Tampere University Teaching, Learning and Media Education Master’s Thesis Guide: 40 ECTS, KAS.KAY.900, Turnitin and Trepo

Tampere University’s Teaching, Learning and Media Education (TLME) programme is a 120 ECTS Master of Arts (Education) degree in the Faculty of Education and Culture. For students following the current 2026-2027 curriculum, the thesis requirement is unusually substantial: the relevant Educational Studies unit is KAS.KAY.900 Master´s Thesis and Seminar, Educational Studies, worth 40 ECTS. That figure matters because Tampere University’s general non-technical thesis guidance gives a broad 20-40 ECTS range, but TLME sits at the top of that range.

The thesis is therefore not simply a manuscript submitted at the end of the programme. The 40-credit unit combines independent educational research with seminar work, research planning, methodological decisions, research ethics, presentation of progress and results, the maturity requirement, originality checking and the University’s formal examination process.

1. What degree and curriculum does this guide cover?

This guide covers the Master’s Programme in Teaching, Learning and Media Education, Master of Arts (Education), under Tampere University’s current 2026-2027 curriculum. The programme is 120 ECTS, taught in English and planned for two years of full-time study.

The programme examines education in a digitalised and media-saturated society. Its current themes include learning and engagement, digital learning environments, game-based learning, media education, digital literacies, inclusive education, curriculum studies and quality of education. The curriculum also expects graduates to apply scientific knowledge and research methods in educational settings.

2. The exact thesis requirement is 40 ECTS

The programme-specific thesis object is KAS.KAY.900 Master´s Thesis and Seminar, Educational Studies, 40 ECTS. It is an advanced-studies unit coordinated by Education Studies in the Faculty of Education and Culture.

Do not replace this specific value with Tampere’s generic statement that non-technical master’s theses may carry 20-40 credits. That general range describes the University as a whole. TLME’s current curriculum fixes the thesis-and-seminar unit at 40 ECTS.

The unit uses the University’s general 0-5 grading scale. This is another important programme boundary: the preceding Sustainable Architecture route uses Architecture-specific pass/fail grading, but TLME does not.

3. Why the thesis is a thesis-and-seminar unit

KAS.KAY.900 integrates the thesis with structured seminar participation. Tampere states that seminar work normally lasts two semesters according to an agreed schedule, and students may begin seminar work in either autumn or spring.

The two-semester statement describes the normal seminar structure. It should not be interpreted as an absolute maximum calendar duration for every thesis manuscript. Topic complexity, ethics or data permissions, employment and other legitimate circumstances can change the practical project timeline.

All parts of the completion option are compulsory. The seminar is therefore not an optional writing club around an otherwise separate thesis.

4. What happens in the thesis seminar?

The current course description is unusually explicit. During the seminar, the student plans and presents the research plan, explains the proposed data-collection methods, plans how data will be collected and analysed, and later presents results and the final research report.

Seminar participants also assess research plans and discuss research design, philosophical and methodological premises, method selection and research ethics. This makes the seminar an important quality-control environment for a 40-credit project.

For TLME students, use the seminar to test whether the research question, theoretical framework, method and evidence actually fit one another before committing to a large data collection or analysis plan.

5. Choosing a TLME thesis topic

A strong TLME topic should connect to educational science and to a phenomenon that can be studied rigorously. The programme’s current intellectual territory gives many defensible directions: learning and student engagement, game-based learning, educational technology, media education, media and digital literacies, inclusive education, curriculum design, quality of education, learning environments or related educational practices and policies.

A topic can be developed independently, selected from University opportunities or commissioned by an external organisation. Whatever the route, the research problem needs to be narrow enough for a master’s project and academically relevant to the programme.

Avoid choosing a fashionable digital-learning or AI topic first and trying to invent the research problem afterwards. Start from an educational problem that can be investigated with evidence.

6. The thesis does not require one universal method

Tampere’s non-technical thesis guidance permits both empirical research and review of existing research literature. TLME therefore does not require every student to run an experiment, conduct interviews, distribute a survey or use quantitative analysis.

Method follows the research problem. A media-literacy thesis might use qualitative interviews, discourse analysis, classroom observation or a literature review. A game-based-learning project might use survey or experimental evidence. A curriculum study might analyse policy documents. A learning-analytics topic might use quantitative or computational methods if appropriate.

The key requirement is not the label attached to the method. It is the coherence between research question, theoretical framing, evidence, analysis and conclusions.

For a 40-credit project, methodological proportionality matters. A very broad mixed-method design can become unmanageable if the student tries to collect interviews, survey data, platform analytics and classroom observations simultaneously. Conversely, a narrow literature review still needs a transparent search and selection logic, defensible inclusion criteria and analytical synthesis rather than a descriptive list of previous studies. The seminar should be used to test scope before the project becomes expensive in time or difficult to complete ethically.

Where the research concerns digital learning environments or educational technology, distinguish carefully between studying a technology and evaluating education. A thesis should not become a product review. The educational question, learner or teacher experience, pedagogical mechanism, institutional practice or policy problem needs to remain analytically central.

