Erasmus University Charter + Erasmus Policy Statement
L'EUC - ERASMUS UNIVERSITY CHARTER (CARTA UNIVERSITARIA ERASMUS)
L'EUC - ERASMUS UNIVERSITY CHARTER (CARTA UNIVERSITARIA ERASMUS) consente agli Istituti interessati di partecipare al programma Socrates/Erasmus e di richiedere annualmente contributi comunitari per la realizzazione delle attività di tipo centralizzato e decentrato fino al 2013. Per partecipare al programma SOCRATES/Erasmus ogni istituto di istruzione superiore deve presentare una domanda di carta universitaria Erasmus (EUC) alla Commissione europea. La carta è un certificato contenente i principi fondamentali di tutte le attività Erasmus che vanno rispettati dall'università. La carta concede all'università il diritto di partecipare al programma Erasmus, nonché di presentare una domanda di finanziamento alla propria agenzia nazionale per le attività decentralizzate (SM, TS, OM, ECTS) e alla Commissione europea per le attività centralizzate (CD, IP). Gli istituti di istruzione superiore possono presentare la domanda di carta universitaria entro il 1° novembre di ogni anno. Tutti gli istituti devono presentare insieme alla loro domanda una dichiarazione di strategia europea (vedi sotto). La carta può essere ritirata in caso di non conformità o violazione delle condizioni stabilite e può essere standard o estesa (nel caso in cui si voglia realizzare anche mobilità studenti per tirocini). L’Università di Macerata ha ottenuto, per il sessennio 2007/2013, la Erasmus University Charter (EUC) estesa per il Lifelong Learning Programme Call for Proposals 2007 (EAC/61/2006), Selection Year 2007: la nostra carta ha il numero 29217-IC-1-2007-1-IT-ERASMUS-EUC-1. Visualizza la carta EUC estesa 2007 - 2013 di Macerata.
L’EPS - ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT (DICHIARAZIONE STRATEGIA ERASMUS)
L’EPS - ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT (DICHIARAZIONE DI STRATEGIA ERASMUS) è una dichiarazione nella quale l'Istituto interessato descrive il proprio programma generale di sviluppo strategico, esponendo l’attuale situazione in materia di cooperazione internazionale e la strategia a breve e medio termine su questo fronte, esplicando gli obiettivi e le priorità per il futuro sessennio, con particolare attenzione al sistema che verrà seguito per assicurare una elevata qualità per la mobilità all’interno dei progetti di cooperazione Erasmus. Nello specifico, la dichiarazione riguarda ad esempio il ruolo della internazionalizzazione Europea nell’ambito del piano strategico di sviluppo dell’ateneo, futuri piani di sviluppo in ambito di mobilità, sviluppo del curriculum, reti etc…; e poi ancora il controllo della qualità e valutazione della partecipazione, il livello di internazionalizzazione dello staff amministrativo, di docenti e studenti; le misure per assicurare il pieno riconoscimento del periodo di studi all’estero; le misure per l’incoraggiamento dello staff accademico a lanciare progetti transnazionali; estensione dell’uso di lingue straniere nella didattica e nella ricerca; le strategie per combattere disuguaglianze di sesso, razza e sociali; le strategie per l’implementazione del processo di Bologna; l’implementazione della EPS all’interno dell’istituzione. L’Università di Macerata, ha presentato il seguente documento EPS attraverso il quale è stata concessa la Erasmus University Charter: il documento è articolato in tre capitoli ed è scritto in inglese.
ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT – UNIVERSITY OF MACERATA
a) Our University is increasingly pursuing bilateral and multilateral agreements in European and non-European countries, in particular in the Eastern, Asian, and Mediterranean areas, with a view to innovative subjects and methodologies. Our Institution is also entering into connections with more advanced systems of higher education, in fact cultivating burgeoning cooperation with several North American and Australian colleges and universities. The development of Erasmus activities under the new LLP contemplates the following actions: extend the network to new Universities and Enterprises, in a wider range of fields and levels of studies and placement opportunities; increase general mobility for students, teachers, and administrative staff; coordinate, through the Institutional Commission, new projects of International teaching and research, Intensive Programmes, Curriculum development (study programmes and European Modules leading to joint degrees), Thematic Networks, and Jean Monnet courses; develop extant Leonardo activities; start Grundtvig projects for adult learning provision; promote transversal programmes focusing on innovation in languages and ICT based teaching methods.
b) Erasmus activities will be given wider visibility through these actions: enlarged International office staff with former Erasmus and Leonardo experience; new web site with multilingual sections devoted to Erasmus; stronger involvement of Departmental Coordinators. The EUC fundamental principles, the EPS goals, and the new LLP actions will be brought to the attention of the Academic Senate, and will be illustrated in specific conferences open not only to teachers and administrative staff cooperating with the International Office but also to local authorities and entrepreneurs.
