Finnish Universities (XAMK etc.) (incl. CS/IT courses!)

[sarahmac]

So I know XAMK has been mentioned before, and people are probably aware of it now. Free or cheap ECTS credits that can go through a foreign credit evaluation for 200 bucks and count as RA credits (thanks to Royisnotagirl for pioneering!).

There are also many other universities in Finland that also have this open university set up. Actually I am pretty sure almost all Finnish unis have an open university set-up to some extent; some charge a small fee per credit, but generally all have MOOCs with ECTS that are free, different universities have different specializations and online course offerings etc.

The real problem until now, however, has been getting student access credentials - since generally you need a Finnish online banking log-in, digital ID chip card, social security, etc. to prove your identity. XAMK has always been the exception in this regard, since they are willing to set up user accounts for foreigners by hand instead of using the automated digital system.

However! Today I found a way around this!!!  XAMK is part of a network (HAKA) of universities that all use the same user sign-on. Meaning if you register for a course at XAMK and have the lovely folks set you up a Finnish student ID, you can use that same user ID at the other Finnish universities that are part of HAKA too.

Today I completed a couple of MOOC courses for free at Helsinki university, and after finishing the course in the MOOC course environment I just had to use my XAMK credentials to log-in through HAKA and have the credits recorded in Helsinki university's system. I can now order a ToR transcript for evaluation from there just like XAMK.

There are plenty of universities in the HAKA network you could do this with, for now I will stick with Helsinki. They have a lot of cheap online courses (15 euros per credit), but also a great long list of free MOOCs to include cyber security, computer science, software development, artificial intelligence etc.

I hope this is helpful to some people!

Also, if people find nice courses at other universities that you can register credits for using HAKA, drop a link as a reply. We can crowdsource!

A quick edit: consider finishing the course you sign up for with XAMK. If too many people do this, and just use them as a stepping stone to get access credentials, the loophole may be closed ^^'

[rachel83az]

Really? When I log into XAMK, I use the XAMK login and not the HAKA login. Does HAKA just mean "log in credentials from a different HAKA university"?

Hmmm...

Interesting!

It looks like the MOOCs are free until you finish, then they're 15 euros per credit. That's still a bargain for "RA-equivalent" credits for students at TESU (and possibly COSC).

[sarahmac]

Really? When I log into XAMK, I use the XAMK login and not the HAKA login. Does HAKA just mean "log in credentials from a different HAKA university"?

Hmmm...

Interesting!

It looks like the MOOCs are free until you finish, then they're 15 euros per credit. That's still a bargain for "RA-equivalent" credits for students at TESU (and possibly COSC).

The MOOCs are free, even for credit. The other Open University courses are 15 per credit. Like XAMK, they have more than just MOOCs. I completed two MOOCs so far and had no trouble registering the credits.

Yes, HAKA is the network. Not all Finnish unis are in HAKA, but a lot are. When you finish the MOOC and can register the credits you will be emailed a link to do so. This is the point people used to get stuck at (like with the famous AI courses), since the other options are to log in using Finish ID codes, banking credentials etc.. But if you are already registered at XAMK, now you can click the HAKA login option, select XAMK (using its full name) from the drop-down menu, and use your XAMK credentials. You input some details like name, DOB etc. and then the credits get entered in the Helsinki system (pretty similar to the course registration form at XAMK).

I am thinking of signing up for a two credit online open u class for thirty bucks though, so that I can get a Helsinki student login. That way you get access to their version of Peppi (Sisu). Otherwise you have to email them to retrieve your transcript using the student number they send to your XAMK email.

[rachel83az]

You're right, I read the page wrong. But it does look like there are at least SOME MOOC courses that are not free: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/admissions-an...t-and-fees

You can participate in a massive open online course (MOOC) free of charge. If you want to receive credits for the MOOC that you have completed, you will be asked to pay a fee at the end of the course. Some of the University of Helsinki’s MOOCs are completely free of charge.

I don't know which courses have fees and which ones don't, so make sure to check that before enrolling. But now I know what I'm going to take as soon as this round of XAMK courses is over.

