Bachelor Electrical Engineering Master Electrical Engineering

ASIIN Accreditation Report

Degree Programmes

Bachelor Electrical Engineering

Master Electrical Engineering

offered by

Lappeenranta University of Technology

ASIIN Accreditation procedure including an on-site visit for

the degree programmes

Bachelor Electrical Engineering

Master Electrical Engineering

offered by

Lappeenranta University of Technology

on February 16-17, 2011

Quality Labels Applied For

Within the scope of assessing the study programmes, Lappeenranta University of Technol-ogy applied for the award of these labels:

 ASIIN quality label for individual degree programmes

 EUR-ACE Label

Audit Team

Prof. Dr. Walter Anheier Bremen University

Prof. Dr. rer.- nat. Walter-U. Kellner University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf Prof. Dr.-Ing. Richard Schuster formerly BMW AG

Prof. Dr. Ernst Gockenbach Leibniz University Hannover

Nina Lagus Student from Aalto University in Helsinki

Table of Contents

A Preliminary Remarks ...4

B Auditors Report ...5

B-1 Formal Data ...5

B-2 Programmes Concept & Objectives ...6

B-3 Degree programme: Structures, Methods and Implementation ... 12

B-4 Exams: System, Concept and Implementation ... 13

B-5 Resources ... 13

B-6 Quality management: advancement of the degree programmes... 14

B-7 Documentation & transparency ... 16

B-8 Students’ point of view ... 16

C Additional Information ... 16

D Comment of the Higher Education Institution (May 4, 2011)... 17

E Final Assessment of the Auditors (May 30, 2011)... 20

E-1 Concerning the ASIIN Label ... 20

E-2 Concerning the EUR-ACE® Label ... 22

F Recommendation of the Technical Committee 02 – Electrical Engineering (June 17, 2011) ... 23

F-1 Comment of the Technical Committee 02 – „Electrical Engineering“ (June, 17 2011) ... 23

Concerning the EUR-ACE® Label ... 23

G Decision of the Accreditation Commission (June 28, 2011) ... 24

G-1 Concerning the ASIIN Label ... 24

A Preliminary Remarks

The on-site visit for the Bachelor´s and the Master´s Programme in Electrical Engineering took place at Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) on 16 - 17 February 2011. Prior to the talks with the representatives of LUT, the peers met to prepare their questions and to discuss the self-assessment reports. Professor Gockenbach was asked to act as facilitator of the audit team for the aforementioned degree programmes. ASIIN’s Technical Committee 02 – “Electrical Engineering” is responsible for the accreditation procedure of these pro-grammes.

The following groups of representatives of LUT took part during the on-site visit:

 Head of LUT

 Programme Managers of aforementioned degree programmes

 Lecturers of aforementioned degree programmes

 Students of aforementioned degree programmes

Additionally, the auditors inspected the infrastructure and the technical equipment required for implementing the aforementioned programmes.

The following chapters relate to the report turned in by LUT in October 2010 as well as to

B Auditors Report

Full-Time 180 CP 6 Sem.

Intake is each semester Programme started in 2005 30 per year Sähkötekniikan koulutusohjelma, diplomi-insinööri (Ma Electrical En-gineering) M.Sc.

Full-Time 120 CP 4 Sem.

Intake is each semester Programme started in 2005

30 per year

Re a) The auditors considered the names of the degree programmes as adequate to reflect

the objectives and contents of the programmes. The language of instruction is Finnish, a small number of modules are taught in English.

Re b-e) The auditors verified whether the awarded degrees comply with Finnish regulations

and found that they do.

The peers considered the classification of the Master degree programme as having a re-search-oriented profile to be justified, as students participate in research projects (e.g. during their master´s thesis), teachers are involved in research and publishing, the department co-operates with various research groups on national and international level and the major part of funding is coming from industry and research organizations.

The auditors took note of the standard period of study and the credit points. They learned that the students are allowed to exceed the standard period of study of each programme. They noted that a majority of students makes use of this opportunity in that respect that stu-dents often largely extend the standard period of study for the Bachelor’s degree pro-gramme. (detailed in chapters admission requirements, examinations).

The auditors took note of the information provided by LUT.

Study fees are not charged. Students must pay the Student Union membership fee of 103 €/per year. This fee covers, for instance, the health care of students.

B-2 Programmes Concept & Objectives

Objectives for the study programmes have been defined and outlined for each programme

and are accessible to students and other stakeholders in the student guide and in the module handbook. According to LUT the overall objective is to train Bachelor and Master graduates for the needs of industry, research institutions, businesses and public administration within the field of electrical engineering.

As overall objectives of the Bachelor´s degree Programme in Electrical Engineering the uni-versity wants the student to be able to demonstrate the essentials of science and the funda-mental laws in electrical engineering, to apply his skills in work and to follow the development in the field.

The objective of the Master’s degree programme in Electrical Engineering is that the gradu-ates should be able to work independently and scientifically, acquire information and formu-late solutions to complex problems and tasks. The student should have an ability to work as a member of team, to organise, carry out and lead projects and should have the required communication skills. He should be aware of ethical aspects of the field and its effects on society, and is capable of critically assessing the future prospects of the field.

The learning outcomes are accessible to students and other stakeholders in the student guide and in the module handbook. The major subjects for the Bachelor’s degree programme are Electrical Engineering and Electronics and Electrical Energy Engineering.

