, is available on Lux.

Peppi system and student number

• Xamk’s system for registering students is called Peppi. All Xamk students are registered on this system.
• Registering on Peppi gives all Xamk students a student number. You may need this student number, for example, in returning learning assignments.
  • When you access Peppi, a box first appears with the heading Study right information. The box first lists your name followed by a 7-digit number which is your student number.
• Pulse students do not have a specific group number. In case you need to insert a group number, for example, in the ready-made writing templates, you can enter as group number Xamk Pulse Open OUAS.
• Peppi also enables printing an official transcript of records by yourself in case the grade is already entered on Peppi before your Xamk ID becomes inactive.
  • Teachers have a month for the assessment after the course end date.
  • In case you receive the grade later, you can always ask the Xamk Pulse customer service for the transcript of records through the email address openstudies@xamk.fi.

Different options for funding studies

Pulse studies provide a great opportunity to combine work and studies. At Pulse you can study flexibly while working. There are different options available for funding, if you live permanently in Finland.

In case of unemployment or considering a study leave, please read more about the funding options available by Employment Fund and TE Services through the links below. Additionally, TE Services’ education and training guidance answers to your questions related to open UAS studies.

As studies at Pulse do not result in a degree, you are not entitled to Kela’s study-related social benefits.