VB - Technical University of Ostrava has more than 9000 full - time students studying at six faculties. Two of them, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, have implemented for several years a credit system of study.
The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has implemented a system compatible with ECTS (The European Credit Transfer System) based on the definition of one credit as a 1/60 of student's annual academic workload. Therefore at a standard tempo of study a student has to complete 30 credits in one semester and 60 credits in one academic year. A student may also participate in the creation of his/her programme of study by the selection of optional courses.
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics has implemented a system which is derived from the one used at the University of Boston. The system operates with 15 credits per semester and 30 credits per year, using four credits for compulsory courses, two credits for optional ones and one credit for supplementary courses. The philosophy of student's participation in creation of his/her tempo and programme of study is similar to those mentioned above.
Both faculties use a new grading scale, based on a maximum of 100 points in one course. A student passes a course with a minimum of 51 points. Points are awarded according to the giving rules both during seminars and exams. Students are continually evaluated by using what is known as the Weighed Study Average.
The systems of study are continually evaluated and compared with other Czech and Slovak Technical Universities whose faculties have had good results using credit models. That is why other Faculties of our University are now preparing the implementation of a credit system.
INTRODUCTION
VB-Technical University of Ostrava (TUO) is one of 27 Czech higher education institutions. The fourth oldest, the fourth largest. The TUO has at present more than 11 000 student's in all kinds of study, more than 9 000 of them are full -time students. Since the year 1997 the TUO consists of six faculties:
Czech Technical Universities traditionally provide engineering study (a master degree), which is considered as pregraduate study and postgraduate doctoral study. The former is organised along two lines - basic and specialised. The first two or three years tend toward the study of general foundations, which allows students to propose their choice of courses studied to the third year. The ensuring years are specialized. The curricula are five years long, but the University Law of 1990 newly incorporates a three-year bachelor's curriculum, arranged as a short-schedule university course. Nearly all Technical Universities (the TUO among them) have accepted it and implemented a bachelor study, but mostly parallel with an engineering study.
Since 1990 the Czechoslovak higher education system has been breaking apart and the sudden need has arisen to restructure it. Unfortunately neither the Ministry of Education nor any other institution coordinated activities at that time. Universities and faculties made use of the full autonomy giving them by law and started to create new rules of study, not coordinated often within a University. The Faculties of Mechanical Engineering from all Czech and Slovak Universities agreed on joint principles of the rules based on a credit system and on mutual information for their creation. The Faculties of Electrical Engineering did the same.
CHOICE OF THE CREDIT SYSTEM
The U.S.A. has utilised a credit accumulation and transfer system (CATS) for many years, exporting it, almost 50 years ago, to Asia. European CATS are much younger, dating back to the early eighties. In almost all European Community (EC) countries with credit systems, the notion of credit has referred to student workload. Local, regional and national systems focused rather on credit accumulation and that is why in 1985 a concept of ECTS (The European Credit Transfer System), focused on credit transfer was created.
Many Czech and Slovak faculties observed and studied CATS and ECTS developments in EC countries. Technical faculties were especially influenced by the successful 6-year pilot project of ECTS, started in the academic year 1989/90. The project, sponsored by the SOCRATES programme and evaluated e.g. by the Cooper & Lybrand agency, with its first adaptation in Central Europe (at the Gödöllö University of Agricultural Sciences, Hungary), encouraged some of them to introduce a similar credit system. Unfortunately, the activities were implemented without any systematic approach and proper influence from Western European countries. The fact that information on ECTS was not readily made available early enough to all who were concerned got some faculties to introduce the American credit system. At present all Czech and Slovak Technical Universities have introduced credit systems, mostly derived from ECTS.
CREDIT SYSTEM OF STUDY AT THE FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME) was established in 1950, originally focused on machines and equipment for mining and metallurgy. Since that the focus of a faculty has been gradually changed towards new areas of mechanical engineering including control systems, robotics, CAD / CAM systems, transport equipment, mechanical technology etc. The FME provides traditionally engineering study (a master degree) and since the academic year 1992/93 also a bachelor study. The engineering study is divided into two stages. The first, three years stage, represents a general engineering base and is finished with the first state exam.
The first stage is identical for all students and consists of universal courses divided up in the following way:
The universal concept of that stage of study enables to immediately implement, in the second stage, new fields of study according to the present and future demands of the market because of the equal preparation of students passing the first state exam. The second stage lasts two years and is guaranteed by specialized departments. That stage of study is finished by the final state exam and by the defense of a student's diploma work.
The bachelor study creates a new form of study in the Czech higher education system. At faculties, parallel engineering and bachelor systems of study have been introduced. It enables students from the engineering branch to transfer to the bachelor study at any time, but in the reverse situation it is rather complicated (see Fig. 1). A student must successfully finish the bachelor study, pass the compensatory year and the first state exam, and then continue in the second stage of the engineering study.
The bachelor study lasts three years and is oriented towards only a basic knowledge acquisition from theoretical subjects but more practical experience acquisition in each field of study. It is finished with the final state exam and by the defense of the bachelor diploma work.
