Curriculum for the Academy Profession Degree Programme in Computer Science Institutional section

Transcription

1 Curriculum for the Academy Profession Degree Programme in Computer Science Institutional section

2 Curriculum the Academy Profession Degree Programme in Computer Science Institutional section Contents 1. Order of examinations by semester Framework and criteria for the study programme examinations Academic aptitude examination Examination method and procedure Contents and formal requirements Examination schedule A resit will take place no later than three months after the start of the study programme Use of aids Examination language ECTS credits Assessment criteria Failing the exam Complaints Exemption st year exam: Programming, System development, Companies and Technology Exam participation prerequisites Examination procedure Assessment criteria Scheduled time Examination language Programming exam: Programming and Technology Exam participation prerequisites Examination procedure Formal written project requirements Assessment criteria Scheduled time Examination language System development exam Exam participation prerequisites Examination procedure Elective educational components Elective educational components exam Exam participation prerequisites University College Nordjylland 1/19

3 3.1.2 Examination procedure (when students have chosen to follow an elective educational component offered by their educational institution) Examination procedure (when students have planned and designed the course of their elective educational components) Scheduled time Examination language Internship Internship exam Examination procedure Formal written project requirements The final exam project Final project exam Exam participation prerequisites Examination procedure Assessment criteria Scheduled time Examination language Educational components that may take place abroad Learning and teaching methods Credit transfer for the elective educational components Obligation to participate Withdrawal from exams Criteria for assessing study activity Language Examination language Resit and illness resit exams Study aids Special exam arrangements Academic misconduct at exams Use of your own work and that of others plagiarism Disciplinary actions in events of academic misconduct and disruptive behaviour Complaints about exams and appeals against decisions Complaints about legal matters Exemption Effective date and transition provisions In the event of any discrepancy between this translation and the Danish original, the Danish text shall prevail. University College Nordjylland 2/19

4 1. Order of examinations by semester Overview of all examinations and their order Examination order Exam 150 ECTS credits distributed across exams Internal/external assessment Assessment 2nd semester 1. 1st year exam 60 Externally assessed 7-point grading scale 3rd semester 2. Programming 20 Externally assessed 3rd semester 3. System development 10 Internally assessed 4th semester 4. Elective component exam 30 Internally assessed 5th semester 5. Internship exam 15 Internally assessed 5th semester 6. Final examination project 15 Externally assessed 7-point grading scale 7-point grading scale 7-point grading scale 7-point grading scale 7-point grading scale Information about the time and place for each exam can be found on UCN's intranet. 2. Framework and criteria for the study programme examinations 2.1 Academic aptitude examination Examination method and procedure The examination consists of an internal, individual written exam based on reflections on the start of study Contents and formal requirements The examination is based on lessons and lectures given as well as activities completed between the start of study and the date of the examination. The exam aims to determine whether the student has in fact begun his/her studies. The student must answer, in writing, a number of questions regarding these completed activities. The examination will take as its starting point the student's knowledge of UCN s foundation for learning, study programme administration as well as student rights and obligations. University College Nordjylland 3/19

5 2.1.3 Examination schedule The academic aptitude examination will take place no later than two months after the start of the study programme A resit will take place no later than three months after the start of the study programme. Further information on time and place can be found in the syllabus and via announcements on Wiseflow Use of aids All aids are permitted Examination language The examination language is English ECTS credits The exam does not yield any ECTS credits and does not appear on the final diploma Assessment criteria A student passes or fails the exam based on an assessment of his/her exam paper, which must correspond to the description in Contents and formal requirements above. If the student fails the exam, (s)he will have the opportunity to resit the exam no later than a week after the ordinary exam. This means that a student has a total of two attempts to pass the exam Failing the exam If a student also fails the resit, the student will be de-registered from the study programme in accordance with Ministerial Orders no of 2 December 2016, subsection 10(2) (Bekendtgørelse om prøver i erhvervsrettede videregående uddannelser) Complaints The academic aptitude examination is not subject to the complaints regulations. This means that a student cannot lodge complaints about any of the following: 1. the basis for examination, including exam questions, assignments or similar 2. the course of an examination; or 3. the assessment University College Nordjylland 4/19

