Academic procedure

 

 

 

The academic styled of Grigol Robakidze University was determined by those academic standards, which was established at the University in 2002 within the scopes of the European Union Project. Every student has to get acquainted with it and match the own rule of student life with it.

 

Since 2002, at Grigol Robakidze University student’s academic loading has been determined, and consequently, the academic process has been managed by the European Credit Transfer system – ECTS (it is remarkable that this system was introduced to higher educational schools of Georgia only in 2005).

 

To gain an academic degree and get a diploma students have to accumulate 60 credits for Bachelor’s and Specialist’s Programmes, and 45 credits for Master’s Programme annually. 

 

At Grigol Robakidze University, the assessment system is divided into two elements – mid-term and final. Each of them has its weight, which plays an essential role in the assessment procedure.

 

Assessment is not only a moment of identification of a student’s knowledge. It, on the one hand, implies the process of preparation for this process, and on the other hand, makes the bases for developing new tactics.

 

The assessment system used in the University fully matches with the European standards, though some aspects of the American system are also taken into consideration. For instance, the graphical marks +,- are used in order to specify the assessment.

A+    100 - 98           

A       97  -  93           

A-     92  -  90            

 

B+     89  -  87             

B       86  -  83          

B-      82  -  80          

 

C+     79 - 77             

C       76 - 73             

C-     72  - 70             

 

D+     69  -  67          

D       66  -  63          

D-      62  -  60          

 

E+      59  -  57            

E        56  -  54             

E-       53  -  51   

 

FX     Fail – a student has to work more to get a credit

F        Fail – significant work is required

 

       

Learning and teaching is one whole process. A student is a subject of this process and not an object. Thus, students spend more hours on independent work than in the classroom – in average 40/60.

 

Learning and teaching process is based on the newest technologies – case methods, modeling, master classes, discussions, projects, etc.

 

 

 

The duration of studies on the academic programmes is determined in the following way:

Academic process has its own ethics. Its violation affects the academic quality. It is impossible to:

 

Plagiarize, that means to take somebody else’s ideas, works, words and use them as if they were one’s own. Each module reacts in its own way when such case is revealed. That is why a student has to get acquainted with each syllabus where all requirements are defined.

Copying and/or prompting is not acceptable either in classrooms or while independent working. It can be noticed while checking students’ works at exams or mid-term assessment. In such case, a supervisor has right to make a student leave an exam and later, after finding out the case of copying, to evaluate both works with F.

 

Forging means to present one and the same work with slightly changed details, titles, false information and forged grading outcomes.

 

Behaviour. A student should follow strictly determined discipline rules. Otherwise, a student’s bad behaviour affects the dynamics of the academic process, its effectiveness and causes psychoemotional discomfort. That is why it is absolutely necessary to follow the principles of correct relationship on everyday student life.

 

To violate any kind of ethic norm that includes causing harm to the university equipment can work as a reason for expelling a student from the University.

 

Attendance on studies is compulsory. Omission is given 5 percent in the overall system of the assessment of

each module. This means that together with other components, missed hours also determine the final assessment. Only those missed hours will be considered as valid the reason of which the Dean’s Office will regard as acceptable. In case a student misses 8 hours without a reasonable excuse, the Dean’s Office can expel him/her from the University or make him/her regain the missed lectures.

 

If a student comes late to his/her studies for more than five minutes it means that he/she has missed an hour. A lecturer is authorized not to let such student attend a lecture.

 

The minimal limit of the assessment of the outcomes of any concrete module is 51 percent.

 

If a student gets less than 51 percent in a certain module, FX, he/she is allowed to repeat an examination in this module only once, within a month after the exams are over. If a student still fails, he/she has to repeat the whole module.

 

If a student gets F in a certain module, he/she is not allowed to repeat the examination, but has to repeat the whole module.

 

Repeating a module does not mean to attend the whole cycle of lectures once more. A student can study independently and take consultations from a lecturer.

 

It is possible to repeat the examination in a certain module even if a student gets a positive grade, but wants to have higher percent. In such case, he/she has to pass that very module again and accomplish the whole packet of assessment. This can be done only in that case if the assessment outcomes hamper getting the first class diploma. It is not allowed to repeat more than three modules within the whole cycle of the programme.

 

If a student omits one of the components of the mid-term assessment without a special reasonable excuse, he/she is not given another chance to pass it again and gets F in this component.

 

If a student gets less than 51 percent in one of the components of the mid-term assessment, he/she is not given another chance to pass it again.

