Page 9 - Tallinn University Study Regulations 2015 ENG

§ 11. Academic calendar
Chapter 4
STUDY ORGANIZATION
(1) The significant dates in the cycle of the study year and deadlines related to study organization are fixed in the academic calendar. The Senate approves the calendar for the next academic year latest by the end of the month of March.
(2) The study year consists of 40 study weeks that are divided into autumn semester and spring semester, each consisting of 20 study weeks. The semester begins with a preliminary week, followed by 14 contact learning weeks and three weeks of examination session. The 14 contact learning weeks are divided into two 7-week periods. There is an intermediate week between the periods and one week at the end of the spring semester´s contact learning period during which exams and assessments, as well as intensive courses of subject-specific courses and speciality-specific seminars can be organized.
§ 12. Forms of study and forms of conducting study
(1) Regular learning is a form of study targeted at students for whom studying is the main activity and where contact learning takes place regularly every week.
(2) Cyclical learning (including distance learning) is a form of study where contact learning takes place in study sessions in accordance with the specificity of the study programme and target group, and where more emphasis is placed on independent work in the achievement of learning outcomes in comparison to daytime students.
(3) Regular learning and cyclical learning take place in the form of contact learning, professional placement and independent work.
(4) Contact learning may be in the form of lectures, seminars, e-courses or practical courses, where both the students and teacher participate simultaneously. As a rule, a lecture is aimed at obtaining theoretical knowledge while a seminar and practical course are aimed at applying the theoretical knowledge obtained in a lecture and/or developing practical skills in a practical environment.
(5) Professional placement is applied work that takes place in a working environment in a form determined by the university and under the guidance of a supervisor. The aim of professional placement is to put into practice the acquired knowledge and skills. Academic units establish the content and organization of professional placement in their guidelines for professional placement.
(6) Independent work of a student, outside of contact learning, includes independent acquisition and application of knowledge, problem solving, preparation of presentations, specialized reading, compilation of written work (report, essay, research paper, etc.) and other similar activities. The requirements for the content and format of independent work and the form of assessment are established in the course programme.
§ 13. Study planning
(1) An academic unit organizes study in such a way that every student is able to complete his/her university study during the nominal period of study as stipulated in the programme. Studies are planned in such a way that the workload during the period of study is distributed evenly and students are able to take all compulsory courses during the official length of the study period in the form of contact learning. The academic unit must compile a nominal division for each study programme version and make this available to students. (2) A timetable is the basic document in regard to the organization of studies. The curator