6 Exemption The study programme may exempt individual students from the deadlines that have been set for passing the academic aptitude examination, on the grounds of illness, maternity or paternity leave, or exceptional circumstances st year exam: Programming, System development, Companies and Technology Exam participation prerequisites Students must meet the following requirements in order to sit the exam: Mini project Requirement: Mini project Requirement must meet the formal requirements, cf. below, and be submitted in due time, cf. submission date on UCN's intranet. Formal project requirements, Mini project Requirement: Cover page with title Introduction Main section Conclusion Reference list Appendices (include only appendices central to the report) Mini project Design: Mini project Design must meet the formal requirements, cf. above Mini project Requirement, and be submitted in due time, cf. submission date on UCN's intranet. The 1st semester project must meet the formal requirements, cf. above Mini project Requirement and be submitted in due time, cf. submission date on UCN's intranet. Moreover the 1 st semester project should contain: Indication of path to version control server from which the source code and executable code can be retrieved Mini project Persistence Mini project Persistence must meet the formal requirements, cf. above Mini project Requirement, and be submitted in due time, cf. submission date on UCN's intranet. The 1st year project, which constitutes assessment as well as examination basis, must comply with the formal requirements, cf. below, and be submitted in due time, cf. the exam plan which can be found on UCN's intranet. By not fulfilling just one or more of the study activities or incorrect submission of the written project, that makes up the written element of the examination, means that the students will not be allowed to sit the examination, and that they will be considered to have made an exam attempt. University College Nordjylland 5/19

7 With a lack of participation in the above stated study activities or submission of the written project that makes up the formal requirements, the student have to conduct a substitute assignment(s). If there is a continual lack of participation and/or submission, the student will not be allowed to sit the examination Examination procedure The exam is an externally assessed, individual oral examination based on a written group project and graded according to the 7-point grading scale. A group may have up to five members. The exam is worth 60 ECTS credits. One individual overall grade is given based on an overall evaluation of the written and oral performance. The project is presented by the project group; a maximum of 30 minutes. This is followed by an examination of the group members. 30 minutes are allocated per examinee, including deliberations. Formal written project requirements A project report and a product are to be submitted. The project report, which constitutes the written part of the examination, must as a minimum include: Cover page with title Table of contents Introduction, including problem statement Main section Conclusion Reference list (include all sources referred to in the project) Appendix (include only appendices of central importance to the report) Indication of path to version control server from which the source code and executable code can be retrieved The project report may not exceed 40 standard pages. The 40 pages are exclusive of cover page, table of contents, reference list and appendices. Appendices are not assessed. A standard page is 2,400 characters, including spaces and footnotes. Non-performance of one or more prerequisites means that the students may not participate in the exam, and that they will be considered to have made an exam attempt Assessment criteria The assessment criteria for the exam are the same as the learning outcomes for the compulsory educational component: Programming, System development, Companies and Technology. The learning objectives are described in the national section of this Curriculum. University College Nordjylland 6/19

8 2.2.4 Scheduled time The exam will take place at the end of the 2nd semester. Further information about time and location and submission of the written group project can be found on UCN's intranet Examination language English. The exam must be passed before the end of the 1st year of study in order for the students to continue the study. The study programme may exempt individual students from the deadlines that have been set for passing the exam if the exemption is due to illness, maternity or paternity leave or exceptional circumstances. 2.3 Programming exam: Programming and Technology Exam participation prerequisites Students must meet the following requirements in order to sit the exam: The written product, which constitutes assessment as well as examination basis, must comply with the formal requirements, cf. below, and be submitted in due time, cf. the exam plan, which can be found on UCN's intranet. Incorrect submission of the written product, which constitutes the written element of the examination, means that the students will not be allowed to sit the examination, and that they will be considered to have made an exam attempt Examination procedure The exam is an externally assessed, individual oral examination based on a written group project. The project must be about distributed system development. The exam is worth 20 ECTS credits. One individual overall grade is given based on an overall evaluation of the written and oral performance. The exam is graded according to the 7-point grading scale. At the exam the students present a central subject from the project (15 minutes). The presentation must include code demonstration. This is followed by an examination dialogue which may involve all subjects from the educational component. A total of 40 minutes are allocated per examinee, including deliberations Formal written project requirements One written product and perhaps a software product must be submitted. University College Nordjylland 7/19

