COMPARETTI, Antonio

FEBO, Pierluigi

ORLANDO, SANTO

SCARASCIA MUGNOZZA G.

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   University Studies of Agricultural Engineering in Europe;a Thematic NetworkEdited byD. Briassoulis, P. Panagakis EditorshipE. NikopoulosAgricultural University of AthensGreeceAthens, March 2004USAEE Proceedings of the 3rd USAEE Workshop Dijon, March 27 - 28, 2004University Studies of Agricultural Engineering in Europe, Dijon, March 27-28, 2004THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ECTS IN ITALIAN UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENTS AND INSTITUTES OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERINGA. Comparetti, P. Febo, S. OrlandoUniversità di Palermo, Dipartimento I.T.A.F., Viale delle Scienze, 90128, Palermo, ItalyG. Scarascia MugnozzaUniversità di Bari, Dipartimento PRO.GE.S.A., Viale Amendola, 165, 70125, Bari, Italy1. Explain how ECTS has been or will be implemented in your countryThe  European  Credit  Transfer  and  Accumulation  System  (ECTS)  is  a  student-centredsystem, based on the student  workload required to achieve  the objectives of a programme;these objectives are preferably specified in terms of learning outcomes and competences to beacquired.After  the  experimentation  of  ECTS  in  ERASMUS  European  Programme,  a  system ofcredits, based on University education credits (CFU), was introduced in Italy by means of theD.M.  (Law  of  the  Minister  of  Instruction,  University  and  Research)  n.  509  of  the  3rdNovember 1999 [1]. This new system of credits was set up in the academic year 2001-2002and is still developing towards the final objective, which is the implementation of ECTS labelin the Italian Universities.Following  the  political  decisions  established  by  means  of  the  Bologna  Declaration,theoretically in a few years the ECTS will become the official Italian system of credits.The  implementation  of ECTS  needs  some  certification  procedures:  the  availability  of anInformation Package in two languages (or only in English if the course is given in English);the use of ECTS credits, a learning agreement (list of the courses to be attended as agreed bythe student  and the Professor of the Faculty responsible  for the ECTS); certificates of theexaminations,  e.g. documents certifying the recognition of correspondence between coursesby the University, etc.The incentives behind the implementation of ECTS in the Italian education cycles are thestudent  mobility  and  the  harmonization  with  education  systems  implemented  in  othercountries of the European Union.  In fact, the credit  (as a measurement  unit  of the studentworkload) allows  the comparison among the studies  carried out in  different  countries andeducation systems and, therefore, the transfer and recognition of the results obtained duringthe studies abroad.The  ECTS  will  be  implemented  in  the  first,  second  and  third  level  degrees,  called“Dottorato di Ricerca” (corresponding to the Ph.D.) and in the Master degree programmes.According to the D.M. of the 30th May 2001 the Italian Universities have to register andmake available the data about the student careers, in order to send these data to the nationaldata collection system of University students, so that the Universities  themselves can issuediploma supplements in two languages (according to the D.M. n. 509). 75University Studies of Agricultural Engineering in Europe, Dijon, March 27-28, 20042.  Explain  the  structure  of  the  administrative  system  related  to  ECTS  at  yourfaculty/university.In Italy when Faculties issue new degrees, allocate the CFU to the various courses and otheractivities  (practical training,  degree thesis,  etc.). The Degree Course Committee related toeach degree has the task of recognising the credits acquired or to be acquired by the studentsduring  the  compulsory and  optional  courses  and  other  activities  carried  out  abroad.  Theadministrative  secretariat  is  legally  responsible  for the procedure of academic  recognition,because it implements the decisions of the Degree Course Committees.Figure 1 shows the first and second level degrees offered by the Faculty of Agriculture ofPalermo  University,  and the debits,  in  terms of CFU, due for passing from the first  to thesecond level degree.Figure 1. Degree courses offered by the Faculty of Agriculture of Palermo University.3. Explain how ECTS is used at your faculty/universityIt  is  common  practice  to  set  up a  learning  agreement  between the student,  the  homeinstitution and the host institution. This learning agreement consists of the list of courses andrelated programmes which the student can attend and whose examinations he will give in thehost institution. The Degree Course Committee has the task of evaluating the correspondenceamong the courses offered by the host institution and those offered by the home institution;this evaluation is mainly based on the comparison of the course programmes.The administrative responsible for the learning agreement is  the administration secretariat,that will implement the decisions of the Committee. The Italian Universities often provide an76University Studies of Agricultural Engineering in Europe, Dijon, March 27-28, 2004information package about  CFU (and sometimes  also  ECTS) and the conversion table  forgrading, agreed with various foreign Universities.Conversion tables for grading applied by Italian Universities can be different  from one toanother.  