After completing the major subject studies in Electrical Engineering and Electronics, the stu-dent should be able to name and describe essential digital and analogue electronics compo-nents and design and analyse simple analogue and digital systems. Moreover, the student should be able to identify and describe the essential instructions and regulations concerning safety in electrical installations and electromagnetic compatibility. The student should also be able to describe the operation and control of typical electrical machines.

After completing the major subject studies in Electrical Energy Engineering, the student should be able to name and describe modes of operation and cost accounting methods re-lated to generation, transmission, distribution and use of energy. The student should be able to describe the operation and control of typical electrical machines. Moreover, the student should be able to identify and describe the essential instructions and regulations concerning safety in electrical installations and electromagnetic compatibility. In the elective studies sup-porting the major subject, the student may complement his studies with studies for instance in energy technology and electronics.

The major subjects for the Master’s degree programme are Electrical Drives and Machines, Embedded Systems, Applied Electronics, Electricity Market and Power System.

After completing the major subject studies, the student should master electrical drive system concepts (e.g. frequency converter, electric motor or generator and mechanical load).

Ac-cording to his specialisation, the student should be able to design for instance electrical ma-chines and main circuit solutions for different power electronics applications or to develop applications software and control algorithms for frequency converters. All students majoring in Electrical Drives and Machines should master the use of simulation tools for electrome-chanical systems and their parts. Numerical field solution techniques are another objective in the Master programme depending on the curricular choice.

According to LUT, a graduate majoring in Embedded Systems will be able to efficiently apply these tools to embedded systems and utilise for instance control engineering algorithms in the design applications. To this end, graduates should dispose of sufficient knowledge in digital electronics, embedded system programming, digital control and signal processing. After the studies in Embedded Systems, the graduates should have a wide variety of em-ployment opportunities in design, research and product development of industrial electronics and telecommunications.

Upon completion of studies in Applied Electronics, graduates should be able to demonstrate the essential knowledge and skills to carry out electronics design projects. They should be able to apply the most relevant electronics design tools and measuring equipment in product development and research work. They should be able to use basic analogue electronics components for instance in signal processing applications and apply modern analogue elec-tronics in the design of electronic devices and systems. Graduates should be enabled to ap-ply the basic electromagnetic phenomena to the design of EMI protection of equipment and systems.

Upon completion of the major studies, graduates specialising in Electricity Trading should master the concept of electricity market, where the focus is on special characteristics of elec-tricity trading, trading mechanisms, risk management and financing instruments. Graduates completing the advanced studies in Electric Power Systems should be able to design and use electricity distribution networks and utilise automation and information systems related to electricity distribution.

In general, the auditors found the overall objectives and learning outcomes of the degree programmes as LUT outlined them during the on-site-visit valid and desirable. They found out, that the descriptions in the self assessment report differ from that in the Study Guide, where the overall objectives and learning outcomes are not distinguishing properly (only in percentage terms) between the Bachelor’s and the Master’s programme. They acknowl-edged that the objectives of the Bachelor’s Degree programme are formulated in a too gen-eral manner. It is barely possible to detect the specific objectives of the Bachelor programme as well as the level of qualification. Concerning the learning outcomes of both Degree pro-grammes, the peers noticed that these only relate to the different majors students can choose during their studies. However, the learning outcomes need to be defined for each whole programmes, considering the general studies, the majors, the minors and the elective studies.

Though the distinction between overall objectives and learning outcomes of Bachelor´s and Master´s programme could be more evident, the level of the objectives and outcomes gener-ally correspond to the level of European first and second cycle programmes.

The auditors used the overall objectives and outcomes as reference for the analysis of the curricula of the programmes.

The objectives of individual modules are published in the module descriptions in the form of main learning outcomes. The module descriptions are available electronically and in paper to stakeholders. The students confirmed that they have access to the module descriptions. The auditors assessed that the learning outcomes in the course descriptions. Overall, the audit team found that the learning outcomes have been described sufficiently and transpar-ently yielding a sound basis for the assessment of the students’ and graduates’ knowledge, skills and competences.

The stated objectives and learning outcomes provided the peers with a reference for the evaluation of the programmes` curricula and resources.

LUT defines the employment opportunities as follows: Upon completion of the studies in embedded systems, a Master graduate in the major Embedded Systems should be able to work in various positions related to industrial and consumer electronics as well as design of automation and communication systems. A Master graduate specialised in industrial elec-tronics may find employment in various specialist, sales and design jobs. In addition to tradi-tional industrial electrical drives, a Master graduate specialised in electrical drives and mo-tors could be engaged with power generation (e.g. wind power), mobile work machinery and electric vehicle systems. He may also operate within the context of modern electrical drives systems aiming to improve the energy efficiency of the systems and to reduce their environ-mental strain. A Master graduate specialised in Electricity Market and Power Systems may find employment in a wide variety of jobs: potential employers are for instance electricity dis-tribution companies, energy companies, electrotechnical industry, information system suppli-ers, consulting agencies and energy-intensive industry in general.

The courses in both Degree Programmes involve laboratory and project work as well as

practical training in order to provide adequate connection to professional practice and to

prepare students to commence work in existing or foreseeable professional fields. The courses in the degree structure are also closely linked to research conducted in the depart-ment and provide a path to post graduate studies. Moreover, according to LUT a large major-ity of Bachelor’s and Master’s theses are completed in cooperation with industry in various projects either at the university or in companies, and thus provide a link to the professional field and a path to future employment in specialist tasks in these fields. Practical training can be included in both Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree during max. 20 weeks. Training is carried out in industry. In the Bachelor´s Programme the aim for the students is to become acquainted with working environments in the general field of engineering, in the Master´s Programme the training should be carried out in a field specialized in electrical engineering.