9 The written product is to constitute the technical documentation of the project. As a minimum it must include: Cover page with title Introduction Architectural deliberations Communication and middleware Handling of simultaneity problems Conclusion Reference list Appendices, if any The technical documentation may not exceed 20 standard pages. The 20 pages are exclusive of cover page, table of contents, reference list and appendices. Appendices are not assessed. A standard page is 2,400 characters, including spaces and footnotes Assessment criteria The assessment criteria for the exam are the same as the learning outcomes for the compulsory educational component: Programming and Technology, cf. the national section of this Curriculum Scheduled time The exam will take place at the end of the 3rd semester. Information about the time and place for each exam can be found on UCN's intranet Examination language English. 2.4 System development exam Exam participation prerequisites Students must meet the following requirements in order to sit the exam: System development report Group report with a maximum of 5 students in each group. Formal system development report requirements: Cover page with title Introduction Plan-driven versus agile development elaborated through concrete methods Choice of research method Main principles in planning and quality assurance Quality criteria and architecture Reflections on methods and their uses in practice Conclusion Appendices, if any University College Nordjylland 8/19

10 The report may not exceed 20 standard pages. A standard page is 2,400 characters including spaces and footnotes. The 20 pages are exclusive of cover page, table of contents, reference list and appendices. Non-performance of the prerequisite means that the students may not participate in the exam, and the students will be considered to have made an exam attempt Examination procedure The exam is an internally assessed, individual oral examination graded according to the 7-point grading scale. The exam is worth 10 ECTS credits. One individual overall grade is given based on an overall evaluation of the performance and the subsequent examination. The exam starts with a 10-minute presentation based on the system development report to be submitted under the obligation to attend. This is followed by a 20-minute examination per examinee, incl. deliberations. A total of 30 minutes are allocated per examinee, incl. deliberations. Assessment criteria The assessment criteria for the exam are the same as the learning outcomes for the compulsory educational component: System development The learning objectives are described in the national section of this Curriculum. Scheduled time The exam will take place at the end of the 3rd semester. Information about the time and place for each exam can be found on UCN's intranet. Examination language English. 3. Elective educational components Contents The elective educational components give the students the opportunity to qualify their study and professional competence through specialising and elaborating on subjects that are broadly related to the IT field. Each year a number of elective educational components will be offered, which can be seen on UCN's intranet. Students may also design and plan their elective educational components on their own as either a theoretical and/or practical learning process, which must be approved by the study programme. ECTS credits 30 ECTS credits. Learning outcomes Knowledge Upon completion, the students should have acquired knowledge about University College Nordjylland 9/19

11 the theory and practice of the selected subject(s); and the relevance of the selected subject(s) to information technology. Skills The students should be able to select, describe and perform literature searches of an IT issue by choice; discuss process-related and analytical skills related to the selected subject(s); assess problems and suggest possible solutions relevant to the selected subject(s); and communicate central outcomes. Competences The students should be able to independently acquaint themselves with new topics within the theory or practice of the subject field; and elaborate on and relate the chosen subject(s) to the other subject fields of the study programme. Scheduled time 4th semester. 3.1 Elective educational components exam Exam participation prerequisites Students must meet the following requirements in order to sit the exam: The written product, the report, which constitutes assessment as well as examination basis, must comply with the formal requirements, cf. below, and be submitted in due time, cf. the exam plan which can be found on UCN's intranet. Formal report requirements: Cover page with title Table of contents Introduction, including problem statement Main section Conclusion Reference list (include all sources referred to in the project) Appendix (include only appendices of central importance to the report) The project report may not exceed 40 standard pages, exclusive of any programs and the running system. A standard page is 2,400 characters including spaces and footnotes. The 40 pages are exclusive of cover page, table of contents, reference list and appendices. Appendices are not assessed Examination procedure (when students have chosen to follow an elective educational component offered by their educational institution) The exam is an internally assessed, oral group examination based on a written group project and graded according to the 7-point grading scale. A group may have up to 4 members. University College Nordjylland 10/19