For  example,  Palermo  University  has  agreed  with  some  Universities  of  othercountries the conversion table shown in Table 1.The D.M. n.  509 of the 3rd November 1999 defines the measurement unit  of the studentworkload  (CFU).  In a  year  the  total student  workload  is  60  CFU,  which  are  consideredequivalent  to 60 ECTS; each CFU represents 25 hours of learning,  both as aided learning(contact  hours,  practical  activities,  seminars)  and  as  individual  studies  for  examinations,corresponding to 1500 hours a year. Generally 1 CFU is equal to 10 hours of aided learningand 15 hours of individual study.The reasons behind the amount of CFU assigned to the various courses are not only cultural,aimed at providing the student with the specific knowledge needed in the subject, but also, insome cases, political, due to the power balances among the various scientific areas existing inthe Faculty that has established the degree.For example,  since  the academic  year  2001-2002 the Faculty of Agriculture of PalermoUniversity  has  allocated  the  CFU  shown  in  Table  2  for  the  first  level  degree  called“AgroIngegneria”  (Agricultural  Engineering).  Table  3  shows  the  first  and  second  leveldegrees offered by the Faculty of Agriculture of Bari University, called Agricultural Sciencesand Agricultural Engineering Sciences.Table 1. The conversion table for grading applied at Palermo University.Insufficient Sufficient Satisfactory Good Very good ExcellentECTSBruxellesE D C B AAustria 5 4 3 2 1 1  distBelgium 7,8,9 10 11,12,13 14,15,16 17,18 19,20Denmark 0,3,5 6 7 8,9 10,11 13Finland 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-100France 7,8,9 10,11 12,13 14 15 16-20Germany 5,6Ungenugend4-,4,4+/3,7Ausreichend3-/3,3 3, 3+/2,7Befriedigend2-/2,3 2, 2+/1,7Vollbefriedigend1-/1,3Gut1, 1+Sehr GutGreece 2,3,4 5 6 7 8,9 10Italy 17 21 26 28 30 30 e lodeIreland Fail Pass D40-49%3rd C50-54%2nd/II B55-61%2nd/I B+62-69%I A70-100%TheNetherlands1-5,4 5,5-6,4 6,5-7,4 7,5-8,4 8,5 9,10Poland 2 3 3 4 5 6Portugal 1-9 10,11 12,13 14,15,16 17,18 19,20Spain Suspenso Aprobado 5 Aprobado 6 Notable7,8Sobresaliente9MhonorSweden U Fail G=Pass G=Pass G=Pass VG=Pass withDistinctionVG=Pass withDistinctionUnitedKingdomFail Third passE 35-39%D 40-52%Lower 2ndC 53-57%Upper 2ndB- 58-62%Upper 2ndB+ 63-69%IA 70-100%Table 2. Compulsory courses and other  activities  and related CFU for  the first  level  degree called“AgroIngegneria”  (Agricultural  Engineering)  offered  by  the  Faculty  of  Agriculture  ofPalermo University.77University Studies of Agricultural Engineering in Europe, Dijon, March 27-28, 2004First level degree: Agricultural EngineeringFirst yearIntegrated courses Courses Hours Area CFU1 Mathematics and computerscienceFundamentals of mathematics 60Fundamentals of computerscience30 Basic courses 92 BotanyAgricultural botany 30Systematic botany 30 Basic courses 63 ChemistryGeneral and inorganic chemistry 50Organic chemistry 40 Basic courses94 Physics 60 Basic courses 65 Topography and cartographyTopography and cartography 50Fundamentals of geography andgeomorphology 30Agriculturalengineering 96 Agronomy and fundamentalsof soil scienceAgronomy 60Fundamentals of soil science 30Agricultural science 97Rural buildingsand land planning 75Agriculturalengineering 98 EU Foreign language 30 ---------- 3TOTAL 60Second YearIntegrated courses Courses Hours Area CFU9 Zootechny General zootechny 30Special zootechny 50 Agricultural science 910Fundamentals ofentomology and plantpathologyAgricultural zoology andentomology 60Fundamentals of plant pathology 30Agricultural science 911 Herbaceous crops andirrigation 50 Agricultural science 612 Fundamentals of hydraulics 60 Agriculturalengineering 613Agricultural economics andpoliticsAgricultural economics 60Agricultural politics 30Agriculturaleconomics andassessment914 Fruit tree cultivation 60 Agricultural science 615 Management of greenhousecultivation 60 Agricultural science 6TOTAL 5178University Studies of Agricultural Engineering in Europe, Dijon, March 27-28, 2004Third yearIntegrated courses Courses Hours Area CFU16Food technology andfundamentals ofmicrobiologyFood technology 50Food microbiology 40Food Science 917Agricultural and industrialmechanics andmechanisation60 Agriculturalengineering 618 Agricultural hydrology 50 Agriculturalengineering 619Rural assessment60Agriculturaleconomics andassessment620 Plants for food processingand ergonomics and safetyPlants for food processing 30Ergonomics and safety 30Agriculturalengineering 621 Plants for irrigation anddrainage 75Agriculturalengineering 9TOTAL 42Other instruction activitiesActivities CFUOptional 9Degree thesis 9Practical training 9TOTAL 27Total first level degree 180Table 3. First and second level degrees in Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural EngineeringSciences offered by the Faculty