The peers gained the impression that practical training is not sufficiently included in the cur-ricula. They learned that the students’ goal is to do three months of practical work in the in-dustry per summer. Since almost every Finnish student is working in the inin-dustry during summer time at least in order to earn money, the peers think that this practical experience should be credited – as long as the working experience is outcome-oriented and underlines the objectives of the study programmes. Furthermore, in order to ensure the amount of labo-ratories, the peers would find it reasonable to make laboratory work compulsory. Altogether, the peers find it most sensible to enhance applicable skills and competencies. They therefore strongly recommend offering greater possibilities for the students to gain more practical pro-ficiencies.

In practice, however, the peers learned that the Bachelor´s degree from a university is barely accepted in the Finnish industry and that therefore almost all students continue with the Mas-ter´s programme. They also come to know that this relates to all Finnish universities and not only to the Bachelor´s and the Master´s Programme in Electrical Engineering at LUT. The peers point out that within the context of the Bologna Process and the European Higher Edu-cation Area, of which Finland is a member, it is expected that graduates of Bachelor degree programmes can apply their knowledge and understanding in a manner that indicates a pro-fessional approach to their work or vocation.

The entry requirements for the study programmes are defined in the University Regulations on Education and the Completion of Studies.

Student selection for the Bachelor’s degree programme is mainly organized by a joint univer-sities’ application system, DIA (Joint-Application for Studies of Bachelor and Master of Sci-ence in Technology). This joint application system is common to seven universities providing programmes in technology in Finland. It is coordinated by a joint application committee. The process enables an applicant to apply for five degree programmes in technology in order of preference in several universities using the same application form and entrance examina-tions. Prospective students applying for the Bachelor’s degree include applicants who have completed the Finnish matriculation examination, applicants who have completed the EB, IB (European and International Baccalaureate) or Reifeprüfung (from die Deutsche Schule, Hel-sinki) degree, applicants who will complete the EB, IB or Reifeprüfung degree either in Finland or abroad during the application year. Applicants can be selected in DIA based on their success in the Finnish matriculation examination or by their success in the matriculation examination and the entrance examinations or only their success in the entrance examina-tions. The entrance examination is based on the Finnish upper secondary school curriculum in mathematics, physics and chemistry. Prospective students must pass the entrance exami-nation to be selected even if there are fewer applicants than places available. To be selected based on success in the matriculation examination the prospective student must have at least grade C in physics or chemistry and have passed the advanced course in mathematics or he must have at least M in the advanced course in mathematics. Up to 40 % of the appli-cants accepted onto the Bachelor’s degree programme can be selected on the basis of their

success in the matriculation examination. DIA organizes also this selection. The results are told to the applicants before the entrance examinations. Students accepted on the basis of their success in the matriculation examination are not allowed to participate in the entrance examinations.

Separate admission criteria for the Master’s degree programme do not exist: all students admitted to the Bachelor’s degree programme are also allowed to continue in the Master’s degree programme (as in all universities in Finland). The master’s thesis project cannot be commenced (the topic of the thesis cannot be applied for) before completing the Bachelor’s degree. Persons, who have completed a Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Science in Technology degree in a Finnish University in the relevant field of study or in a closely related field, can apply to the Master’s degree programme. The Head of the degree programme makes the decisions regarding admission of the applicant and any possible complementary (bridging) studies required. Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in a related field from Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (Polytechnics) are not eligible to apply for this Master’s de-gree programme. For such students there exists a separate programme, which is not in-cluded in this accreditation process.

The auditors discussed the entry requirements with the representatives from LUT. They find that they are reasonable for maintaining the quality of the Bachelor´s degree programme. As to the Master´s degree programme, the peers discussed whether it is sensible that students admitted to the Bachelor´s degree are admitted directly to the Master´s degree programme. In their opinion this requirement makes it difficult for the university to ensure the requested level of the Master´s degree programme. The peers acknowledged that a high level of the Bachelor programme, and thus of its students in high semesters, has a positive effect on the level of those students that are following Master modules. However, the current system would not allow the university to prevent students with a low level of achievement in the Bachelor’s degree programme to already follow modules of the Master’s degree programme. Thus, not all students in Master level modules might have the desired competences to suc-cessfully complete them on an adequately high level. Furthermore, the current system also seems to contradict the separation between first and second cycle programmes as foreseen by the framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area because no clear distinction is made. However, the peers took note that the practice is agreed upon among all universities within Finland and that LUT may have difficulties in changing this situation. The peers also acknowledged that the fact that students can follow Master modules already during their Bachelor studies does regularly extend the standard period of study. However, the peers could not gain a comprehensive overview of the time of study for each Degree programme because the statistics only showed the median but not the Bachelor and Master related time of study.

Nevertheless, the peers suggest that exceeding the standard period of study should be the exception, not the rule. Additionally, it might be advisable that the university devises a prac-tice that Bachelor students are only preliminarily admitted to the Master’s degree programme

before having completely finished the Bachelor’s degree programme. They might be obliged to fulfil admission requirements under certain limitation like time span of achieved credit points. LUT should think of ways to guarantee the quality of Master level students to ensure that they compare with the European level.

The Curriculum of the Bachelor´s Degree Programme in Electrical Engineering contains the following classes of studies: general studies (min. 107 CP), major subject (about 35 CP), minor subject (20 CP) and elective studies (10 CP). Foreign language and communication studies are included in general studies. The Bachelor thesis including seminar (10 CP) is included in the major subject. Alternative major subjects are: “Electrical Engineering and Electronics” and “Electrical Energy Engineering”.

