Prof Philippos Pouyioutas1,2,3,Dr Harald Gjermundrod2,4 and Dr Ioanna Dionysiou2,4

1 University of Nicosia Research Foundation, Cypruspouyioutas.p@unic.ac.cy, gjermundrod.h@unic.ac.cy, dionysiou.i@unic.ac.cy

2 Participating in: the UNILO project www.unilo.eu

3Co-ordinating/4Participating in: the ReProTool Projectwww.reprotool.com

ReProTool and UNILO Information Day/Workshop March 2, 2012, Nicosia, Cyprus

The Bologna Process Re-engineering Academic Programmes

(designing a new programme, Delivering and Quality Assurance Auditing)

ReProTool◦ Motivation for the Tool◦ Architecture of the Tool◦ Examples of use of the Tool

Conclusion

2

The Bologna process aims at developing a European Educational Framework of standards/definitions/concepts so as to provide the basis for European countries to transform their educational system according to this framework.

This will result in comparability/compatibility of the various European educational systems which will enable collaborations amongst educational institutions, exchanges of students and teachers within Europe and transparency and transferability of qualifications.

European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) - provides the framework for measuring the student workload in courses/programmes and thus calculating the credits of these courses/programmes.

Learning Outcomes (LOs) - allow courses and programmes to be expressed in terms of what a learner is expected to know by the end of the course/programme.

European Qualifications Framework - for mapping the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) of each European country to this framework, thus transitively, mapping each country’s educational system to another country’s system.

critically compare and evaluate database models and database systems

design and develop database applications using commercially available database systems

enhance and fine-tune database applications with regards to security, authorization and optimization

develop web-based database applications at an intermediate level

critically assess post-relational database models and especially the object-relational database model, standards and languages

develop advanced queries using the SQL language

research in state-of-the art areas in databases systems.

Provide a common platform for Transparency, Comparability, Transferability and Recognition of Programmes

Students become aware of what they will be able to do after completion of the courses and the programme

Faculty are forced to rethink of the curriculum and make sure that each LO is assessed

Employers know what graduates are able to do Careers Officers can match employers requirements

to graduates knowledge, skills and competences (L0s) Erasmus co-ordinators and Academic Departments are

facilitated when developing exchange agreements for students and faculty

Professional Associations can map Programmes to their requirements

Quality Assurance Agencies are facilitated when conducting audits of programmes and when evaluating European awards (through the EQF-NQF mapping)

QAA are in the process of modifying their accreditation/validation rules and procedures to incorporate L0s. Most probably QAA audits will be looking at evidence that◦ all stakeholders were involved in the formulation of a

programme’s LOs◦ there is consistency of LOs according to their level

(e.g. 1st Cycle LOs match EQF and NQF corresponding level)

◦ there is consistency of a programme’s LOs with the LOs specified in European Standards/Sector frameworks, benchmarks, etc.)

◦ a programme’s LOs comply with technical qualifications frameworks at National Level

◦ there is consistency and comparability among LOs across the institution and its programmes

◦ the institution provides all resources so that LOs are SMART, are assessed and are met by students

Provides support and (ECTS Label) templates for the introduction, delivery and quality assurance of programmes

Allows one to build a programme and courses by selecting LOs from a pool of such resources and then modify and add new ones accordingly

Provides Matrices that verify that the programme's LOs are met by at least one course of the programme.

Allows searching for LOs achieved by a course or the courses that achieve a particular LO.

Automates the completion of the student forms which are used to calculate the student workload and thus the number of the ECTS of the course.

Allows what-if analysis and performs workload and ECTS recalculations very fast and error-free.

Checks the semester breakdown of the programme in terms of the 30/60 ECTS requirements per semester/year.

Allows the fast processing of all student forms and produces average workloads for each course and each LO of a course, and the average ECTS of the course, as estimated by the students.

For managing (creating/editing) the end-users of the system.

For assigning users authorization privileges. For maintaining data pertaining to

programmes, courses, faculty members, programme co-ordinators, students

For exporting/importing data to/from management information systems of various institutions.

Allow flexibility and customization Provide facility for creating academic years,

semesters, trimesters etc. to cater different requirements at national and institutional level

For setting up programme's LOs For creating/editing LOs, assigning LOs to the

programme and associating LOs with the programme's courses

For generating reports including amongst others◦ LOs of a course◦ LOs of a programme vs. the programme's

courses◦ LOs of a programme not covered by any course◦ Programme's total ECTS and Semester's total

ECTS.

Allow a flexible definition of Learning Outcomes (taking into consideration National Qualification Frameworks and University regulations and practices)

For completing the Course ECTS Calculation Teacher form, which lists the course’s LOs, the associated educational activities (teaching/learning methods), the assessment methods and the estimated student workload (number of hours) that students are expected to spend on each LO.

Calculating the total student workload in hours and thus the total ECTS of the courses

For comparing with the student estimated workload and ECTS and hence for making any amendments if needed.

Matching Course LOs to Programme LOs Generating the above matrix From the above matrix then the Course vs.

LOs matrix explained in the Programme Co-ordinator area can be generated automatically

Allow (alternatively -for comparison purposes) the Course vs. LOs matrix to be created independently and then compare it with the one generated from the Course LOs vs. Programme LOs matrix

For recording the number of hours students spend every week in a course.

For calculating the total number of hours spend by each student in each course

For calculating the average total number of hours spent by all students in the course and thus calculating the average student workload that is translated into the course ECTS as estimated by the students.

Will allow lecturers to record student absences; thus calculating in-class attendance work load

Student will provide on a weekly basis their out-of-class workload

System will produce statistics and charts◦ (weekly and cumulative weekly) student workload (in-class,

out-of-class, total) for a course and comparison with the class average student workload and the expected workload set by the faculty – bar chart

◦ (weekly and cumulative weekly) student workload (in-class, out-of-class, total) for all courses taken by student and comparison with the class average workload and the expected workload set by the faculty – bar chart

◦ Percentage of student workload (in-class, out-of-class, total) devoted for each course (weekly and cumulative weekly) and comparison with the expected workload percentages – pie chart

◦ Facility to allow students to provide feedback to their lecturers◦ E-portfolio facilities allowing the student to reflect on his/her

work and future plans for studying

pouyioutas.p@unic.ac.cy