Certification in ITC Educational
Programmes
Rules and Regulations
Applicable for graduating students falling under
the Assessment Regulations of 1 September
2015.
This document describes the rules and
regulations for certification, following the
Assessment Regulations for the cohort of
students as specified.
The practical implications of these rules and
regulations for the production of diploma’s,
diploma supplements, certificates and course
records are described in the “Handboek
certificering”.
Certification Committee
RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR CERTIFICATION IN ITC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES
FB16.1864
Colofon
UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE
FACULTY OF GEO-INFORMATION SCIENCE AND EARTH OBSERVATION
DATE LAST MODIFIED:
9-2-2016
PUBLISHED VERSION: 3.3
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Contents
1. ITC Educational Courses ................................................................................................................................ 5
2. Authorization and Approval ............................................................................................................................ 5
3. Certification Documents ................................................................................................................................. 5
4. Rules for the Issuance of Certification Documents ......................................................................................... 7
5. Joint Courses.................................................................................................................................................. 8
6. Premature Ending of a Course ....................................................................................................................... 8
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Version control
Version
Date
Description
Remarks
0.01
4-7-2014
Draft version
Review after meeting 3-7-2014
0.02
10-7-2014
Review committee
Final review before submission to EB/OLD
0.03
14-7-2014
EB/OLD version
Sent to EB/OLD for review
1.0
16-09-2014
Approval by the Dean
1.1
10-12-2014
Small changes and
clarifications
1.2
7-1-2015
Distinguish normal procedures For meeting Certification Committee 13-1and premature ending
2015
1.3
13-1-2015
Final version from Certification For meeting Examination Board 15-1-2015
Committee for Examination
Board
1.4
23-1-2015
Final version with comments of Sent to EB and Certification Committee
Examination Board included.
1.41
28-1-2015
Small changes
Sent to chair Certification Committee 28-12015
1.42
9-2-2015
Small changes as decided in
meeting 28-1-2015 (Ch 6,
point 5, text below table 1)
Sent to chair Certification Committee 9-22015
1.43
10-2-2015
Small changes as decided in
meeting EB on 10-2-2015
Will be send to the Dean for approval.
2.0
16-2-2015
Approval by the Dean
To be published on Intranet.
3.1
16-10-2015
Clarification issues and
changes in assessment
regulations 2015
For discussion in the certification committee
3.2.2
20-1-2016
Final version with comments of
Examination Board included.
3.3
9-2-2016
Approval by the Dean
For meeting Certification Committee 15-122014
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To be published on Intranet.
RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR CERTIFICATION IN ITC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES
FB16.1864
1. ITC Educational Courses
The Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) offers a range of courses that
lead to a formal qualification: Master of Science degree in Geoinformation Science and Earth
Observation , Master of Science degree in Applied Geoinformatics, Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD),
Diploma and Short Courses. These courses form the educational body of programs, academic and
non-academic, offered by ITC. The official title of the courses, their constituent course components or
modules, and a full description of objectives, contents and assessment forms are provided on the
website of ITC, or in the ITC study guide and assessment regulations for the courses. The study guide
and assessment regulations are published on the ITC website (http://www.itc.nl/studyguide and
http://www.itc.nl/assessment-regulations) 1.
An ITC course must be registered in the Student Information System (SIS), and a student must be
admitted and enrolled.
2. Authorization and Approval
Faculty Management Team
The Dean chairs the Faculty Management Team (FMT). The FMT assigns working committees and
approves ITC policy and regulations. The Dean formally approves the rules and regulations for
certification of ITC education programs and certification documents.
Examination Board
The Examination Board monitors and is involved in all aspects of assessment from policy on
assessment via appointment of examiners to the decision about complaints related to an assessment.
The Examination Board is the official body to approve and authorize the issuance of degree
credentials for credit bearing degrees. The Examination Board can make recommendations to the
Certification Committee in regards to policy.
Certification Committee
The Certification Committee reviews and updates the Certification of ITC Educational Programs
Policy; ensures compliance with UT regulations, and develops and maintains the working procedures
for the execution of the certification documents. The committee chair is a member of the Examination
Board, and committee members are invited by the committee chair and are approved by the Dean.
The Certification Committee consists of representatives from the Examination Board, the Course
Directors, Bureau Education and Research Support (ITC-BOOZ) and an education specialist and
prepares the documents and procedures for approval by the Dean. The Examination Board is
responsible for managing this process. The education specialist is the point of contact for
developments at UT central regarding certification.
Bureau Education and Research Support (ITC-BOOZ)
ITC-BOOZ is responsible for mark record keeping in SIS and issuance of certification documents. As
such it bears responsibility to ensure that awards are issued according to policy and that the
certification documents follow the standard for content and layout. The “Handboek Certificering” is the
referral document for the agreed upon standard.
3. Certification Documents
Courses can be followed full time at ITC, courses can be followed partly at ITC and partly at one of
the education partners of ITC, or in distance education mode. Awards for the registered courses are
indicated in Table 1:
1
The study guide and assessment regulation for the academic year in which the course was started is applicable.
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Table 1: ITC Educational Courses and Certification Documents
Course
Master of
Science in
Geoinformation
Science and
Earth
Observation
Number of credits
(ECTS)
Certification
Documents
issued
Qualification mentioned on the
diploma or certificate
118
Diploma and
Diploma
Supplement
Diploma (Academic Education) of
the Master’s degree programme in
Geo-Information Science and Earth
Observation which entitles to the
degree Master of Science
Master of
Science in
Applied
Geoinformatics
77
Diploma and
Diploma
Supplement
Postgraduate
Diploma (PGD)
62
Certificate and
Course Record
Diploma
No credits awarded
Certificate and
Course Record
Short Course 4
In case of fail on
or early
termination of a
MSc, PGD,
Diploma or
Short Course
leading to a
certificate
Leading to a
Certificate
Credits are awarded,
number of credits
variable
Leading to a
Certificate of
Attendance
No credits awarded
Certificate and
Course Record
Certificate of
Attendance
Short Course of the
Diploma course
No credits awarded
Certificate and
Course Record
At least one module
passed
Certificate and
Course Record
No modules passed
Course Record
Diploma (Professional Higher
Education) of the Master’s degree
programme in Geo-Information
Science and Earth Observation
which entitles to the degree Master
of Science
Postgraduate Diploma (Academic
Education) of the Postgraduate
diploma programme in GeoInformation Science and Earth
Observation 2
Diploma (Technologist in
Geoinformatics) of the Diploma
course in Geo-Information Science
and Earth Observation. 3
Certificate. The student has followed
one or more modules in GeoInformation Science and Earth
Observation + course title
Certificate of Attendance. The
student has attended a course in
Geo-Information Science and Earth
Observation + course title
Certificate. The student has followed
one or more modules in GeoInformation Science and Earth
Observation +course title
Certificate. The student has followed
one or more modules in GeoInformation Science and Earth
Observation + course domain
No Diploma or Certificate
The rules for issuing awards presented in these certification documents are explained in the
Assessment Regulations, which are posted on the ITC website (www.itc.nl/assessment-regulations).
2
The Certificate mentions the words “Postgraduate Diploma” instead of “Certificate”, which refers to the title of the course, not
the type of certification document.
3
The certificate mentions the word “Diploma” instead of “Certificate”, which refers to the title of the course, not the type of
certification document.
4
Short Courses are defined as all courses consisting of one or more modules, both credit bearing and non-credit bearing (i.e.
Distance Education, Individual Study Program, and Taylor Made and Refresher Courses).
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4. Rules for the Issuance of Certification Documents
1. By the WHW (Dutch Higher Education and Research Act) all certification documents for credit
bearing courses are issued by the Examination Board. Master of Science and PGD certification
documents are signed by the Chair or Vice-chair of the Examination Board. Diploma and Short
Course certification documents are signed by a member of the Examination Board.
Complementary documents (Diploma and Diploma Supplement or Certificate and Course Record)
are signed by the same member of the Examination Board at the same time.
2. All certification documents follow a prescribed format as outlined by the Certification Committee,
are printed on formal UT/ITC stationery in the English language, and follow the official UT and EU
templates. They are produced by Bureau Education and Research Support (ITC-BOOZ). They
are dated on the day the qualification is awarded (i.e. graduation date). The signature date is
used if, for any reason, the signing date is more than 3 months after the graduation date.
3. Diploma’s and Certificates are numbered. Complementary certification documents (Diploma and
Diploma Supplement, Certificate and Course Record) carry the same number.
4. MSc Diplomas are accompanied by a Diploma Supplement. The Diploma Supplement describes
the nature, level, context, content, study load (in ECTS credits) and status of the degree and
course. It also states the names of the modules, completion date of the modules, the institute that
did the assessment, and marks obtained. The assessments ‘completed’ or ‘fail’ will appear as
such in the Diploma Supplement. In case of exemption, the name of the ITC module for which
exemption was given will be mentioned and the word “Exemption (E)” will appear instead of Mark.
5. Certificates of the PGD course, Certificates of the Diploma course and Short course Certificates
are accompanied by a Course Record. The Course Record will show the course name, study load
in ECTS credits and period of study. It also states the names of the modules, completion date of
the modules (exam or re-sit), location where modules were assessed, and marks obtained. The
assessments ‘completed’ or ‘fail’ will appear as such in the Course Record. In case of exemption,
the name of the ITC module for which exemption was given will be mentioned and the word
“Exemption (E)” will appear instead of Mark.
6. A Certificate will be awarded to a student in a Short Course who has fulfilled the assessment
requirements of at least one module. The Certificate will mention that the student ‘has followed
one or more modules in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation’. The subtitle will
mention the name of the course as advertised. The course record will mention the module names
as listed in the study guide. In case the course contains only one module, the course record
mentions the name of the module as advertised.
7. With explicit approval of the Examination Board an ITC module of the formal curriculum, can be
replaced with another module. In this case the name of the new module will be mentioned. The
names of modules (and the results obtained) that are taken in addition to the formal curriculum of
the course are also listed on the Diploma Supplement or Course Record under the heading
‘Additional’.
8. ECTS credits are solely an indicator of study load. In accordance with the international standard,
ECTS credits will be posted for each module for all credit-bearing modules regardless of the mark
received. Only in case a module is successfully completed/ passed its ECTS credits will be added
to the ECTS credits total indicated as “total ECTS obtained” at the Course Record. In case the
modules are part of a course with a predefined number of ECTS credits and the course is
successfully completed, this predefined number is the total number of ECTS credits obtained.
9. It is at all times possible to receive a provisional Course Record with results obtained at ITC up till
that date if this is necessary for external sponsors or other administrative reasons. The student
can forward the request to ITC-BOOZ.
10. In case a Diploma is handed out based on the completion of different short courses, the graduate
is expected to hand in the original Certificates and Course Records of these short courses.
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5. Joint Courses
The ITC courses can be followed full time at ITC or can be followed as a Joint Education Program
(JEP) partly at ITC and partly at one of the education partners of ITC. Where certification of joint
education programs is concerned, the same rules apply as described above. The following further
specifications can be made:
1. If it concerns a multiple degree, each institution generates its own certification documents
according to its own policy. If it concerns a joint degree, the MOU and/or Implementation Plan
specify the criteria and layout of the certification documents.
2. The module titles and study load mentioned in the diploma supplement/course record of a Joint
Education Program are the titles of the modules and study load in the ITC program, as mentioned
in the ITC study guide
3. The Diploma Supplement/ Course Record show the marks obtained for all course modules. For
course modules attended at the partner university the Diploma Supplement/ Course Record
shows the name of the ITC module for which exemption was given, the location of study, and the
graduation date of the module. The word “Exemption (E)” will appear instead of Mark.
4. Only for those course modules attended at the partner university for which the Examination Board
has approved the module content and the level and quality of the assessment, as specified in the
JEP working guidelines, the module names of the partner institute and the marks obtained at the
partner university can be included in the Diploma Supplement/ Course Record.
5. In addition to the Diploma Supplement/ Course Record, a joint Course Record can be issued with
the signatures and logos of all participating partners. This joint Course Record is meant to
emphasize the cooperation between the partners and bring together the study results of the
course as a whole. This joint Course Record has no legal status and is not signed under the
authority of the Examination Board or any member of the Examination Board. It can only be
signed by the JEP Coordinator or Course Director.
6. None of the issued ITC degree documents (MSc) will bear any logos other than UT/ITC’s logo.
The Diploma Supplement will specifically mention the collaboration with the Joint Education
Partner without the use of logos. The Course Record will specifically mention the collaboration
with the Joint Education Partner with the use of both logos.
7. If a student of a joint course has not attended any module at ITC, the student can request a
provisional Course Record for the joint course conform Chapter 4, Article 9.
6. Premature Ending of a Course
1. In case a student does not qualify (leave early or fail) for the MSc, M, PGD, Diploma course, or a
credit bearing Short Course the student receives a Certificate with a Course Record. This is
under the condition that the student has fulfilled the assessment requirements of at least one
summatively assessed module. If no assessment requirements have been met, the student only
receives a Course Record. The Certificate will mention that the student “has followed one or more
modules in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation”.
2. Failing MSc candidates who qualify for a PGD (conform the procedure stated in the ITC
assessment regulations) will receive a PGD and Course Record as mentioned in the respective
paragraphs. In case a student has followed more modules than necessary for the PGD, these will
be mentioned on the same Course Record under the heading Additional.
3. In case of fraud the student can, at own request, receive a provisional Course Record with all
modules attended and marks obtained as described in Chapter 4, Article 9.
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4. In case a student who has prematurely ended his/her course returns to finish his/her studies, the
Certificate and Course Record, as mentioned in Chapter 6, Paragraph 1, are expected to be
returned to ITC before new certification documents will be handed out to the student.
5. In case of premature ending of a joint course, Chapter 6, Article 1 is in effect, even if the student
has not attended modules at ITC. All modules attended will be included in the Course Record with
their dates and marks.
Glossary
Modules
ITC uses a modular system for all its courses. Modules are scheduled in
series. Each module has duration of 3 weeks and with study load of 144
hours.
Course
A registered course in the Student Information System, consisting of one
or more modules
Programme
A course leading to a MSc degree.
Academic
Research oriented
Non-academic
Professional oriented
Diploma course
An undergraduate 9 months course leading to a certificate at the level of
Technologist in Geoinformatics.
Postgraduate Diploma
course
A nine month (62 ECTS credits) academic oriented course leading to a
certificate which consists of following modules 1-10 from the MSc in
Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation Programme and
conducting a final assignment.
Joint course (JEP)
A course taught by ITC in cooperation with partner organizations.
Certification documents
Diploma, Diploma Supplement, Certificate, Course Record,
Diploma
The formal document awarding the MSc degree.
Diploma Supplement
A document attached to a Diploma aiming at improving international
transparency and facilitating the academic and professional recognition of
qualifications. It contains information on the aims and contents of the
programme and the student’s performance. The format of the document is
defined by the European Union.
Certificate
The formal graduation document of ITC’s courses other than MSc.
Course Record
An overview of the modules attended and the marks obtained at ITC and
possibly joint course partners.
ECTS
Credits according to the European Credit Transfer System. At ITC one
ECTS credit stands for a study load of 28.8 (rounded to 29) hours.
SIS
Student Information System.
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