Taking the Mystery out of ECTS for Study Abroad Students

Transcription

1 Taking the Mystery out of ECTS for Study Abroad Students Rhonda J. Hinkle, Assistant Director for Academic Affairs, Institute for Study Abroad, Butler University (IFSA-Butler) Kathy Martin, Manager, Billing and Registration, Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)

2 Objectives Provide an overview of the Bologna Process Explore the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) Explain Bologna Process challenges Discuss credit transfer Provide sample ECTS credit and grade conversions

3 Bologna Process: An overview o Mobility of students, course work, degrees and employment opportunities o Qualifications Framework o Three-tier degree structure, with bachelor s degree as entry point into workforce o Student-centered, based on learning outcomes o Globally competitive

4 ECTS: What is academic credit? Differences between the U.S. and Europe o Contact hours vs. representation of total work load o Preparation / independent study hours o Top down credit structure starts with total credits needed for a full course of study then filters down to individual class credit values o Variability across institutions or degree programs

5 Credit and Grade Conversion Issues How do you convert ECTS credits and grades? (Note: This is a bit of a trick question) ECTS Standards: Consistently inconsistent U.S. Standards: Consistently inconsistent

6 Credit Conversion Issues: One size does not fit all. Considerations when converting credits: o What s a full course load on your campus? o What s a full course load at the host institution? o How many years of study are required to complete the degree? o How many classes per term are required to progress for the degree? o What s considered full time enrollment at the host institution? o Does the host institution offer recommendations for conversions

7 Grade Conversion Issues: One size does not fit all. Important considerations when creating grade conversions at your institution: o o ECTS grades are typically based on comparative performance in relationship to the local standard scale. Does the host institution offer recommendations for conversions to U.S. grade equivalents?

8 ECTS on U.S. Campuses Providers perspectives Unique campus mechanisms Examples Rounding credits Combining courses Meeting academic requirements for graduation Discussion

9 Examples of ECTS Conversions Republic of Ireland: University College Cork England: Royal Holloway, University of London The Netherlands: University of Amsterdam Spain: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

10 Republic of Ireland: University College Cork Modules may equal 5, 10, 15, or 20 credits. 5 credit modules may include 24 lecture hours, plus associated tutorials, essays and readings or more. Students take modules worth 60 credits per academic year. Students have hours of week for lectures

11 University College Cork Transcript

12 University College Cork (cont.) Abbreviation Description Percentage 1H First Class Honours >70% 2H1 2H2 Second Class Honours, Grade 1 Second Class Honours, Grade % 50-59% 3H Third Class Honours 45-49% P Pass 40-44% F Fail <40%

13 University College Cork (cont.) University College Cork Recommended U.S. Grade % A 65-69% A % B % B 50-54% B % C % C 35-39% C % D+ 0-29% F

14 England: Royal Holloway, University of London Credits are known as course unit. Some courses are defined as whole unit and some as a half unit, depending on the intensity of delivery or the nature of the content. One whole course unit comprises approximately 300 study hours in total,

15 Royal Holloway, University of London Transcript

16 England: Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway Recommended U.S. Grade % A % A % B % B % B % C % C % C % F

17 Netherlands: University of Amsterdam (UvA) Degree: 3 year Bachelors, with 180 total credits, 20 week modular semesters (8-8-4 week structure) Credits: o Only lists ECTS credits on transcript o Study hours are per ECTS credit and 1680 per year (or per 60 ECTS credits);

18 Netherlands: University of Amsterdam (cont.) Grades: o Lists both ECTS and Netherlands (NL) 10- point numeric grade on transcript o Gives recommended equivalencies of NL grade to ECTS grades, as well as NL to U.S. equivalencies

19 Netherlands: University of Amsterdam transcript

20 CIEE Academic Record Guide for UvA Grade Conversion Chart (matches what UvA recommends) UvA Grades Recommended U.S. Grade A B C D Less than 5.5 or Incomplete F

21 The course structure for most (but not all) UvA courses is a 12 ECTS/6 U.S. semester credit hours course taught over 16 weeks (two eight week blocks) or 6 ECTS/3 U.S. semester credit hours taught either during one eight week block or 16 weeks (two eight week blocks). There will still be some UvA courses worth 10 and 5 ECTS credits as various faculties are adopting this new system at different moments. CIEE Academic Record Guide for UvA Credit Conversion Information University of Amsterdam Courses

22 Spain: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) Degree: 3 year Bachelors, with 180 total credits, 15 week semesters. Some departments are not as straightforward: Humanities 1st and 2nd year classes use ECTS credits over 14 weeks, but no ECTS for 3rd and 4th year classes; Cursos Estudios Hispanicos department (CEH) uses a credit structure similar to the U.S. semester system Credits: o o o Only lists ECTS credits on transcript for classes from degree programs that have matriculated into the system Study hours are 25 per ECTS credit, and 1500 per year (or per 60 ECTS credits); classes typically meet in two 90 minute sessions, 2 times per week Study hours for CEH classes are at a 10 contact hour : 1 credit ratio, and classes meet 2 times per week for 13 weeks (including exam period)

23 Spain: Universidad Carlos III de Grades: Madrid (cont.) o Lists only Spanish 10-point numeric grade on certificate for study abroad students in the Curso de Estudios Hispanicos program o No individual transcript/grade report released for study abroad students in direct enrollment classes (class lists of marks earned are given to program coordinators,

24 Spain: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M); CEH certificate example

25 CIEE Academic Record Grade Conversions for UC3M Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Sobresaliente) A (Sobresaliente bajo) A (Notable alto) B (Notable alto) B (Notable) B (Notable bajo) C (Notable bajo) C (Aprobado) D (Suspenso) F Recommended U.S. Grade

26 Resources NAFSA Benelux Bologna Secretariat European University Association ECTS Users Guide ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc/ects/guide_en.pdf

27 Questions? Preguntas? Ciesteanna? Vragen?