12 The exam is worth 30 ECTS credits. One individual overall grade is given based on an overall evaluation of the written and oral performance. The project is presented by the group; a maximum of 20 minutes. This is followed by an examination of the group members, 10 minutes per group and 10 minutes per student, however maximum 30 minutes in total, including deliberations Examination procedure (when students have planned and designed the course of their elective educational components) The exam is an internally assessed, individual oral examination based on a written project and graded according to the 7-point grading scale. The exam is worth 30 ECTS credits. A group may have up to 4 members. One individual overall grade is given based on an overall evaluation of the written and oral performance. The project is presented by the group; a maximum of 20 minutes. This is followed by an examination of the group members, 10 minutes per group and 10 minutes per student, however maximum 30 minutes in total, including deliberations Scheduled time The exam will take place at the end of the 4th semester. Further information about time and location and submission of the written group project can be found on UCN's intranet Examination language English. 4. Internship Internship requirements and expectations During the internship, the students will work on discipline-specific issues within the core areas of the study programme 1 while achieving knowledge of relevant business functions. The students will be associated with one or more companies over the course of the internship. The internship may be organised in a flexible and differentiated manner and may form the basis of the student's final degree project. Based on the learning outcomes for the internship, cf. the national section of this Curriculum, the students and the supervisors/contact persons will collaborate on setting the specific goals for the learning outcomes of the internship. These goals will guide the planning of the students' work during the internship period. 1 See section 10(2)(1), 11(2)(1) and 12(2)(1) of Ministerial Order no of 16 December 2013 on Academy Profession Degrees and Professional Bachelor s Degrees (in Danish). University College Nordjylland 11/19

13 The internship should be likened to a full-time job with the same requirements in respect of working hours, effort, commitment and flexibility that computer science graduates can expect to meet in their first jobs. 4.1 Internship exam Students must meet the following requirements in order to sit the exam: The internship report, which constitutes assessment as well as examination basis, must comply with the formal requirements, cf. below, and be submitted in due time, cf. the exam plan which can be found on UCN's intranet. Non-performance of one or more study activities or incorrect submission of the internship report, which constitutes the written part of the examination, means that the students will not be allowed to sit the examination, and that they will be considered to have made an exam attempt Examination procedure The exam is an internally assessed, individual oral examination based on the internship report and graded according to the 7-point grading scale. One individual overall grade is given based on an overall evaluation of the written and oral performance. 20 minutes are allocated per examinee, including deliberations. The exam begins with the students giving a 5-minute presentation that takes its starting point in the internship. The following 15 minutes are intended for the exam discussion and deliberations. The exam is worth 15 ECTS credits Formal written project requirements An internship report is to be submitted. The internship report, which constitutes the written part of the examination, must as a minimum contain: Cover page with name, place of internship, school, internship period Preface Introduction Description of the place of internship (What is the object of the place of internship, number of employees, their profession, etc.) Reflections on attaining the concrete learning outcomes Description of concrete assignments Conclusion Appendices: statement from the place of internship and log Reference list, if any (include all sources referred to in the project) Further appendices, if any (include only appendices of central importance to the report) The internship report may not exceed ten standard pages, exclusive of appendices. A standard page is 2,400 characters including spaces and footnotes. The ten pages are exclusive of cover page, table of contents, reference list and appendices. Appendices are not assessed. University College Nordjylland 12/19

