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EUROPEAN CREDIT TRANSFER SYSTEM ( ECTS )
ECTS Grading Scale at LIUC
WHAT ARE ECTS CREDITS?
ECTS credits are a value allocated to course units to describe the student workload required to complete them. They reflect the quantity of work each course requires in relation to the total quantity of work required to complete a full year of academic study at the institution, that is, lectures, practical work, seminars, private work - in the laboratory, library or at home - and examinations or other assessment activities.
In ECTS, 60 credits represent one year of study (in terms of workload); normally 30 credits are given for six months (a semester) and 20 credits for a term (a trimester). ECTS credits are also allocated to practical placements and to thesis preparation when these activities form part of the regular programme of study at both the home and host institutions.
ECTS credits are allocated to courses and are awarded to students who successfully complete those courses by passing the examinations or other assessments.
WHAT IS THE ECTS GRADING SCALE?
Examination and assessment results are usually expressed in grades. There are many different grading systems in Europe. To help institutions translate the grades awarded by host institutions to ECTS students, the ECTS grading scale has been developed. This provides additional information on the student's performance to that provided by the institution's grade, but does not replace the local grade. Higher education institutions make their own decisions on how to apply the ECTS grading scale to their own system.
HOW DOES ECTS WORK?
The main tools used to make ECTS work and facilitate academic recognition are:
The information package
Institutions which want to use ECTS produce an information package, updated annually, in which they describe the courses available at the institution. It provides general information about the institution, its location, student accommodation, administrative procedures necessary to register and academic calendar.
Good course information is essential to prepare serious study abroad and descriptions covering the content, prerequisites, mode of assessment, time unit, type of course, teaching and learning methods employed and ECTS credits allocated are all included in the information package, along with a description of the department offering the course. Details of examination and assessment procedures, the institution's grading scale and the structure of the curriculum of the degree are also included.
The information package is produced in both the national language and in a second Community language. They are circulated to partner institutions for students and professors to consult and use in planning study abroad programmes.
The learning agreement
I
t describes the programme of study abroad and is drawn up by the individual student and institutions involved before the student goes abroad.
The transcript of records
It shows the learning achievements of the student prior to and after the period of study abroad. The transcript of records show for every course taken by the student not only the ECTS credits but also the grade awarded according to the local grading scale and the ECTS grading scale. The combination of the local grades and the ECTS credits and grades represents qualitatively and quantitatively the performance of the student on the courses at the host institution.
These tools are used by the institutional and departmental coordinators, appointed by each institution to deal with the administrative and academic aspects of ECTS. It is their role to advise and counsel students who wish to participate in ECTS.
By using ECTS, transparency of curricula and students' learning achievements is created, which in turn facilitates academic recognition.
HOW IS ECTS USED BY STUDENTS AND INSTITUTIONS?
Planning the programme of study abroad
Students who wish to study abroad contact their home departmental coordinator and study the information packages of other institutions to choose their destination and plan their programme of study abroad. This helps the student to select courses which are appropriate in their content and academic level, for recognition by the home institution as part of the student's final degree. Using the ECTS credits helps students to organise a study programme which is realistic in terms of overall workload. The ECTS credit rating demonstrates the relative weight of each course in the proposed programme of study.
Ensuring full academic recognition
An ECTS study programme must be approved by both the home and the host institutions before the student leaves for the study period abroad. If the programme of study described in the learning agreement is completed satisfactorily by the student, it is fully recognised by the home institution. This means that the volume of study abroad, measured in terms of numbers of ECTS credits achieved, will replace an equivalent volume of study and assessment which would otherwise have been undertaken at the home institution.
How are ECTS credits transferred?
Institutions prepare and exchange transcripts of records for each student participating in ECTS. A copy of the transcript is given to the student and exchanged between the home and the host institutions before and after the period of study abroad.
Further studies abroad
As indicated, an ECTS student might wish to stay at the host institution - perhaps to get a degree or move to a third institution. This is possible provided that the institutions involved agree and that the student accepts the conditions to be fulfilled to get a diploma or to transfer registration. By providing a history of the students' academic achievements, the transcript of records is a particularly useful means of helping institutions to make these decisions further opening up Europe to student mobility.
Ultimo aggiornamento:
28/01/2004