Procedure for study-start programmes
Objective
The faculty’s study-start strategy is designed to ensure that all new students in the faculty get the best possible start to their education.
The Faculty of Social Sciences complies The University of Copenhagens guidelines for Introductory Activities.
Responsibility for study-start activities
The head of studies has the overarching responsibility at department level with regard to practical planning and budgeting. The study-start programme is funded from the study board budget. The head of studies delegates responsibility and operations to a liaison committee consisting of students. In collaboration with the study counsellors, this committee convenes a start-up meeting with the new first-year counsellors during the spring. The committee works with the study-start coordinator and with the department’s administrative staff, student counselling and relevant lecturers.
The head of studies, or a nominated representative, is responsible for ensuring that the induction process is established and implemented in accordance with this description, and is responsible for coordination with other bodies.
The induction programme includes:
- Welcome (who welcomes the students is decided locally)
- Presentation of the study programme (content and structure) and curriculum
- Overview of forms of teaching and exams
- Introduction to IT facilities, e-mail and e-learning platform
- Introduction and guided tour (SU, student counselling, secretariat, PC rooms, bookshop, library, department, academic supervisor’s office, main classrooms, service department, canteen, café, etc.)
- Various items of practical information (counselling options, information about the first-year student handbook).
Standards for study-start activities
All new students are offered a tutoring scheme and sent a link to the following study-start pages on the faculty website:
- Presentation of the study programme (content and structure) and curriculum
- Review of forms of teaching and exams
- Study techniques for new students
- The library – get off to a good start
- IT in the Faculty of Social Sciences – introduction to IT facilities, e-mail and the e-learning platform (network access, etc.)
- Student life at the Centre for Health and Society (CSS)
- Disability and Special Education Support
- KUnet – shared access to info, rules and counselling
- The student counselling and career guidance service in Student Services
Students are also offered the chance to:
- join a reading group
- attend a study-process interview in the first semester on selected study programmes
- join an academic and social community on the study programme and at the Centre for Health and Society in general.
The evaluation of the study-start programme looks at whether new students have an overview of the items mentioned above and contributes to its quality assurance.
First-year student trips, induction days and start of courses
As a supplement to this, a range of relevant information is published on the faculty’s study-start website for new bachelor students. Information and counselling is followed up with related offers in subsequent semesters.
Evaluation of the study-start programme
The study-start programme is evaluated on the basis of the number of unique visits to the faculty’s study-start website in August. The expectation is for a number of unique visits that is at least equivalent to the number of enrolled students at the time of the study-start programme.
Each study programme uses a questionnaire to evaluate its study-start programme. Although the form varies slightly from programme to programme, the questionnaire is used actively by tutors and must address students’ experiences of academic and social integration, including contact with tutors, counsellors and lecturers. The head of studies is responsible for taking the initiative to follow up on any issues identified during the evaluation.