Student Services of the open university studies

Students will obtain a user account from the University of Turku. The user account is a personal permission to access the network services offered by the University of Turku to its students.

Applying for a user account and password and conditions of use

• To get a username and password you must register for a course or module in the registration service. After you have paid the tuition fee you will later be granted the right to study.
• When your right to study is validated, you will gain access to Moodle and other services.
• Once you have got the university user account, you agree to follow the terms and conditions of the user account.
• The password is strictly personal: it is forbidden to give the password to anyone, not even to the personnel of the Open University or IT services.

The terms and instructions of the license are on the university's website

> UTU username and password

Changing the password

• The password expires and must therefore be changed every 180 days.
• Please see the instructions on how to change the password on the page changing your password. No advance warning is given when the password is about to expire. It is recommended to make a note to change the password again in 180 days each time you change the password.
• The network services of the university cannot be accessed with an expired password.

Forgotten or expired password

• If you have forgotten your password or it has expired, you can renew it by following the instructions found on the page Changing your password
• You can also contact the education secretary who can create a new password for you. The new password must be collected in person from the office. When you collect the new password, you will be asked to show a proof of identity (identity card, driver’s license, passport or KELA card with a photo). The new password will not be given through email or phone. 

Validity of the user account

• Your user account is valid for as long as you have the right to study the open university courses. Your user account can be valid also on other grounds, e.g. if you are a degree student at the University of Turku or a member of staff.
• You will receive an email notification two weeks before the termination of the validity.
• Once the account has expired, you can no longer access the network services of the university. In case you have not yet completed your studies by the time of the termination of your study right, you must re-register to continue your studies in order to retain your user account.

Students of open university studies have access to the following network services with their user account:

• Student data system and registration service Peppi
• Learning environment Moodle
• Electronic materials of the library of the University of Turku and MOT dictionaries
• Access and printing tags
• Electronic exam service (Exam)

Students are not able to access with their user accounts the internal web site of the University of Turku which is used by the staff of the university and degree students. 

The University of Turku is gradually implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) on nearly all its IT systems that are accessed with the UTU account. 

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) protects your UTU user account and the information available to you, by asking for an additional confirmation at login. With MFA you can access services that require stronger authentication.

You can use multi-factor authentication after you have activated your UTU account.

> Multi-factor authentication (MFA) | University of Turku (utu.fi) 

Knowing how to use library services and searching for information are an important part of studying. For finding course materials, it is useful to check out the local libraries (also interlibrary loans) and the services of the library of the University of Turku. The libraries offer students different information resources and materials also from the Internet, from the electronic publications as well as offer services for searching information.

Turku University Library is an academic library and accessible for anyone seeking information. There are five library units at the Turku University Campus. Please see the library’s instructions on how to find the course books you need and how to access eletronic course books. On the library’s website you will also find also information on other libraries in Turku and on electronic course books.

> Turku University Library

To complete the Open University studies, in most cases you need to take a book exam or an exam based on the lectures and lecture materials after each study unit/course. There are always at least three chances to take the course exams. During your study right period, you can take the same exam a maximum of three times even if there were more than three optional exam dates given in the study programme. The highest grade will be registered.

Exam dates can be found in the course schedule

Exams are organised on the general exam dates of the Open University as well as on particular exam dates of the study course. Please see the course specific information on the course schedule.

The University of Turku offers the possibility to take exams also electronically either in e-exam rooms or as Moodle exams. The subjects that use the electronic exam system will inform the students separately about exam dates and times.

Electronic examination

Some studies of the Open University also use the electronic exam rooms in Turku, in the University Consortium in Pori, in the teacher training school in Rauma and in Vaasa (Åbo Akademi’s exam room). You can also take University of Turku electronic exam in other universities e-exam room. The exam time must be booked in advance and the key to the exam room picked up.

Instructions for electronic exams and exact locations can be found at the page
> Electronic Exams: Student instructions

Moodle exam

Moodle exams are carried out individually in the Moodle learning environment within a given date and timeframe. The completed exam answer is saved and sent to the teacher for evaluation.

Moodle exams allow the use of lecture notes, references and other study materials. The exam questions are formulated in a way that answers cannot be found directly from the books but require an ability to combine and deduce information to answer the questions. Students prepare for a Moodle exam as for any other type of examination.

Study credit information

The records of your studies can be viewed on the Student Desktop. Please first choose the study right you want to view from the upper right corner of the desktop. Navigate to the Credits option in the desktop page that opens.

Grading of studies

The courses and modules at the Open University are graded in accordance to the criteria used for degree studies at the University of Turku.

The grading of studies operates on the following scale: 5 = excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = satisfactory, 1 = sufficient, 0 = fail, or as pass or fail.

The highest attained grade of a course is registered as the official grade.

The grading of a study module is determined by the conventions of the subject. It can be calculated as the average results of the course grades or as a weighted average.

When grading study modules, the grades are rounded according to the following convention: 5 = 4,50 – 5,00; 4 = 3,50 - 4,49; 3 = 2,50 - 3,49; 2 = 1,50 - 2,49; 1 = 1,00 - 1,49.

During some courses the students may also receive written feedback on their performance. The feedback specifies the grading principles and guidelines. The goal of giving feedback is to provide an accurate assessment of the accomplishments and deficiencies in the content and form of the students’ performance.

Students have the right to receive information on the application of assessment criteria on their study performance. In case the student feels that they have failed a course on erroneous grounds or if the grading is in conflict with the student’s assessment of the level of their answers in terms of content and form, the student can request a rectification orally or in writing within 14 days of the publication of assessments. Contact the service manager of the Open University for further information.

Study credit period of validity

Completed study modules do not typically expire. Individual courses may expire for example due to curriculum changes.

Additional information about study credit expiration is provided by the Open University planning personnel.

Transcripts and certificates

Transcript of records

• Studies in the Turku School of Economics: You can request an official transcript of records by contacting avoin-tse@utu.fi.
• Other studies:
  • Study modules: You can request an official transcript of records from the Student Services Secretary of the relevant subject after you have completed all the studies that are part of the study module. The transcript will indicate the final grade of the module. Attempts at improving the final grade are accepted only if necessary due to acquiring eligibility to intermediate studies or for application to degree studies via the Open University route.
  • Separate courses: A transcript can be requested for language and communication studies and other individual course credits.

Certificate of study right

A certificate indicating the study right for Open University studies can be requested from the Student Services Secretary of the relevant subject. These certificates are provided for needs related to dealing with government officials and agencies.

A student may apply for special arrangements to support their studies for example in the case of a physical disability, movement related disability, sensory disability, long term illness, or study difficulties related to reading and writing.

Special arrangements should be arranged at the beginning of the studies. A short-term disability related to an injury or accident may also be grounds for temporary special arrangements in studies.

Special arrangements for open university studies may concerns exams, and teaching or counselling situations. Special arrangements may include for example:

• possibility for additional time in an exam
• the possibility of using a computer for writing
• the possibility of using an interpreter or personal assistant
• alternative ways of completing certain studies

Special arrangements may be obtained via an application to the Accessibility Planning Officer of The University of Turku. The application must include a certificate from a doctor or other specialist that indicates the qualities of the disability or illness.

The Accessibility Planning Officer will formulate a recommendation of the suggested special arrangements. Subsequently, the Open University Head of Department will make a decision that is informed to the student. The student will discuss how the special arrangements are enacted in coordination with the Open University and the different organizations providing teaching.

Further instructions and information about the application and its processing is provided by the Accessibility Planning Officer.

Further information and the contact information of the Accessibility Planning Officer:

> Accessibility at the University of Turku