European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is to ensure that the achievements of students at universities in the European Higher Education Area and comparable when changing from one university to another, even across borders, are creditable. This is possible through the purchase of credits (english credits), which are credit units that are acquired in higher education through performance evidence. This type of evaluation of performances at universities can be found mainly in the Bachelor's and Master 's degree programs at universities.
In Europe, the introduction of ECTS has been tested within the framework of an EU project since 1989, but only with the Bologna process, it has become a truly European system. In the U.S. and Canada, there are credits for years, but they are used in other ways. Meanwhile credits should be used not only for the transfer of credits, but also for accumulation. Therefore, ECTS is now called also European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System.
In addition to the goal of producing international comparability, the system should also allow for dropouts, to signal their academic performance in the application process: The potential employer should be able to get more information about the performance of a student. From the perspective of occupational training a performance record with ECTS can be implied to shorter training time. This should be a criterion for hiring decisions from the point to long periods of study in Germany and high costs for the development of human capital.
- 2.1 Canada and USA 2.1.1 Canada
- 2.1.2 USA
The following statements relate in part to the credit points ( credits), which according to the uniform for Europe ECTS standard ( " European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System") to be subcontracted and the ECTS grading tables to increase the transparency of the grading. The 2004 introduced ECTS grades are no longer recommended in the current ECTS Guide ECTS Users' Guide of 2009.
Credit points according to ECTS principles are power points with which the amount of work " measured " is. For a successful completion of module assigns the College Credit points (CP ) or Credit Points (CP ) to take account of the average workload of the program ( workload ) and the individual modules. Basis for the award of credit points according to ECTS standard ( ECTS credits) is the assumption of a measured in hours average payable amount of work for the study. The assumption is an expense from 1500 to 1800 hours per academic year, which is expressed in 60 CP. One credit point is therefore equivalent to 25 to 30 working hours, which was adopted by the Standing Conference now also for Germany.
So far could not be included on the credit hours beyond how much learning, preparation and follow- average effort is associated with an event. This is made possible by the CP system: For example, if a labor-intensive seminar attended within a module that requires a lot of text reading, exam preparation and homework, then the expended workload not be sufficiently documented by the presence of time at the university. Documentation is however given by the number of acquired CP by to be computed for the entire module as the sum of the expenses for each module parts the CP. Consequently, it is possible that events with the same presence, many are assigned CP may vary. With this method the recognition of services rendered at home and study abroad benefits will be much easier.
If the credit points awarded according to the ECTS, it is the rule that will be credited to a non-existence of the module for the partial performance is no CP.
The CP also be used in the calculation of the average mark. So in most cases the achieved score is multiplied by the CP of each performance record, these divided over all performance cumulated and then by the total number of CP. It must be noted that, depending on check order some exams eg be double-weighted. Based on the high level of standardization of the calculation methodology by the introduction of the Bologna system, there are free tools that greatly simplify the calculation.
ECTS grading tables
To make the European central systems more transparent, to give to the various documents (certificates, diploma supplements and performance surveys) information on the actual percentage of students per " local " Note ECTS grading tables.
The following process steps for the preparation of this statistical distribution tables have to be carried out by the universities: first determination of a reference group ( students include the entire university, the department or degree program ) 2 Collect the notes over a period of 3 calculation of the grade distribution in percentages 4 Insert the classification tables in the relevant documents
Based on this classification tables a fair grade conversion is possible by their own percentages are compared with those of other universities or institutions.
However, so far only very few universities use ECTS grading tables.
Music
The ECTS grade is not an absolute but a relative grade. ECTS grades are fundamentally different from traditional school grades by playing a ranking of successfully participating in a test students take an absolute quality of performance. The ECTS grading scale ranks the students on a statistical basis. Therefore, the use of the ECTS grading system requires statistical data on the performance of the students.
Procedure: First, the tested students are divided into two groups: One group which has passed, and a group which has not passed. This happens due to a pre-determined minimum number of points. If a student has been missing only a low passing score for the grade FX will be awarded instead of F. The group, which has passed is then sorted and assigned to different groups of notes due to their score, where A, get the best score, best 10 percent of the students. The next 25% best students get B. A complete list is included in the table.
One advantage of ECTS is that it avoids the common problem in Germany the "note devaluation ".
A disadvantage is the non-comparability of examinations in different places or at different times. Lens good performance can be enhanced at low competition despite strong competition devalued, objectively bad.
The experiences that were collected between 2004 and 2008 with the 5-stage ECTS grading scale, showed that the above-described final step, the assignment of the note groups, is too demanding and difficult. This is especially true for national rating systems with a few passing levels that are difficult to adapt to the predefined percentage structure of the ECTS scale.
In order to simplify the procedure and yet not to lose sight of the goal to make the European grading systems more transparent, is the use of a " ECTS grading table " is proposed, which focuses on the pure grade distribution in the ECTS guide of 2009. The allocation of ECTS grades is no longer recommended.
Conversions
Canada and USA
In Canada and in the U.S. there is no law consistent evaluation systems to ensure the comparability and recognition of acquired credits. In this regard, the universities are autonomous. The importance of academic performance is related to university rankings, such as the cross-border widespread QS World University Ranking, which is a rating system that elevates the performance of universities, programs of study, and thus the skills of students. The system should enable universities to establish comparability and thus eligibility. It is also commonly used by employers to evaluate an acquired university degree and thus the performance of students or graduates can.
In addition, there is a largely unified rate system with number ranges (course codes ) where the level of difficulty and therefore the amount of work per credit can be measured, for example, there are 1000 to 3000 numbers for bachelor courses, 4000 to 6000 for Master courses and 7000 and 8000 for PhD courses. What level requirement per course is to meet at the courses offered will be determined autonomously by the university. Level differences can be detected in the course number. For example, there are bachelor's degree programs that require only courses at 1000 level until 3000, and those in which many courses must be evidenced in a 4000 master's level. Similarly, there are master's degree programs that are offered only on the 4000 or 5000 level, and others require courses and a "very high research quality" Thesis on 7000 -PhD - level. Meanwhile, many European universities awarded per Canadian or U.S. American credit and therefore different number of ECTS credits, because they are measured on the basis of the course number.
The grading system can vary between provinces, and the U.S. states ( slightly).
Canada
USA
Germany
In July 2000, the German Rectors' Conference had recommended that the ECTS grades to be determined by a fixed conversion table, but shortly thereafter withdrawn this recommendation and since then - as well as the Standing Conference - supports the relative grading. The derivation of absolute scores contradicts the basic idea of the relative scores.
Module
A module is a teaching unit for bachelor's and master 's degree programs, which should be technically meaningful composed of one to several courses at a university. A module may extend over one or more semesters. In general, it should be possible to be able to attend module 2 when module 1 has not visited. This should enable the exchange with other institutions.