Bachelor of EduntiOD (Honours) - B. Ed. (HODS) - Degree Course Regulations, (hods)

L.N. 208 or \998

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Bachelor of EduntiOD (Honours) - B. Ed. (HODS) - Degree Course Regulations,

\998

IN exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 30 (5)

and 31 .(6) of the Education Act (Cap. 327), the Chancellor of the

University of Malta has promulgated the following Regulations made by

the Senate of the University of Malta by vinue of the powers conferred

upon it by sections 31 and 35 of the said Act

Citation and interpretation

(1) These regulations may be cited as the Bachelor of Education

(Honours) - B. Ed. (Hons) . Degree Course Regulations. 1998.

(2) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires-

"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Education;

"!.he Course" means the Course leading to the Degree of Bachelor of

Education (Honours) - B. Ed. (Hons); and

"the Degree" means the Degree of Bachelor of Education (Honours) - B.

Ed. (Hons).

Applicability

These regulations shall apply to courses which started in October 1994

or later.

Eligibility for tbe Degree

In urder to be eligible for the award of the Degree. students must

(a) register as regular students in terms of the Admission Regulations

of the University;

(b) complete the course of studies. qualify in the Final Examinations

and satisty any other requirements as prescribed in these regulations; and

(e) satisfy any other requirements laid down in any other relevant

statutes, regulations and bye-laws of the University.

Special Course Requirements

To be registered as regular students in the Course, applicants must,

besides satisfying the General Entry Requirements specified in the Admission

Regulations of the University. be in possession of a pass in the Matriculation

Examination at Advanced Level at Grade C or bener, or equivalent, in the

5ubjecl/s chosen as a Teaching Meals. unless othen\lise specified by the Board

wilh the approval of Senate.

provided that

(a) \\lith effect [rom 1st October 1997. applicanlS choosing Technical

Design and Technology as a Teaching Area shall be in possession of a pass in the

Matriculation Examination at Advanced Level at Grade C or better in either

Graphical Communication or Engineering Dra\\ling and of a pass at Intermediate

Level or higher in either Art or Applied Mathematics or Computing or

Information Technology or Physics or Pure Mathematics; and

(b) \\lith effect [rom 1st October 2000, applicanlS choosing Primary

Education as a Teaching Area after completing Pan One of the Course shall be

in possession at admission of passes in the Matriculation Examination at

Intermediate Level or higher at Grade C or better in English. Maltese and in

either Applied Mathematics or Biology or Chemistry or Environmental Science

or Physics or Pure Mathematics.

DuratioD of Course

(1) The Course shall extend over fOUf full-time academic years and

shaH be divided into two parts: Part One and Part Two.

(2) Students shall be required to register before the beginning of each

academic year.

(3) Students may not complete the Course earlier than four years or

later than five years from the date of first admission to lhe Course, except in

special circumstances with I.he pennission of the Senate, acting on the advice of

the Board.

Course of Studies

(1) The course of studies shall consist of

(a) study-units to which not less than eighty credits are assigned in

(i) Foundation Studies in Education; and.

(ii) a number of Teaching Areas approved by the Board from which

students are required to choose two;

(b) optional study·units to which not more than eight credits are assigned,

including not more than three credits obtained for extracurricular activities, of

which not more than two shall be obtained in anyone year, as approved by the

Board;

(c) a teaching practice period in each year of the Course; and

(d) a dissertation.

(2) In each year of Lhe Course. students may regisl.ef for study-units to

which not more than twenty-five credits are assigned and shall obtain not less

than eijithleCn credits in the first and third years and nOl less than Couneen

credits in the second and fourth years.

(3) A catalogue of study-units, indicating the credits assigned to each

and which study-units are compulsory. shall be published before the

commencement of the Course, after approval by Senate on the recommendation

of the Board.

(4) The Board may exempt students from the requirement of obtaining

a credit for a particular study-unit if they have obtained. from the University or

from an inSlitution recognised by the Senate for the purpose, a qualification

which the Board deems to be equivalent to the study-unit concerned.

(5) The Board may allow students to follow study-units in another

university or institution of higher education, provided that the credits obtained

shall be evaluated according to criteria established by the Board.

(6) The maximum number of credits from which students may be

exempted throughout the Course shall not exceed twenty-four, except by special

permission of Senate.

Part ODe of the Course

(1) Part One shall extend over the first two years of the Course.

(2) Studellls shall be required to choose twO Teaching Areas from a Jist

of teaching areas offered by the Board.

(3) Students who fail to obtain a minimum of eighteen credits by the end

of the first year shall not be allowed to proceed to the second year.