The programme comprises the following modules: Introduction to studies in Electrical Engi-neering, Basics of Electrical EngiEngi-neering, Electric Circuits, Electric Circuits Analysis, Labora-tory Course in Electrical Engineering, Electromagnetism, Measurement and Atomation Tech-nology Introduction, Control Systems Introduction A, Basic Electronics A, Mathematics SäEnKeA1, Mathematics SäEnKeA2, Mathematics SäEnKeB1, Mathematics SäEnKeB2, Mathematics SäEnKeB3, Statistics I, Numerical methods I, Introduction to Technical Compu-tation, Physics L, part 1, Physics L, part 2, Physics L, part 3, Physics L, part 4, Physics, Laboratory Course (SÄTE), Basics of Technical Drawing, Basic Course in Industrial Man-agement, Language studies, Teknisk svenska, Oral communication in Finnish, Practical training (2 CP9, Fundamentals of Heat Transfer, Fundamentals of Engineering Thermody-namics, Pumps, Blowers, Fans and Compressors, Basic Course in Environmental Engineer-ing, Basic Course on Environmental Management and Economics, Introduction to Mass Transfer, Process and Plant Design, Introduction Course in Paper Technology, General Chemistry, Introduction Manufacturing Technology, Basics of Engineering Design, Basic Course in Strength of Materials, Basic Course in Strength of Materials, Basics of Statics, Forestry, Modern physics, Materials Science and Engineering A.

The Master´s Degree Programme in Electrical Engineering comprises the following classes of studies: general studies (20 CP), major subject (about 30 CP), minor subject (20 CP) and elective studies (10 – 20 CP). Foreign language and communication studies are included in general studies. Master Thesis including seminar (30 CP) is included in the major subject. Alternative major subjects are “Electrical Drives and Machines”, “Industrial Embedded Sys-tems”, “Applied Electronics” and “Electricity Market and Power”.

The programme comprises the following modules: Energy Economics, Electromagnetic com-ponents, Energy Efficiency, Practical training (2 CP), Language studies, Introduction to Mechatronics, Linear Optimization, Laboratory Course in Electrical PowerEngineering, Thermal Design of an Electric Device, Statistics II, Simulation, Mathematical Modelling, Nu-merical Methods II and Statistical Analysis in Modelling.

According to the peers, the curricula of the study programmes correspond with the objectives of the programmes as far as these are described in the self evaluation report and more

pre-cisely outlined in the tables within the representation of LUT. The peers pointed out that over-lapping with regard to the content between the Bachelor’s and the Master’s programme might occur because of the admission policy of LUT (detailed in chapter entry requirements). At the same time, they noted that the studiability of the curricula is not jeopardized, because the students’ study plans are regularly evaluated and, if necessary, reconfirmed.

B-3 Degree programme: Structures, Methods and Implementation

The Bachelor’s programmes are described in terms of modules (called courses at LUT). The study programmes contain modules that are predominantly offered for these programmes; some modules are also offered in other study programmes.

The study programmes make use of a credit point system. The number of credits per mod-ule differs usually between 2 and 6 credit points. The credit points are calculated in the fol-lowing manner: one credit point equals to 26 hours of work.

The auditors discussed the credit point system in use with the LUT representatives. The members of the accreditation team judged that the presented concept generally meets the ASIIN standards for modularization. They noted that the number of modules with a relatively low number of credits is quite high which could, in consequence, mean that subject areas are not grouped in a proper manner and that the number of exams is relatively high. Therefore, they recommended checking if modules could be regrouped in order to generate reasonable study units.

The auditors also found that the students’ workload is acceptable. Though, they do not find differentiated information about the time of study in each programme, since the given figures only show the median (detailed in chapter entry requirements).

The didactical concept includes the following elements: lectures, classroom and laboratory exercises, supervised assignments (individual or team work), projects and seminars. A small part (< 5 %) of the education is realized as e-learning. Project assignments are carried out as project tasks with topics given by industry.

The auditors judge the didactic concept to be overall appropriate for the achievement of the educational goals and for the immersion of the graduates into the labour market.

The individual student support and counselling is, according to the applicant HEI, guaran-teed by all members of the teaching staff who provide educational advice during their office hours.

The audit team saw sufficient resources to guarantee support and counselling for students. The auditors gained the impression that both the staff and the students are very highly en-gaged in the curricular activities and that good relationships exist between students and staff.

B-4 Exams: System, Concept and Implementation

Examinations are usually written. But they also include laboratory activities, individual

as-signments, reports and seminars. Modules are evaluated either on a scale of grades ranging from excellent (5) to fail (0) or alternatively: pass / fail. Failed exams can be repeated three times. After that the whole module has to be retaken. Modules are offered each semester. The organisation of exams is described in the examination regulations.

To obtain the degree the students have to write a Bachelor´s and a Master´s thesis, respec-tively. During the on site visit, LUT presents a number of final theses as well as exemplary module examinations.

As a rule, the graduation project in the Bachelor’s degree programme includes a maturity test and a mandatory colloquium, normally including a presentation. During the Master’s thesis, students meet three times with their tutors and discuss the results. A final presentation is given at the third meeting.

The peers discussed the exam organization and the number of examinations with the stu-dents and with the teaching staff. They first wondered about the high number of small and written examinations, but they took note that especially the students are happy with that situation. Therefore they had the impression that the organization and number of exams are adequate. This impression was confirmed by the students. The peers analyzed some exem-plary Bachelor´s theses. They regarded the level to be sufficient. As to the Master´s theses, the peers considered the level higher compared to the Bachelor´s thesis and, in general, adequate.

