THE ITALIAN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM Università degli Studi di Udine Prof.ssa Maria Amalia D Aronco Vice Rector of the University of Udine TEMPUS CD_JEP 25072-2004Ulan Udè, June 13, 2006
Italy has played an important role in European Higher Education: it is one of the four countries that first engaged to create the "European Area of Higher Education (Sorbonne Declaration, May 1998), thus starting that type of Higher Education Reform which, known as "Bologna Process (Bologna Declaration, June 1999) is being implemented all over Europe.
Legal framework of the Reform of the University system AT EUROPEAN LEVEL Intergovernmental agreement for the creation of a European Higher Education Area, formalised in the Sorbonne (1998) and the Bologna (1999) Declarations. This is seen as a tool for harmonising European degree structures as well as promoting international student mobility, free circulation of labour and international academic recognition. Such goals are to be achieved in 2010.
AT ITALIAN LEVEL There had already been a reform (started in 1990): from a highly centralised system to a financial, organisational and curricular authonomy of universities. Ministerial Decree no. 509/1999: full implementation of the Sorbonne and Bologna Declarations.
A FIRST STEP A significant reform process started in 1989, marking the first step towards the decentralisation of the university sector. It asserted the principle of University Autonomy in: management, financial and budgetary issues; teaching (organisation of degree courses along with all related teaching/learning services); research.
A complex decentralisation process thus took place in the period 1990-1998: 1998: implementation of full institutional autonomy for Universities; significant number of transformations and innovations leading to the creation of new types of Faculties and Degree courses; re-organisation of Student Services (Orientation, Tutoring, Student Welfare; introduction of a Quality Assurance System. It redefined the rules and procedures for the recruitment of academics and reorganised Doctoral Studies.
THE UNIVERSITY REFORM A more substantial reform was approved in 1999 (Ministerial Decree No. 509/1999) ) and implemented in the Academic Year 2001/02. The reform has taken into account the principles of the Sorbonne Declaration and the Bologna Declaration. Objectives of the reform The Ministerial Decree no. 509/1999 established the new framework and identified the general criteria for universities to autonomously design their new degree courses.
1. The first objective of the reform implementation of Teaching Autonomy. is the This means that Universities lay down the regulations for their Degree Courses, establishing the learning outcomes,, the general framework for different teaching/learning activities,, the credits allocated to each subject course and the type of final exam to obtain the qualification.
2. The second objective of the reform reform is to bring the Italian Higher Education System in line with the European two-tier tier university model as established in the Sorbonne and Bologna Declarations. To meet these aims, Italy has reformed its Higher Education in two distinct sectors - the University and the Non-University Sector,, the latter comprising mainly arts,, music and language mediation as well as post secondary technical education and training.
3. The third objective of the reform reform is to make the Italian University System more student centred. It has introduced a System of Credits (CFU: Crediti Formativi Universitari ) based on the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). One of the objectives of this new credit system is to reduce the gap between legal and real duration of university courses and curb the dropout rate.
4. The fourth objective of the reform is to increase flexibility and quality within the system. This means simplified procedures that enable Universities to adapt their courses according to demands for Education and to changes in the Labour Market along with effective Quality Assessment Systems.
THE NEW UNIVERSITY SYSTEM I. First Cycle (Undergraduate Studies): Degree courses (Corsi di Laurea or CL)
FIRST LEVEL MASTER COURSES
II. SECOND CYCLE (Graduate Studies): II-LEVEL DEGREE COURSES (Laurea Specialistica)
III. Third Cycle (Post-Graduate Studies): Doctoral Courses (Dottorato( di Ricerca)
III. THIRD CYCLE (Post-Graduate Studies): Doctoral Courses (Dottorato di Ricerca)
Special courses: Dentistry Medicine Veterinary medicine Pharmacy Architecture Course length: Medicine: 6 years Other courses: 5 years
Once all the different stages of the 1999 Reform have been introduced, the following outcomes are expected: Fall in drop out rate Reduction in time to degree Lowering of average age of graduates Increase in number of people with university qualification Improvement in conditions of employability Equal opportunities in Europe
UNIVERSITY EDUCATIONAL CREDITS Degree courses are structured in University Credits ( Crediti Formativi Universitari / C.F.U.) = ECTS. A University Credit corresponds to 25 hours of student workload, time for personal study included. The average annual workload of a full-time student is conventionally fixed at 60 Credits.
