Active University

Even a little exercise strengthens learning 

There is a need to increase physical activity during the school day: most students sit for more than 11 hours a day, most of that time during the school day. The?Active University -Project is to increase students’ and staff’s physical activity, learning ability, and community spirit across different learning environments. The project partners are the Air Force Academy, the University of Jyväskylä, and the student union HUMAKO. In addition to the project partners, the Students on the Move and the Finnish Student Sports Federation are close collaborators.

The first AU project was launched in August 2021. During the three project periods, major concrete changes have been made to the practices of the participating higher education institutions, including updates to pedagogical principles, the launch of activity agent activities, course feedback, various low-threshold events, and campus environment development measures involving small games and exercise equipment. The project has developed and implemented an operating model for higher education institutions that promotes activity and study ability, which is designed to be applied nationwide and integrated into the everyday life of higher education institutions.

Objectives

1. We will create local and online environments in higher education institutions that support active and collaborative learning and working. We will increase movement and breaks in webinars, seminars, and independent learning.

2. We will focus on involving the entire higher education community – from students to management. Practical measures include new activity agents who act as listeners, encouragers, and developers. Break exercise videos, wellness cards, and break stickers encourage movement throughout the day.

3. In addition, we organize various low-threshold events, such as art museum and nature trips, and sports trials, which support the overall well-being and community spirit of the participants.?

4. We ensure that quality, monitoring, and evaluation, as well as agent modeling, are based on the principle of continuous assessment, target group participation, and an interactive approach.

5. We strengthen learning ability by improving concentration, well-being, community spirit, and learning.