Faculty of Computer Science Tips for a good start Faculty of Computer Science 29th September 2008 Faculty Administration Federica Cumer, Assistant for Teaching Affairs (fcumer@unibz.it)
Ester Solderer, Assistant for Teaching Affairs (esolderer@unibz.it)
Faculty of Computer Science Tips for a good start Faculty of Computer Science 29th September 2008 Faculty Administration Federica Cumer, Assistant for Teaching Affairs (fcumer@unibz.it)
Ester Solderer, Assistant for Teaching Affairs (esolderer@unibz.it)
Faculty Administration of Computer Science
Faculty of Computer Science, Free University of Bozen – Bolzano
Via Sernesi, 1 – Block C 5th floor - 39100 Bolzano, Italy
phone +39 (0471) 016-005 / fax +39 (0471) 016-009
URL: www.inf.unibz.it, e-mail: computer.science@unibz.it
People:
Ing. Roberta Lena, Head of the Faculty Administration, rlena@unibz.it
Federica Cumer, Teaching Affairs, Master of Science, fcumer@unibz.it
Ester Solderer, Teaching Affairs, Bachelor of Science, esolderer@unibz.it
Isolde Veith, Teaching Affairs, Exam Session, iveith@unibz.it
Courses WebFaculty of Computer ScienceStudents AreaCourses
Full list of all courses
By clicking on the Course Name you get to the Course Presentation Form, which contains:
Lecturer, Teaching Assistant, Office Hours…
Credit Points (CP), Semester, Lecture Hours…
Prerequisites, Objectives, Syllabus, Reading List…
Teaching Format, Assessment, Learning Outcome
By clicking on “Link” in the Course Presentation Form you get to the Course Page maintained by the lecturer, which contains:
Detailed information on the course
Course materials (slides, notes, exercises, resources…)
Exams and Midterms (date, papers, solutions, marks…) Faculty of Computer Science Faculty Administration 29th September 2008
The full list of all courses (Bachelor and Master, compulsory and optional) is available on line:
Faculty of Computer ScienceStudents Area Courses
From here, by clicking on eachCourse Name, you will open the Course Presentation Form (CPF); the CPF gives all general information on a course:
name of lecturer and teaching assistant(s)
office hours
credit points (CP) assigned to the course
semester and time span in which the course takes place
lecture hours and exercise hours
prerequisites and objectives of the course
syllabus (topics covered by the course)
reading list (text books, papers…)
teaching format (lectures, labs, seminars…)
assessment (midterms, oral or written exam, projects…)
learning outcome
link to the Course Page
From the CPF, by clicking onCourse Page - Link, you will open the Course Page:
This page is maintained by the lecturer, and it contains detailed information on the course, including important communications of the lecturer, course materials (slides, notes, exercises, resources…), exams and midterms (date, papers, solutions, marks…).
Lectures - Where and When All lectures are held in the Main University Building, in Via Sernesi 1
WebFaculty of Computer ScienceStudents Area Timetable
Different views of Timetables:
Summaries: the typical weekly schedule Useful at the beginning of the semester to get an overview
Day by day view: updated in real time, info on lecture rooms Useful during the year to check changes and variations
Exam Session: timetable of exams only
The timetable of compulsory courses never overlaps
You can attend all courses foreseen in the study plan Faculty of Computer Science Faculty Administration 29th September 2008
Due to ongoing renovation works, the seats of the Faculty of Computer Science are now relocated in different buildings:
Faculty Administration: Main University Building, in Via Sernesi 1, Block C, 5th floor
CASE & KRDB Research Groups: Palais Trapp, Via della Mostra 4
DIS Research Group: Main University Building, in Via Sernesi 1, Block A, 4th and 5th floor
All lectures take place in the Main University Building, in Via Sernesi 1.
The Timetable is available on line:
Faculty of Computer ScienceStudents AreaTimetable
On the Timetable Page, you can select 2 different views:
“Summaries”: this are the typical weekly schedules for each year of course, giving a general overview of lectures; this view is especially useful at the beginning of the semester, in order to organize your day
“Day by day view”: this timetable is automatically generated from the RIS (Resource Information System), and is updated in real time; it gives information on lecture rooms (Es. LR E221 = Lecture Room Block E, 2nd floor, no. 21), schedule and last minute variations. This view is useful during the whole year to keep up with ongoing changes, and you should check it at least once a week.