14 Non-performance of the prerequisites means that the students may not participate in the exam, and that they will be considered to have made an exam attempt. Assessment criteria The assessment criteria for the exam are the same as the learning outcomes for: Internship. Scheduled time The exam will take place after completion of the internship. Further information about time and location and submission of the internship report can be found on UCN's intranet. Examination language English. 5. The final exam project Please see the national section of this Curriculum for the Computer Science programme for final exam project requirements as well as learning outcomes. 5.1 Final project exam Exam participation prerequisites The written project, which constitutes the assessment basis as well as the examination basis, must comply with the formal requirements for the final exam project, cf. the national section of this Curriculum; and be submitted in due time according to the exam plan, which can be found on UCN's intranet. Incorrect submission of the written project, which constitutes the written element of the examination, means that the students will not be allowed to sit the examination, and that they will be considered to have made an exam attempt. The exam cannot take place until the internship exam and other exams of the study programme have been passed Examination procedure The exam is an externally assessed oral examination based on a written group project. One individual overall grade is given based on an overall evaluation of the written and oral performance. The exam is graded according to the 7-point grading scale. A group may have up to 5 members. The project is presented by the project group; a maximum of 30 minutes. This is followed by an examination of the group members. Exam duration is 20 minutes per student, including deliberations. The exam is worth 15 ECTS credits. University College Nordjylland 13/19

15 5.1.3 Assessment criteria The assessment criteria for the exam are the same as the learning outcomes for the final exam project, cf. the national section of this Curriculum Scheduled time The exam will take place at the end of the 5th semester. Information about time and place for each exam can be found on UCN's intranet Examination language English. 6. Educational components that may take place abroad Each of the educational components of the study programme may take place abroad if students apply for and are granted pre-approval of credit transfer by the study programme. Upon pre-approval of a study abroad period the students must, after conclusion of their study abroad, document the completed educational components of the approved study abroad. In connection with the pre-approval the students must give their consent to the institution obtaining the necessary information following completed study abroad. For the final approval of pre-approved credit transfer, the educational component is considered completed if it is passed in accordance with the regulations applying to the study programme. 7. Learning and teaching methods In our IT programmes, we use a wide range of learning and teaching methods that combined support the students in achieving the learning outcomes described in this Curriculum. The learning and teaching methods are based on reflective learning in practice the joint approach to learning at UCN (UCN's intranet). Reflective learning in practice is based on the assumption that the ability to reflect on practice and discipline-specific knowledge is essential to participating in the development of the profession. Reflection takes place individually as well as together with others. The approach to learning is based on a close connection between the students' discipline-specific, practical, social and personal acquisition of knowledge, skills and competences. The learning approach prepares UCN's graduates for acquiring new knowledge, skills and competences that can qualify and develop practice. The overall learning and teaching methods are dialogue-based class instructions, assignment work and project work in groups. However, the programme also features a great deal of self-studies, individual assignments and projects, presentations in groups and to the whole class, interdisciplinary theme activities and much more. The teaching is supplemented with the use of digital didactic methods such as flipped classroom. Common to all these activities is that we always try to define (or help you define) clear goals for the learning activities. The expected distribution of the learning activities can be found in the Study activity model, which is found on UCN's intranet for the entire study programme as well as the individual educational components. University College Nordjylland 14/19

16 In order to facilitate an understanding and reflection in respect of developing personal and social competences, a personality profile ("Insight") is drawn up for all new students. This profile is used to discuss group processes and forms of cooperation, personal learning style, etc. Furthermore, we offer different activities that may help promote learning in the individual, such as extra programming, homework help and individual guidance sessions and coaching. During lessons, we focus on the working processes of the IT subject in order to support the development of the skills and competences of the profession. 8. Credit transfer for the elective educational components Passed elective educational components are equivalent to the similar educational components at other educational institutions that offer this study programme as well as in other programmes. Pre-approved credit transfer can be applied for if credit is requested for educational components not offered by the programme. 9. Obligation to participate For the teaching and learning methods of the study programme to work as intended, students are under an obligation to participate, which includes an obligation to submit or present assignments/projects. The obligation to participate may also be a prerequisite of exam participation. Furthermore, some programme elements may have compulsory attendance. An obligation to participate and an obligation to attend, if any, which are prerequisites of participating in exams, will appear from the description of the individual exam. 10. Withdrawal from exams The rules and regulations for withdrawal from exams can be found at in the Examination Regulations for UCN's Undergraduate Programmes. 11. Criteria for assessing study activity Registration may be terminated for students who have not passed at least one exam over a continuous period of at least one year (non-compliance with study activity requirements). Periods during which a student has been away due to leave of absence, maternity or paternity leave, adoption of a child, verified illness or military service do not count as non-compliance with study activity requirements. On request, the student must provide documentation of such matters. The study programme may grant exemption from these provisions in exceptional circumstances. Application for exemption must be submitted to the programme director for the study programme in question. The regulations in the Examination Order concerning the exams that the student must have participated in before the end of the second semester and passed before the end of the fourth semester as well as any deadlines for University College Nordjylland 15/19

