The Development of Quality: Guiding Rules for Education and Examinations

I. Introduction

This present document is meant for students registered for a bachelor's program and master's program. Students registered at the Academy under other conditions are subject to these Guiding Rules (further - Rules) to the extent that these Rules apply to their situation or to the extent that these Rules are declared completely or partially applicable.

Transition to the “Landmark Route”

As of the 2023-2024 academic year, students who register for the first time, or after an interruption of studies at least one academic year, for a bachelor's program or bridge courses will be subject to new academic progress provisions (the “Landmark Route”).

Structure of the academic year

The academic year has such structure: ECA programs are organized according to a semester system. Courses can only be spread over multiple semesters when they areeducationally justified.

Each semester in the academic year involves teaching and learning activities having 30 ECTS p/semester and is followed by a study period and an examination period. ECA has three examination periods: 1st after the first semester in December, the second after spring semester in June, and 3rd period can be organized during the summer break.

II. Rules of Education

Enrollment

Enrollment requirements are regulated by the Ministry of Education and Science, Latvia, including every year the different date of admission.

Academy is having autonomous Regulations regarding Central Examination marks after graduation from secondary school: we take in notice marks for Humanitarian and Social subjects.

Students who graduated from the secondary school can be enrolled in bachelor study programs.

Students with a degree obtained in a country that has not ratified the Lisbon Recognition Convention, can be admitted provided that their degree gives access to equivalent higher education in the said country and provided that they pass an additional test when required.

Refugees from Ukraine with degree that might come into consideration to be deemed equivalent, but due to special circumstances cannot present the degree certificates, can demonstrate by all legal means that they have obtained the required degree. If ECA can establish with sufficient certainty that the degree has been obtained, the applicant will be allowed to register. ECA can also decide to register applicants who cannot present the said legal means provided that they pass a language test according to the Academy’s decision and an additional specific test.

All documents presented by refugees can be given to Latvian State Academic Information Center (AIC) for recognition procedure.

Language requirements are regulated by the Law of Higher Education, Latvia.

III. Study Contracts

Types of Contracts

Types of contracts are regulated by Ministry of Education and Science, Latvia. There are three types of contracts: Degree contract, Credit contract and Examination contract.

Students or “free listeners” can register for one or more of the following contract types:

a Degree Contract with a view to obtaining a degree or certificate;
a Credit Contract with a view to obtaining a credit certificate for one or more courses;
an Examination Contract with a view to obtaining a degree (a Degree-Examination Contract) or a credit certificate for one or more courses (a Credit-Examination Contract). When registering for an Examination Contract, the student is only entitled to take part in examinations. The choice of contract type is made final at registration.

Students can only obtain a degree or certificate if they are registered for a Degree Contract or a Degree-Examination Contract.

The Study Department determines which courses cannot be registered for with a Degree-Examination Contract or a Credit-Examination Contract due to specific types of admission or types of course and examination format the courses require. Students who wish to register for these courses, have to register with a Credit Contract where appropriate.

The Study Department determines for each study program if the students can register for work placement, bachelor's paper or master's thesis with a credit contract. If the Study program director does not allow a Credit Contract registration for work placement, Bachelor's paper or Master's thesis, they have to justify this decision.

Non-European students residing in Latvia temporarily as students, cannot register exclusively for a Credit Contract, an Examination Contract or a combination of both.

IV. Program Stages for Studies

Standard program

Each program for which students can register with a Degree Contract or a Degree-Examination Contract has at least one model route, divided into several stages. Stages in each program are regulated by the Ministry of Education and Science.

Stages in the standard program

Each study program for which students can register with a Degree Contract or a Degree-Examination Contract has at least one standard learning path, divided into program stages.

A program stage credits in a bachelor's and master programs are regulated by two Regulations of Cabinet of Ministers, Latvia – one for Professional study programs and another for Academic study programs. The “Standard for Academic study programs” is currently under reformation by Ministry of Education and Science. It has been promised that the Standard will be approved by March-April, 2025.

