Automated substitute teacher coverage frees up time for core tasks
Key outcomes
The teacher training schools replaced their fully manual substitute‑recruitment process with the OpeFinder application.
The need for automation was driven by sick leaves, staff turnover, and time‑consuming manual coordination.
Early user experience indicates that the application frees up time for essential pedagogical work.
The challenge
The University of Helsinki’s teacher training schools previously relied on a fully manual process to find substitute teachers. Sick leaves and staff turnover increased the administrative workload, and substitute arrangements often required rounds of calls and messages. This occasionally caused overlaps and cancellations. Both Helsinki Normal Lyceum and Viikki Teacher Training School needed at least partial automation to reduce routine work and improve coordination.
“Following staff changes, we faced an unusually high wave of sickness, and the unreasonable amount of time spent on managing substitute arrangements led to the decision that we needed some kind of system,”
“From the start, the idea was that the new tool must integrate with the services we already use — essentially Teams,”
“I’ve been amazed that so many schools still handle substitute recruitment manually — including our own. There is a huge amount of manual work being done that an application or AI could handle much more easily, quickly and accurately. I believe that with OpeFinder we can free up principals’ and others’ time for what is essential: pedagogical work.”
The solution
The schools collaborated with Microsoft and Context& to design a tool integrated into Microsoft Teams. The resulting solution was a PowerApp built inside Teams and initially intended for use by the two school secretaries. Context& created the first version based on a needs assessment, and it was refined jointly. OpeFinder automates the substitute‑acquisition process by allowing the school to enter assignment details in a form, after which the app automatically emails offers to eligible substitutes. Substitutes respond with availability, and once approved, they receive an automatic confirmation message that can include assignment‑specific instructions.
About University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki operates teacher training schools including Helsinki Normal Lyceum and Viikki Teacher Training School.
The result
OpeFinder has been in use at Helsinki Normal Lyceum since autumn, partially alongside the previous manual method. The substitute pool is still being expanded, and some functions have already been adjusted based on user feedback. The application has begun freeing time for core pedagogical work.
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