UNIVERSITY OF UDINE For each degree course, or master degree course, a syllabus is drawn up to determine: the names and academic aims of the courses; the general framework of the formative activities to include in the curricula; the number of credits given to each activity; the features of the final exam.
UNIVERSITY OF UDINE The course syllabus groups together the disciplines dividing them in: basic formative activities; specific formative activities; similar and integrated formative activities; optional activities chosen by the student; activities aimed at the acquisition of linguistic, computer and relational skills.
UNIVERSITY OF UDINE The University of Udine has taken into account the indications from the world of work, and has activated some common transversal modules in all degree courses: Business Culture (with elements of Project Management), for 1 credit Communication, for 1 credit English, for 6 credits Basic Computer Skills, for 3 credits
UNIVERSITY OF UDINE A solid example: The Faculty of Agriculture
UNIVERSITY OF UDINE Courses offered by the Faculty of Agriculture: 44 undergraduate level degree courses (Agricultural science and technology, Food science and technology, Viticulture and oenology, Science and technology for the Environment and Nature); 66 postgraduate level degree courses (Agricultural Biotechnologies, Agricultural science and technology, Food science and technology, Quality Control and Management of food products, Science and technology for the Environment and Territory, Viticulture, oenology and vine-wine markets).
UNIVERSITY OF UDINE Undergraduate Degree in Agricultural Science and Technology
Courses Undergraduate Degree Course in Agricultural Science and Technology FIRST YEAR Credits Courses Credits Mathematics 4 Statistics 3 General and Inorganic Chemistry 6 Physics 3 Organic Chemistry 4 Agricultural Zoology 4 Foundations of economics 4 Agricultural Law and EU law 4 Agricultural Genetics 4 Plant Biology 8 Experimental Methods in Agriculture4 English language 6 Basic Computer 3 Communication 1 Business Culture 2 Total 60
Courses Undergraduate Degree Course in Agricultural Science and Technology SECOND YEAR Credits Courses Credits Business economics 4 Agricultural Biochemistry 4 Soil Chemistry 4 Foundations of entomology 4 Agronomy 4 Agricultural Microbiology 4 Zootechnics 4 Anatomy and Physiology of domestic animals 4 Agricultural Mechanics 4 Basic plant pathology 4 Survey and representation methods of the terr General Arboriculture 4 Technology and quality of processed products Agricultural Ecology 4 Optional courses 4 Total 60
Courses Undergraduate Degree Course in Agricultural Science and Technology THIRD YEAR Credits Guided choice from the disciplines of the Faculty 40 Free choice 5 Work placement 5 Final Exam 10 Total 60
Undergraduate degree course in Agricultural science and technology GUIDED CHOICE SUBJECTS Courses Credits Basic Agricultural Engineering. 8 Herbaceous cultivations. 4 Analytical Chemistry. 4 Horticulture and floriculture. 4 Biology and weed control. 4 Agronomic techniques. 4 Basic chemistry and Biochemistry 4 of plant health products. Maturation and post-harvest of fruit. 4 Viticulture. 4 Nursery techniques. 4 Special Plant Pathology. 4 Agricultural Mycology. 4 Plant Virology. 4 Courses Credits Basic chemistry & biochemistry 4 of fertilisation. Fruit growing. 4 Apiculture and pollination. 4 Applied Meteorology and climatology. 4 Special Entomology. 4 Countryside economics. 4 Genetic improvement of agricultural plants. 4 Commercial accounting. 4 General and cadastral survey. 4 Plant Physiology 4 Phyto-drugs and phyto-regulators. 4 Soil Microbiology. 4 Animal Production. 4 Agricultural Applied Geology. 4