The Study program director determines the "Landmark Route" courses for each student; these are the courses that a bachelor student takes as an (individual) fulfilment of the first program stage of a bachelor’s program. When a student passes these courses, he/she reaches the first "Landmark Route" in his/her studies.

Flexibility in studies

Students can choose flexible learning.

Students following standard learning in a particular academic year take courses of only one program stage. Students following flexibility in their studies take courses from more than one program stage in a particular academic year.

Students registered at the standard study program will be guaranteed a feasible class schedule for all compulsory courses and an examination schedule with no more than one examination per day.

The individual approach to studies

ECA Senate has decided already in 2018 that students can compose their individual year program in accordance with the Regulations established by the Ministry of Education and Science and agreed by the Study Department at ECA. The mentioned Department can help and determine the composition of the student’s initiative.

If students have obtained partial exemptions or partial transfers for a course, they have to register for the complete course.

How does it go?

Students submit their individual year program no later than the third Wednesday of the academic year. It must be approved by the Study program director and Study Department. The Study Department approves the student's proposition by October 1o and composes a different individual year program by that deadline. The choices are made final on December 1.

These decisions of the Study Department have to be made by October 30 for the first semester and by March 1 for the second semester. After these deadlines, corrections can only be made in the case of an error by the Senate.

What must students keep in mind?

Course requirements

When composing their individual year program, students have to take into account the established course requirements and study progress requirements.

Volume of credits: minimum

Students have to register for a minimum of 30 ECTS credits in the semester. For the whole study year, they have to obtain 60 ECTS credits.

Students who have not yet passed the "Landmark Route" courses can take a number of ECTS credits that is no higher than the number of study credits of the first stage (60 - 120 credits in 2 years) upon their first registration in the bachelor's program.

Repeating mandatory courses

Students have to register for the mandatory courses from the study program for which they were registered in the past academic year and for which they did not obtain a credit certificate, before they can register for other courses in the same study program.

More detailed Contract Regulations for students in a bachelor’s program

First time students

Students registering for a specific bachelor's program for the first time at the start of the academic year have to either register for the complete program stage or register for a set of courses from the first program stage counting 30 determined by the Study Department.

These Regulations do not apply to:

exceptions;
if the bachelor's program is not the main study program;
if students have obtained permission to deviate from the credit limits.

If the “Landmark Route” is not passed

Students who have not yet passed the “Landmark Route” courses must first take all the credits of the first program stage before they are allowed to take other courses.

Students who have not yet passed the "Landmark Route" courses, but are registered for the study program for the first time and have been registered from the first semester, can start the second semester, change their individual flexible program for the second semester to a set of credits determined by the Study program director and agreed by Study Department.

V. How We Look Upon Students' Performance?

All students are entitled to a second registration opportunity for courses for which they were registered in a previous academic year and for which they did not obtain the credit volume needed, unless the students have a negative number of credits in their learning account.

Study Department regularly follows students who are at risk of being refused to continue their studies. At the end of every semester, they receive a warning card ontheir study progress after the first and/or second examination period.

VI. Rules for Examination Procedure

Each academic year, three examination periods are organized:

two mandatory: the 1st examination period at the end of the first semester, with examinations on the courses completed in this semester; the 2nd examination period at the end of the second semester, with examinations on the courses completed in this semester;
the third additional examination period after the summer break, where students can take their second examination opportunity of the current academic year.

At the end of each examination period a special Senate meeting is organized, and results are discussed and progress of each student is assessed. Study Department communicates results to the students.

The Study Department can decide to organize examinations outside the regular examination periods:

for learning activities other than lectures;
for courses taught by visiting professors or by teaching staff who are legitimately absent during an examination period;
for exchange program students who participate with other universities or university colleges.

Accumulative examination assessment

Each teacher has autonomous right to allow students for accumulative examination of the study results.

The Study Department can allow continuous examinations to be organized. Courses that consist of more than one learning activity or courses that are spread over two semesters. This means that multiple examinations are organized for this course, during one or more examination periods. We call it the accumulative result of a continuous examination.

Sometimes in special cases examination can take place (partially) outside the examination period. The Study Department determines how the continuous assessment will be organized and communicates it clearly and in advance to the students.