The auditors found that the organization of exams is appropriate and does not affect the theoretically foreseen time of study.

B-5 Resources

At the Department of Electrical Engineering, the staff participating in teaching activities in-cludes professors, associate professors, post doctoral researchers and doctoral students. Professors and associate professors are normally in charge of the course modules and the major subjects. Overall, 6 professors, 9 associate professors, 10 post-doctoral researchers, 51 doctoral students and 76 other academic staff are responsible for both study pro-grammes.

According to the self-assessment report, the university supports its staff members in main-taining and developing their professional expertise and in career planning. The human re-source committee annually revises its measures for professional development and mainte-nance of professional expertise, which e.g. determine the focus areas of personnel training at the university. Each unit offers its staff members the possibility to take part in staff training outside the university in order to support their professional development and expertise. The university supports the professional development of its personnel by allowing them to take two lessons (2 x 45 minutes) per week for independent study if the employee’s supervisor

and head of the unit consider that the studies serve the purposes of the working community. The university regularly organises training in university pedagogy, which aims to strengthen the practical teaching competence. The teachers of the department of Electrical Engineering are free to participate in any pedagogic courses available in Finland. Professors are obliged to participate in management training organized by the University.

The peers discussed the personnel resources with the representatives of LUT in light of the qualification of the teaching staff. The auditors found the available staff resources to be suffi-cient for the successful implementation of the programmes.

The auditors noted that all of the teaching staff members have sufficient possibilities to de-velop and train their didactic and professional skills. It was positively acknowledged that the existing possibilities are widely used among the teaching staff.

The audit team was impressed about the facilities and research activities presented during the on-site-visit. It positively acknowledged that graduate students are involved in the activi-ties carried out there.

With regard to the physical and technical equipment and the resources, the self report refers to 45 lecture and seminar rooms (auditoriums and smaller rooms) at the university designated for teaching. For language teaching the university has 12 language laboratories and 7 teaching rooms. The total number of computer rooms and other student workplaces is 21.

The university library offers services and facilities for the staff and the students of the univer-sity as well as other citizens. In connection with the library there is the student helpdesk Origo which consists of work places with support of information services. The facilities are equipped with top-of-the-line technology and software for e.g. group work, online studies, electronic exams, information retrieval, assignment submission, and final theses. There are 100 individual and several group work places and two computer rooms. There is also a read-ing room that is open 24 hours a day. Students can use the computers which are in common use in the library area or in the classrooms. Printers and scanners are available for students. In the course of the on-site visit, the audit team visited the library, lecture halls and laborato-ries. The auditors judged that the technical equipment and the facilities available are appro-priate for the implementation of the program with regard to the ASIIN standards: they found the number and size of the lecture halls and seminar rooms to be sufficient for the implemen-tation of the programmes and their assignment well organized as to satisfy the requirements of the course of studies. The auditors found the technical equipment and the laboratories to be of sufficient standard for the support of teaching and studying.

B-6 Quality management: advancement of the degree programmes

The quality assurance system for the study programmes is organized through different measures. During their studies students complete several questionnaires with which they give feedback and opinions concerning their studies and the study conditions in the

univer-sity. At the beginning of their studies students are asked to fill in a questionnaire concerning the progress of their studies and tutoring. A feedback questionnaire to students and peer tutors is supposed to evaluate whether the start of university studies and initial study guid-ance have been successful. The feedback survey is carried out annually by the Student Af-fairs Office. The Student Union surveys the state of well-being of students every other year. The results of the questionnaire are communicated to the university personnel.

A study plan is used to evaluate the progress of studies of an individual student. The stu-dents prepare a study plan (HOPS) at the beginning of their studies. The individual study plans are evaluated and confirmed in accordance with faculty or department procedures. In the programme of Electrical Engineering, the Head of the degree programme approves the study plans.

Module evaluations are carried out in each module on a yearly basis. The evaluations are carried out as web-enquiries. Standard questions for all enquiries concern the appropriate-ness of teaching and the general impression of the study module. In addition, teachers are able to add their own questions to the enquiries. Module-specific evaluation results are given to the teachers responsible for the modules. The results are also delivered to the directors of the degree programmes and the Vice Rector responsible for education once in a semester. If an individual module receives a low average score (less than 2.5 on a scale 1-5, with 5 being the highest score), the Vice Rector discusses possible underlying problems with the Dean and/or the Head of the degree programme.

The auditors detected strong elements of a quality assurance system put into practice. They particularly note positively that extensive feedback loops are used and that the students are satisfied with the reactions to their suggestions. Also, they appreciated that measurements are carried out and the degree programmes are adapted as a result of surveys and evalua-tions. The auditors regarded the quality assurance concept as detailed in the self-report and during the discussions with representatives of LUT as well conceived and appropriate for assessing and ensuring the quality and improvement of the degree programmes. They also noted that LUT is regularly following up on the alumni activities. Though, they could not find any statistical data regarding the employments in the documents and therefore asked for subsequent delivery.

Overall, the audit team was impressed by the mechanisms in place to improve the curriculum in the spirit of continuous improvement. They also gained an extremely positive impression on the engagement of the teaching staff and departmental team towards enhancing the qual-ity of the degree programmes.

The audit team gained the certain impression that all stakeholders involved in the implemen-tation and the review of the programmes would undertake any effort to even further optimise the systems for data collection and use them for continuous improvement. They found this positively reflected in the open discussion culture and eagerness of the discussion partners during the visit.

