In the future, FITech’s free courses will be available on the Opin.fi platform

The member universities of the FITech Network University have started the implementation of the Opin.fi service, and FITech courses will gradually transition to Opin.fi. Despite the transition, FITech courses will remain open and free for all Finns and people permanently living in Finland.

Currently, FITech courses are published simultaneously on FITech’s website and the Opin.fi platform. All FITech courses are, however, not available on Opin.fi yet, as all FITech universities have not started using it yet. For the most comprehensive information about FITech courses, see FITech’s website fitech.io.

This article discusses the Opin.fi platform and its impact on FITech. Jenni Laaksonen, who served as the Opin.fi coordinator in the FITech team from 2023 to 2025, was interviewed for this article.

What is Opin.fi?

Digivisio 2030 is a joint program involving all Finnish higher education institutions. It aims to make learning easier, improve the accessibility of higher education in various life situations, and enhance employment opportunities for citizens. Opin.fi service is the first product of the Digivisio 2030 project and FITech has been involved in developing the service since April 2023.

Opin.fi is the first national service that gathers courses, podcasts, videos, and webinar recordings, among other resources in one place. In the future, the service will include open offerings from all Finnish higher education institutions, allowing learners to conveniently compare offerings from different higher education institutions and find learning opportunities that suit their life situation.

Opin.fi expands learning opportunities for continuous learners and degree students. Through the service, learners can update their skills, explore new fields, or complement their ongoing studies. The service will offer both free and paid learning opportunities. FITech courses will continue to be part of the free offering from FITech’s member universities.

”Opin.fi is like an online store for learners, where the course offerings from higher education institutions are gathered into one place. This way, learners don’t have to browse through multiple websites separately”, Jenni Laaksonen says.

FITeh courses remain free of charge

Applying for FITech courses will continue in old same way in Opintopolku for now, even though the courses will also be available on the Opin.fi service. When a learner clicks a FITech course on Opin.fi, they will be directed to FITech’s page that gives application instructions.

Learners can identify FITech courses from the FITech text near the course name. The courses can be conveniently found on FITech’s Opin.fi page, which collects all FITech courses in one place. Courses can also be searched using keywords, filters, and themes.

Any changes related to transitioning to Opin.fi will be communicated through FITech’s channels.

Aiming to reduce manual work for learners and higher education institutions

”Transitioning to the Opin.fi service is an investment in the network’s future. The service is set to become a significant player in the landscape of Finnish higher education and is likely to establish its position as development progresses. If we weren’t part of the service, our high-quality course offering could remain unseen by quite a large number of people”, Laaksonen says.

The enrollment process for courses is continuously being developed. From the beginning, FITech has emphasised the importance of having a consistent approach to course registration across the network. In the future, Opin.fi will offer a single-window approach, helping to reduce manual work for both learners and universities. The FITech network is also developing its own operational models as part of the Opin.fi development.

FITech is a nationally significant network in the field of technology, aiming to lead development, act as a trendsetter, and share its expertise with others. Being involved in the development of the Opin.fi service helps ensure that national development efforts align with the interests of the FITech network.

”By participating in the development of the Opin.fi service, FITech remains involved in the national conversation and safeguards its operational capabilities for the future”, Laaksonen states.

Flexible learning to pass time during travelling, for example

From the learner’s perspective, Opin.fi simplifies discovering study offerings. For instance, a learner can listen to a webinar during a train journey and gain new insights according to their own schedule. Learning does not necessarily require enrolling in a months-long course.

The service can be used either logged in or without logging in. Logged-in users have access to various features, such as saving a course to their favourites. If a course is visible on the platform but enrollment has not opened yet, learners can save the course and receive a notification when enrollment begins.

Who helps with potential issues?

If the issue relates to the functioning of the Opin.fi service, such as logging in or course search, you can report it through Opin.fi. Issues with the service can be reported using this form.

If the issue concerns course content, learning, or course offerings, please contact the higher education institution offering the course. Contact information can be found on the institution’s own Opin.fi page.