The Study Department ensures a balanced distribution of the assessments.

The following is important:

the description of the partial examinations;
the assessment methods and the timing of the examination;
the course holder’s communication of the results of the individual examinations to the students;
the format of a possible second examination opportunity.

Having an individual approach to each student different assessment methods can be organized for specific courses or continuous examination, including the second examination opportunity.

For incoming students

The Study Department can provide exceptional 2nd examination opportunities or organize them in the 3rd examination.

As an exception and only if an agreement has been made with the home university, incoming exchange students can take an examination at the home university.

Who can be present at the examination?

Students, if they want, can have an observer in their oral examination. They can be relatives, but no students cannot act as observers.

Examination schedule

Every student, no later than two weeks before the start of examinations are informed about the examination schedule.

Examiners and students strictly comply with the determined examination schedule. Examinations can only be rescheduled for a serious reason.

How does the examination go?

There are two important persons – examiner and student. For both the most important thing is to realize how the learning outcomes of a specific course are reached. Therefore, the course holder or course provider is concerned of the own work quality.

Every examination or part of an examination is held by the course holder of the course or by the person who officially replaced the course holder in teaching the class concerned or supervising the activities or exercises concerned.

Examinations on learning activities other than lectures can be held by examiners who are not course holders, provided that they were co-responsible for the content of the learning activity. The Study Department Regulations can determine that external parties who are not university staff members can act as examiners. The Regulationsalso establish in which situations this is an option and which quality requirements these external parties have to meet. Sometimes the Study Department allow that representatives from employers can participate at the examination if student agrees.

The course holder remains fully responsible for the final assessment.

Evaluation scale

Assessment scale is regulated by the Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Each course is assessed according to a 0-10 marking scale. The result is expressed exclusively in whole numbers. The Study Department can decide to assess a course or part of a course in terms of a pass/fail decision.

If students skip examination

If students skip examination, the examination will be assessed as “not taken” (NA).

The examination for final courses

The special Examination Committee is organized by the Study Department for final courses. The Study Department decides how many members will be appointed and how can they be substituted.

The Study Department determines the number of members of the Examination Committee for each study program. In addition, the Study Department decides how members are appointed and whether they can be replaced.

The Examination Committee has to be representative. The State Examination Committee consists of at least five members, including the chair and the secretary of the Committee. The chair and secretary do not necessarily have to be examiners. The secretary usually is the secretary of the Senate.

For incoming students, the exchange coordinator can participate at the examination without the right to vote.

All members of the examination committee have the right to vote.

The members of the Examination Committee and all other persons present at the examination board meeting are under an obligation of secrecy regarding the deliberations and votes

What is the difference for the master students?

For the master studies Study Department accepts the use of the Senate approvedRegulations on realization and assessment of the master's theses.

The supervisor of a master's thesis has to be a member of the ECA Examination Committee with a doctoral degree and they can supervise a maximum of 3 master's theses per year. In accordance with the Senate decision the master thesis is assessed by the Assessment Committee consisting of at least 3 members. Master thesis defense is organized in oral presentation form in front of the Assessment Committee.

VII. Ethical and Language Components

For students - equal treatment

All ECA students are equally treated in their studies and research work.

Students with disability and with low social status can receive upon request different rights to education and examination. ECA adopts recognition of the disability for incoming students assigned by home university. At the same time the examination procedure will be the same as for students from ECA.

Information availability

All students have the right to access documents on which any decisions concerning the students were based. They do not have the right to access data regarding other students.

Students who want to exercise their access to information can submit a request to the Study Department. This request has to be submitted no later than a month after the start of the next academic year. The Study Department will grant access within a reasonable period of time.

Copies of documents requested in the context of information availability can received upon request.