B-7 Documentation & transparency

The following regulations have been provided:

 Staff Handbook

 Module Handbook

 University Regulations on Education and the Completion of Studies

 Universities Act

 Government Decree on University Degrees

 LUT Strategy 2013

 LUT Teachers Quality Manual

 LUT Quality Manual

 Student Feedback Forms

 Diploma Supplements

The peers took note of the documents made available. They found that the documents avail-able to the students and staff include all the information necessary about the admission, course and completion of the degree.

The award of a Diploma Supplement is mandated in the University Regulations on Educa-tion and the CompleEduca-tion of Studies.

The auditors find that the model Diploma Supplement submitted complies with the guide-lines. They suggest adding the English title of the achieved qualification as well as adding a final grade in the form of an ECTS grading table as proposed in the ECTS Users’ Guide in order to facilitate the international comparability of the Finish grades.

B-8 Students’ point of view

The feedback of the students contains an overall very positive view about their respective choice of higher education institution and degree programme. Further conclusions from the discussions with the students were taken into account and integrated in the respective sec-tions of this report.

C Additional Information

Before preparing their final recommendation, the auditors ask that the following missing or unclear information should be provided together with the comment of the Higher Education Institution on the previous chapters of this report:

2. Statistics on alumni activities over the whole duration

D Comment of the Higher Education Institution (May 4, 2011)

On May 4, 2011 the Technical University of Lappeenranta supplies the following statement as well as statistics on time of study and on alumni activities, information about practical training and a transcript of records.

I Comments to ASIIN accreditation report

1. A-1 Programmes Concept & Objectives (page 7)

In general, the auditors found the overall objectives and learning outcomes of the degree programmes as LUT outlined them during the on-site-visit valid and desirable. They found out, that the descriptions in the self assessment report differ from that in the Study Guide, where the overall objectives and learning outcomes are not distinguishing properly (only in percentage terms) between the Bachelor’s and the Master’s programme. They notice that the objectives of the Bachelor’s Degree programme are formulated in a too general manner. It is barely possible to detect the specific objectives of the Bachelor programme as well as the level of qualification. Concerning the learning outcomes of both Degree programmes, the peers noticed that these only relate to the different majors students can choose during their studies. However, the learning outcomes need to be defined for each whole programmes.

Clarifying the distinction between Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes according to Bologna declaration is pointed out to be one of the most important development objectives of LUT’s education processes during the year 2011. Vice-rector of education has given directions to all programmes at LUT to sharpen the distinction between Bachelor´s and Master´s pro-grammes beginning from the academic year 2011-2012.

In the curriculum work of all the departments at LUT, more effort will be put on the develop-ment and description of the Bachelor’s degree programme to strengthen its position and to better differentiate it from the Master’s degree programme.

The educational objectives and learning outcomes of the whole degree programmes will be addressed and described in more detail in the future curriculum work to provide a more com-prehensive approach to the educational content of the degree programmes in Electrical En-gineering.

2. A-1 Programmes Concept & Objectives (page 9)

The peers gained the impression that practical training is not sufficiently included in the cur-ricula. They learned that the students’ goal is to do three months of practical work in the in-dustry per summer. Since almost every Finnish student is working in the inin-dustry during

summer time at least in order to earn money, the peers think that this practical experience should be credited – as long as the working experience is outcome-oriented and underlines the objectives of the study programmes. Furthermore, in order to ensure the amount of labo-ratories, the peers would find it reasonable to make laboratory work compulsory. Altogether, the peers find it most sensible to enhance applicable skills and competencies. They therefore strongly recommend offering greater possibilities for the students to gain more practical pro-ficiencies.

The role of practical training has been considered in the curriculum work of the University. New description of practical training in the programmes in Electrical Engineering will be in-cluded in Study Guide 2011-2012 (Enclosure 1). Special attention will be paid to learning outcomes in internship.

However, it is emphasized that in addition to training outside the university, the students may already gain some practical experience within various study modules in house. Hence, the elements of practical training will be described more clearly in the Study Guide; this is cer-tainly a future development target in the curriculum development and study guide writing process.

3. A-1 Programmes Concept & Objectives (page 10)

The auditors discussed the entry requirements with the representatives from LUT. They find that they are reasonable for maintaining the quality of the Bachelor´s degree programme. As to the Master´s degree programme, the peers discussed whether it is sensible that students admitted to the Bachelor´s degree are admitted directly to the Master´s degree programme. In their opinion this requirement makes it difficult for the university to ensure the requested level of the Master´s degree programme… . Additionally, it might be advisable that the uni-versity devises a practice that Bachelor students are only preliminarily admitted to the Mas-ter’s degree programme before having completely finished the Bachelor’s degree pro-gramme.

As mentioned before, clarifying the distinction between Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes is one of the most important development objectives of LUT’s education processes during the year 2011. Sharpening and separating the Bachelor’s degree from the Master’s degree is also part of nationwide discussion inspired for instance by Evaluation of the degree reform 2005 carried out by The Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council FINHEEC (http://www.kka.fi/?l=en&s=1). Discussion has risen also in the engineering field. All Finnish universities with programmes in engineering have decided to develop and strengthen the status of the Bachelor´s degree so that in the future graduates can better apply their know-ledge and competences also in working life.

Moreover, nationwide discussion about the admission policy and procedures has been started by the Ministry of Education and Culture. LUT’s vice rector of international affairs has been appointed to the development group of the higher education admission system.

