Education and examination regulations 2013-2014 Summary of the education and examination regulations www.ehb.be
Dear Student, Your rights and duties as a student are described in the general education and examination regulations, which are quite extensive. That is why we offer you a summary of the most important points with references to the full articles, which you can find on www.ehb.be/regeling. Information about the course components can be found in the ECTS sheets, which are also available on the EhB website. These sheets will provide you with more information about your courses (number of credits, teaching format, content, lecturer, final competencies, sequentiality requirements and examination format). In the ECTS sheets, you will also find information about course tolerances and resit examinations and if examination contracts and credit contracts apply to the course. The ECTS sheets form an essential part of the education and examination regulations. They can be found on the EhB website www.ehb.be/ectsinfo. Publisher: Luc Van de Velde, Nijverheidskaai 170, 1070 Brussels Implementation: Education and Communication Services of the Erasmus University College Brussels - August 2013 Photos: Joost Goethals en Valéry De Smet 2
Table of contents 1. Enrolment Regulations 4 1.1 Admission requirements (General Education Regulations (GER) art. 17 to 38) 4 1.2 Types of enrolment (GER art 39-47 / 51-53 / 58-60) 4 1.3 Costs associated with the course (GER art. 54-56 / 86-87) 5 1.4 Exemptions (GER art. 67-81) 5 1.5 Course and contract revisions (GER art. 48 and 55) 5 2. Organisation of the academic year (GER art. 6 General Examination Regulations (GExR) art. 6 and 12) 6 3. Inclusive education / Special target groups (GER art. 61-64) 6 4. Code of conduct and disciplinary regulations (GER art. 104-113) 6 5. Examinations 7 5.1 Organisation (GExR art. 6-16) 7 5.2 Examination proceedings (GExR art. 17-22) 7 5.3 Absences (GExR art. 10-18) 8 5.4 Irregularities (GExR art. 23-24) 8 5.5 Deliberations (GExR art. 11 / 25-36 / 52-53) 9 5.6 Announcement of examination results 10 5.7 ibamaflex (GExR art. 54) 10 6. Complaints 10 6.1 Ombudsperson (GER art. 97 GExR art. 57-58) 10 6.2 Student representatives (GER art. 97) 10 6.3 Education affairs (GER art. 98-102) 10 6.4 Examination-related (disciplinary) decisions (GExR art. 24 / 59-60) 11 7. Schematic overview of complaint handling 11 3
1. Enrolment Regulations 1.1 Admission requirements (GER art. 17 to 38) You can enrol in a bachelor s degree programme when you are in possession of a Flemish secondary education diploma or equivalent. If you want to enrol in a master s degree programme, the possession of the underlying bachelor s degree is required or you need to have passed for a previous transitional or preparatory programme. You can enrol in a bachelor after bachelor programme if you obtained the specific bachelor s degree; for a master after master programme, you need to have obtained the specific master s degree. Registration in the specific teachings course of the EhB is possible if you obtained the academic bachelor of Music. Under certain circumstances you can start the master s programme even though you have not completed the underlying bachelor s, transitional or preparatory programme. (GER art. 45). If you obtained a diploma in a language other than Dutch, then the EhB can impose a language assessment test (GER art. 18). You can only enrol if you have sufficient learning credit. In case you have insufficient credit for the programme in which you wish to enrol, you can submit a file with the learning credit commission (GER art. 18bis). 1.2 Types of enrolment (GER art 39-47 / 51-53 / 58-60) There are three types of study contracts: Diploma contract: to obtain a diploma; Credit contract: if you want to enrol as a free student in only a few classes of the course. Please note! If you withdraw early while still under this contract, you will not recover any learning credit; Examination contract: if you do not wish to participate in class activities, but only want to take the examination. Not all course components are open to a credit or examination contract (please verify by checking the ECTS sheet). Enrolment in a course component also depends on its sequentiality. For example, you can only start Mathematics Part 2 if you passed Part 1. The ECTS sheets on the EhB website will provide more information about this. Of course, the study itinerary counsellor, who advises you on putting together your programme, can also assist you. 4
