Masaryk University has adopted new Study and Examination Regulations, which regulate issues such as the determination of the beginning of studies for the purpose of calculating their total length, teaching methods and online testing, termination of studies due to inability to meet the requirements for the next semester, and a new procedure for determining which students have “passed with distinction”.
In addition to legislative and technical changes, the new Study and Examination Regulations (SER) have also changed the wording of some sections. Why?
The new regulations have been very carefully reviewed by lawyers and, in addition to the changes in content, we have also paid attention to the language so that the terminology (not only in the Study and Examination regulations itself, but also in the Study Programme Quality Regulations and others) is consistent, which was not always the case in the past and could in some cases lead to ambiguity. I don’t expect the average teacher or student to know all the details of these regulations, but the terminology is now consistent and there should be no further confusion. However, the main changes concern the content, not the formal language or terminology.
Some of the changes in content have already been introduced in practice at the undergraduate level, but so far they have not had a legal basis. Could you give us some examples?
Online learning is certainly one such case. The approach to it has changed dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic. Unlike primary and secondary schools, where the Ministry of Education had to change the law to introduce distance learning, we were able to introduce online learning on our own initiative, while discussing the issue carefully with the accreditation authority. If we didn’t have online learning included in our internal regulations, the authority could assess it as unsuitable for full-time studies. We consulted with the authority and enshrined the methods allowing synchronous online learning in the SER. Asynchronous learning such as watching recordings should only be seen as supplementary – similar to, for example, self-study of textbooks.
What was the problem with the time when the studies start?
It has been the practice in the past that it is not about the month – be it June, July or September – that the faculties choose as the month when enrolment takes place, but that the studies only really start with the beginning of the academic year, or semester, in which the student is enrolled. In the past, we haven’t counted the months when the student is not actually studying, e.g. July and August if enrolment takes place in June, toward the total length of studied either. Therefore, students were not disadvantaged in the assessment of fees due to early enrolment alone. For the sake of clarity and predictability, however, we have included this interpretation directly in the Study and Examination Regulations.
What is the purpose of the 60 credit limit for enrolled courses?
In the past, it was not uncommon for students to register for an unrealistically large number of courses and, unable to fit them all into their busy timetable, to withdraw from many of them in the first few weeks of the semester when it was still possible to do so. The restriction had been in place before, but only for registration, not actual enrolment. That’s what we wanted to correct, so that faculties don’t end up booking large lecture halls for what they think will be a large number of students, who end up dropping out of the course. This was inefficient in terms of lecturers’ time, but also in terms of sustainability and energy efficiency.
Which of the changes affect the termination of studies?
Like other Czech universities, we have a relatively high failure rate and a relatively high proportion of students who, for various reasons, do not actually study. Some people simply choose a field of study that doesn’t suit them, but they don’t drop out and wait until next year to try a different course. While they benefit from certain tax incentives during this period (perhaps without even realising it), the time spent unnecessarily in a degree programme counts towards the total length of their studies. And if a student makes more of these early missteps, they may find themselves in a situation where they have to pay tuition fees when they start a new programme. We wanted to make sure that in cases where it is absolutely clear that students will not be able to successfully complete a semester and will not meet the requirements to progress to the next one, we can terminate such students when we first become aware of the situation. For example, if a student does not attend the required seminars, they will fail the attendance requirement and therefore not receive sufficient credits to advance to the next semester. Terminating their studies as soon as possible in such a case actually protects them. Although students can terminate their studies at any time, many put off dealing with the problem.
The second change concerns the non-payment of fees for paid study programmes in a foreign language. It sometimes happens that foreign students do not pay their fees, even though they want to study, and this blocks other serious applicants from enrolling. As it is difficult to collect fees in arrears, we have chosen this approach, which we hope will encourage people to pay on time.
The presence of a third party during oral exams has been hotly debated. Can you tell us anything about this?
This is an innovation introduced by the new Study and Examination Regulations. It is advisable that the oral examination is not conducted on a one-to-one basis. A third person should be present to protect both parties from unfair treatment or unfounded accusations. Normally, the next examinee can be present while they prepare their answers and wait their turn, but because we know this isn’t always possible, we have prepared a methodology for alternative measures, such as making a recording or minutes of the examination. Ideally, however, the examination should be carried out in a larger group, with another student present, possibly an assistant or another teacher.
Who asked for a third person to be present more, the students or the professors?
This change was certainly not welcomed by everyone, but on the other hand, after much discussion, we have come up with what I believe to be a reasonable procedure that will not cause any major complications. As I said earlier, it will also protect people from unfounded accusations, and our experience so far shows that such a measure was needed.
The new assessment method for the final state examination and the calculation of the study outcome is also worth explaining. What are the new criteria?
We have come to the conclusion that it does not make sense, in terms of objectivity and comparability between different examination boards, to use standard grades for the state final examination. What is important is to ensure that the student has acquired the necessary competences during their studies. If they have, they will receive the grade “passed”; if they have not, they will unfortunately receive the grade “failed”. We have also left room for highlighting excellent performance in the defence of the final thesis or in the course of the final examination.
We have also tightened the requirements for the red diploma. Previously, it was awarded to students with a grade point average of 1.5 or better, but it turned out that this was not ideal because in some fields of study students receive disproportionately fewer grades, some programmes are graded more leniently, while others have much stricter standards, and so on. After some debate, we agreed on the basic principle that the top 10 per cent of students in each faculty would receive the red diploma, provided they hadn’t failed any courses during their studies. This will reward the best students without devaluing the red diploma, which has been awarded too much lately.
The new SER will apply from September 2024. When will the first students be assessed under it?
There are two transitional provisions: the changes to enrolment will only apply from the spring semester, and students who sit the state final examination by the end of September this year will still be assessed according to the previous version of the SER. Of course, our Study and Examination Regulations follow from the Higher Education Act, so further adjustments are likely to be made to take account of the amendments to the Act that are currently under discussion. We have made some changes in line with the expected content of the amendments, but we don't know what will end up being there. Any further changes will therefore be implemented through amendments to the SER.
Main changes to doctoral studies
The individual study plan has been updated in the following areas: mandatory milestones can be introduced into the study, emphasis is placed on international research placements and the pedagogical skills development plan, and the study load is reduced by gradually eliminating the traditional theoretical courses.
Electronic tools are being introduced, such as the possibility of online examination board meetings in justified cases.
Doctoral studies boards can now discuss the agenda using means of remote communication (per rollam).
The following changes have been made to the grading of the doctoral state examination and the doctoral defence: the result of the examination can be graded as “passed” or “failed”, as can the doctoral thesis (in line with international practice); a successfully defended doctoral thesis that exceeds the usual standards in terms of importance and quality can be graded as “passed summa cum laude”.
The supervisor cannot be a member of the doctoral examination board or the doctoral defence board.