Meanwhile, the following procedure will be adopted to the programmes in Electrical Engi-neering: The progress of the studies will be evaluated more systematically from 5/2011 on-wards. The aim is to ensure that the students can complete the modules with appropriate pace. If a student has some problems with his/her studies, he/she will be supported by the personnel of the department or by the counseling personnel of the University. Special atten-tion will be paid to the first-year students. The statistics needed are produced by the Student Affairs Office.

4. B-3 Degree programme: Structures, Methods and Implementation (page 12)

The auditors discussed the credit point system in use with the LUT representatives. The members of the accreditation team judged that the presented concept generally meets the ASIIN standards for modularization. They noted that the number of modules with a relatively low number of credits is quite high which could, in consequence, mean that subject areas are not grouped in a proper manner and that the number of exams is relatively high. Therefore, they recommended checking if modules could be regrouped in order to generate reasonable

The present size and grouping of study modules are based on student feedback gathered over the years. Moreover, the sizes of study modules (number of credit points per module) have been designed to guarantee that the students are able to collect a sufficient amount of credit points over the academic year in order to be entitled to the student financial aid pro-vided by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). According to the student feedback, the students find it easier to meet this minimum credit point requirement with several smaller modules than with fewer larger ones.

5. B-7 Documentation & transparency

The auditors found that the model Diploma Supplement submitted complies with the guide-lines. Though, they notice that no exact translation of the achieved qualification is given and found that the concrete translation would simplify the international comparability of the study programmes. The peers suggest adding a final grade in the form of an ECTS grading table as proposed in the ECTS Users’ Guide in order to facilitate the international comparability of the

Diploma Supplement (DS) has been used at LUT according to the Finnish regulations given by the National Board of Education. Instead of DS, information of the grades is provided in another enclosure of the Degree certificate, “Supplement to the Degree Certificate” (Enclo-sure 2). However, DS will be developed at LUT based on the feedback of ASIIN, and a new

version will be taken into use in April 2011. From the perspective of student and graduate mobility, the suggestion to add information of the final grade with the grading table in DS, is considered important. LUT aims to get this information into DS during the next academic year.

II Additional information

Enclosure 1: Practical training

Enclosure 2: Supplement to the Degree Certificate

Enclosure 3: Statistics on time of study over the whole duration of Master´s degree

Enclosure 4a: Statistics on alumni activities - Statistics on activities one year after graduation Enclosure 4b: Statistics on alumni activities - Statistics on activities five years after gradua-tion (Career and employment survey).

III Comments concerning the accreditation procedure

We found both the discussions and the report in connection with the ASIIN accreditation very useful and helpful in developing the degree programmes at LUT and especially the pro-grammes in Electrical Engineering. We appreciate that during the process we were able to detect both strengths and weaknesses of our procedures in comparison with European stan-dards and practices.

We want to thank the peers for the intensive and professional evaluation and warm coopera-tion during the visit.

Lappeenranta, 4 May 2011 Ilkka Pöyhönen

Rector

E Final Assessment of the Auditors (May 30, 2011)

E-1 Concerning the ASIIN Label

The auditors gain an overall positive impression of the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree pro-gramme Electrical Engineering offered by the LUT.

They find that the close communication between teachers and students, the high identifica-tion with the university by the students, the team-orientaidentifica-tion and the flexibility of the

organi-zation.are particularly positive. Furthermore, a detailed quality management system seems to be active.

They see room for improvement in the clear distinction of the objectives and outcomes for a Bachelor´s and a Master´s Degree and in the employability of Bachelor students.

The peers appreciate the comments given by the LUT.

They appreciate that the distinction between Bachelor´s and Master´s programmes is con-sidered an important development measure of LUT and that in this regard a nationwide dis-cussion is going on. They also acknowledge that the objectives and learning outcomes will be published in the forthcoming study guides and propose a corresponding requirement. The described role of practical training as well as the plans to renew the module descriptions in order to make the learning outcomes students gain in an internship clear are considered to be highly valuable as well. The peers outline that the existing elements of practical training definitely should be described more clearly in the Study Guide and propose a recommenda-tion to this means.

The auditors welcome the effort of LUT to separate the first and second cycle of the grammes more clearly and to try to shorten the period of study of the Bachelor´s degree pro-gramme. In order to encourage this process, the auditors propose a recommendation to this means.

The peers appreciate the close communication with the students as well as the outlined tar-get that considers the evaluation results and students’ feedback on their workload. However, it remains important to reflect on the module’s objectives in order to guarantee that every single module represents a didactic and content-related entity. Therefore, they propose a recommendation to this means.

The peers learn that the English title of the achieved qualification is already provided by the supplement to the degree certificate. They therefore cancel the formerly formulated recom-mendation in this regard. Beyond that, the peers make no changes to the requirement and recommendations they formulated at the end of the on-site visit.

Based on the self-report and on the onsite discussions, the auditors recommend that the Bachelor´s and Master´s Programme in Electrical Engineering offered by LUT will be accred-ited with reservation under requirements for one year. Upon fulfilment of the requirements within the set time, the accreditation is extended for the full period until 30 September 2016.

Requirement:

1. The revised version of the objectives and learning outcomes has to be made public as intended by LUT so that interested stakeholder can clearly recognize the division be-tween the Bachelor’s and the Master’s Programme.

