ECTS – European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System

• What is the credit system?
• What is ECTS?
• How is ECTS developed?
• Why ECTS? Which are the key features of ECTS?
• Which are the main ECTS documents?

The credit system is a systematic way of educational program description by adding credits in its content. Defining credits of higher educational systems can be based on various parameters such as, workload, teaching results and contact hours.

What is ECTS?

ECTS is a student’s oriental system based on required study work achieving program objectives which are preferred to specify in study results and gained competencies.

How is ECTS developed?

In 1989, ECTS appeared within the Erasmus framework which is part of Socrates’ program. ECTS is a single credit system that was tested and used in Europe successfully. ECTS first was built for credit transfer. This system has made recognizing of study periods easier (semesters or years) abroad, so it increased the quality and volume of students’ mobility in Europe. Lately, the ECTS is being developed in an accumulative system by implementing it in institutional, regional and national levels in Europe. This once presents a main objective of Bologna Declaration (June, 1999).

Why ECTS?

ECTS makes the learning programs easier to be read and be compared as well for all students either local or foreign ones. ECTS makes mobility and academic recognition easier as well. ECTS helps universities organize and review their study programs.

Which are the key features of ECTS?

• ECTS was based on the principle that 60 credits measure the study weight of one full - time student in one academic year
• Credits of ECTS can be gained after successful fulfillment of required work and adequate evaluation of achieved results from the teaching process. The achieved results are a group of competences which express what student will know, understand or will be able to apply after the end of the teaching process.
• The weight of study on ECTS for a student consists of time needed to complete all the teaching planned activities like participation in lectures, seminars, individual studies, and the project preparation and exams.
• Credits are allocated in all components of study programs and reflect the work quantity that every component requires to achieve the specific objective or the teaching results in relation to total quantity of needed work to fulfill a full academic year.
• The student's performance is documented with local\national grades. These grades are added with ECTS especially in case of credit transfer. The grade degree of ECTS lines students basing on statistic data. Therefore, statistic data presents a pre-requisite to apply the ECTS. Grades are given to the students in this way:
• A best 10%
  B next 25%
  C next 30%
  D next 25%
  E next 10%
  There is a difference between the grades FX and F which is used for unsuccessful students or in the local context is used the consult procedure with student. FX means "failure - a little bit more needed work to pass it" and F means "Failure - much more needed work". The including of unsuccessful grades on written data is optional.
  

Which are the main ECTS documents?

Regular audience informing by the institution in local / national language or in English language on website and / or printed ones in one or more brochures.

Learning Agreement contains a course list of ECTS which will be provided in every course. This list should be agreed between student and academic corresponding person within the university. In case of credit transfer, Learning Agreement should be approved by the student and two institutions before the student’s leave.

Written data confirm student’s performance by showing the list of attended courses, credits gained, and local/national credits. In case of credit transferring, the written data should be released by the corresponding institution for the student’s leave.

Burimi: http://ec.europa.eu./education/programmes/socrates/ects/index_en.html