Date: 30/11/2019 Version: V1.0

Project title Curriculum Development: An Innovative Master in History and Archaeology Project acronym CUDIMHA Project number 598749-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP Start date of the 15 November 2018 project Duration 36 months

Deliverable number D 1.4 Deliverable title Higher Education Credits Assessment Leading partner University of Alicante WP of reference WP1 Title of the WP of PREPARATION reference Task of reference T 1.4 Title of the task of ASSESSMENT OF ADMINSTRATIVE PROCEDURES reference Deliverable type Public Due date 14/11/2019

Document Authors All partners

CUDIMHA consortium:

European Union: • University of Molise, Project Coordinator, (Italy) • Masaryk University (Czech Republic) • University of Alicante (Spain) • Fondazione FORMIT (Italy) • University of International Studies of Rome (Italy)

Tunisia: • University of Cartaghe • University of Gabès • University of SFAX • University of Monastir

Contact information: Website: www.cudimha.eu

Acknowledgments: To the dedicated staff in the partner institutions who are truly invested in the success of this project; as well as to the European Commission for supporting and co-funding this project through the Erasmus+ Programme. Legal Notice The present document was developed and edited by the partner institutions of the Erasmus+ project CUDIMHA “Curriculum Development: An Innovative Master in History and Archaeology”, under the coordination of the University of Molise. The results, views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors, and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. All contents generated by the CUDIMHA project are protected by intellectual property laws, in particular copyright.

©Consortium CDIMHA. All rights reserved. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

______598749-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP 1

The UNIVERSITY SYSTEM IN TUNISIA: APPLICATION OF THE BOLOGNE PROCESS

1.1. Introduction Between 2004 and 2010, Tunisia adopted the LMD system1 with the intention of joining the Bologna Process, a European Higher Education Area created through greater academic mobility. In the space of five years, all the legal paraphernalia was developed, and was submitted (precipitated) in three short waves (2006-2007, 2007- 2008 and 2008-2009). Thus, all aspects of the process have been legally addressed: from the (centralized) organization of the LMD system, to university accreditation and quality assurance, and direct reporting to the Ministry. This began a program of Support to Quality for the benefit of universities. Regarding the instructions for use of the Tunisian LMD, two points are worth highlighting: 1. Universities do not have the freedom to choose the title and content of domains, mentions and specialties. 2. The validation of the student's achievements (continuous assessment, exams) is ensured (in principle) by the allocation in each teaching unit of credits calibrated to the hourly volume of teaching and personal work, credits are supposedly transferable from one university to another, in Tunisia and abroad. 1.2. Access to the university Access to public higher education in Tunisia is conditioned by the success of the baccalaureate exam and the passage through a university orientation session that allows new students to choose the path and institution of their choice

1.3. A system with Three Cycles Higher education is governed by the LMD system for all courses except engineering, medicine and architecture. The university courses are divided into three cycles: • the first cycle, which generally concerns three-year studies, but also preparatory classes and the first two years of studies in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and architecture; • the second cycle, which concerns engineering studies, the professional master's degree and the rest of the studies in the medical, pharmaceutical and architecture sectors; • the third cycle, which concerns doctoral studies (research master's and doctoral thesis). 1.4. The organization of university studies in three stages: • Bachelor's degree, prepared in 3 years after the Baccalaureate, • Master’s, prepared in two years after the License, • PhD, prepared in three years following a Master’s. • Bachelor’s and Master’s courses are organized by semesters and not by years. Each semester has Teaching Units (UE), each of which contains a coherent set of lessons. There are several EUs per semester. There are routes that lead to either: • a professional insertion (Applied License, Professional Master). • a continuation of studies, a Master’s after the License, a Doctorate after a Research Master’s. 1.5. Objectives of the LMD reform: • Put in place a training system characterized by flexibility and international comparability. • Reform programs and diversify pathways in niche markets. • Create flexible and efficient academic and applied training paths that offer students, at all levels opportunities for professional integration.

