Recomendation N.º18/SO/2023

Reflecting on the complaint received from a student of the Degree in Management, regarding the assessment of an optional UC, it is considered that the assessment models currently in place need clarification by the University and Polytechnic Pedagogical Councils.

In accordance with the existing legislation the CUs must have the student's total workload clearly identified (number of ECTS) and distributed according to the following typology (variable from CU to CU): T: Theoretical Classes; TP: Theoretical-practical classes; PL: Laboratory Classes; TC: Supervised Field Work; S: Seminar; OT: Tutorial Classes; E: Internships; TO: Guidance Work; O: Other Work; TI: Independent Work and Assessment, being defined the number of ECTS for each.

The non-distribution and discrimination of the number of hours for each typology may lead to an excess of working hours, higher than those foreseen in the course plan duly approved by A3ES. Thus, the number of hours allocated to assessment work may lead to an overload of the total work foreseen by the number of ECTS for a given CU.

Thus, it is important that the evaluation models express all the types of classes in a clear way, so that the evaluation model adopted by a teacher contemplates the different types of CU, not harming the student, forcing him/her to spend more hours than expected according to the number of ECTS of the CU, with negative effects on the work in the remaining CUs, leading the student to exceed the number of weekly hours provided by UMa regulations, where 1 ECTS corresponds to 28 hours of work. The number of student work hours should not exceed 40 hours per week, including independent and autonomous work.