 

If a student omits one of the components of the mid-term assessment with a reasonable excuse, he/she can be given another chance to pass it again. In this case, a student can be asked to pay fee for additional service, but not higher than one percent of the total tuition fee.

 

A student may be asked to pay additional fee for passing a module again, but not higher than five percent of the total tuition fee in each module.

 

 

Generally, a student is admitted to the next level if he/she accumulates 60 credits.

 

A student may be admitted to every next level even in case when the amount of credits is not 60, but it is not less than 35.

 

In the above-mentioned case a student, together with the modules of the next level, has to pass those modules again in which he/she got low grades, otherwise saying was not able to accumulate the required amount of credits.

 

Graduates of Grigol Robakidze University College having completed the modules corresponding to the first level of the university programme and having accumulated sufficient grades in the unified national exams can be admitted to the second level of the programme.

 

 

It is necessary to submit an independently fulfilled assignment within the planned terms.

 

While prescribing an assignment a professor once more specifies to students the term for presenting the work.

 

Due to some objective reasons the target date given by a professor for presenting the work may not coincide with the one indicated in the schedule. In such case, a student has to take into consideration the time fixed by a professor.

 

A professor has to inform the Dean’s Office about the change in the schedule.

 

A student can submit his/her work for assessment even after the fixed date (within five business days), but in such case the maximal limit of assessment will be 70 percent.  

 

If a student submits his/her work within next five business days after the above-mentioned period, the maximal limit of assessment is 55 percent. The work will not be graded when all these terms expire.

 

A student can ask to extend the period for submitting an assignment if there appear some problems related to research or there is a reasonable excuse.

 

If a student asks to extend the period for submitting an essay, he/she has to address with an application to a module leader, but for submitting a course work – to a programme director. In case of their positive answer, a student can submit his/her work later. The above-mentioned restrictions are not applied to such cases.

 

A student has to address with an application to addressees no later than three days before the fixed date expires. After this period, an application will not be received if a student does not present a forcible argument.

Collision can be called such situation when a student thinks that his/her knowledge has  not been assessed objectively within the scopes of a concrete element of this or that module or supposes that some objective factors caused the fact that he/she has got a grade unacceptable to him/her.

 

In case of the above-mentioned situation, a student, having a forcible argument, has to address with an application to the Examination Board and ask for putting him a higher grade or for giving him/her permission to repeat the examination in that module or in any element of the module.

 

A student can claim within three days after being acquainted with the outcomes of the assessment.

 

The Examination Board has right not to satisfy an applicant’s request or consider that his/her arguments are rather convincing and make the following decisions:

 

 

a)      Correct a grade

b)      In case of a written work appoint a commission of experts with the participation of other lecturers or invited experts

c)      In case of oral examination appoint another commission

d)      A student has right to debar any examiner including a module leader or a lecturer

 

 While considering any kind of claim the Board first take into consideration a student’s interest and in crucial  

 situations makes decision in favour of a student (a student’s academic coefficients and other factors are taken into 

 account).

 

 A student has right to address with an application to the Rector and ask for revision of the Board’s decision.

 

 The Rector is authorized to make a decision individually – cancel the Board’s decision or agree with it. In case of 

 necessity he can also appoint a new commission under his supervision.

 

 Mobility

The act of Georgia “about the higher education” and the unification of the country into the Bologna process greatly increase a student’s mobility. This means that a student, together with the major programme can pass the second major programme, i.e. master two specialities. In such case, the correlation of credits should be 50/50, but if the major programme does not give opportunity to elect the second major programme, i.e. in order to accomplish one of the programmes completely it is necessary to accumulate more than 50 credits, such programme will be considered as additional and not major.

 

A student can also choose courses within the scopes of 40 credits offered by the School. At the same time, it is possible to use these credits for the second programme if the amount of credits is not enough. In order to get Bachelor’s Degree a student has to accumulate 240 credits totally.

 

Especially mobile students can accumulate more than 240 credits and pass any course within the scopes of the University. This fact should be proved seriously, as 240 credits show a student’s work loading during four years. It includes 40 hours per week, i.e. 8 hours per day. In is implied that more hours per day or per week make the studies ineffective.

 

If a student supposes that he/she is able to take extra credits, he/she will be registered on the corresponding modules. After completing these modules, a student will get a certificate or this fact will be indicated in the diploma supplement for what he/she has to pay additional fee – 10 GEL for each extra registration.

 

The rule of completing two programmes is not applied to the specialities of law and dentistry starting from their specificity.