7. When should you start?

Tampere recommends beginning thesis planning early, ideally near the beginning of master’s-level studies. Before actually starting the master’s thesis, the student must have completed the bachelor’s degree or received formal approval for the bachelor’s thesis.

TLME’s 40-credit scale makes early planning particularly useful. Topic development, seminar entry, access to participants, ethical and data-protection planning, analysis and writing can create dependencies that are difficult to compress at the end of the degree.

8. Supervision

The University appoints one or two supervisors, one of whom acts as the primary supervisor. University supervisors are normally staff involved in advanced studies or other teaching and research personnel.

An external commissioned project may also involve a supervisor from the commissioning organisation. That person’s role is usually practical support for the research environment or implementation. Academic responsibility does not move outside the University merely because the project is commissioned.

Students work under supervision but remain responsible for completing their own thesis.

9. Build the research plan before collecting data

Tampere requires a preliminary research plan that is refined in the thesis seminar and/or with the supervisor. The plan can be updated as the project develops.

For TLME, a useful research plan should make the following logic visible: educational problem, research question, relevant literature and theoretical concepts, chosen design, participants or material if any, data-collection procedure, analysis strategy, research-ethics and data-protection decisions, limitations and a realistic schedule.

The KAS.KAY.900 seminar specifically expects students to present the research plan as well as plans for data collection and analysis.

Treat the research plan as a decision document rather than an administrative form. Before collecting anything, be able to explain what evidence would answer each research question, how the planned analysis will transform that evidence into findings, and what result would count as a credible limitation rather than a failure. This is especially important in educational research, where access to schools, teachers, learners or institutional systems can change after the project begins.

A useful schedule should include more than a final submission date. Reserve separate periods for literature mapping, research-plan approval, permissions and privacy documents, recruitment if needed, data collection, data cleaning or transcription, analysis, writing, supervisor feedback, seminar obligations, maturity requirements, Turnitin and Trepo. Building these dependencies into the plan makes a 40-credit project substantially easier to control.

10. Personal data and educational research

Educational research frequently involves students, teachers, educational professionals or learning-platform users. That means personal-data planning can become central.

If you independently decide the purposes and means of personal-data processing in your thesis, Tampere normally treats you as the data controller. Personal-data processing must be discussed with the supervisor before data collection or processing begins, and its purpose, scope and nature must be documented in the research plan.

Before collection, prepare a privacy notice and, where needed, participant information and consent documentation. Collect only the personal data genuinely required by the research question, use University-designated survey tools where applicable and anonymise data before analysis when identity is unnecessary.

Do not allow identifiable participant information to appear in the public thesis without proper consent.

11. Who is the data controller in collaborative projects?

The controller is not always the student. If the thesis is conducted inside a University research project and the student is employed by Tampere University for that work, the University normally acts as controller. For a commissioned company thesis, the company generally acts as controller.

Resolve this early. Controller uncertainty affects privacy notices, lawful basis, storage, access rights, retention and responsibility for responding to data-subject requests.

12. Research ethics

Research ethics should be built into the proposal rather than added immediately before submission. The seminar explicitly covers research ethics, and the University’s general thesis guidance requires students to discuss relevant ethical issues with supervisors.

If the thesis is embedded in a scientific research project requiring ethical review, the project’s principal investigator is responsible for obtaining that review. For ordinary educational research, the student still has to consider informed participation, risks, power relationships, privacy, storage, anonymisation and transparent reporting.

13. Using AI in a TLME thesis

Tampere permits AI as learning support within defined boundaries, but the student remains responsible for the academic work. AI use should be agreed with the primary thesis supervisor and acknowledged according to University guidance.

You may use appropriate University-provided tools to explore concepts, discuss search terms or receive feedback ideas. However, AI-generated material should not be treated as a direct academic source. You must verify claims against real sources.

The current guidance also says AI must not perform the student’s own data analysis. It may help discuss preliminary analysis or presentation ideas, but the actual analytical work and interpretation remain the student’s responsibility. Asking AI to rewrite or complete a thesis draft is also outside the permitted boundary described by the current guidance.

Never upload confidential information or personal data to external AI tools.

14. Writing the thesis

The thesis should be written as an academic argument rather than as a chronological diary of what happened. Use the research question to control structure: establish the problem, position it in relevant educational scholarship, explain the method transparently, present the evidence, analyse it and connect the conclusions back to the research problem.

Tampere requires compliance with research ethics and academic-writing principles. Use programme or faculty templates when instructed, and use seminar/supervisor feedback to improve structure and methodological transparency.

The University Library’s information-retrieval training is useful early because it covers finding research, evaluating sources and using them ethically.

For TLME topics, literature can span education, psychology, media studies, learning sciences, technology studies and policy research. Keep the review conceptually disciplined. Define the educational construct you are studying, distinguish neighbouring concepts, explain why particular bodies of literature are relevant and avoid allowing a large number of loosely related digital-education sources to substitute for a coherent theoretical framework.

