Our humanities students in technology companies, Part 2: Student experiences

The Climate Engine project aims to position higher education institutions as drivers of climate innovation. Within the project, Humak students developed innovations for technology companies as part of the Innovation Activities course. Instead of the traditional completion method, the students chose a practical alternative that enabled hands-on collaboration with companies. Ten students and three companies took part – and no previous experience in the technology field was required. In fact, approaching the work from a completely different background was considered an advantage.

From theory to practice

The word “innovation” can seem distant, perhaps bringing to mind high-tech companies or major breakthroughs. It may seem like something grand, far-reaching or reserved only for a select few. Yet innovation is all around us. In practice, any thoughtful engagement or examination of things from new perspectives can lead to innovation. It requires an open mind, curiosity and the willingness to think beyond conventional boundaries.

Innovations, or new insights, rarely arise entirely out of nowhere: rather, they tend to grow from unexpected combinations of familiar elements. When different fields, mindsets and experiences meet, new ways of seeing and understanding the world emerge. In these moments, even an everyday idea can suddenly appear in new light.

This is how Humak students Jaana and Aina describe their experiences of taking part in the innovation process.

From an everyday starting point to meaningful result

Jaana chose the practical completion method because she learns best through doing rather than reading. The opportunity to complete the course through a hands-on workshop format felt well suited to her.

The process began with ideation meetings with company representatives, and the students refined their ideas further together. This sparring created a wide cloud of ideas which, through discussion, gradually took shape into an innovation that was then presented to the company.

“What surprised me most was how something so ordinary can grow into a genuinely meaningful result – and you don’t need any exceptional skills to make it happen”, Jaana reflects.

She hopes that future Innovation Activities courses will continue to offer a workshop-based method. “At best, it can spark new insights and networks while also supporting sustainable development”, she notes.

A new completion method as a source of enthusiasm

 “All of us who chose this completion method were excited and full of anticipation. It was refreshing to have a completely different way of working alongside studying alone on a computer. Although the practical method was intensive, it opened up the course themes in a rich and concrete way”, Aina explains.

During the first workshop, the students met company representatives and divided into groups, with roles forming naturally based on individual strengths. Aina notes that aligning schedules brought some challenges, but multiple communication channels helped maintain the working flow and keep everyone connected. In the end, she was pleasantly surprised by how naturally the process progressed.

Throughout the process, numerous ideas emerged, and narrowing them down was not easy: which of them were worth taking further? Gradually, however, the path became clearer. Aina highlights that it was inspiring to see how students’ ideas aligned with the companies’ own visions for the future.

“Most of all, it was wonderful to see how many fresh perspectives we humanities students can offer to engineering-oriented sectors”, she summarises.

Read the final part of the blog series to discover what the participating companies gained from the process.

The blog series Our humanities students in technology companies is based on an innovation process carries out within the Climate Engine project (2025-2027). Students from Humak’s innovation course worked together with engineering-sector companies. The series consists of three parts: the first explains how it all began, the second presents the students’ experiences and the third explores the companies’ perspectives.

Climate Engine is a two-year international project aiming to develop higher education students’ and staff’s climate competence, while promoting multidisciplinary collaboration between companies, higher education institutions and international partners.

Authors:

Ella Salokorpi

Milla Holmberg

Jaana Viittanen

Aina Vihervaara