FinEstAI Teams Meet in Tallinn to Advance Curriculum Design

The FinEstAI working groups held our second in-person curriculum development workshop at the Estonian Business School on November 24th. While most of our collaboration occurs online, this workshop provided us with the opportunity to address design questions more efficiently and collaboratively alongside the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences team in Tallinn.

The program is aimed at women aged 50 and over who work in office-based roles or other support functions within knowledge work in Finland and Estonia.

“In Tallinn, we were greeted by the same grey November weather we had left behind in Helsinki, but the welcome at Estonian Business School was warm and hospitable, said Elisabet Rappu, lead project manager of the Haaga-Helia team.

 “Although most of our meetings take place online, it is incredibly valuable to occasionally gather in the same physical space — ideation and the exchange of thoughts simply work more efficiently that way,” she said.

The workshop included in-person discussions with colleagues who joined via Teams. Throughout the day, we aligned on the current project status, reviewed our progress on the curriculum and learning materials, and planned the next on-site activities.

“We managed to make several decisions regarding the training program and its structure, the content of the learning materials, as well as the on-site events, including the hackathon to be held in Tallinn and the workshop to be organized in Helsinki,” Rappu said.

While the curriculum sections will continue to be developed in parallel, Rappu said the Tallinn workshop helped ensure coherence across the overall program and a shared direction for what comes next.

And, as a nice bonus, even the travel time supported the work: “The discussions during the ferry trips were also highly valuable,” she said. “All in all, it was a very productive and fruitful working day.”