1 European-wide reform within the framework of the Bologna process, inspired by the Anglo-Saxon system, already applied in the MEDA zone (Morocco, Algeria), which is based on a new curriculum architecture (Bachelor: 6 semesters, Master: 4 semesters; PhD). ______598749-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP 1

• Promote student mobility nationally and internationally. • Offer students the opportunity to restructure their career in through training courses. • Facilitate the equivalence of diplomas. • Create a new generation of versatile graduates who can adapt to a changing global context. • Ensure for all concerned parties (students, parents, professionals, employers, etc.) a better readability of training grades and levels of professional integration. 1.6. Reform for better employability The students at the heart of the LMD receive Flexible training, progressive orientation, bridges, better educational support. Training offers must favor the orientation of two-thirds (2/3) of students towards applied courses, professionalizing, and one-third (1/3) towards basic courses. In order to consolidate the general education of students, to help them restructure their courses and to reinforce the employability of graduates, higher education and research institutions organize joint courses concerning students of both types of degree in the form of mandatory or optional units, in the first year of study.

1.7. ECTS credits The validation of the student's achievements (continuous assessment, exams, etc) in a teaching or an EU university is accompanied by the allocation of credits. The number of credits awarded is commensurate with the volume of course hours, tutorials, and personal work. Credits can also validate an internship or a dissertation. One semester (600 hours of student work) is worth 30 credits; the License represents 180 credits and the Master’s 120 credits. They are transferable in Tunisia and Europe within the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS); they are capitalizable, therefore definitely acquired, whatever the duration of the course.

1.8. What is the Diploma Supplement? It is a document, also called Annex Descriptive to the Diploma, which presents the UEs (Units of Teaching) constituting the course followed by the student during the preparation of his diploma, License or Master. This document also describes the knowledge and skills acquired by the student during his training.

1.9. The rules of the progression of the studies and the obtaining of the diplomas Each semester, the acquisition of knowledge is assessed by continuous and final examination. Two exam sessions are organized for each semester, the first one taking place immediately after the end of the classes. A jury decides whether to award the EU and so to pass the semester. At the end of the course, the diploma is normally awarded if all semesters have been successfully completed. The system of compensation (general average calculated taking into account coefficients) allows that good marks can catch up with less good ones. Compensation can be done within an EU and between EUs in the same semester. It can only take place if all the tests have been passed. In License courses and the first year of a Master’s, the lessons, EU, or semesters completed are passed by a system of capitalization. In addition, in a Bachelor or first year of a Master's degree, a student may obtain a missing semester by annual compensation, when they have obtained the average marks of both semesters, upon the decision of the jury. All of these provisions make it possible not to hinder the progression of students who have needed a period of adaptation to university studies (in the first year of the Bachelor's degree), or experiencing temporary difficulties. It should also be noted that some licensing regulations provide for "base marks" for certain basic EU or EU courses: if the score obtained is below this base, the EU cannot be obtained, and the compensation does not occur. However, these provisions only apply if they existed before the LMD reform.

In conclusion, the LMD is a training in three grades: • License (bac + 3 years): o There are two types of licenses: Basic License and Applied License. ______598749-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP 1

• Master (Bac + 5 years): o The national master's degree in the "LMD" system is subdivided into a professional master's degree and a research master's degree, in one or several mentions that are coherent with one another. The duration of study is 4 semesters. The organization of semesters and teaching units is identical to that of the license. o The registration in professional master is accessible to the holders of: . national diploma of applied license in the system "LMD" or an equivalent diploma, . national diploma of fundamental license in the system "LMD" or an equivalent diploma, . diploma leading to a university education lasting at least three (3) years after the bachelor's degree o The registration in the Master of Research is available to the holders of: . national diploma of fundamental license in the "LMD" system in courses relevant to the diploma concerned or an equivalent diploma . national diploma of applied license applied in the system "LMD" in courses relevant to the diploma concerned or an equivalent diploma and this, within the limit of 10% of the capacity of reception. However, this rate is not applicable in the event of non-existence of basic licenses authorized in the specialty concerned. . diploma leading to a university education lasting more than three (3) years after the baccalaureate. • Doctorate (bac + 8 years): o Doctoral enrollment is available to the holders of: . national diploma of research master's degree in the "LMD" system or a foreign diploma admitted in equivalence, . national diploma of masters, according to the decree n ° 93-1823.

2. THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM IN TUNISIA: THE LEARNING SYSTEM

The student must make an administrative registration and an educational registration.

2.1. Annual administrative registration ______598749-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP 1

The administrative registration is annual necessity for all courses and is done according to the regulatory procedures in force. The student must register within the time limit set by the school. As for the number of registrations: the student retains his acquired rights: The number of registrations allowed in the first two years of the license is in accordance with the provisions of the first paragraph (new) of article 3 of decree no. 516 of 1973 on the organization of university life and all the texts having amended or supplemented it. Educational registration is done annually for all compulsory educational units and semi-annually for the optional units. The pedagogical registration for the selected teaching units must be done at least 10 days before the beginning of the semester.

2.2. Pedagogical principles of courses or specialties Each course or specialty is the pedagogical development of a course over 6 semesters. It includes a coherent set of teaching units linked to one or more courses. A semester includes at least 14 weeks of courses and 5 to 6 teaching units representing 30 credits. The teaching hours are set by the National Sectoral Committees within the framework of the main orientations determined by the National Steering Committee.

2.3. Teaching Principles of Teaching Units The teaching unit is the basic structure of the study system. It may comprise one or more subjects, otherwise known as constituent elements of the teaching unit (maximum 4). These elements must be articulated by a link of coherence. The constituent element of the teaching unit is theoretical teaching, and / or TD, and / or TP, and / or an activity applied in the form of an internship, a project, a thesis, or a final studies project, etc. The teaching units of each course can be subdivided into two types: compulsory units and optional units.

A) Compulsory teaching units These represent the units that all students enrolled in a given course must follow. For each specialty or course, a national list of compulsory units must be established as part of the coordination between the training offers. This type of unit represents at least 75% of all units and credits of a course. They are themselves divided into fundamental units and transversal units. Fundamental units: these are linked to the discipline(s) corresponding to the title of the course and provide the student with basic training in the course chosen. They represent ¾ of the overall volume of the time allocated to compulsory units and the number of credits. Cross-functional units: They provide complementary training in different fields such as computer science, English (and other modern languages), human rights and business culture. They have ¼ hourly volume and credits for all mandatory units.

B) Optional teaching units They allow the student to deepen his specialization or to open up to other fields of knowledge. They facilitate the gradual orientation of the student. The student chooses his optional units from a list established by the institution of higher education and research and approved by the President of the university. The optional units represent a maximum of 25% of all the teaching units and credits of a course.

2.4. Qualification of courses or specialties Empowerment is an authorization given by the Minister of Higher Education for the creation of a course or specialty. The accreditation is granted for a period of 4 years and is renewable after evaluation of the course or specialty.

2.5. General organization of exams The evaluation regime follows the following principles: ______598749-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP 1

• Guarantee of the national value of the various degrees of higher education. • Lightening the number of final exams and reducing their duration. • Adoption of the principle of continuous monitoring as an integral part of training, in order to inculcate the student's culture of effort and to follow the progress of his knowledge and know-how. There are two types of evaluation regime: • A mixed system joining the continuous assessment and the end-of-semester assessment, with a single catch-up session. • A regime based exclusively on continuous assessment. It applies to certain units provided for this type of assessment. 2.6. Mixed assessment scheme The student can obtain a teaching unit or some of its constituent elements either in the continuous control or in the final examinations. The mixed assessment system applies the following rates: • 70% terminal exams • 30% continuous assessment Each semester ends with a session of examinations involving tests relating to the units which have not been subject to the exclusive regime of continuous assessment. These exams take place in two sessions: • A main session at the end of each semester. • A catch-up session. Students wishing to take the written tests of the remedial session must register within the deadlines set by the institution. The student retains the mark obtained in the first session if he has not undergone the tests of the catch-up session. In the second session, the student only retakes the tests affecting the constituent elements of the unit that he did not obtain in the main session. In the second session, the student retains the best mark obtained in the main session and in the catch-up exams. In the mixed assessment system, the average of the teaching units concerned is calculated from the grades obtained in the various tests. The continuous assessment notes are counted in the main session. Nevertheless, these grades are taken into account in the catch-up session only if they are beneficial to the student. In order to reduce the number of final examinations affecting a teaching unit, it is possible for the examinations to cover only one of its constituent elements. In this case, the score obtained is representative of the whole of the teaching unit.

