Review of the I mplementation of ECTS at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing

Review of the Implementation of ECTS

at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing

University of Mostar

Izv.prof. dr. sc. Snježana Rezić

Sarajevo, May 12 - 15, 2006

FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING

UNIVERSITY OF MOSTAR

STUDYING AT THE FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING

Students at Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing are educated, within university and professional studies, in the fields of: •mechanical engineering and•computing

The Faculty meets all requirements and it fulfills all procedures to get doctor’s degree from technical science in the field of mechanical engineering. Curriculum for doctoral study has also being prepared.



STUDYING AT THE FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING

The Faculty Council of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing in Mostar has decided to follow the changes taking place in the high education around Europe, in order to avoid the isolation. The result of such a decision are the modern teaching plans and programmes of our studies, based on the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) (2000 year.)

Today, studies of mechanical engineering and computing at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing, University of Mostar are harmonized with provisions of Law on High Education, by which it is determined to be adapted to Bologne process and to value students’ work in accordance to ECTS. The studies are divided in three levels:

•undergraduate study,•graduate study and •doctor’s degree study



Bologna process at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing

2000.

1.Formation of the ECTSCommittee for introduction ofthe ECTS

2.Workshop “Introduction to the ECTS“

3.Self-evaluation questionnaire “Bologna Process “Yes or No”and “How do I see my

study”

4.Decision on introduction of ECTS at Faculty

2001.

1.Beginning of the curriculum reform at the Faculty2. Previous study to the Analysis3. Workshops “ECTS” at University of Zagreb, Maribor and Wiena

2002.

1.New study programme : Computing study based on ECTS 2.Quality promotion3. Forming of the students’ office



Bologna process at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing

2003.

New study programme ofMechanical Engineering basedon ECTS ECTS system establishedintroduction in all studyprogramsWorkshops for the first yearstudents Student perspective on qualityin higher educationTeachers’ perspective onquality in higher education

2004.

Information packageInformation systemECTS Documents (Diploma Supplement, Learning Agrement, Transcript of Records, Student Application Form)Self evaluationExternal evaluation by EU Visiting Advisors Programteam

2005.

E-learningNew technologies in

teachingInternational cooperation

and scientific meetings



Curriculum development process

1. Define the basic function of the education to be offered

2. Define competencies and overall goals

3. Define the curriculum model

4. Work out the course formats, workload, and course and module content

5. Determine how the curriculum will be evaluated and developed



Analysis programme of Mechanical Engineering study ( I and II year)

FSB Zg

ETH Minchen TU

Cambri. Illinois Otawa Hjuston

Karlsruhe

Maribor

Mostar

Undergraduate and graduate study(sem.)

7+3 6+4 7+3 6+2 8+1 8+2 8+2 7+3 8+4 9

Mathematics 26 26 19 20 20 20 18 18 23 31

Physics 0 12 6 6 3 4 6 8 10 7

Basics engineersubjects

Mechanic 20 16 16 12 12 13 9 17 16 21

Electrical eng.

6 6 6 6 6 6 3 8 5 8

Material science

10 6 7 9 8 8 8 11 7 10

Human subjects 12 3 2 20 10 6 17 16 0 21

Informatical subjects 8 7 8 6 6 6 7 6 4 3

Adv.Enggineeringsubjects

Construct.

15 17 11 5 6 6 6 16 14 11

Energetics

11 13 10 0 3 10 6 9 12 9

Technology

12 3 3 2 6 8

Other field

Skills 1

Automation

7 5

Elective course

4



ABET Accreditation Criteria - Mechanical Engineering

Mathematics 21-24 units minimum required

Natural science 18 units minimum (physics, chemie, mechanics…)

1 course in "Technology in Society"

8 units of labor work

Engineering discipline 60-72 units

Elective course 28 units

Human course 20 units;

· Computing course 15 units;

· Advanced course (automatic control, robotics, mechatronics..) 20 units;

· Other course 15 units.



Defining the concept of studies

Studies of mechanical engineering and computing at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing are made with the aim to fulfill the following goals:

•to equalize stated and effective length of study;

to rationalize students’ obligations concerning lectures and exams;

•to adjust to market requirements at home and abroad;

•to make the study attractive for new students.




Stated goals can be reached through the following aspects:

Study regime enables students to attend all types of lectures continuously and synchronously, and with proper effort pass all exams on time. The students should fulfill all their obligations concerning each course during lecture period or just after the lectures of the mentioned course is finished.

