Aarhus University offers degree programmes involving academic progression and active enrolment corresponding to the number of ECTS credits prescribed for the programme concerned. The degree programmes are organised such that they are research-based with focus on meeting the specific educational objectives as well as the development of general academic competencies.
The structure of our degree programmes should ensure that students are given an opportunity for flexibility and mobility (thereby gaining an influence on their degree programme) with a view to increasing their learning and motivation and improving their degree completion rates. Aarhus University has decided that each semester must consist of 30 ECTS credits, and that all degree programme elements must be divisible by 5 ECTS credits.
AU lays down rules for individual degree programmes in academic regulations. The legal framework for academic regulations is regulated by the Degree Programme Order, the LEP ministerial order, the Ministerial Order on Executive Master’s Degree Programmes, and other rules laid down by AU.
At AU, we have a joint administrative set-up which supports the structural elements of the degree programmes and is supplemented by faculty stakeholders.
EDDI is the system used to generate academic regulations, degree programme diagrams and course catalogue content based on a number of templates. EDDI stands for Educational Designer. Educational Administrative Systems continually develops and maintains EDDI, which serves as the faculties' tool to set up academic regulations and courses offered in the studies administration systems as well as AU's course catalogue. EDDI is developed in close dialogue with the core activity committees and an EDDI steering committee, which receives secretarial support from Educational Administrative Systems.
Educational Administrative Systems also provides ongoing support for STADS and EDDI,, where day-to-day administration of academic regulations takes place.
Via EDDI, it is also ensured that approved standard texts across AU are automatically implemented in all approved academic regulations, and that there is consistency between the official master data (approved title, English title, degree title and prescribed period of study) of the degree programme and the information stated in the academic regulations.
Depending on their nature, changes to the academic regulations may result in new academic regulations. It is important to look both at the nature of the change (e.g. forms of assessment, change of the first-year exam or change of the name of the degree programme) and who the change applies to (future or current students). Some significant changes that apply to both current and future students will result in new academic regulations, while others will only result in a change of the current academic regulations.
Courses are offered via EDDI and are entered locally by the administrative centres according to local processes. Educational Administrative Systems ensures that approved courses are displayed in AU's course catalogue. When courses have been approved and the students have been registered in STADS, a digital course forum is automatically generated in Brightspace, Aarhus University's Learning Management System (LMS). Educational Administrative Systems supports the digital connection between STADS and Brightspace, while the faculties themselves handle the registration and class composition process.
The vast majority of the work involved in the academic regulation processes is carried out by the faculties. Process descriptions, guidelines, etc. can be found on the faculty subsites.
Educational Development and Analysis supports the SNUK committee (the Board of Studies Support and Degree Programme Quality Assurance Committee), where changes to regulations, new joint initiatives or other matters with consequences for the design of academic regulations or courses are discussed with a view to being implemented across the faculties.
Registration and approval of academic regulations take place at faculty level, and 15 April is the annual deadline, with entry into force on 1 September. Educational Law makes any adjustments to the texts and regulation references before 31 August. After faculty approval in EDDI, the data is transferred to STADS, the structure and organisation of the degree programme (degree programme diagram) is published in the web study guide and the academic regulations are published in AU's collection of academic regulations.