17 completion of the education stated in the ministerial order for the study programme will remain in force regardless of criteria for compliance with study activity requirements. 12. Language The teaching materials are in English, and the lessons are taught in English. The students' English skills must meet the requirements of the Ministerial Order on admission to academy profession degree programmes and professional bachelor's degree programmes (the Admission Order). Students are not required to have any knowledge of foreign languages other than that stated in the Admission Order Examination language Exams must be conducted in understandable English. Students whose mother tongue is not Danish may apply for exemption from the requirement that writing and spelling skills form part of the deliberation of the completed examination project. The application must be submitted to the programme not later than four weeks before the exam is to take place. 13. Resit and illness resit exams The rules and regulations for resit exams and resit exams due to illness (illness resit exams) can be found at in the Examination Regulations for UCN's Undergraduate Programmes. 14. Study aids Any rules governing restriction of the use of study aids will appear from the description of the individual exam. 15. Special exam arrangements Students may apply for special exam arrangements if their medical condition or relevant specific disabilities qualify them to do so. The application must be submitted to the programme not later than four weeks before the exam is to be held. The application deadline may be extended in cases of sudden health-related problems. With the application the following should be enclosed: a medical certificate; a statement from e.g. a speech, hearing, dyslexia or blind institute or other evidence of health conditions or a relevant specific disability. Students whose mother tongue is not Danish may apply for permission to bring dictionaries to exams where usually no study aids are permitted. Applications for permission to bring other study aids must be submitted to the programme not later than four weeks before the exam is to be held. University College Nordjylland 16/19

18 16. Academic misconduct at exams When submitting a written exam assignment, students must confirm by signature that the assignment was prepared without undue help. 17. Use of your own work and that of others plagiarism The rules for use of one's own or other people's work plagiarism can be found at in the Examination Regulations for UCN's Undergraduate Programmes 18. Disciplinary actions in events of academic misconduct and disruptive behaviour The rules on disciplinary actions in events of academic misconduct and disruptive behaviour at examinations can be found at in the Examination Regulations for UCN's Undergraduate Programmes. 19. Complaints about exams and appeals against decisions 2 The rules on complaints about exams and appeals against decisions can be found at in the Examination Regulations for UCN's Undergraduate Programmes Complaints about legal matters Complaints about legal matters in decisions made by the assessors in connection with re-assessment or resit exams or the appeals board's decisions may be brought before University College of Northern Denmark within two weeks of the day the students were notified of the decision. Complaints about legal matters in decisions made by the institution according to the stipulations of the Exam Order (e.g. legal incapacity, the hearing procedure, correct interpretation of the Exam Order, etc.) may be submitted to the institution, which will make a statement, on which the complainant must be able to comment, the deadline being usually one week. The institution will submit the complaint, the statement and any comments made by the complainant to the Danish Agency for Higher Education. The deadline for lodging complaints with the institution is two weeks (14 days) from the day the complainant was notified of the decision. 20. Exemption The institution may grant exemption from these rules in the national section of this Curriculum that are laid down solely by the institutions 3, when found substantiated in exceptional circumstances. The institutions cooperate on a uniform exemption practice. 2 See section 10 of the Exam Order (in Danish): 3 This means that the individual institution cannot deviate from rules that stem from the orders, such as the rule that the internship exam must be graded according to the 7-point grading scale, or that all exams must be passed before the students may sit an exam in the final examination project. University College Nordjylland 17/19

19 21. Effective date and transition provisions This institutional section of this Curriculum enters into force on 1 September 2016 with effect for all students who are and will be registered in the programme and for all exams commenced on said date or thereafter. The curriculum (national and institutional in the same curriculum) from September 2013 still applies to students registered for this programme. The curriculum is repealed upon graduation of the last student registered for the programme; not later than 30 June 2017, however. University College Nordjylland 18/19