Based on experiences with XAMK, I think that 30 euros for a Helsinki student login would be a bargain. Much easier to track how many ECTS you have and which courses you've finished.

[sarahmac]

You're right, I read the page wrong. But it does look like there are at least SOME MOOC courses that are not free: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/admissions-an...t-and-fees

You can participate in a massive open online course (MOOC) free of charge. If you want to receive credits for the MOOC that you have completed, you will be asked to pay a fee at the end of the course. Some of the University of Helsinki’s MOOCs are completely free of charge.

I don't know which courses have fees and which ones don't, so make sure to check that before enrolling. But now I know what I'm going to take as soon as this round of XAMK courses is over.

Based on experiences with XAMK, I think that 30 euros for a Helsinki student login would be a bargain. Much easier to track how many ECTS you have and which courses you've finished.

When you select the course options from the catalogue it shows you the fee in the top right, for example this one is free of charge, but this one has a 45 euro fee since the first part of the course is a MOOC but it has a second part that requires extra steps in Moodle to get ECTS. I already maxed my ECTS at XAMK for the semester so I am really glad I found this

I agree it is probably worth doing one paid class for access to the internal systems though. Peppi at XAMK makes everything so easy, and I imagine it could get really hard to track things fast if you were taking courses from multiple unis without access to the internal system. The list here of HAKA member universities that allow this sort of cross-login is... long.

[rachel83az]

I wonder if any of them (besides XAMK) have any certificates/diplomas that can be obtained entirely through Open University/MOOC courses.

[sarahmac]

I wonder if any of them (besides XAMK) have any certificates/diplomas that can be obtained entirely through Open University/MOOC courses.

I hadn't even thought of that! I mostly was happy to find a way for people to get the credits from the AI and computer science classes. They have been posted on this forum multiple times by various people as a non-credit free option, but now people will actually be able to transfer the credits from them if they want to. That would be great for TESU/COSC.

In terms of completing a whole course though, I hadn't even thought to check. Generally a lot of universities have this condition that Open University students are not degree-seeking. For example, the only one I have found so far is a minor program in Asian Studies. You can apply directly as a non-degree student and pay 250 euros to take the 25 ECTS (I thought it was funny the number of places I saw written that this was an expensive option lol). You get credits for the minor from the University of Turku, but it specifies you are considered a "non-degree self-funding student". So you could transfer your minor credits somewhere else (I presume COSC would take them for their Anthro concentration), but you wouldn't get a full degree from Turku. Just the "minor studies".

At least at some universities, a degree (or a diploma) via their open university should be theoretically possible, the thing is (as I am sure you noticed with XAMK) open does not mean online. Often open uni classes are evening or weekend classes in person. Whether or not the few that do allow a degree via open uni classes overlap with ones offering online classes, and also overlap with ones that allow a HAKA login, remains to be seen! That is a lot of overlaps though ^^'

I guess someone who was willing to invest some time and effort could also look into transferring courses between universities, for example if one uni didn't have an online open university course needed for a degree/diploma, but another did. Finnish unis also allow transfer credits - for Finns the process can be done automatically using a transfer service. For us without a Finnish social, it cannot be done using the virtual transfer system, but, maybe it can be possible manually. I contacted XAMK to find out since I took a class from LUT before.

For now I will probably take classes with the intention of transferring them to the US though.

[SweetsugarNL]

This sounds intresting if i need more RA credits.

[asianphd]

I'm studying automation and robotics at LUT University (Finland). Next week I will write mid-term exams.
Free of charge. Lot of ECTS.
https://www.lut.fi/web/en/admissions/ope...cs-studies

[Johann]

I am thinking of signing up for a two credit online open u class for thirty bucks though, so that I can get a Helsinki student login. That way you get access to their version of Peppi (Sisu). Otherwise ...

Sisu is a very interesting Finnish word. 

From Google: 

Sisu is a unique Finnish concept. It is a Finnish term that can be roughly translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. Sisu is not momentary courage, but the ability to sustain that courage.

Seems very appropriate for distance learning students.