TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
Poika Isokoski and Kari-Jouko Räihä
Graduate School on User Centered Information Technology,
Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction, and Department of Computer Sciences
University of Tampere, Finland

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• The Finnish Graduate School System
• UCIT

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
University
Doctoral degree
(4 years)
Graduate
School
Master’s degree
(2 years)
Bachelor’s degree
(3 years)
12 years in school
Gymnasium
Univ. Of Applied Sciences
(higher vocational training)

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• Graduate students supervised by professors
• Students worked as research or teaching assistants in universities
– Often short-term appointments
– Some five-year assistantships with teaching inclination available in most departments.
• Many students working in companies
– Progress in studies and thesis work often slow

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• There was political pressure in the 80’s and
90’s for more efficient Ph.D. ”production”.
• Work in committees and ministries led to
Graduate schools added on top of the old system
– The old system remains operational
– The five-year assistant positions have gradually been discontinued in most universities.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• A government funding scheme.
• Funding for the first 722 positions in 1995.
• In 2010 paid positions for 1600 doctoral students in about 110 graduate schools.
• Graduate schools offer funding for 4-year full-time doctoral studies

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• Organize Ph.D. education for their members.
• Are similar to research projects in the university administration.
– Receive funding and spend it to achieve their goals.
– May emerge or be discontinued according to the wishes of the funding source (Academy of Finland), discontinuation rare.
– May involve many departments in many universities.
• Do not award degrees – faculties do.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• Shorter duration of Doctoral education
• Higher quality of Doctors
• Better national and international networks for faculty and graduates
• More doctoral degrees

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• In addition to students with salary funding
Graduate Schools may involve other doctoral students
– Graduate school has the opportunity to involve all Finnish doctoral students in its discipline.
• Unpaid students typically work as researchers or research assistants in universities or other research institutes.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• Graduate schools are evaluated every 2 years – the best are funded
– Evaluation is done by a panel of experts.
– Evaluation based on:
• plan for future operation
• statistics on past performance
• self-evaluation.
• Positions in graduate schools are given to the most promising applicants.
– A large portion of Ph.D. work remains outside graduate schools.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• The graduate student ”owns” the funding once granted
– can shop for the best supervisor
– can also shop for the best department
– can shop for the best university in the graduate school
– In practice shopping is rare.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• Graduate schools are cooperation organizations of university departments
– Competition for students and research funding.
– Cooperation in the graduate school
– Cooperation makes sense because the graduate school funding is otherwise unavailable.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• Plusses:
– Money for hiring doctoral students.
– Some of the visitor/seminar/course load can be shared between professors.
– Graduate schools offer peer support for professors and students.
• Minuses:
– Complexity: many schools and students outside schools
– Must participate in the administration of graduate schools.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• Plusses:
– Four years of funding
– Few distractions - can concentrate on the Ph.D. work
– Peers in one’s own sub-discipline can be found in the graduate school.
• Minuses:
– The salary is not competitive.
– Possible to remain detached from the real world -> poor job prospects.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
University of Helsinki
- Dept. of Psychology
- Helsinki Institute for
Information Technology
Nokia Research
Center
Tampere University of
Technology
- Dept. of Electronics
- Dept. of Software Systems (IHTE)
- Center for Safety Management and Engineering
University of Tampere
- Dept. of Computer Sciences (TAUCHI)
- Dept. of Social Research
- Tampere School of Public Health
VTT
Aalto University, Helsinki
- Helsinki Institute for Information
Technology
- Dept. of Media Technology
- Dept. Of Computer Science and
Engineering (Stratus)
- Center for Knowledge and Innovation
Research
- School of Design

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• Courses:
– Research methods
– Scientific writing
– Annual UCIT research seminar
• Funding for research visits by students
• Funding for student-organized events
• Summer schools
• Visiting lecturers
• Joint events with domestic and foreign peer organizations.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• ”Take the money and run” strategy.
– Some prefer staying in their offices instead of joining the educational program.
– The graduate schools do not have much power over universities or individuals in them.
• Recruiting international students.
– Paid positions available only periodically.
– Result of an application unsure. Long wait for the results and for the next opportunity.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• Operating graduates schools is complicated
– Network of independent organizations is difficult to steer.
– Sometimes difficult to fit together the needs of the multiple fields of science.
• Different practices in different disciplines
– E.g. the four-year doctoral program is not universally ideal.
– Some departments make the students work harder than others.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• HCI is a marginal area in many departments
– UCIT brings the otherwise marginalized students
(and teir supervisors) together.
• Ph.D. education in HCI in different disciplines is compared in UCIT.
– Leads to harmonized requirements.
• Graduates know the key people in Finland.
• ”Outside” position allowed significant investment in HCI researcher training without painful politics inside universities.

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• Shorter duration of doctoral education
– Graduation faster in graduate schools. (Is this due to student selection or good work in the schools?)
• Higher quality of graduates
– Difficult to measure
• Better national and international networks for faculty and graduates
– Most likely true.
• More doctoral degrees
– Yes

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• Universities in Finland are under reform
– Some universities are merging
– Several cross-university faculty/department splits and mergers are underway.
– Ministry of education is encouraging the universities to take the lead in shaping the graduate schools
– It is a good time to change things.
• How should we set up our doctoral programs?
• What can we learn from iSchools?

TAUCHI – Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction
• UCIT: http://www.cs.uta.fi/ucit
• Academy of Finland: http://www.aka.fi