Degree programme initiative: MobilityMatters – Tools for Student Exchange
Makes available various web tools and e-learning modules for Masters degree students and degree course coordinators.
Abstract
Realising the Bologna process, with its division of the Diploma course into Bachelor’s and Mas-ter’s degree levels, requires universities to encourage mobility and degree programme flexibility while simultaneously maintaining the quality and inner coherence of degree programmes. Mobility Matters supports these endeavours via the interdepartmental teaching commission at S-ENETH (a collaboration of D-ERDW, D-HEST and D-USYS).
An “InfoPoint” has been developed as a degree programme portal intended to provide students interested in a particular Master’s degree programme with a comprehensive and attractive pic-ture of it. All of the respective Master’s degree courses are presented, and students can test their qualifications for entry to it online.
At S-ENETH a MobilityMatrix is being developed which manages e-learning activities and links them with existing ETH data (e.g., Course Catalogue learning goals). With the help of this Mobili-tyMatrix, degree course coordinators can generate individually tailored curricula as a prerequisite or recommendation for admission. This personal study plan will be displayed in the myETH portal. MobilityMatrix also simplifies the re-use by lecturers of existing e-learning elements in new learning activities.
The fundamentals of earth and environmental systems are, as “system courses”, central to all the degree programmes brought together in ZUNR (Zentrum für Umwelt und natürliche Ressourcen [Centre for the Environment and Natural Resources]), and in the future students with very diverse backgrounds are expected to enter the respective Master’s degree programmes. For this reason the existing e-learning modules in this course series has been adapted for independent study, and augmented by missing modules. This establishes an optimal basis for mobility at S-ENETH.
Success factors
• Targeted way for interested students to access information on the Master’s degree level
• Encourages faculty cooperation in creation of teaching media
Innovative elements
Cross-programme planning and information platform depicting choices, a tool to estimate per-sonal abilities via questions on content and evaluation of Bachelor’s programm credits, online courses in preparation for the Master’s degree programme, and course management system for cooperative administration of electronic learning content.
Room for improvement
Including the Teaching Commission as a commissioning body would have generated more ac-ceptance for the project at the degree programme level.
Opinion of students
Not much used, because the Course Catalogue and printed material are the primary sources of information for our students. External students primarily use QuickCheck to check the prospective individual additional requirements for entry to a Master’s degree programme.