MY PRIOR LEARNING EXPERIENCE

My Vocational Education & Prior Learning Experience

Basic Info

I am a Bachelor of Business and Administration. In 2005 I graduated from both Finland (Oulu University of Applied Science) and Ireland (Athlone Institute of Technology). Since then I have taken courses in Education Science as well as started my MBA studies in Finland. So I have been studying more or less all the time since my graduation.

In this essay I will tell more about my studying background and experience. I will also try to explain how I have developed as a student in the last ten years.

BBA at Oulu University of Applied Science

I started my Bachelor studies in 2002, half a year after my graduation from upper secondary school. I was not quite sure what I wanted to do, so I applied to the Business school to get a good basic education. I took studying pretty seriously and set a goal to get a scholarship to spend the last academic year abroad. To get a scholarship I had to improve my English a lot.

I think my best memory from the college must be the support from my English teachers. They believed in me and told me how to practice my English skills in order to achieve the required level in English. They encouraged me to use English more in the lessons and not be afraid of mistakes. With hard work I managed to get the scholarship and was sent to Ireland for a year (at this point you may ask why you need to know English before going to Ireland…).

The worst memory from those studies was the group work. The assessments themselves were interesting but finding time for all the group work was challenging. Almost everyone had to work during the evenings, and we had different ways of studying. So working in groups was quite complicated.

BBA at Athlone Institute of Technology

The year in Ireland was great. I was still lacked confidence in speaking English but slowly I started using it more and more (A couple of pints of Magners did the job). My learning skills improved and I learned more about myself during that year than in several years in Finland.

Studying in Ireland was different than back in Finland. I liked the fact that we studied the same subjects through the whole academic year. What I did not like was their examination periods: the first exams were held just before Christmas and the final exams after the Easter. This way the students took studying rather easy for the most of the time and panicked just before the exams. In the end most students were just repeating, “Pike is a fish, Pike is a fish”. Luckily I had been studying throughout the whole year in order to fill the language gap. Getting ready for the exams was a bit easier for me.

In Ireland the teachers were closer to the students than in Finland. They quite often had coffee with the students during the breaks, and sometimes you met them in the local pubs as well. One teacher even took us to different pubs during the lessons / school trips! Part of cultural studies!

Still the teachers had authority in front of the classroom. The lessons were more interactive than in Finland. We did English grammar, Mathematics and Finances together during the lessons – only homework was done alone. I think that was a nice way to learn.

It is hard to name the best memory of the year in Ireland. Maybe it was the help from the college priest I got when the local ATM started acting up and suddenly my bank account was in the red for thousands of Euros. The local bank was not interested in my situation, and it took a while for the Finnish Luottokunta to fix it. The priest loaned me money for food and a bus ticket to Dublin Airport. I obviously paid him back later. The worst memory, on the other hand, was with another member of staff. My aunt’s husband had died and I wanted to fly to Finland for the funeral. This person did not believe me and I had to ask my dad to send him a letter with a photocopy of the obituary. I found that quite tasteless.

Other studies

Since my graduation from college I have completed 60 credits in Educational Science and started MBA studies as well as Vocational Teacher Education. All these three studies differ from each other in teaching / learning methods.

The Educational Science studies were distance learning. All the material was in an e-learning environment. Completing the studies was a rather lonely process. I met my tutor only once during the studies due to the distance, but I got feedback and help via Emails. I found studying that way challenging, but I loved the fact I was not dependent on anyone else in the same way you are in group works. I was also able to set my own deadlines since most of the assessments were in essay form. I also found writing essays a more efficient way to learn then studying for an exam. The teachers however stayed very distant, which I did not like. I did not get to know the other students too well either. I actually met them only once, including my opponent. This was not an ideal situation.

I started my MBA studies a year ago. The studies include both distance and classroom learning. We have some small group works, which are fine even though finding time for them is still challenging. We have a nice variety of assessments: essays, exams and projects. That makes the studying more interesting. During these studies I have learned the importance of peer support. We have a rather active Facebook group for the students where we can get help and support from each other. It is also nicer to go to the lessons when you know your fellow students. It sounds like our studying group is doing quite well and there has not been to many dropouts.

The Vocational Teacher Education started only two moths ago, so I do not have too much to say about it just yet. The only observation I have done so far is the fact that for the first time in my studying history I have active and visible tutors.