Students can use the Library, the computer infrastructure, educational support through Study Department, they can have career counselling from teachers and study program directors.
Students with an Examination Contract do not have the right to attend classes. They are not entitled to any of the facilities mentioned above. Students with an Examination Contract can, however, get access to the Digital Learning Platform MOODLE.
Students should take into account all Regulations applicable to them, as stated in the Study Contract. With their registration, they accept these Regulations. Code of Academic Integrity (Code of Ethics) is inalienable part of the Study Contract.
The disciplinary Regulations are part of the Contract.
The ECA student email address is used for the official correspondence between the Academy and the students. Registered students are expected to check their emails on this email address regularly and cannot invoke failure to check the email address in order to evade specific obligations or changes.
Recording examinations is not allowed for any use. If a student uses these recordings without taking these Regulations into account, they will be subject to the penalties laid out in the disciplinary Regulations.
Students cannot oppose the recording of teaching activities that members of the teaching staff can use for live broadcasting and/or for uploading videos to learning platforms. They can, however, request not to be recorded individually.
Students can under no circumstances reproduce and disseminate any learning materials (course books, exercises, slides...) provided by ECA upon payment or free of charge, using them for commercial advantage for themselves or third parties.
Furthermore, students cannot reproduce examination materials provided by ECA upon payment or free of charge and use them for purposes other than personal use.
Students who do not comply with these Regulations will be subject to the penalties laid out in the disciplinary Regulations. In addition, they risk prosecution for infringement of copyright legislations.
Anyone making fraudulent copies of ECA documents will be prosecuted. For ECA students, the disciplinary Regulations additionally apply.
Students who are a members of a ECA Senate body can be granted some deviations by the Study Department upon request, provided that their participation in these bodies is essential and this participation has an impact. These include deviations from explicit mandatory attendance, from specific course formats or assessment methods, from submission deadlines for assignments or from examination moments. In this context, an exam timing can be rescheduled. Upon the Study Department’s request, student representatives have to be able to demonstrate their attendance to the meeting.

Protection of personal data

Students are informed about protection of their personal data, in accordance with Latvian State Data Protection Policy. In accordance with the legislation all students can, once a year, request access to and, where appropriate, changes to and a copy of the personal data the Academy electronically stores about them.

With their registration, the students give the Academy permission to:

check the authenticity and veracity of documents;
confirm the authenticity of documents.

Ethics of complaints

The Study Department appoints a member of the academic staff or another staff member with relevant expertise in education to act as education ombudsperson, sometimes it can be a teacher who is also a priest in the Orthodox Church. Students can contact this person during the academic year if some misunderstandings occur. The ombudsperson mediates between the students, members of the teaching staff and policy bodies concerned.

Actually in reality during 30 years we haven’t serious complaints from students. This is true reality. However, we have some regulations if some complaints occur about individual decisions.

Students can argue against:

repeated low study results or after examinations: decision regarding assessment of results;
the denial of the right to continue a course;
discussions regarding flexible individual study plan;
an examination decision.

The argument has to be submitted within a period of 7 calendar days. For an argumentagainst an examination decision, this period starts after announcement of the examination results.

For incoming exchange students

Incoming exchange students can also argument against decisions related to the examination and examination process of a course they took at ECA, in accordance with the procedure set in this document.

Final arguments come to the agreement:

the valorization of the study program following ECA Regulations;
the study results progress;
the valorization of the examination results remain the responsibility of the home university.

Rules regarding languages

Latvian is the educational language at ECA. Other languages can be used for specific reasons, in accordance with the legal provisions and the provisions determined by Ministry of Education and Science, Latvia. Courses organized in Latvian are assessed in Latvian.

Latvian is also the policy language at ECA. In order to facilitate communication with students, academics, services or institutions, an additional international forum language can be used.

Courses taught in a language other than Latvian is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Science and the main Regulation is summarized in the Law of Higher Education Institutions in Latvia.

Regarding studies in Bible Art some teachers are from Orthodox Monasteries where they gained the high competence in iconography. They are allowed to teach their courses in Russian language because this is their native language or in Greek language, or in English (if coming from abroad). In this case in the auditorium lessons are provided by translation in Latvian.

VIII. College Students in ECA

How ECA is allowed to make transition from colleges to the Academy starting from the year 2023?

Students from colleges (after completing the 1st level of higher professional education) are enrolled at ECA in the 1st cycle professional higher education, 3rd course following the Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers Nr. 305 from June 13, 2023 “On the State standard of the professional higher education”.