In addition, you will find the “Exam Session” timetable: it gives information on exams only.
The timetable of compulsory courses never overlaps: this allows you to attend all courses foreseen in your study plan.
Attendance to lectures is not mandatory: this allows working students to choose which lectures to ...
Exams How many times can I try an exam?
3 exam session per year for each course
Try the exam only when you feel prepared
How does the exam work?
Oral only, written only, or oral and written
You might have to present a project or a portfolio
See Course Presentation Form (“Assessment”)
How is the exam graded?
Marks are calculated in 30/30: the pass mark is 18/30, the highest mark is 30/30 cum laude
Remember to enroll! WebUnibzIntranetServices for Students Student PortalEnrolment to exams
You have to enroll on-line
Enrollment closes 3 day before the exam
If you forget to enroll, no exam! Faculty of Computer Science Faculty Administration 29th September 2008
The Academic Year is divided in two semesters: 1st (October-January) and 2nd (February-June).
There is an exam session at the end of each semester; the final week of the semesters is free from lectures, in order to allow students to prepare their exams.
In addition, there is another exam session in September.
This means that each course has 3 regular exam sessions per year: February, June and September for the 1st semester courses, and June, September and February for the 2nd semester courses.
You can try the exam in all 3 sessions, but the best strategy is to try only when you feel prepared, as positive marks are automatically registered and you cannot refuse a low mark.
After the 3 regular exam sessions, you will have to study the content foreseen by the course of the new Academic Year (there might be changes in the syllabus, in the assessment or in the lecturer).
Exams can be oral only, written only, or oral and written. For some courses, you might have to present a project or a portfolio. 8 CP courses can foresee a midterm (a partial exam taking place after the first part of the course). All this information can be found in the CPF, under “Assessment”.
Before the exam session, you have to enroll to each exam you want to take. The enrollment happens on line:
University HomepageServices for StudentsStudent Portal Enrollment to Exams
Enrollment closes 3 days before the exam (4 days, if the exam is on Monday).
Don’t forget to enroll: if you forget, you cannot tak...
Credit Points (CP) Credit Point System:
system based on the student workload required to achieve the objectives of a programme
the Bachelor programme foresees 180 CP over 3 years
the Master programme foresees 120 CP over 2 years
Credit Points at the Free University of Bolzano (FUB):
1 FUB CP = 1 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System): credits are easy to recognize all over the world
1 FUB CP = 25 hours of workload in total (including lectures, exercises, study time and exam)
25 hours = 9 hours of classroom attendance (typically: 6 hours of lecture and 3 hours of exercises) + ~ 16 hours of independent work Faculty of Computer Science Faculty Administration 29th September 2008
The Credit Point System is a systematic way of describing an educational programme by attaching credits to its components: each course or activity has a specific number of Credit Points (CP) attached to it.
At the Free University of Bolzano (FUB) the Credit Point System is based on the student workload required to achieve the objectives of a programme. These objectives are specified in terms of learning outcomes and competences acquired by the student.
The Credit Point System also takes into account the contact hours (= classroom attendance) foreseen for a course.
1 FUB Credit Point = 25 hours of student workload (including lectures, exercises, study time and exam). These 25 hours are usually divided in 9 hours of classroom attendance (typically: 6 hours of lecture and 3 hours of exercises) and about 16 hours of independent work of the student (study, project development…)
By giving the exam, in addition to the mark (quality measure), the student also gains the CPs attached to the course (quantity measure).
The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) is a unified European Credit Points System, designed to harmonize the different national systems. ECTS makes study programmes easy to read and compare for all students, local and foreign; it facilitates mobility and academic recognition, and helps to increase student exchanges in Europe and beyond.
1 FUB CP = 1 ECTS
Meeting your Teaching Staff Meeting your Teaching Staff is easy: use this opportunity!
