02.10.2009
Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences awarded ECTS Label
This summer Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences became the first institution of higher education in Germany to be awarded the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) badge of quality for the outstandingly good organisation of its student exchange programme. The label was awarded on the premise that the University publishes all its courses, course contents, university regulations and service offerings on the internet in English to make the institution more accessible for students from abroad.
According to the University’s press release the descriptions not only outline the degree courses themselves but specify the “learning objectives” of each course. Students are informed about what they will know, understand and be able to do in practical terms on completing their degrees and how much time and work they should expect to invest in their studies. The workload is computed as 60 credit points and assumes that a student will need to put in between 1,500 and 1,800 hours of work in each academic year. One credit point corresponds to 25 to 30 hours of work. The idea of the ECTS label is to define clear requirements which students must meet in order to achieve their academic goals. A DAAD study undertaken in 2007 showed that, at many universities and colleges, only around 40 per cent of students’ work contributed in full to their final qualifications. The ECTS label will boost transparency and confidence and give labelled universities a competitive edge over rival institutions. This will in turn enhance the mobility of students.
