EUROPEAN CREDIT TRANSFER SYSTEM
(ECTS)
The opportunities for student
mobility are a dominating component of European cooperation
among universities. Recognition of training, academic degrees,
diplomas is a prerequisite for developing European Credit
Transfer System (ECTS). The European Credit Transfer System
offers a tool for providing transparency in operation of a
university, for bridging the gap between various institutions
and for increasing the number of options for the students. The
system facilitates the higher education institutions when
recognizing the achievements of the students in the process of
training by applying universally comprehensible mechanisms:
credits and evaluation marks.
The European Credit Transfer System is based on
three elements:
-
Information on the syllabi
and students results;
-
Mutual agreement between
the partner-institutions and the student;
-
Applying the ECTS credits
to measure student workload.
These three elements have been
introduced according to three basic documents:
The information package
is the first contact of the student or coordinator with the
foreign higher institution. It contains basic information about
the degree courses taught at the university, about the teaching
staff and the established academic and administrative
regulations. The information packages make for the transparency
of ECTS. By their useful and practical information they meet the
needs of students and lecturers when choosing, planning and
organizing training abroad.
After the student has
carefully studied the information packages offered by the
higher institutions and after a consultation with the faculty
ECTS coordinator, he/she chooses a certain university and a
degree course it offers and fills in an application form.
In this form, the student can list more universities, to be able
to take part in the admitting procedures in case he/she is not
admitted to the university which is his/her first choice. The
student, the home and the host institutions sign a learning
agreement. The learning agreement contains a specification
of the training programme abroad and it contributes to academic
recognition.
The recognition of educational credits within
ECTS is given by exchanging transcripts of records
between the home and host universities. The transcript of
records describes ECTS student learning achievements during the
specific periods. Each subject studied by the student and in
which a successful examination has been passed, is included in
the transcript. The grading scale is in both ECTS credits and
local grade. The joint combination of local grades and ECTS
credits gives quantitative and qualitative dimension of student
work. A certified copy of the transcript of records is given to
each party: the home and host university and the student. |