During writing, keep a traceable relationship between raw evidence and claims. For qualitative work, preserve a clear audit trail from data to coding and interpretation. For quantitative work, document data preparation, variables and analytical decisions. For review-based work, document the search and selection process. These practices make examiner review easier and reduce the risk that conclusions appear stronger than the evidence warrants.

15. Seminar presentation and opponent work

The general non-technical thesis process includes thesis-seminar participation, an oral presentation and serving as an opponent for another student’s thesis. These activities are part of learning how to explain, defend and critically evaluate educational research.

Use the opponent stage seriously. Identifying unclear research questions, unsupported interpretations or missing limitations in another thesis is often one of the best ways to recognise the same issues in your own manuscript.

16. The maturity test

A maturity test remains part of the master’s-thesis process, but the format depends on the student’s earlier language demonstration.

If Finnish or Swedish language skills were already assessed through a maturity test in an earlier degree, then at master’s level the thesis abstract normally functions as the maturity test, with only content assessed. If language checking is still required, the master’s maturity test is completed as an electronic EXAM exam.

When the maturity test is not being used to demonstrate Finnish or Swedish proficiency, it is written in the language of the thesis. Maturity tests cannot simply be replaced through recognition of prior learning.

17. Final supervisor permission

Do not treat a polished manuscript as automatically ready for formal examination. When the thesis is nearing completion, consult the supervisor about final revisions and any preliminary examination. Formal submission begins only after the primary supervisor gives permission.

That permission is not the final grade or approval. It means the manuscript is ready to enter the University’s examination workflow.

18. Turnitin comes before Trepo

After supervisor permission, upload the thesis to Turnitin for the originality check. The supervisor reviews the Similarity Report.

Once that step is complete, deposit the final thesis in Trepo, Tampere University’s institutional repository. Turnitin and Trepo do different jobs: Turnitin checks textual similarity; Trepo is the submission, repository and permanent-archiving route.

You must be registered as attending at Tampere University to submit the thesis for examination and receive the credits.

19. What happens after Trepo submission?

The University Library normally sends an email within three working days after the Trepo deposit. That message contains the address from which the examiner or examiners can access the thesis. The student must forward the message to the examiners.

Master’s theses are examined by two examiners. At least one must be employed by Tampere University, and both must hold at least a master’s-level degree. Under the degree regulations, the dean approves the master’s thesis on the basis of the examiners’ joint statement and grade proposal.

20. How is the TLME thesis graded?

TLME’s KAS.KAY.900 unit uses the general 0-5 scale. Tampere’s general master’s-thesis guidance labels the passing grades as 1 Sufficient, 2 Satisfactory, 3 Good, 4 Very Good and 5 Excellent.

The Faculty Council determines the applicable thesis-assessment criteria. Plan for assessment from the beginning: clarity of research problem, theoretical command, methodological justification, ethical quality, quality of analysis, relationship between evidence and conclusions, scholarly writing and independence of the work all need to be visible to the examiners.

21. The 21-day and 28-day assessment clocks

When the thesis abstract serves as the maturity test, the normal assessment period is 21 days. When the student must complete an electronic maturity exam with language checking, the combined process uses a 28-day assessment period.

These are formal assessment clocks after submission. They are not deadlines for writing the thesis itself. Tampere also states that results for theses submitted between 1 June and 31 August may be announced on a longer schedule.

If graduation timing matters, work backwards from submission, maturity requirements and the possibility of summer extensions rather than assuming a fixed three-week turnaround in every month.

22. Proposed grade, response and appeal

The examiner statement and proposed grade are sent to the student’s tuni.fi email. If you accept the proposed grade, notifying faculty Study Services promptly can accelerate the dean’s confirmation and recording of the grade.

If you disagree with the examiner statement or proposed grade, you may submit a written response within seven days from the date the email was sent. The dean can decide on the evaluation, request comments from the examiners or appoint an additional examiner.

After the final grade has been awarded, a separate written appeal to the Faculty Council is available within 14 days from the point when you had access to the assessment result and information about application of the criteria.

Once the thesis has been approved, Tampere states that it is final and cannot simply be resubmitted.

23. PDF/A, Trepo and final checklist

All Tampere University master’s theses are archived electronically and stored permanently. The archival file must be PDF/A, and Trepo is the institutional repository used for this purpose.

Before final submission, verify the full TLME chain: you are following the current curriculum; KAS.KAY.900 is the correct 40 ECTS unit; compulsory seminar components are complete; the research question and method align; personal-data and ethics obligations are resolved; AI use is permitted and acknowledged; supervisor feedback is incorporated; the maturity route is known; the primary supervisor has authorised submission; Turnitin is complete; the final file is PDF/A; Trepo deposit is complete; the Library access email is forwarded to the examiners; and you understand whether your formal assessment clock is normally 21 or 28 days.

For TLME, the central planning principle is simple: treat the thesis as a 40-credit Educational Studies research project integrated with a two-semester seminar, not as a generic final essay. The strongest projects connect a focused educational problem to defensible theory, appropriate evidence, transparent analysis and a submission process that has been planned well before the final week.