Education export is a relatively new and expanding sector in Finnish higher education (The Finnish Agency for National Education, 2020). This form of international collaboration offers numerous opportunities and benefits, but it also requires careful consideration to create a socially sustainable and ethical process for students, higher-education professionals, and other stakeholders. In a rapidly evolving world, including the education sector, a human-centered approach is essential to ensure high-quality education and a positive study experience.

Anthropology and Service Design – Why Should We Take These Approaches into Account?

As a part of my work in Laurea’s study services, I have worked with the student administration of Laurea’s and Chinese partner universities’ joint degree programs. These programs are new and differ from traditional degree programs at Laurea, resulting in unique service processes and study paths for students completing part of their degree by completing studies offered by Laurea. With a background in anthropology, global sustainability, and service design, I approach the subject from a human-centered perspective.

As the volume of education export in Finnish higher education institutions grows, numerous questions arise regarding the diverse backgrounds, tools, and skills for studying, as well as the needs of students. Drawing from service design theory, in education export, the university of applied sciences acts as the service provider, and the students are the customers. Service design emphasizes human-centric design, aiming to make services as convenient as possible for the end-user (customer) by understanding their needs and the requirements of stakeholders (Nguyen et al., 2022). Treating students as customers leads to higher levels of satisfaction and loyalty (Dropulić, Krupka & Vlašić, 2021). As a service provider, the organization offering products is responsible for delivering customer support and creating the best possible customer experience (Sheth, Varsha & Ambika, 2023). In education, a successful customer experience revolves around a successful study path and study experience. Depending on whether the studies are conducted remotely or in Finland, the focus varies. For students moving to Finland, the support in social integration and employment are crucial, while for those studying completely remotely, the focus is more on the study path and study process itself.

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) has outlined the Statement of Ethics and Principles of Professional Responsibility, which all anthropologists are obligated to apply in their work. These ethical principles also provide valuable guidelines for delivering customer-centric study services and education to students abroad. According to the AAA, anthropology is the “most humanistic of sciences and scientific of humanities,” studying all aspects of the human experience with the goal of using anthropological knowledge to solve human problems. The AAA Principles of Professional Responsibility are focused on anthropological research, but they can be applied to the professional life of any field involving work with people. It is particularly important to consider power differentials, constraints, interests, and expectations in any social enterprise, including interactions with students, colleagues, clients, or funders. The AAA’s Principles of Professional Responsibility for human-centric research and work include:

1. Do No Harm
2. Be Open and Honest Regarding Your Work
3. Obtain Informed Consent and Necessary Permissions
4. Weigh Competing Ethical Obligations Due Collaborators and Affected Parties
5. Make Your Results Accessible
6. Protect and Preserve Your Records
7. Maintain Respectful and Ethical Professional Relationships (The American Anthropological Association, 2024.)

In the following, I will focus on points 1 and 4, which I find particularly important from the perspectives of creating beneficial study services and my work with the joint degree programs’ student affairs administration. However, all seven points are crucial for creating a socially sustainable process and should be considered by all professionals working with education export programs.

Do No Harm: How to Create the Best Possible Study Services

As service providers, we should, like anthropologists, carefully weigh both the consequences and inadvertent impacts of our work to avoid any potential harm (The American Anthropological Association 2024.). The principle of “do no harm” can also be interpreted as being considerate and striving to do as much good as possible by creating a fair and user-friendly study process for our customers. This involves considering their backgrounds, existing skills, demands, and needs (Abuhassna et al. 2020). Therefore, conducting thorough background research is essential when preparing a new education program.

As producers of high-quality education services, we should focus on creating a smooth process that allows students to easily access materials and use the e-learning platform. The e-learning platforms currently in use were originally designed for degree students physically present in Finland and might not be as accessible or user-friendly for everyone. On a global scale, the tools, systems, and skills of students vary. With the growth of education export, it is important to explore new options: can we develop new ways and platforms for students completing studies provided by a Finnish UAS as part of their degree abroad?

We need to be sensitive and carefully observe the customers’ perspectives. It is important to identify the practical issues faced by students, local staff, and teachers in partner institutions abroad and include them in the service design process. Feeling capable of using different platforms enhances a student’s sense of satisfaction and capability in their studies (Abuhassna et al. 2020).

Weigh Competing Ethical Obligations to Collaborators and Affected Parties – and Take All Stakeholders into Account

Collaborations between different stakeholders create varying interdependencies. The relationships between the people involved can differ in character, vary in nature, and evolve over time. Like anthropologists, service providers need to be cautious and act if ethical standards or expectations are not met, formulating new strategies in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders. (The American Anthropological Association 2024.)

When creating new types of services, it is essential to consider our obligations not only to students but also, for example, to teachers, IT experts, and student affairs administration staff both in Finland and abroad. This ensures that we can create a clear, fair, and functional study and service process for all parties involved. When considering a new service, the initial steps should involve identifying all stakeholders and collaborating with them throughout the process (Vos & Achterkamp 2006; Viglia, Pera, Dyussembayeva, Mifsud & Hollebeek 2023).

Another essential part of the service design process is the iterative approach. As we learn how the process works for stakeholders, we must be able to act on our observations. If the standards and expectations of a process are not met, the service provider needs to lead the change towards a more stakeholder-friendly service. (Wynn & Eckert 2017.)

Enhancing Education Services Through Global Cooperation

In a fast-paced, rapidly changing world, education export provides solutions but also raises new questions in the field of education. The core question we need to address is how to create education services that offer a good customer experience to our students and other stakeholders in the new types of programs enabled by education export opportunities. The strength lies in cooperation between different stakeholders, both nationally and internationally. By considering everyone involved in the process, we can create opportunities and improve study processes and our customers’ study experience.

References

• Abuhassna, H., Al-Rahmi, W. M., Yahya, N., Zakaria, M. A. Z. M., Kosnin, A. B. M. & Darwish, M. 2020. Development of a new model on utilizing online learning platforms to improve students’ academic achievements and satisfaction. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 17 (38), 2-23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00216-z
• The American Anthropological Association 2024. AAA Statement of Ethics. Read on 28.10.2024.
• Dropulić, B., Krupka, Z. & Vlašić, G. 2021. Student customer experience: A systematic literature review. Management: Journal of Contemporary Management Issues 26 (2), 211-228. https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/386611
• The Finnish Agency for National Education 2020. Education exports are economically significant in Finland – the growing sector is already worth nearly EUR 1 billion. Read on 28.10.2024.
• Nguyen, H. N., Lasa, G., Iriarte, I., Atxa, A., Unamuno, G. & Galfarsoro, G. 2022. Human-centered design for advanced services: A multidimensional design methodology. Advanced Engineering Informatics 53, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aei.2022.101720
• Sheth, J. N., Varsha, J. & Ambika, A. 2023. The growing importance of customer-centric support services for improving customer experience. Journal of Business Research 164, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113943
• Viglia, G., Pera, R., Dyussembayeva, S., Mifsud, M. & Hollebeek, L. D. 2023. Engagement and value cocreation within a multi-stakeholder service ecosystem. Journal of Business Research 157, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113584
• Vos, J. F. J. & Achterkamp, M. C. 2006. Stakeholder identification in innovation projects: Going beyond classification. European Journal of Innovation Management 9 (2), 161-178. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/14601060610663550/full/html
• Wynn, D. C. & Eckert, C. M. 2017. Perspectives on iteration in design and development. Research in Engineering Design 28 (2), 153-184. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00163-016-0226-3