The year is 1600 - 1700 hours of work on the part of the student 800 hours per term.Students should not have more than 25 term classes (lectures, workshops, seminars etc.).




Students can have the most 9 exams per an academic year. Courses without exams are also allowed, where the knowledge is checked through works done during the classes. It is necessary to allowed that an exam is completely or partly replaced by seminar works or preliminary exams during the lectures. There are at least two courses and they are within stated number of classes.

Curriculum courses can be basic, specialized or elective. Number of certain courses depends on the type of study.



Conception of studies

Evaluation of students’ duties is made in accordance to ECTS system. Total obligations of a student per term are valued with 30 ECTS credits. One year is 60. Total obligations of a student for each course (lectures, workshops, preparations for lectures, studying etc.) have the same number of credits as their obligations within total obligations of student per term have.

A student is obliged to make at least one seminar or project during their undergraduate study, and it is defined by curriculum of each study group.



Conception of studies

Students are obliged to attend Technical English classes, and proper attention is also paid on informatics, and for that reason, the students, especially mechanical engineering students, have informatics courses and get applied computing skills.

The first year students of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Computing can attend computing workshops which last for 45 classes during September to get knowledge in basic computing skills. Beside that, those students who are not very good in Mathematics and Mechanics (only for Mechanical Engineering students) can attend repetitions to get necessary knowledge to be able to follow regular lectures at the faculty.



Analysis after reforming study (I - IV semester)

Courses FSR Mostar

FSB Zagreb

TU Gratz

TU München

TUAchen

Otawa IIT Illinois

Stanford University

Mathematics 21 20 16 19 18 20 20 21

Physics 6 0 5 6 8 4 8 8

Mechanics 15 15 16 16 16 13 14 13

Material science 7 7 8 7 9 8 8 8

Computers 9-15 5 5 4 4 5 3 5

Electr. engineering 4 - 6 4 - 6 6 6 7 6 6 6

Design of construct. 8-11 9 7 11 9 6 5 8

Thermodinamics and Fluid Mechan.

8-13 8 -13 10 8 10 10 9 8

Product. technology 6-8 6 - 8 6 8 9 2 3 6

Human and bussines course

10 6 4 2 4 6 12 12

Elective course 0 0 2 0 1 0 4 4



Comparison of study programme

Now BeforeDuration:3,5 years, full time study 4,5 years

Courses: 40 full time study 55

Hours per week: 22-25 32 –34

Elective course: 7 3

Exam: continuous knowledge checking writen and werbal



The process of converting from the unit system to the ECTS is not trivial because it has repercussions on the work of the student in relation to such issues as the number of hours in class, the preparation that students need before and after the class, the work done independently by the student or the professor’s method of teaching.

The ECTS is based on the student workload required to achieve the objectives of an educational program and it is specified in terms of learning outcomes and the competences to be acquired. Student workload in ECTS includes the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, independent study, preparing for and taking of examinations, etc

Defining student workload



The implementation of ECTS in this study has consisted of collecting data from students and teachers about the workload that an average student has to undertake for passing the subject through two indicators:

• The sum of hours that the students dedicate to the study of this subject. It refers to the time used, alone or in a group, without contact with the teacher. It includes the hours dedicated to the study, to the execution of works and homework, the preparation of practical exercises, and the elaboration of reports.

• The sum of hours that every student on average must dedicate to tutorial time.



For this purpose, we followed two parallel methods of compiling these two data sets from each subject of the official curriculum of the degree.

A Commission was constituted with representation of every department. Through this Commission a form was sent to every teacher responsible of subject, requesting these two data sets with respect to their subject area.

A survey was distributed among every registered student who had passed their examinations in the subjects in question in the previous year, asking for these data for each subject. As a result, we obtained ansvers on the subjects, with a participation of 60% of the students.



The data collected as a consequence of the process previously described have been analyzed on two levels. At one level, data grouped in years was analyzed by ECTS coordinator.

At another level, data obtained on every single subject was sent to the teachers in charge of the subject, so that they could analyse them individually and make their own decisions.

Previous study at analysis



The analysis of the data classified by years required a previous study in order to know how different types of credits are distributed along the official curriculum of Mechanical Engineering because the analysis can not be the same for all kind of subjects or years.

