Clear guidelines and training on the use of AI – Recommendations of Student Compass submitted to University management
A total of 258 recommendations for the use of AI in university studies were generated in the Student Compass discussions held in April. These recommendations will ensure that students’ views are heard in the University guidelines.
On Wednesday, 27 May, the recommendations on the use of AI in studies, prepared in the Student Compass survey, were presented to the management of the University of Turku. The recommendations were received by Vice Rector Tapio Salakoski.
A total of 470 students from all the different faculties took part in deliberative discussions to prepare the recommendations. In their report, the political science researchers who conducted the student survey summarised six key messages for the University from all the recommendations:
- Clear guidelines are needed for the use of AI.
- The University must provide training in the use of AI.
- The use of AI must be communicated openly.
- AI must not replace students’ own thinking.
- The University must provide high-quality AI tools.
- AI must be used responsibly.
According to the researchers, the recommendations made by students indicate that they recognise that AI is here to stay and want clear guidelines and training on how to use it. The wide range of recommendations shows that the groups considered AI from a very broad perspective.
“The recommendations highlighted several cross-cutting themes, which included transparency in the use of AI, student equality, the reinforcement of critical thinking, environmental responsibility, and the need to be able to use AI professionally”, says Project Researcher Katariina Kulha, who summarised the recommendations in the report.
Recommendations are in line with the University’s guidelines
At the handover event, Salakoski said that AI is a highly topical subject. According to him, it transforms teaching in a fundamental way, challenging us to consider the fundamental questions of what should be learnt at university and what students should be able to do without AI.
According to Salakoski, the recommendations produced by the Student Compass are very good. They ensure that students’ views are taken into account in guidelines relating to AI.
“It is delightful that the recommendations are very much in line with what we have already been doing in the UTU AI Working Group and within the faculties. They reinforce the view that we are doing, and have been doing, the right things”, says Salakoski.
According to Elina Toivanen, IT Service Architect and a member of the UTU AI Working Group, the students had managed to capture points in their recommendations that the University is already acting on or would like to act on.
“It is great that the recommendations emphasise the University’s responsibility to foster critical thinking. It also became clear from the recommendations that the students do not have enough information about the AI tools offered by the University. We ought to share more information about them”, she says.
The Student Compass concept could be used again in the future
The Student Compass, organised as part of the ADDI research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC), was initiated in February 2026 with the recruitment of participants. A total of 470 students from different faculties took part in the 86 small group discussions held on Zoom in April. Each group was tasked with producing three recommendations for the University on the use of AI in university studies.
The students discussed the topic in small groups under the guidance of facilitators, in accordance with the principles of deliberative democracy. In a deliberative discussion, participants are given an equal opportunity to express and justify their own views, listen to the views of others, and reach decisions based on the discussion. They also receive information on the topic to support their discussion.
According to the final enquiry, the participating students were very satisfied with the Student Compass. The majority of them believe that discussions such as those in the Student Compass could continue to be utilised in the development of University policies, says Senior Researcher Maija Jäske.
“If the University of Turku wishes to establish the use of Student Compass’s participatory decision-making method for issues that affect the University community on a broad scale, it is important to ensure equality among student, extensive recruitment and communication, and to agree in advance on who will receive the outcomes of the Student Compass”, says Jäske.
Salakoski is convinced that the Student Compass will continue to be used in the future.
“This will not be the last time, as the method can also be applied to other matters. It helps engage not only the students but the entire community”, he says.
>> Read the final report of the Student Compass in the University of Turku publication archive (English version will be available on 10 July 2026)
This article was first published by the University of Turku.
Text: Liisa Rannankallio
Translation: Elli Elo
Photo: Antti Tarponen
In the photo, Project Researcher Katariina Kulha hands over The Student Compass final report and the students’ recommendations to Vice Rector Tapio Salakoski at an event held on 27 May 2026.