(4) To complete Part One and to proceed to Part Two of the Course,

students shall be required to

(a) obtain not less than thirty-eight credits, including fifteen credits in

Foundation Studies in Education and tcn credits in each of the two Teaching

Areas. except that if two Teaching Areas are integrated a total of twenty credits in

the combined leaching areas shall be required;

(b) a pass in the second year Teaching Practice; and

(c) a pass in an English Proficiency Test, if students were admitted to lhe

Course in October 1997 or later.

(5) Students who fail to satisfy the conditions for proceeding to the

next year of the Course may be allow.cd a further year of studies by the Board

under such conditions as it may impose. provided that in no case shall students

complete the Course in a period longer than five years, except with the special

pennission of Senate, on the recommendation of the Board.

Part Two oftbe Course

Part Two shall extend over the thitd and fourth years of the

(l)

Course.

(2) Students shall be required to pursue studies in only one of the

Teaching Areas chosen in Part One, unless they are allowed to retain two

Teaching Areas by the Board.

(3) To complete the Course and to qualify for the award of the Degree,

students shall be required to

(a) obtain not less than seventy·six credits, including twenty·four credits in

Foundation Studies in Education, forty credits in the Teaching Areals and eight

optional I elective credits;

(b) satisfy the teaching practice requiremcms as specified in regulation 11;

(c) pass in the dissertation; and

(d) pass in the Final Examinations.

(4) Students who: by the end of the third year, do not obtain a

minimum of eighteen credits during that year. or who by the end of the fourth

year do nOl satisfy the requirements for the award of the Degree. may be allowed

a further year of studies by the Board under such conditions as it may impose.

provided that in no case shall students complete the Course in a period longer

than five years. except with the special pennission of Senate, on the

recommendation of the Board.

Assessment and Progress

(I) Credits shall be assigned according to the following grades in

descending order of merit: A. B, C. D and F. where F indicates Fail.

(2) Students who fail to obtain a credit for a compulsory study-unit

shall be re-assessed once during the same academic year by arrangement with the

lecturer concerned. In the re-assessment the maximum grade that may ~

awarded shall be grade D.

(3) Such re-assessments shall be held during the next scheduled test

week or in September. whichever is the earlier.

(4) Students who choose Teaching Areas or study-units from other

faculties must satisfY the assessment criteria of those faculties. unless otherwise

determined by the Board. except that grades obtained in the assessment of such

study-units shall be lranslated in the grades indicated in paragraph (I) of this

regulation.

Final ExaminatioDs

(1) Final Examinations shall be held in Educational Theory and shall

examine the relevant study-units covered in the fmal year of the Course.

(2) The FlOal Examinations in Educational Theory shall consist of

three papers. one each in Educational Psychology, Sociology of Education, and

Philosophy of Education.

(3) To satisfy the Final Examinations requirement, students must be

successful in each paper. Students who fail in any of the three papers may have a

supplementary session in the failed paper!s once.

(4) The grade obtained through a supplementary session of the Final

Examinations shall be the minimum p~ grade.

Teaching Practice

(1) Teaching Practice shall comprise a total of twenty-two weeks'

teaching in schools under tutorial supervision. The twenty-two weeks shall be

divided into fOUf sessions, with one Teaching Practice session held in each of the

four years of the Course.

(2) Students shall be required to pass three Teaching Practice sessions.

including those in the second and the final years and shall be allowed only one

repeat.

(3) Students shall be considered as not having completed a Teaching

Practice session if, for any reason whatsoever, they faillO teach the full duration

of the Teaching Practice or its equivalent. As from May 1996, students who fail

to attend for four days or less shall have that particular period of Teaching

Practice extended by the same number of days. If students fail to attend for five

or more days. the Teaching Practice shall be considered incomplete and the full

Teaching Practice shall have to be repeated.

(4) In very exceptional cases, and with the approval of the Board.

students who have not been able to carry out a block Teaching Practice may be

allowed to undertake instead a period of teaching staggered over a number of

weeks. This provision shall not apply to !.he Teaching Practice of the final year.

Dissertation

Students must satisfy the dissertation requiremem, which is assigned

to six credits. as specified in the Guidelines on Dissertations approved by the

Board. Students who fail the dissertation requirement can re-submit the

dissertation once within a period of twelve months, in which case the maximum

grade that may be awarded shall be the minimum pass grade.

Final Result

(l) The final dassificati-on ofthe Degree shall be based on the best

seventy-six credits as specified in sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph (3) of

regulation 8 and the six credits assigned to the dissertation as specified in

regulation 12.

(2) The names of students who qualify for the award of the Degree

shall be published in a list in alphabetical order di~ded into

First Class Honours

Second Class Honours(Upper Division)

Second Class Honours (Lower Division)

Third Class Honours

Pass without Honours.