2.7. Continuous monitoring A teaching unit, or some of its component parts, may be the subject of an exclusive evaluation by continuous assessment. This system can concern the units organized in Practical Works or any other unit to be defined for this purpose. This exclusive system of continuous monitoring will cover 2 to 3 teaching units per semester, depending on the specific sector. This valuation regime applies the following rates: • 90%: supervised homework • 10%: other forms of tests (exercises, oral questioning, presentations, etc.) The system of continuous monitoring is surrounded by all the provisions that guarantee its credibility and transparency. The system of continuous monitoring is adapted to the specificities of the academic institutions and courses. The exclusive continuous monitoring system includes, for each teaching unit, from 2 to 3 supervised tasks, according to the fields of training.

______598749-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP 1

Certain periods during the week and semester may be devoted to the organization of supervised homework. Students who do not have the average in the teaching units subject to the exclusive regime of continuous supervision may be subjected to tests in the catch-up session.

2.8. Validation of teaching units Proof of validation is an administrative certification stating that the student has obtained a teaching unit or all the units of a semester or academic year. A path can be validated by capitalization or compensation. The validation of a unit is done when the student has obtained the average. The validation of teaching units is done by compensation in the same unit or in the same year. In the event that the student has not been validated by a given teaching unit, he or she may obtain it in the remedial session or in the following academic years, depending on the number of registrations allowed.

2.9. Capitalization of teaching units A teaching unit is capitalized when the student has obtained the average. The student can capitalize the constituent elements of a teaching unit when he has obtained the average. It is obligatory that these constituent elements are granted with specific credits. The capitalization of the teaching unit or its constituent elements leads to the obtaining of those credits. However, a teaching unit validated by compensation remains linked to the course and is therefore not transferable to other courses.

2.10. Rules of passage Evaluation is semi-annual, but the passage is annual. Student proceeds to the folllowing year: • if they have obtained the average for all the teaching units of the academic year. • if they have obtained the general annual average by compensation from the marks of all their units. From the conditioned passage of the 1st year to the 2nd year: • The student can go from the first year to the second year if they have obtained 75% of credits in the first year, that is to say, at least 45 credits. However, they remain accountable for the units representing the 15 credits pending. From the conditioned passage of the 2nd year to the 3rd year: • The student can pass from the 2nd year to the 3rd year if they have obtained 75% of the credits of the 2nd year, that is to say, at least 45 credits, and if they have obtained all the credits of the 1st year. However, they remain accountable for the units representing the 15 credits pending. Universities and institutions of higher education and research set the appropriate procedures for the student to follow the remaining dependent units and undergo their tests. The grades of the units for which the student remains accountable are counted with the grades of the year in question.

2.11. Grading systems of the institutions 1 credit = 25 hours total work Grading distribution will be provided by student’s Transcript of Records

Tunisian grading system ECTS grade 16 to 20 = Excellent A = Excellent 14 to 16 = Very good B = Very good From 12 to 14 = Good C = Good 10 to 12 = Satisfactory D = Satisfactory ______598749-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP 1

10 = Suficient E = Suficient From 00 to 9.99 = Fail F = Fail

Partners has agreed on developing a Professional Master in ‘Communication and Valorisation of the Mediterranean Cultural Heritage’, which will be accreditated in all the Tunisian Universities of the Consortium and in all the Italian Universities of the Consortium. The output of the agreement on a specific Master structure can be found in D 1.2 Master’s Guidelines and D 1.3 Definition of contents, Master Structure providing all other information about courses.

______598749-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP 1