Certification of ITC Educational Programs Rules and Regulations

Transcription

1 Certification of ITC Educational Programs Rules and Regulations Approved by the Dean of the Faculty ITC on 16 September 2014 and published with number

2 COLOFON UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE FACULTY OF GEO-INFORMATION SCIENCE AND EARTH OBSERVATION DATE LAST MODIFIED: PUBLISHED VERSION: 1.0

3 CONTENTS Contens... i Version control... ii Certification of ITC educational programs ITC Educational Courses Authorization and Approval Certification Documents Rules for the Issuance of an Award Joint Courses Fail, Fraud and Misbehavior... 4 i

4 VERSION CONTROL Versie Datum Omschrijving Opmerking /7/2014 Draft version Review after meeting 03/07/ /7/2014 Review committee Final review before submission to EB/OLD /14/2014 EB/OLB version Sent to EB/OLB for review Approval by the Dean Page ii of 4

5 CERTIFICATION OF ITC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS 1. ITC Educational Courses The Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) offers a range of courses that lead to a formal qualification: Master of Science degree, Master degree, Post-Graduate Diploma, Diploma and Short Courses. These courses form the educational body of programs, academic and non-academic, offered by ITC. The official title of the courses, their constituent course components or modules, and a full description of objectives, contents and assessment forms are provided on the website of ITC, or in the official study guide and assessment regulations for the courses. The study guide and assessment regulations are published on the ITC website ( and 1. An ITC course must be duly approved and registered, and a participant must by duly admitted and enrolled. For each of these registered academic programs and courses a formal qualification is awarded (see table 1.1.).With the exception of the Diploma Course, non-credit bearing courses do not receive a formal qualification. For these courses a Certificate of Attendance is issued. 2. Authorization and Approval Faculty Management Team The Dean chairs the Faculty Management Team (FMT), which consists of three members (professors) each with their distinct discipline (education, capacity development, and research). The FMT assigns working committees and approves ITC policy and regulations. Certification Committee The Certification Committee consists of representatives from the Examination Board, the education specialist, the Course Directors, and BOOZ and prepares the necessary documents and procedures for approval by the Dean. The Examination Board is responsible for managing this process. The committee reviews and updates the Certification of ITC Educational Programs Policy; ensures compliance with UT regulations, and develops and maintains the working procedures for the execution of the certification documents. The committee chair is a member of the Examination Board, and committee members are invited by the committee chair. Examination Board The Examination Board monitors and is involved in all aspects of assessment from policy on assessment via appointment of assessors to the decision about complaints related to assessment. They are the final body to approve and authorize the issuance of degree credentials for credit bearing degrees. They can make recommendations to the Certification Committee in regards to Policy. Bureau Education and Research Support (BOOZ-ITC) BOOZ-ITC is responsible for the grade record keeping and issuance of certification documents. As such it bears responsibility to ensure that the awards are properly issued according to policy and that the certification documents follow the agreed upon standard for content and layout. The working procedures is the referral document for the agreed upon standard. 3. Certification Documents Credits (5 ECTS per module) are awarded upon completion of a module. Once the participant has earned all credits and passed all requirements as per assessment regulation, the matching qualification is awarded. The award criteria are explained in the Assessment Regulations, which are posted on the ITC website ( 1 The study guide and assessment regulation for the academic year in which the course was started is applicable. Page 1 of 4

6 Courses can be followed full time at ITC or can be followed partly at ITC and partly with one of the education partners of ITC. Each qualification consists of a formal diploma or certificate with a supplement or course record, except for the Certificate of Attendance. Awards for the registered courses are as indicated in table 1.1.: Table 1.1. ITC Educational Courses and Certification Documents Course Master of Science Number of credits (EC) Documents issued 118 Diploma and diploma supplement Master 77 Diploma and diploma supplement Postgraduate Diploma 62 Certificate and course record Diploma No EC s awarded Certificate and course record Short course 2 EC s are awarded, number of EC variable No EC s awarded Certificate and course record Certificate of Attendance Qualification mentioned on the diploma or certificate Diploma (Academic Education) of the master s degree programme in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation which entitles to the degree Master of Science Diploma (Professional Higher Education) of the master s degree programme in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation which entitles to the degree Master Post-Graduate Diploma (Academic Education) of the Postgraduate diploma programme in Geo- Information Science and Earth Observation Diploma (Technologist in Geoinformatics) of the diploma course in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation. Certificate for a course in Geo- Information Science and Earth Observation Certificate of attendance for a course in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation 4. Rules for the Issuance of an Award 1. All credit bearing Degrees (MSc, PGD, and Master) and Certificates are issued under the responsibility of the Examination Board. 2. MSc Degrees and Postgraduate Diplomas are signed by the Chair or Vice-Chair of the Examination Board. Certificates are signed by a member of the Examination Board. 3. All certification documents follow a prescribed format as decided by the Certification Committee, are printed on formal UT/ITC stationary in the English language, and are produced by Bureau Education and Research Support. They are dated on the day the qualification was awarded (i.e. graduation date) 4. MSc and Master degrees are accompanied by a Diploma Supplement, signed by the Chair or Vice-Chair of the Examination Board. The Diploma Supplement describes the nature, level, context, content, study load (in ECTS credit points) and status of the degree and course. It also 2 Short Courses are defined as all courses consisting of one or more modules, both credit bearing and non-credit bearing (i.e. Core Course, Distance Education, Individual Study Program, and Taylor Made and Refresher Courses). Page 2 of 4

