Supplement to the Education Regulations, modification of the schedule of the academic year, formation of the framework of distance examination
University education was transformed from 23 March 2020 as a result of the state of emergency due to the coronavirus epidemic. Education has been going on in the form of distance education in all programmes independent of the type of training. Due to the altered conditions, the management of the university, in consultation with the Union of Students modifies with temporarily supplements the Education and Examination Regulations and the Doctoral Education and Examination Regulations of Doctoral Schools of Széchenyi István University, as well as the schedule of the academic year regarding the spring semester in the following points:
Changes of the schedule of the spring semester of the 2019/20 academic year:
1. The examination period ends on 11 July 2020.
2. The end of the final examination period is also modified to 11 July 2020, except in the case of law students where it lasts until 25 July 2020.
3. The deadline of submitting the thesis work has not been changed, but everybody is automatically granted a two-week extension of the deadline,
Supplement of certain passages of the Education and Examination Regulations (EER):
1. Exemption from the requirements of preliminary studies:
in the case of subjects which cannot be taught in the form of distance education (teaching practice and other internships), it therefore has become impossible to complete them in the spring semester of the 2019/20 academic year (henceforth: inaccessible subjects), the competent Dean may make a proposal in relation to the temporary suspension of the requirements of preliminary studies concerning the first semester of the 2020/21 academic year, which then needs to be accepted by the Senate. The proposal may refer to the fact that in the autumn semester of the 2020/21 academic year students could take the inaccessible subjects of the present semester concurrently with the subjects based on them in this exceptional case. This course of action may only be available in the autumn semester of the 2020/21 academic year. (EER 7.§ and 39.§ (7))
2. Suspension of transfer:
the transfer between Hungarian scholarship and fee-paying trainings is going to be suspended for the 2019/20 academic year. The application for the “Modification of the form of financing” (between fee-paying and subsidized) can still be submitted via the NEPTUN system in the period indicated in the schedule of the academic year (20 – 25 April 2020) (EER 10., 10/A., 10/B., 10/C. §).
3. Suspension of the termination of student status:
in the second semester of the 2019/20 academic year the student status is not going to be terminated in the case of students who
• 17.§ (2) a) – have not obtained 30 credit points at a Bachelor’s, Master’s and single undivided training and 15 credit points at an advanced vocational programme or higher vocational training by the end of the second current semester of their studies,
• 17.§ (2) b) – in the case of trainings which are longer than 4 semesters and have not obtained 60 credit points by the end of the fourth current semester of their studies,
• 17.§ (2) c) – in a given course that has more than 30 insufficient and unsatisfactory grades in a Bachelor’s training, 15 in the Master’s, 35 in the single undivided trainings (including the replacement of continuous assessment subjects in the examination period) and if they
do not have 80% of the total credit points as stated in their course curriculum,
• 17.§ (2) g) – the number of active and passive semesters together is twice as much as the academic training period,
• 17.§ (2) p) – the number of passive semesters amounts to the number of semesters signifying the period of training for the given major,
• 17.§ (2) i) – the spring semester of the 2019/20 academic year does not have to be considered in the application of 17.§ (2) i).
4. Internal move, within the university:
in the second semester of the 2019/20 academic year a transfer will not be declined during the evaluation of application for an internal move if the student does not meet the following requirements:
• a) they have already obtained at least 30 credit points in their own major at the time of the submission of application and
• b) they do not have more than 10 unsatisfactory grades (including the replacement of continuous assessment subjects in the examination period). (EER 27.§ (2))
5. Writing (mid- or end-term) tests:
it is not possible to have students write tests in the second semester of the 2019/20 academic year. Furthermore, in the second semester of the 2019/20 academic year a test or tests cannot be considered the condition of a signature (EER 61.§ (1)).
6. Evaluation system
• Signature: The deadline for recording the end-term signature (signed/refusal) has remained unchanged: it is still the last day of the study term, except for the subjects where the signature indicates the completion of the subject (e.g., Physical Education subjects, certain
subjects of the Doctoral Schools). In these case the deadline of recording has been modified to 23 May 2020.
• Continuous assessment, report (2, 3, and 5 grade assessment): The deadline of recording the grades for subjects with such forms of assessment has been modified to 11 July 2020.
• Examination: In the case of courses with an examination, the date of recording the recommended grades has been modified to 23 May 2020. The results of the examinations that have been announced and held must still be recorded no later than the third day after the given examination.