1.3 Costs associated with the course (GER art. 54-56 / 86-87) The tuition fee, which you pay upon enrolment, includes the course fee and examination fee. The amount depends on the type of contract, the number of ECTS credits you take on, your nationality and a possible (near-)scholarship status. If you withdraw in the first week after your registration, the entire variable part of your tuition fee will be refunded. If you withdraw before 1 December, then only half of the variable part will be refunded. The administrative cost of 55 euro is never refunded. If you do not pay the tuition fee, you risk being suspended for the educational activities and examinations (GER art. 56). Additional costs are costs for consumer goods (copies, workshop material, lab sessions), services and educational trips. Only after paying these costs, you can use the goods and services of your department or School of Arts (GER art. 87). 1.4 Exemptions (GER art. 67-81) Exemptions can be acquired based on Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) or Accreditation of Experiential Learning (APEL). APL s are granted by the course and based on valid study certificates (diplomas, (credit) certificates, ). APEL s are granted by the University Association Brussels and based on a aptitude test of the competencies acquired through, for example, work experience. These competencies must be proven by a submitted portfolio. 1.5 Course and contract revisions (GER art. 48 and 55) You can revise the content of the contract until 31 October ; after 31 October revision is only possible after the advice of the study itinerary counsellor. Revising your contract may have consequences for your learning credit and tuition fee. Learning credit for annual courses and first semester courses can be refunded until 1 December; learning credit for second semester courses can be refunded until 15 March. If you wish to enrol in another course (re-orientation) after 31 October, then you must always ask the study itinerary counsellor for advice. After consulting you, he will put together a study programme. Changing contract type is only possible at the beginning of the second semester, namely from week 21 to week 25 of the academic year. Cancelling the course is possible throughout the year. The cancellation date is very important for your learning credit, child allowance, scholarship and refund of your tuition fee and additional costs. If you wish to cancel, it is advised to consult your study itinerary counsellor who, after conducting an exit interview with you, will take 5
care of the formalities. The study itinerary counsellor can also advise you about a possible new programme choice or inform you about the first steps on the labour market. 2. Organisation of the academic year (GER art. 6 GExR art. 6 and 12) The academic year consists of the education, study, examination and holiday periods. During the education period, there may be continuous evaluation or a preliminary examination for a course; you can find this information in the ECTS sheets. Semestral examinations take place in January or June; annual examinations always take place in June. You can find your course calendar in the Prospectus (www.ehb.be/studiegids). No educational activities can be organised during the holiday, examination and study periods. 3. Inclusive education / Special target groups (GER art. 61-64) Each student must receive equal opportunities to participate in education programmes. Sometimes this leads to offering students certain education and examination facilities, which we also call reasonable facilities. This means for example to be allowed to spread exams, changing the examination type, The EhB has established target groups who can apply for an adapted statute (e.g.: studying with a functional disability, top-class sport & study and student representation & study). If you think you are eligible for reasonable facilities, you can submit an individual application. More information is available with your student counsellor. If you are a top-class sport student, then you can consult your study itinerary counsellor. 4. Code of conduct and disciplinary regulations (GER art. 104-113) If you use violence, inflict damage, steal, commit fraud or engage in acts that can damage a person s dignity or compromises the name of the university college, a disciplinary procedure can be started against you. The EhB also has a code of conduct for course components in cooperation with external partners (e.g.: internships) for which attendance, preparation and a respectful composure form a fundamental part. 6
