A PISA study for university students is called AHELO

Finnish students will participate only in the assessment of generic skills

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A group of Finnish university students will have an opportunity to demonstrate their problem-solving skills when participating in a feasibility study to be arranged by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in February-May of this year.
      The Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) will evaluate the performance of students in higher education. The assessment is somewhat similar to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) testing the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds, an area in which Finland has recently performed very well.
     
The purpose now is to test a total of 30,000 students at the undergraduate level (nearing the end of their first 3- or 4-year-degree).
     
Six Finnish universities will participate in the assessment: the Aalto University, the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Jyväskylä, The Lappeenranta University of Technology, the University of Oulu, and the University of Helsinki.
     
In addition, seven Finnish universities of applied sciences will be involved: the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, the Central Ostrobothnia Polytechnic, the Laurea University of Applied Sciences, the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, the Oulu University of Applied Sciences, the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, and the Savonia University of Applied Sciences.
      A total of 200 students will be randomly chosen at each university, which will make 2,600 altogether.
     
The AHELO will first assess
generic skills common to all students. When it comes to discipline-specific skills, the assessment will test students’ knowledge and skills in economics and engineering. Finland will participate only in the generic skills test.
      ”Generic skills include critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem-solving, and written communication”, explains researcher Jani Ursin from the University of Jyväskylä.
      The test will last more than two hours, and it will be conducted on computers. The tasks contain background material, including graphs, emails, and scientific articles.
     
Based on the results of the feasibility study, OECD member countries will decide whether to go through with a full-scale AHELO.
      According to Ursin, the full-scale AHELO could be launched in 2014 at the earliest.
      The results will not assess the standard of teaching at each university, as it is not known what kind of skills the students have when they enter the university.
     
FACTFILE: The AHELO involves about 30,000 students
     
The Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) will evaluate the performance of students in higher education.
     
A total of 30,000 will participate in the international OECD test, representing about 150 universities in 17 countries.


Links:
  OECD: The Assessment of HIgher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO)

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