Talking to Professors and Teaching Assistants is always useful, and can ultimately lead to many interesting projects and opportunities.
Faculty Staff are Professors, Researchers and PhD Students that work full time at the Faculty.
Contract Staff are Professors and Teaching Assistants that teach courses for the Faculty, but do not work there full time.
Office Hours: WebFaculty of Computer ScienceStudents Area CoursesCourse Presentation Form Office Hours Faculty of Computer Science Faculty Administration 29th September 2008
Compared to other bigger universities, ours has a great advantage: meeting your Teaching Staff is very easy.
Don’t be afraid to contact your professors and your teaching assistants: talking to them is always useful, helps a better understanding of the topics of the course, discloses new opportunities and in the long term can lead to your involvement in interesting projects.
Every professor and every teaching assistant offers Office Hours that are open to all students. You can find them on line:
Faculty of Computer ScienceStudents AreaCoursesCourse Presentation FormOffice Hours
You should always contact professors via e-mail to let them know you will come to their Office Hours.
Faculty Staff:
There is a high number of Professors, Researchers and PhD Students (= students attending a Research Doctorate programme) that belong to the Faculty and work there full time: they can be found in their offices during the whole Academic Year, except when they are away for conferences or exchange programmes (or vacation!).
Contract Staff:
Contract professors and contract teaching assistants teach courses for the Faculty, but do not work there full time: they are at the Faculty only during the time span of their courses and in most cases before and after each exam session. During the rest of the year they can be contacted via e-mail.
You can find the list of the Faculty Staff on line:
Faculty of Computer ScienceAbout usStaff
Other Hints Computer Labs and Software:
Course software is already installed in our Computer Labs
Free software for your laptops is available at the IT Centre of the Faculty: Web Faculty of Computer ScienceStudents Area Faculty IT Centre
In case of problems with the Lab PCs, open an on-line ticket for the I&CT technicians: WebUnibzIntranetHelpDesk Web Portal
Work with other students
Collaboration between students is strongly encouraged: you will do many projects, and teamwork is important
FAQ: WebFaculty of Computer ScienceStudents AreaFAQ
The famous Frequently Asked Questions
Student Exchanges, Internships, Thesis - Think ahead!
Start the preparation well in advance: there are regulations to follow, and deadlines to respect Faculty of Computer Science Faculty Administration 29th September 2008
Students of the Faculty have access to 3 Computer Labs: CR E331, E431 and E531. All software needed for lectures is already installed on the Lab PCs.
The Faculty IT Centre also provides free software for students: Microsoft software with Academic License (all except Office), Linux distributions (Mandriva, Debian, Ubuntu /Kubuntu…), etc.
More detailed information can be found on line:
Faculty of Computer ScienceStudents Area Faculty IT Centre
In case of problems with the PCs of the Computer Lab PCs, please inform the I&CT technicians as soon as possible by opening an on-line ticket: WebUnibzIntranetHelpDesk Web Portal
In your university life thinking ahead will be very important, for example:
When choosing a student exchange, talk with the International Relations Office, with the Faculty professors and with other students who have already been abroad, and do all the paperwork well in advance.
Before starting an internship, take your time to choose a suitable host and the right University Tutor, and do all the paperwork well in advance.
In your last year, start looking for a suitable thesis project well in advance: check out the different projects offered by the Faculty Staff, talk to professors, and start doing the paperwork in time!
Student Representative at the Faculty Council:
Andrea Girardello, e-mail: agirardello@stud-inf.unibz.it
Student Representative at the Master Degree:
None elected in 2008
Student Representative at the Bachelor Degree:
Gianluca Campanella, e-mail: gcampanella@stud-inf.unibz.it
Ingo Larch, e-mail: ilarch@stud-inf.unibz.it
Tutor Students available till December 2008:
Valentin Tincas, vtincas@stud-inf.unibz.it
Sarunas Marciuska, smarciuska@stud-inf.unibz.it
If you want to know your rights and duties, read the regulations:
WebFaculty of Computer ScienceBachelor in Applied Computer ScienceRegulations
WebFaculty of Computer ScienceMaster in Computer ScienceRegulations Student Representatives & Tutor Students
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