5. Examinations 5.1 Organisation (GExR art. 6-16) Exams can be taken at different times. The most important moments are January (exams 1st semester), June (exams 2nd semester) and August / September (2nd examination period of both semesters). In addition, there can also be a period of preliminary exams (e.g. in November or April). These prelims are mentioned in time in the academic calendar. An academic year consists of two examination periods: the first period includes all examinations before the start of the summer holidays; the second period includes all examinations after the summer holidays. The continuous evaluation can be in the form of intermediate tests, assignments or an evaluation of your cooperation during classes. Attendance is compulsory for course components with continuous evaluation. This form of evaluation always occurs outside the examination period. There are two examination possibilities for each course, except for non-repeatable course components (internships, projects, ). The ECTS sheets will indicate when it is not possible to take a resit for a course component (www.ehb.be/ectsinfo). Also the examination type (oral, written, continuous, ), the weight of the exam and the course objectives can be found in these sheets. The schedules for the examinations in June will be distributed at least one month in advance, the schedules for the examinations in January at least two weeks before the start of the examinations. Participation in the examinations is possible if you are legitimately enrolled; this means that all required documents have been submitted and your tuition fee and additional costs have been paid. 5.2 Examination proceedings (GExR art. 17-22) At the examination, identification is required by showing your student card or identity card. Both you and the lecturer will respect the starting time of the examination. If the lecturer is not present at the appointed time and he did not leave a message, then the examination expires after one hour. A new time schedule will be prepared in consultation with the examination secretariat and with your approval. You can request the presence of the ombudsperson or a member of the faculty at the examination. For oral examinations, open entrance is possible for those who submitted a written application to the chairman of the examination commission before the start 7
of the examination. Written examinations can be viewed within a certain period after the announcement of the examination results. In this way, you will receive the necessary feedback. 5.3 Absences (GExR art. 10-18) If you do not participate in an examination, you will be considered as failed (0/20). In case of force majeure (illness, public transport strike, ), you need to inform the examination secretariat as soon as possible and hand in the force majeure certificate within 3 days after the end of the force majeure. The chairman of the examination commission will investigate if a new examination arrangement is possible. Examinations in January can be moved to June, if necessary. Moving an examination is only possible within the same examination period. If this is not possible, you will lose an examination possibility. For those course components foreseeing only one examination possibility, postponement of a first examination possibility can be granted in case of force majeure, which allows the examination to be taken in August / September. If you stop your examinations, please inform the examination secretariat as soon as possible. 5.4 Irregularities (GExR art. 23-24) Stated irregularities for all types of examinations will be reported to the chairman of the examination commission. The chairman will interview you together with the lecturer within 5 working days and will verify if the regular examination commission will make a decision in June or if an earlier decision is needed. You can, for example, be given a score of 0/20 for the examination or for the complete course component and be excluded for the entire first examination period or for both examination periods. As long as the (chairman of the) examination commission has not reached a decision, you can continue your examinations. You can lodge an appeal against the examination disciplinary decision within 5 calendar days, according to the modalities stated in GExR art. 24.
