Lahti UAS (FI)

Helen Schneider has just come back from a two-week stayat the University of Applied Sciences Lahti in March - and the impressions she brought back are  extremely positive.

Lahti University of Applied Sciences is located in Lahti - about one and a half hours' drive north from Helsinki.

Helen Schneider taught a wide variety of classes at different levels - and she experienced a very high level of interest in all of the classes she met.

The focus of her teaching units was on the “Financing and Organisation of Social Services in Germany” and  on “Value-Based Leadership”. The students were very interested in the social differences between Germany and Finland and were very keen on understanding and discussing the political issues behind the structures which were introduced in class. The lecturers at Lahti were also very friendly, cooperative and supportive before and during Helen Schneider's stay in Finland.

The only major challenge was that only some of the students in the classes were not as fluent in English as in Finnish. This made it a bit more difficult to get everybody involved - and a bit of creativity concerning the methodology of the teaching was required in order to make the multi-lingual environment work. However, it was also very helpful that the colleagues at the campus were in class and offered support with translations where necessary.

When you come to Lahti, you can be sure of a very warm welcome although it’s very cold outside. It is a great experience to teach in another country at another university in another language, Helen Schneider said: "It broadens your linguistic and personal horizons immensely!"