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. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________