1. It is recommended that exceeding the standard period of study of the Bachelor´s pro-gramme should be the exception, not the rule. The university should device a practice that Bachelor students are only preliminarily admitted to the Master’s degree programme before having completely finished the Bachelor’s degree programme. They should be obliged to fulfil the admission requirements within a certain time span. LUT should think of ways to guarantee the quality of Master level students to ensure that they compare with the European level.

2. It is recommended to push forward the nationwide discussion about sharpening and se-parating the Bachelor’s from the Master’s degree to better align them with the Bologna process.

3. It is recommended offering greater possibilities for the students to acquire the applicable skills and competencies.

4. It is recommended to add a final grade to the diploma supplement in the form of an ECTS grading table as proposed in the ECTS Users’ Guide in order to facilitate the international comparability of the Finish grades.

E-2 Concerning the EUR-ACE® Label

The peers comment as follows on the application by LUT for the award of the EUR-ACE La-bel for the Bachelor´s and Master´s Programme in Electrical Engineering:

For the award of the EUR-ACE Labels for study programmes according to the “Framework Standards for the Accreditation of Engineering Programmes“ several outcomes have to be achieved by First Cycle and Second Cycle Programmes respectively. Programme Outcomes have been defined in the categories “Knowledge and Understanding“, “Engineering Analy-sis“, “Engineering Design”, ”Investigations”, “Engineering Practice” and “Transferable Skills”. Based on the self-report provided by LUT and after having completed the audit visit, the peers judge that the programme outcomes of the required level are achieved by the degree programmes presented.

Conclusion

The auditors esteem that the EUR-ACE Framework Standards for the Accreditation of Engi-neering Programmes for First and Second Cycle programmes respectively are fulfilled by the degree programmes offered by LUT and therefore recommend the award of the EUR-ACE labels.

F Recommendation of the Technical Committee 02

– Electrical

En-gineering (June 17, 2011)

F-1 Comment of the Technical Committee 02 – „Electrical Engineering“ (June, 17 2011)

Assessment

The Technical Committee discusses the procedures taking into account the accreditation report, curricula, objective matrices and summary.

With reference to the specific educational system for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree pro-grammes in Finland, the Technical Committee accepts the recommendation no.1. He refor-mulates recommendation no. 3 in order to describe the objective. The Technical Committee agrees with the other recommendations of the peers.

Concerning the ASIIN Label

The Technical Committee recommends to the Accreditation Commission for degree pro-grammes that the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programme Electrical Engineering offered by Lappeenranta University of Technology will be accredited with the ASIIN seal with one requirement and recommendations until September 30, 2012. Upon fulfillment of the re-quirement, the degree programmes will be accredited until September 30, 2016.

Concerning the EUR-ACE® Label

The Technical Committee recommends awarding the EUR-ACE label to the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programme Electrical Engineering offered by Lappeenranta University of Technology.

Requirement:

1. The revised version of the objectives and learning outcomes has to be made public as intended by LUT so that interested stakeholders can clearly recognize the division between the Bachelor’s and the Master’s Programme.

Recommendations:

1. It is recommended that exceeding the standard period of study of the Bachelor´s pro-gramme should be the exception, not the rule. The university should device a practice that Bachelor students are only preliminarily admitted to the Master’s degree programme before having completely finished the Bachelor’s degree programme. They should be obliged to fulfil the admission requirements within a certain time span. LUT should think

of ways to guarantee the quality of Master level students to ensure that they compare with the European level.

2. It is recommended to push forward the nationwide discussion about sharpening and se-parating the Bachelor’s from the Master’s degree to better align them with the Bologna process.

3. It is recommended to offer better possibilities to the students to acquire the skills of appli-cation and such competencies.

4. It is recommended to add a final grade to the diploma supplement in the form of an ECTS grading table as proposed in the ECTS Users’ Guide in order to facilitate the international comparability of the Finish grades.

G Decision of the Accreditation Commission (June 28, 2011)

Comment:

The Accreditation Commission for Degree Programmes discusses the procedure. They note that discussions are already taking place in Finland on how to better align their system to the Bologna system with regard to the more clear separation of First and Second Cycle pro-grammes.

Concerning the requirement no. 1, the Accreditation Commission for Degree Programmes decides to align this topic with the other accreditation procedures at Lappeenranta University of Technology. Furthermore, the Accreditation Commission for Degree Programmes agrees with the recommendations of the Technical Committee.

G-1 Concerning the ASIIN Label

The Accreditation Commission for degree programmes decides that the Bachelor’s and Mas-ter’s degree programmes Electrical Engineering offered by Lappeenranta University of Tech-nology will be accredited with the ASIIN seal with recommendations until September 30, 2016.

G-2 Concerning the EUR-ACE® Label

The Accreditation Commission for degree programmes decides awarding the EUR-ACE label to the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programme Electrical Engineering offered by Lappeenranta University of Technology.

Recommendations:

1. The revised version of the objectives and learning outcomes should be made public as intended by LUT so that interested stakeholders can clearly recognize the division be-tween the Bachelor’s and the Master’s Programme.

2. It is recommended that exceeding the standard period of study of the Bachelor´s pro-gramme should be the exception, not the rule. The university should device a practice that Bachelor students are only preliminarily admitted to the Master’s degree programme before having completely finished the Bachelor’s degree programme. They should be obliged to fulfil the admission requirements within a certain time span. LUT should think of ways to guarantee the

3. It is recommended to offer better possibilities to the students to acquire the skills of ap-plication and such competencies.

4. It is recommended to add a final grade to the diploma supplement in the form of an ECTS grading table as proposed in the ECTS Users’ Guide in order to facilitate the in-ternational comparability of the Finish grades.