Support Services

If students have questions related to studies, they can contact their faculty members, tutors, study coordinators, foreign relations specialists, or employees of the Academic Affairs Office.

We have several volunteers who help new students to feel more welcome at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Buddies help to adapt to EKA by introducing the student life and providing with an opportunity to discuss problems from a student’s point of view. Buddy students can provide advice on how to find the necessary information and help in case you have questions about everyday life in Tallinn.

The goal of entrepreenurship counselling is to help the students make choices and decisions related to their education and careers. Counselling offers entrepreneurship program STARTUN, and also helps the students to learn about knowledgeable career planning, educational opportunities, the state of the labour market, and professions. It also promotes social engagement in the society as a whole. Students are better able to analyse themselves and their opportunities; to make informed decision, as well as plan and implement their personal career plans based on the principles of lifelong learning. Choosing a speciality is not the only career-related point of departure. It is also important to like and be satisfied by the chosen field.
The career counsellor also teaches students job searching skills – helps them to find suitable job offers, write their CVs and covering letters. Because in order to be self-confident during the interview and ready to answer complicated questions, a student needs to be prepared and to have undergone thorough self-analysis.
Counselling is available to the Academy’s students, graduates and entrants, and it is free to all these target groups.

Read more about entrepreneurship program STARTUN and start.artun.ee

Our psychologist-career counsellor is available for discussing any topic troubling your mind. There is no such thing as a trivial problem and you may also come when there seems to be no particular concern but you just feel like talking to someone.

You can talk with the psychologist in confidence on all topics that trouble you, including:

· Adaptation problems

· Issues related to communication and relationships

· Stress, sadness or depression

· Low self-esteem and insecurity

· Decision-making and the respective difficulties

· Loss of inspiration and motivation, creative problems

· Learning motivation and examination anxiety

· Difficult and unexpected events in life

The psychologist helps the advisees to understand and express their problem better, supports them in coming to terms with their thoughts, feelings, wishes and fears and assists them in finding a solution.

Career counselling

The main issues in career counselling include finding a suitable job and type of work, decision-making and insecurity in career choices, writing a motivation letter and CV, preparing for job interviews. For students who work during their studies, also the relations at work and finding a balance between work and school.

The counselling sessions take place in D201, they are private and confidential lasting about 45 minutes. There are usually several sessions.

Counselling is free of charge.

Please contact for making an appointment.

KAIA-LEENA PINO

kaialeena.pino@artun.ee

EKA supports students with special needs upon admission to the university and during the duration of their studies. University can make adjustments in courses, offering everyone equal opportunities to achieve maximum academic potential.

We ask students with special needs to inform the Disability Counsellor regarding their needs as soon as possible. This is necessary so the university is able to make any necessary changes in time to allow the student to fully participate in their studies.

At EKA special needs can be proven with a disability certificate from the Social Insurance Board, with the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund’s reduced working capacity certificate, a specialist doctor’s certificate or with your host university disability assessment certificate.

Adjustments to entrance exams. Candidates can ask for adaptations in the entrance exams to take into account the obstacles arising from the specifics of special needs and the environment. For the adjustment, the disability certificate must be submitted to the special needs student counsellor.

Exemption from reimbursement study fines. Is not required from students with at least moderate disabilities or reduced work ability (certificates in the Estonian system) who are studying in the free Estonian language curriculum during the validity of the certificate. This also means an exemption from the reimbursement of study costs in an additional year or when falling into part-time studying.

Reasonable adjustments in the duration of your studies. To put the adjustments in place, the special needs counsellor must be presented with a certificate of the basis of the special needs and recommendations to take into account.

Reasonable adjustments

 

• Ensuring physically accessible learning spaces
• Sharing of lecture presentations (before class)
• Ensuring learning materials in a form accessible to the learner.
• Distributing worksheets to the learner digitally.
• It may be necessary for the student to record lectures, the need for which he informs the lecturer in advance and can make a copyright agreement to protect the intellectual property of the lecturer.
• Extension of deadlines, if the learner has notified the teacher in time before the original deadline has passed
• Flexible attendance when alternative assessment is pre-agreed with the lecturer to achieve the learning outcomes.
• Extra time for exams and tests.
• Offering an alternative assessment that takes into account the specific needs of the learner when achieving learning outcomes. Alternative assessments when performing group work.
• Not taking into account typos typical of students with learning difficulties during flash assessment, if the goal is to understand the content of the subject and not grammar.

Adjustments in exam arrangements

• Permission to use specific aids for special needs during exams (computer, magnifying glass, inclusive software, FM system, laptop)
• Extension of time 15%-30% depending of the disability and exam type
• At least letter-sized 14 physical copies of the exam.
• Separate room for less than 10 people

 

Contact:

Kaia-Leena Pino

kaialeena.pino@artun.ee

Psychologist/Counsellor for Students with special needs

The aim of the Academy’s IT Department is to ensure that the necessary ICT environment exists to ensure the execution of the Academy’s regulatory objectives. The assignments and field of activity described in the IT Department’s statutes include the development and management of the Academy’s data communications networks and the computer classes under the administration of the IT Department.
IT Department phone: 62 67 339