Our Institution has always paid great attention to social cohesion among the academic actors. This non-discrimination policy will be pursued in the future. A Commission for Equal Opportunities has been established to guarantee gender equality. Integration of disabled students and staff is assured by the Orientation Office, supported by specialists, technological equipment, and accommodation. Employees with visual, hearing and physical disabilities have been working for years, efficiently and without particular problems, in our offices. Disabled students from abroad have already been accepted and integrated, while prospective international students with disabilities are most welcome, as we believe that a full experience abroad may provide them with the best psychological help to cope with the barriers of diversity.
Social and economic cohesion is guaranteed by tuition fees which vary according to the students’ economic status. The same rule is and will be applied to subsidize Erasmus scholarships with University funds.
All incoming and outgoing students and teachers, according to community rules, are and will be admitted to international activities regardless of race, politics, and religion.
High quality in academic mobility is and/or will be ensured by the following measures: a wider range of courses to be offered in English to all international students; a more comprehensive offer of foreign language courses to be organized by the Language Centre; selection of Erasmus students based on curriculum grade/credits and on language skills evaluated through specific tests; language courses to be offered before departure; as our university credit system is based on ECTS, all phases of credit recognition are followed by the International office (CRI) in cooperation with Departmental coordinators, responsible for helping students with their curricula and for signing their learning agreements; the CRI staff provides all necessary counselling about application and accommodation procedure requested by host institutions, connects with former Erasmus students, allocates grants, completes recognition procedures comparing learning agreements with transcripts and issuing final certificate with grade conversion and credits transfer which are forwarded to the Registrar’s Office for student curriculum integration with the period abroad; CRI provides all bureaucratic and logistic support to incoming students and connects them with Departmental coordinators for didactic matters; tutoring is also offered by former Erasmus students willing to continue the Erasmus experience at home by helping foreign colleagues; concerning accommodation the University offers a number of places in residence at a very affordable price; all facilities available to local students are equally offered to foreign students; specific Italian language courses (3 levels in both semesters, tuition free) are organized in cooperation with the Language Centre; special guided tours to relevant cultural places are organized by CRI and Italian language teachers; CRI supports teaching staff mobility with bureaucratic counselling and the Erasmus TS grant is subsidized with University funds.
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The University of Macerata has already implemented agreements with national firms and companies for all the internship activities required to fulfil the plan of study. It has also established a specific Centre (CETRI) which supervises student placements. Thus our Institution may be said to have already acquired relevant experience in vocational education at a national level. The same procedures will be used to implement international partnerships, while our International Office (CRI) is expected to capitalize on the Leonardo Program experience as well as on extant agreements with organizations (like Marche Innovation Training) and local committees for professional training abroad, or on new prospective ones like the EURES of Marche Region. High quality in future placements is expected to follow in the wake of these experiences and in the prospect of new partnerships with plans of activities specifically related to our student careers.
In order to develop partnerships abroad our CETRI and CRI are planning to start placement agreements with our local partners’ foreign branches, as well as with companies/firms selected by our partner Erasmus Universities, through which mutual cooperation is expected in this new field for students.
Along with Departmental Coordinators who take care of the evaluation and recognition of Erasmus study periods, each Faculty of our University has appointed a Placement Coordinator for each Study Program. The synergy between these academic supervisors will contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of placements, thanks to periodical reports and contacts with both students and enterprise tutors abroad. The placement recognition will require the definition and signature of work agreement by the Erasmus Coordinators and the students before their experience abroad, and a work report, in keeping with the previous work plan, will be automatically recognised and transferred in the student career (besides being awarded additional credits).