7 states the names of the modules, completion date of the modules (exam or re-sit), location where modules were taught and assessed, and grades obtained. The assessments completed or fail will appear as such in the Diploma Supplement. In case of exemption, the word Exemption will be added, rather than the grade. 5. Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates are accompanied by a Course Record, signed by a member of the Examination Board. The Course Record will show the course name, study load (in ECTS credit points) and period of study. It also states the names of the modules, completion date of the modules (exam or re-sit), location where modules were taught and assessed, and grades obtained. The assessments completed or fail will appear as such in the Course Record. In case of exemption, the word Exemption will be added, rather than the grade. 6. A Certificate will be awarded to a participant in a short course who has fulfilled the assessment requirements of at least one module. The Certificate will mention that the participant has followed individual modules in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation. A participant who has failed all registered modules, will receive only a course record. 7. If the Examination Board has approved that another ITC module can be taken in exchange for a module of the formal curriculum, the name of the new module will be mentioned. The names of modules (and the results obtained) that are taken in addition to the formal curriculum of the course are also listed on the Diploma Supplement or Course Record under the heading Extra. 8. ECTS credit points are solely an indicator of study load. In accordance with the international standard, ECTS credits will be posted for all credit-bearing modules regardless of the grade received. 9. Successfully completed modules can be used as building blocks for obtaining an ITC (Postgraduate) Diploma, Master degree or MSc degree, provided the participant has been formally admitted to the (Postgraduate) Diploma, Master or Master of Science course. 5. Joint Courses The Master of Science degree courses can be followed full time at ITC or can be followed as a Joint Education Program (JEP) partly at ITC and partly with one of the education partners of ITC. Where certification of joint education programs is concerned, the same rules apply as described above. The following further specifications can be made: 1. If it concerns a dual degree, each institution generates its own certification documents according to its own policy. If it concerns a joint degree, the MOU and/or Implementation Plan specify the criteria and layout of the certification documents. 2. The module titles and study load mentioned in the diploma supplement/course record of a joint education program are the titles of the modules and study load in the relevant ITC program, as mentioned in the ITC study guide 3. The diploma supplement/course record show the grades obtained for all course modules. For course modules attended at the partner university the diploma supplement/course record show an exemption. 4. Only for those course modules attended at the partner university for which the Examination Board has approved the level and quality of the assessment, the grades obtained at the partner University can be included in the diploma supplement/course record. Currently only IIRS-GFM meets the criteria for an all grades diploma supplement/course record. Page 3 of 4

8 5. In addition to the diploma supplement/course record, a joint course record can be issued with the signatures and logos of all participating partners. This joint course record is meant to stress the cooperation between the partners and bring together the study results of the course as a whole. This joint course record has no legal status and is not signed under the authority of the Examination Board. It can either be signed by the JEP Coordinator or Course Director. 6. None of the issued ITC degree documents (MSc/M) or certificates (PGD, Diploma Course, Short Courses) will bear any logos other than UT/ITC s logo. The course supplement will specifically mention the collaboration with the Joint Education Partner without the use of logos. The course record will specifically mention the collaboration with the Joint Education Partner with the use of both logos. 6. Fail, Fraud and Misbehavior Participants that do not qualify for the qualification receive a Certificate with a course record. Failing MSc candidates can qualify for a PGD with Certificate and course record or for a Certificate with course record. END OF DOCUMENT Page 4 of 4