Fig. 1 A Scheme of Study at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering up
At the FME the credit system of study has been introduced since the school year 1992/93. The system was derived from the ECTS. Its main attributes are:
In the first stage of study a student is allowed to select the tempo of his/her study and to make choice of foreign languages, courses of social sciences and advanced mathematics. In the second stage he/she is allowed to influence, except of a tempo of study, his/her study programme much more. A student can select optional courses at a maximum rate of 30 CPs.
CREDIT SYSTEM OF STUDY AT THE FACULTY OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND INFORMATICS
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (FEI) was established in 1991 and derived its origin from the former Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. FEI provides an engineering study which is also divided into two stages. On the contrary with the FME the first universal stage is shorter, and the second specialised stage, is longer.
The first stage is finished with the comprehensive exam. Students are allowed to study for it for two or three years. According to the tempo of their study students are divided into two streams. The slower stream has a rigid schedule, which is obligatory for all students (the minimum tempo of study).
Thus the contribution of the credit system to the first stage of study consists of the possibility
to change the tempo of study; in the second stage there is a possibility to modify an
individual student's study programme. The second stage lasts three years and is finished
similar to FME by a final state exam and by the defense of diploma work.
Courses in the second stage are compulsory, optional and supplementary. The first two are
defined with respect to the given study field whereas optional courses are the same for all
the faculty. A list of them is certified every year by the Pedagogical Committee.
FEI was among first Czech faculties which have introduced a credit system. It has existed since the very beginning of the faculty's creation, since the school year 1991/92. The philosophy of the credit system was derived from the one of Boston University. Its main attributes are:
THE GRADING SYSTEM
Traditionally exams in the Czech Universities are marked on a four - grade scale:
1 - excellent
2 - very good
3 - good
4 - fail
For the reason of students mobility, it was necessary to "translate" a student's evaluation to the more precise scale of foreign universities. Fig. 2 shows e.g. the seven - grade ECTS grading scale. To solve the problem and to promote students´ activity and creativity during the whole semester, a new grading system, based on 100 points in each course, has been introduced by both faculties.
A coordinator of a course sets rules of points distribution in the course, giving maximally 35
Ps for all activities in exercises, seminars or laboratories and the rest for the exam. A student
passes a course with 51 or more points. During the semester are usually pointed tests,
laboratory measurements, essays etc.
It is also possible to compare the old and new grade scale as
follows:
from 86 to 100 points - excellent
from 66 to 85 points - very good
from 51 to 65 points - good
less than 51 points - fail
but for the evaluation of students - their scholarships, scales of quality, transcripts for students mobility etc. only the new system is used.
| ECTS grade | Percentage of successful students normally achieving the grade | Definition |
| A | 10 | EXCELLENT: outstanding performance with only minor errors |
| B | 25 | VERY GOOD: above the average standard but with some errors |
| C | 30 | GOOD: generally sound work with a number of notable errors |
| D | 25 | SATISFACTORY: fair but with significant shortcomings |
| E | 10 | SUFFICIENT: performance meets the minimum criteria |
| FX | -- | FAIL: some more work required before the credit can be awarded |
| F | -- | FAIL: considerable further work is reguired |
Discussion after five years, making use of the grading system, has lead to the formulation of its strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
But as a whole the new grading system has been accepted both by students (sooner) and teachers.
CONCLUSIONS
The credit system of study is the contribution to the contemporary Czech higher education, appreciated especially by students. It allows them to modify their study, as to time and specialty. On the other hand, it increases the responsibility for their own education. The introduction of the system compatible with the ECTS is a prerequisite for mutual academic recognition within the framework of the united Europe.
The Czech Technical Universities were accreditated in 1996 to the Index of FEANI (Fédération Européene d´ Associations Nationales d´ Ingenieurs), which is one of the main conditions for the professional recognition of the adequacy of technical education and for awarding the title of Euroengineer - EUR ING.
It is peculiar that the Technical Faculties play a leading role in the process and coordinate their efforts in achieving maximal compatibility with the ECTC and in reunifying their study regulations. The new University Law, which is now being prepared, formulates the rules of higher education much more precisely and will support these tendencies. The Administration of Czech and Slovak Faculties of Mechanical Engineering (9 altogether) and Faculties of Electrical Engineering (7 altogether) organize regular workshops, where study problems and the credit system connected with them, are discussed. It can be stated, that while the philosophy of credit systems is bringing near and converging with the ECTS, the grading systems are still very different. They divide the classic four - grade scale to a point system. The latter is now getting more popular.
In spite of many advantages of the credit system, implicitly expressed in the paper, there are also some weaknesses in it. Among the most serious are:
Nevertheless, both of these mentioned problems may be partly eliminated and it is possible to state, that the credit system has been generally accepted.
REFERENCES:
1. Dalichow, F.: EUROPEAN CATS: an overview. International Higher Education. September 1996.
2. European Credit Transfer System ECTS. Users´ Guide. May 1995.
3. Waterhouse, R.:The Educational Potential of Credit Systems. TEXT conference, Budapest, January 1992.
4. Polak, J.: Higher Education of Transport Engineering at TUO by using Credit System. Miedzynarodowe seminarium naukowe, Katowice-Ustroò, Poland, October 1995.
5. Polak, J., Koukal, J.: Zpráva o stavu fakulty 1993 - 95. VB-TU Ostrava, December 1995.
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