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The mass education context sets challenges for academic development.There is evidence that the more the class sizes grow, the more teachers apply content-focused and teacher-centred approaches to teaching (i.e., concentrate on transmission of information), the less they apply learning-focused and student-centred approaches to teaching.The learning-focused approach aims at encouraging students to construct their own knowledge and understanding and at using interactive teaching methods, which have been shown to increase motivation to study and the quality of the learning outcomes of the students.The Helsinki University Centre for Research and Development of Higher Education has an important strategic role in enhancing the student-centred approach to teaching and research-informed development of the quality of teaching and student learning in different disciplines.The Centre has four main responsibilities: 1) to do research on teaching and learning in higher education, 2) to provide teachers with a variety of courses on university pedagogy, 3)to provide counselling for students with different study-related problems, and 4) to coordinate the network of 16 senior lecturers of university pedagogy.These 16 pedagogical experts are based in the faculties to provide the faculties and their academic staff members with discipline-specific research evidence and research-informed support services to enhance academic development.Research shows that the shift from the content-focused to the learning-focused approach to teaching can be a long and demanding process.Furthermore, there is empirical evidence of contextual and disciplinary variation in approaches to teaching.However, mass education is not a barrier to high-quality teaching and learning.It is possible to help teachers to change their