7. Venue of the examination:
examinations can be held off the university campus, as well as in the official rooms of the campus. (EER 68.§ (2))
8. Requirements of Physical Education:
in the case that the state of emergency does not provide any opportunities to meet or to make up for the subject requirements until the end of the examination period, the Physical Education subjects taken for the spring semester of the
2019/20 academic year must be considered completed.
9. Practical subjects, laboratory subjects:
in the case of subjects where the education with normal presence cannot be replaced by distance education, the subjects can be done up to 31 August 2020, as long as the dissolution of the state of emergency makes it possible. These subjects must be considered completed by the student in the spring semester of the 2019/20 academic year.
10. Final examination:
on the basis of the Government decree 101/2020 (10 April 2020) certain measures need to be taken in the event that the state of emergency affects higher education institutions and students, as a result final examinations are to be organised at the University with the following modifications. During the state of emergency the University shall be permitted to depart from the provisions related to the composition of the final examination boards, in regard to the number of the members of the final examination boards and in the
appointment of external members of the board. The board is minimally composed of the chairperson of the final examination board and at least one other member, moreover, it is to be set up in a way that at least one of the members is a professor or university lecturer, or associate professor or college associate professor. The final examination must be organised in a way that it shall not require any personal contact during the examination, and a distance of 1.5 meters must always be maintained between all individuals.
If there is a need for the students who will not be able to complete their thesis work by the extended deadline due to special conditions concerning the epidemiological situation (corporate topic or laboratory measurements) and thus, cannot obtain their pre-degree
certificates in the current semester but will be able to submit the thesis work by 31 August 2020 then the University will provide an opportunity for them to pass the final examination in the framework of an additional final examination period in September. The autumn semester will be provided free of charge for the students who will have to enrol for the autumn semester only for the credit points related to the degree project, regardless of any other status.
Supplement of certain passages of the Education and Examination Regulations of Doctoral Schools:
11. Regulations affecting the doctoral programmes:
• The spring semester of the 2019/20 academic year does not have to be considered during the application of Section 53 (4) of the National Higher Education Act, which states that doctoral students must submit a doctoral thesis within three years of the complex examination, as defined by the doctoral regulations. According to the doctoral regulations this deadline may be extended to a maximum of one year in cases requiring special equity. Student status can be terminated for a maximum of two semesters in the PhD degree process. (DEER 47§ (2) b) and 9§. (3))
• On the basis of the Government decree 101/2020 (10 April 2020) certain measures need to be taken in the event that the state of emergency affects higher education institutions and students, as a result the complex examinations of the doctoral programme are to be
organised at the University with the following modifications. The examination board must be composed of at least two members; moreover, all members may be in an employment relationship with the institution operating the doctoral school. (DEER 43§ (4))
Examination methods
Final examinations are subject to a separate regulation on the basis of the above points. Due to the situation that has developed in the middle of the semester the evaluation of the subjects with continuous assessment is postponed to the examination period. Thus each form of the process of obtaining grades will be entitled “examination”, which includes: subjects with signature, continuous assessment, exam, 2, 3, and 5 grade assessment.
It is possible that examinations in the traditional form may be held, depending on the development of the epidemiological situation. However, as long as epidemiological situation exists then distance examination will be necessary. Its detailed regulation can be found in annex 1 of the present circular. Two important cases of distance examination:
Controlled examination venue: the student taking the final examination will do so on the campus of the university. One of the colleagues of the University performs the role of checking the examinee’s identification and supervising the examination, but one or more of the examiners are only in audio-visual connection with the venue via their computer.
Uncontrolled examination venue: the examinee does not stay on the campus of the University. Their identification and the supervision of the examination take place via audio-visual connection. The circumstances of such an examination are recorded in annex 1 of the present circular.
Schedule of the preparations related to the examination period:
Until 27 April 2020: the departments have to compile the detailed assessment methods of each of their subjects at an uncontrolled examination venue and publish them on the Moodle site of the subjects. It must contain the types of oral and written questions, the points that can be awarded, the marking and pass mark requirements, and the timing of the two parts.
Until 8 May 2020: students can provide feedback on the published examination methods to the departments. The controversial situations must be settled at a departmental level first, then, if necessary, it must be continued at the faculty level and be resolved by the beginning of the examination period.
Examinations with an uncontrolled venue will begin from 11 May 2020.
In the case that regulations authorize the admission of examiners to University buildings, “normal” examinations can start.
Final provisions
In the event of a change in the situation concerning the epidemic, the University will provide information in another circular. Please monitor the University’s communication interfaces. The present circular becomes effective on the date it is published and is effective until revocation.
Győr, 14 April 2020