Year of study

Teachers Students

Student Overload Student Overload

1 750 480

2 830 680

3 650 550

4 480 850

5 250 350



Figure shows that, for the first cycle subjects, the average teachers thinks that he/she needs to work less than what has been planned by the responsible teacher. This tendency is the inverse for the second cycle subjects, with a great disparity between the student and teacher’s opinions. In the second cycle subjects, students estimate that they need to put in two times more effort in the 4th year than the teachers estimate.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700800

900

workload

1 2 3 4 5

year

TeachersStudents



In the first years of Curriculum, they are basic or fundamental subjects, and many of them are common to any kind of eengineering. It is about mandatory courses, with a large number of students per class.

In the last years of the Curriculum, subjects become more practical and specialized, with a predominance of elective courses and smaller class sizes.

Data reveals much greater dedication on the part of students at this stage than what would have been expected. From the view point of both teachers and students, there are reasons that can explain this fact.Teachers assume a certain formation required in the student that he does not have.



Students, when the subjects base exclusively their evaluation criteria in practical exercises outside the classroom, tend not to attend the lessons and, therefore to find themselves with less formation when they have to begin the exercise.

This experience shows a clear example of the main obstacles that emerge as a consequence of the first actions taken to implement ECTS in the curriculum, or in general to balance a curriculum according to data about the real workload of the students.



For successful curriculum it is necessary to pay special attention to the way the teaching process is performed. That is why, the students’ office is organized with the aim to improve cooperation between professors and students, to observe teaching quality and because of the fact that we want to organize study with higher possibility to choose. The students’ office is to help students to adapt and manage to work at the Faculty.Students’ office is organized and followed by vice-dean. He meets all advisers periodically to harmonize the way teaching process is performed. The students’ office is formed in two levels as:

General advising office andAdvising office for students of final years of study

The way to improve teaching process



General advising office mainly helps student of the first and second year of study (as well as their parents) and it works every day in accordance to its timetable. Advising office for students of final years of study is organized within each department and it works at least two times a week in accordance to its timetable in the adviser’s in charge office.

Students’ advisers in the general advising office:help students with all their questions especially at the beginning of their study;explain rules and provisions which can be read in the Faculty publications;




advise students to read notes on the information boards regularly;explain importance of certain forms of teaching and continued work during the term to the new students;give information and advices (based on data given by teachers) about the way of work and ways of knowledge testing;collect students’ remarks concerning the teaching and exams and make reports about that to the vice-dean,notice if any student has any personal problem and make suggestions to the vice-dean to take possible measures (exp. make contact with parents).




Students’ advisers in advising office for students of final years:give information to students of the second year before they enroll the third year;advise students about elective subjects before they enroll the fourth term;advise students about possible ways to finish studies and based on students’ wishes they help students to make contacts with guide teachers;give information and advices (based on data given by teachers) about the way of work and ways of knowledge testing;collect students’ remarks concerning the teaching and exams and make reports about that to the vice-dean.




1

2

3

4

Cycle of quality assurance

Internal quality assurance

Institutional self-evaluation

External evaluation

Curriculum revision



On-line students’ rating of teachers’ performance

To set the system of regular teaching quality assessment.To be applied during the academic year 2004/05. Student’s evaluation of individual coursesTeachers’ perspective on quality in education at the FacultyTo collect information on teaching quality from teachers’ perspective.All teachers should fill in the self-evaluation questionnaire compatible and comparable with the students’ one. Student perspective on quality in higher education at the FacultyTo analyse the quality of student engagement and their learning experience.

Quality assurance



Orientation for the first year studentsTo help the first year students get acquainted with details connected with the studyTo analyze the first year students’ expectations To analyze the present situation and to establish the quality assurance

Students are involved in the evaluation and development process.

Quality assurance



Learning Chain

Learnig outcomesSubject related

-Knowledge broadening-Knowledge deepening-Knowledge accessing

LearnersSelection

(accumulates credits)

Learning space(Teaching and learning, Research

Learning material, Learning methods...)

Change of paradigm

Total Quality Management



Information process

Learning Space

Information Package

Learning Agreement

Award /Diploma Supplement

Transcriptof Records

CreditTransfer /Accumulation

EmployabilityEuropean Citizenship

Profile

Level

Modularisation

Learning Outcomes

Workload

IndividualSelection

Performance•Credits•Grade

Descriptors



THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATENTION

