The University Credit System The University Credit

The University Credit System

The University Credit is a measure of the study time necessary for a student to study and con-solidate his understanding of an argument. The system was accepted by all the Ministry of Educa-tion of the various EU countries in the Sorbonne (25/05/98) and Bologna (19/06/99) declarations.

Kazakhstan system of credits in higher education was established in 2002 with the aim to support further integration of the country to the global educational environment. While implementing it, developers of the local credit system tried to avoid introducing radical changes to the whole system of higher learning.

New educational standards introduced in 2004 by the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan allow universities to realize educational process according to both the traditional linear or new credit system.

Credit system is seen as an educational technology which helps to make educational process more innovative and student-centered. The mission of higher education institutions is no more understood as simple delivery of knowledge, but as educating of the allround citizen capable of independent creative thinking and working toward self-development. During the years of independent statehood considerable work has been done in Kazakhstan for adapting of the local educational system to the needs and realities of civil society with market economy.

One University Credit corresponds to 25 hours of study by the student. This 25 hour period includes both theoretical and practical teaching and the individual study necessary to consolidate the argument.

A year of study comprises 60 credits for a total of 1500 hours study. The time may be increased by a maximum of 20% (to 1800 hours for highly professionalising courses). The ratio of theory and practical and individual study varies with the base knowledge of the student with respect to the subject studied (e. g. 50% individual study, 50% the-ory for a first year medical student; 90% practical activity, 10% lectures, seminars and clinical case discussion for students in a school of specialisation).

The student is awarded credits (for a single topic or number of arguments on the same theme) on passing an exam.

It allows pursuance and completion of study in different places of learning, given that the certification of ability and knowledge acquired must be homogeneous.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CREDIT SYSTEM It permits a slower study pace (e. g. 60 credits may be acquired in one year, or in 3 years with 20 credits per year from the same exams). Both a maximum (e. g. 60 credits/year) and a minimum (e. g. 20 credits/year) can be established; the latter has the aim of avoiding obso-lescence of the credits. 1.

It allows an individual student to have a “discount” or an addition of credits necessary to ob-tain a given goal, on the basis of a proven ability or knowledge or courses previously studied (e. g. an urologist may have a reduction in credits needed to pass a course of surgical activity in andrology, and an endocrinologist a reduction for a course of clinical activity in androl-ogy).

The credit system therefore creates a homogenous structure for study (in terms of hours of training and individual learning) even in places of learning far away from one another.

Thank you for attention