In the aftermath of remote learning, one thing had become clear to Emilia and Reetta: student engagement needed more support. Hybrid lectures and large on-campus classes made interaction difficult, and participation often fell flat. Emilia, working within the JYU LED (Learning and Digital Education) group, began exploring tools that could help create more active, student-centered learning environments.
“We needed something that worked in all kinds of teaching settings – big lectures, small groups, in-person and online,” Emilia said. “And it had to be easy for teachers to actually use.”
Building the case, one pilot at a time
Rather than jump to a solution, Emilia and Reetta launched a structured pilot. Their goal: test several tools, gather real feedback, and make a recommendation grounded in both pedagogy and practicality.
Mentimeter stood out not only because it combined interactivity with ease of use, but because it aligned with JYU’s broader mission of student-centered teaching.
“There’s still a lot of teacher-centered teaching,” Reetta explained. “Even though teachers want to be more student-focused, it’s hard, especially in hybrid or large-format settings. We needed something that helps bridge that gap.”
The pilot group included educators from various disciplines, some enthusiastic, others skeptical. Reetta and Emilia supported them directly – sharing guides, collecting experiences, and documenting outcomes. They didn’t just hand out licenses; they built a community within the pilot.
Making change, together
After a year of piloting, clear patterns emerged. While not everyone used the tool, those who did saw stronger student participation and richer interaction. Reetta and Emilia brought both usage data and teacher experiences to the JYU Learn steering group.
“It wasn’t straightforward,” Reetta said. “We had to weigh cost against value and bring multiple stakeholders along.”
By combining participation metrics with concrete teaching examples, and working closely with digital services, they navigated the decision-making process. The result was approval for a campus-wide Mentimeter license.
Rolling it out the JYU way
Getting the license was just the beginning. Next came the challenge of communication: how do you reach hundreds of educators with the news?
“We didn’t have a single place to reach everyone,” Reetta explained. “So we tried everything – newsletters, teaching leads, internal webinars, even word of mouth.”
They also built out support resources in the university’s digital help center and added templates for common use cases like course introductions and feedback sessions. Throughout it all, they stayed focused on making the rollout feel approachable and empowering – not top-down or mandatory.
Leading with empathy and strategy
From the beginning, Reetta and Emilia knew that change in higher education doesn’t come from mandates, it comes from trust. Teachers in Finland, like in many countries, have high autonomy. Any new tool needs to be invited in, not enforced.
So instead of pushing adoption, they sparked curiosity.
