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Professor Anouar Belahcen has been appointed successor to Keijo Nikoskinen as Vice Dean for Education at the School of Electrical Engineering for the period 1 January 2021 - 31 December 2025. The Vice Dean assists the Dean in strategic planning and decision-making related to education, teaching and the career system of teaching, as well as in the development of operations.

Belahcen has extensive experience in education-related positions at the School of Electrical Engineering, having served as a teacher, director and chair of Degree programme committee of the Master's Programme in the Automation and Electrical Engineering, member and vice-chair of the Quality of Education Committee, and deputy head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation.

Support for student well-being

The new Vice Dean will begin his duties in a very exceptional situation in the midst of the corona pandemic. Belahcen thanks the professional and competent staff of the School of Electrical Engineering for handling the situation.

‘They quickly took over the reins and have done everything they can to make studying and teaching easier,’ Belahcen says.

Student well-being is one of the main things Belahcen wants to focus on in his assignment. Clear curricula and improved interaction between students and staff are also reflected in the well-being of students, he says.

‘My goal is that we can create the joy of learning for students in and outside their studies, for example by offering support and resources for voluntary projects or international student competitions.’

Belahcen hopes that he may also contribute to closer cooperation between the school and student organisations as well as academic staff and services.

Study programme reform will require a major effort

The digitalisation of education is one of the strategic development goals of the School of Electrical Engineering and will become increasingly apparent in teaching and studying in the next few years. Belahcen is currently leading a project under which a process for the digitalisation of courses is being developed and a four-course pilot is implemented.

‘Digitalisation has many advantages. Among other things, it improves the accessibility of education regardless of location, provides opportunities for life-wide learning, and also enables an increase in the number of students.’

The planned curriculum reform will also require a great effort in the next few years. Belahcen believes that it will lead to the development of study programmes that are clear to students and can be better adapted to the needs of society and the economy.

‘Major challenges and megatrends such as sustainability, health, robotics and digitalisation are increasingly reflected in the programmes and their content.’

Professor Anouar Belahcen at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Automation graduated from the Helsinki University of Technology with a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Doctorate in Technology. He worked as a postdoctoral and teaching researcher at the Helsinki University of Technology and Aalto University before starting as a tenure-track professor in 2013. He received a tenured post in 2016.