of Agriculture of Bari University.First level degree: Agricultural SciencesFirst yearIntegrated courses CFU1 Mathematics 62 Physics 63 General and inorganic chemistry 64 Fundamentals of organic chemistry 35 Agricultural genetics 66 Plant biology 67 Fundamentals of agricultural economics 6TOTAL 39Second yearIntegrated courses CFU8 Fundamentals of agronomy 69 Herbaceous crops 610 Agricultural engineering 911 Soil chemistry 612 Agricultural mechanics 613 Agricultural zoology and entomology 914 Agricultural physiology and biochemistry 615 General zootechny 6TOTAL 5479University Studies of Agricultural Engineering in Europe, Dijon, March 27-28, 2004Third yearIntegrated courses CFU16 Plant pathology 617 Special zootechny 618 Fruit tree cultivation 919 Food technology 620 Agricultural politics, economics and rural assessment 921 Agricultural microbiology 6TOTAL 42Other instruction activitiesActivities CFUEnglish language 6Integrated activities 8Computer science 3Optional 15Degree thesis 4Practical training 9TOTAL 45Total first level degree 180Second level degree: Agricultural Engineering SciencesFirst yearIntegrated courses CFU1 Computer science 62 Fundamentals of hydraulics and irrigation 63 Cartography and geographical information systems 64 Computer aided design 45 Rural assessment 66 English language 37 Management of water resources 58 Agricultural mechanisation and automation 69 Machines and plants for food processing 610 Agricultural biotechnology 311 Food technology 312 Optional 6TOTAL 60Second yearIntegrated courses CFU13 Rural land analysis and planning 614 Greenhouses and buildings for food processing 615 Ergonomics and safety 616 Waste treatment and by-product recycling 617 Process quality and certification 318 European Union legislation 319 Economics and management of enterprises 520 Optional 9TOTAL 44Other instruction activitiesActivities CFUDegree thesis 12Practical training 4TOTAL 16Total second level degree 120Total first and second level degrees 30080University Studies of Agricultural Engineering in Europe, Dijon, March 27-28, 20044. ECTS label & accreditationAn ECTS label can be awarded by European Union to the Italian Universities properlyapplying ECTS in the first and second level degree courses.In Italy some Universities have applied since the academic year 2002-2003 for an ECTSlabel  (e.g.  Tuscia  University  of  Viterbo  has  applied  for  the  first  level  degree  called“Technologies  for  Forestry Environment  and Industries”),  while  other  Universities  plan toapply later for an ECTS label. Until now in Italy no degree course in Agricultural Engineeringhas been ECTS accredited.5. How is ECTS entered in the records of students going abroadUntil  now within  the  Agricultural  Engineering  studies  the  correspondence  among  thecourses carried out at the host Universities and those offered by the domestic Universities isbased upon specific agreements between the host and domestic university.However the ECTS has not been fully implemented in Italy. In fact, the Italian Universitiescan  freely  issue  degree  courses  without  being  compelled  to  apply  the  ECTS  system.Therefore, some administration procedures are needed for selecting the courses to be carriedout abroad which  can be  compatible  with the Italian  CFU,  as well  as for  recognising  theamount  of credits  corresponding  to  the course  examinations  passed  abroad.  In Italy eachdegree  course  has  a  fixed  amount  of  credits  (CFU)  that  the  student  can  acquire,  freelychoosing among courses offered by any University (including foreign Universities). E.g. in thedegree courses offered by the faculties of Agriculture of Palermo and Bari Universities theamount of CFU free to the student’s choice is 9. This is the only possibility that the studenthas to partially create his own curriculum.6. Describe shortly the problems identified with regard to the current ECTS approachand procedures and offer suggestions for improvement of ECTSIn Italy the credit system is relatively new and, therefore, until now ECTS has not beenimplemented.The law that implemented the CFU system of credits in 1999 (D.M. n. 509) also made theItalian Universities free of issuing their own degree courses; this fact resulted as an obstacle tothe implementation of ECTS in Italy. In fact, the amount of first and second level degrees hashighly increased and some of them, in spite of having similar names, have different curricula.In our opinion the implementation of ECTS in the European Union could be improved byThematic  Networks like  the USAEE,  establishing  the minimum  contents of curricula  andcourses and the corresponding ECTS.References[1] A. Comparetti, P. Febo, S. Orlando, Research Activities in Italian University Departmentsand  Institutes  of  Agricultural  Engineering,  2nd USAEE  Workshop,  Palermo,  Italy,  26-27September 2003. 81

The implementation of ECTS in Italian university departments and institutes of Agricultural Engineering

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The implementation of ECTS in Italian university departments and institutes of Agricultural Engineering

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