5.5 Deliberations (GExR art. 11 / 25-36 / 52-53) Each course component will be graded in whole numbers only, with a maximum score of 20 points. The course component parts can be graded in decimal numbers. If in a compiled course component the average of the parts is not a whole number, the numbers above 10 out of 20 are rounded and the numbers below 10 out of 20 are truncated (11,5 and 12,4 will be a 12 and 9,1 and 9,9 will be a 9). For each academic year, an examination commission will be set up for each student per period. As an exception, an intermediate examination commission can be set up to enable the study progress during the academic year. When you graduate, an examination commission can be set up after the January examinations. The examination commission grants credit certificates, decides on tolerances and deliberations and can grant a degree. They can also enforce binding conditions regarding the study progress. A credit certificate can be obtained if you score at least 10 out of 20. A granted credit certificate cannot be renounced. Failures can be tolerated if the bonus is bigger than the malus. The bonus consists of the sum of the cumulative percentage minus 50 and the starting bonus (5% of the number of ECTS credits of the enrolment programme). The malus consists of the weighted deficits (the number of points below 10 multiplied by the number of ECTS credits of a course.). Tolerance is based on the all-or-none principle (tolerance applies to all deficits or to none at all) or on the gradual principle (tolerance applies to all deficits until there is no more bonus). Tolerance cannot be used for some courses; this is stated in the regulations of your department or School of Arts and in the ECTS sheets. The minimum score to which tolerance can be applied is 8/20. It will be decided for each department or School of Arts if the tolerance rule is applicable during both examination periods or only during the 2nd examination period (this means tolerances cannot be used during the 1st examination period). You can refuse a tolerated deficit within 3 working days after the announcement (GExR art. 36). The degree will be granted based on the achieved percentage and if the minimum score was obtained for certain courses (GExR art. 27). If you failed 50% of the number of ECTS credits of your enrolment programme, the examination commission can impose binding conditions for the continuation of the study programme. If during your next enrolment you do not meet the requirements of these binding conditions, you can be rejected for a third enrolment. 9
5.6 Announcement of examination results The proclamation is the official announcement of the results. This is done either by public announcement by the chairman, via availability of the individual scores at the secretariat or via the digital version of the examination secretariat (see below). 5.7 ibamaflex (GExR art. 54) Each student has access to IbaMaFlex. This is a digital student secretariat where you can find, amongst other things, your results of preliminary and semestral examinations and your individual scores after the deliberation. The student secretariat can ask you to digitally sign your study contract or to validate your exemption file via the e-mailbox. 6. Complaints 6.1 Ombudsperson (GER art. 97 GExR art. 57-58) The ombudsperson ensures that your rights are respected and in principle will defend your point of view (e.g.: before the examination commission). The ombudsperson acts as a mediator during conflicts between students and lecturers. The ombudsperson also handles complaints regarding education matters. The ombudsperson is obliged to confidentiality and discretion. He will also advise you if you wish to file a complaint against education matters or an examination (disciplinary) decision. 6.2 Student representatives (GER art. 97) If you wish to raise an issue, then not only the ombudsperson can help you, but also the student representatives from the degree programme commission, the student council,... 6.3 Education affairs (GER art. 98-102) You can file a complaint with the internal appeals commission for education matters if you have a complaint about a decision regarding study continuation, a decision of the conduct commission (GER art. 113) or a decision regarding negative learning credit. You should do this within 5 calendar days after being informed of the decision. For the complaint to be admissible, it must comply with all requirements. On some occasions, it is possible to file an external complaint (GExR art. 24 and 60 / GER art. 102). More information is available with the ombudsperson. 10
6.4 Examination-related (disciplinary) decisions (GExR art. 24 / 59-60) If you disagree with a decision of the examination commission, you can file a complaint with the central complaints commission via a registered letter (or with a acknowledgment of receipt form). You need to do this within 5 calendar days after you have been officially informed of the decision. For the complaint to be admissible, it must comply with all requirements. On some occasions it is possible to file an external complaint (GExR art. 24 and 60 / GER art. 102). More information is available with the ombudsperson. 7. Schematic overview of complaint handling GExR 24 en GExR 60: students GER 98: students A) Examination decision C) Competence certificate B) Examination disciplinary D) Exemption decision E) Transitional and/or preparatory programme F) Measure for study continuation monitoring G) Course component refusal H) Exemption of prior learning demands for people with higher education degree obtained outside the Flemish Community I) Equivalence of a foreign higher education diploma J) In cases of force majeure, no custom examination schedule because of organizational reasons GER 99: internal appeal A) GExR art. 60 B) GExR art. 24 GER 99: internal appeal C G) GER art. 101 ( 1 to 5) Students: internal appeal only: GER art. 101 ( 1 to 4) Course components with external partners GER 113 (candidate-)students: internal appeal only: GER art. 101 ( 1 to 4) Negative learning credit (GER 18bis) GER 102: external appeal: Council for disputes regarding study continuation decisions 11
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