Electronic Study Programmes Register
All information on study programmes that we are required to keep by the ZViS is registered in an application called the Electronic Record of Study Programmes (EŠP). This offers a complete overview of study programmes and their compulsory components and the development or modification data or components of study programmes for an individual academic year. It also serves as support for the process of modification of compulsory components and a tool for communication between responsible services at UL Members and the Rectorate for the implementation of procedures. Data export options make it possible to compare data by individual academic years and carry out analyses at the study programme, component of the programme or academic year level, which means that the application also allows an overview of development for each programme separately. It is regularly updated and improved on the basis of consultations with users and is connected to other applications at the UL and national levels.
UL Reporting application
In order to improve the quality loop and awareness of the quality system, we have developed a reporting application “Poročanje UL”. With a series of upgrades and updates based on pilot testing and proposals from UL Members, we have additionally provided a closed quality loop in such a way that measures from annual self-evaluations of study programmes, the Work Programme and the Business and Quality Assurance Report are shared and applied in documents designed to improve integration and transparency and ensure more effective monitoring of their realisation. By integrating these processes within the application, we have reinforced the analytical field of self-evaluations, increasing their impact and reducing their administrative burden.
UL Centre for Extracurricular Studies
The UL Centre for Extracurricular Studies is responsible for ensuring the availability of a varied and diverse range of extracurricular studies that contribute to the holistic development of UL students and staff. By taking part in a wide range of extracurricular studies, individuals develop their interests, bolster their mental and physical fitness, build their network of contacts and play an active part in the UL community and the community at large. These extracurricular studies carry 3 or 4 ECTS credits. Since 2008, the UL Senate has approved 41 extracurricular studies. Students of bachelor or master study programmes at UL can sign up for activities as part of general external electives.
Year Plus module for foreign students
UL offers international students the opportunity to learn Slovene through a one-year model called Year Plus. International students enrolling for the first time in bachelor or master study programmes at UL for which knowledge of Slovene is not an enrolment requirement can learn Slovene free of charge. The purpose of the module is to enable easier integration and participation in the study process, which for the most part takes place in Slovene and, at the same time, to enable easier participation in life in a Slovene-speaking environment. Learning Slovene via the language course in this module is supported and complemented by numerous activities and workshops (literary workshop, workshop on the use of various language resources and tools for the Slovene language, lectures on Slovene music, architecture and cuisine, visits to various events, galleries, museums and the EU House, day trips to towns around Slovenia). In annual evaluations, students highlight the following as the biggest advantages of the Year Plus module: high-quality and free Slovene language learning, which helps them both in their studies and in everyday life and in obtaining work experience; establishing contacts and socialising with other international students, which is important above all in the initial period of getting used to and adapting to life in a new environment; getting to know Slovene culture and life in Slovenia; the possibility of earning credits; and the possibility of extending student status.
EUTOPIA Alliance
One of the purposes of the EUTOPIA Alliance is to encourage the mobility of students, academic staff and other university staff via new forms of cross-border cooperation, research, teaching and learning. Over the last three years 30 connected learning communities, which are still operational, have been developed. We aim to establish and participate further such communities in the coming years (for more, see 5).
Participation in a connected learning community improves:
- international exposure for learning and research,
- insight into development in the higher education and research field,
- the possibility of (trans)national tenders and funding,
- recognition of international endeavours for staff and students.
Conditions and principles of connected learning communities:
- Principle of openness as the main principle of the EUTOPIA Alliance.
- Interdisciplinary approach, where learning and research units cover interdisciplinary topics or analytical tools that are necessary for understanding the global challenges facing our society.
- Active, student-centred learning, where students are not merely passive listeners but are involved as participants in the process of research, teaching and learning.
- Inclusion of non-academic spaces and actors: representatives of the business world, cultural sector and public organisations participate in the learning process and (co-)create learning material with issues from real life. They are included in active teaching and address the challenges faced by European societies.
- Diversity of students: achieving a broad range of students who are motivated by innovative and flexible approaches.