European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) is a student oriented credit system based on the workload of the student for a specific course. It is a value which represents all the studies (theoretical courses, applications, seminars, independent studies, examinations, assignments, etc.) that a student needs to complete in order to achieve the defined learning outcomes.
At İzmir University of Economics, each course has both local and ECTS credits. The local credit hours of an undergraduate course are composed of all the weekly hours in theoretical courses, plus half the weekly hours in practical, studio, laboratory, and workshop sessions. The courses, which are not included in the Grade Point Average (GPA) as determined by the University Board, are not given any credit hours. Only the weekly theoretical and practical hours of such courses are to be specified.
For the initial ECTS credit allocation, the instructors have envisioned the students’ average workload in order to be successful. The workload of each course has been checked with students by evaluation questionnaires at the end of each semester.
Following the description of the learning outcomes and competencies for a specific course, ECTS credits are determined according to the exact workload of the student that s/he needs to acquire in order to succeed in the course, in other words, to gain the predefined learning outcomes. At IUE, the minimum ECTS credits for a successful completion of a program per semester (16 weeks including the examination period) is 30 ECTS which is associated with 750-900 hours workload per semester including all the activities of the students (lectures, assignments, projects, midterms, finals etc.)
The calculation of Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is made according to the local credit and grade of the students. However, both local credits and ECTS credits along with the grades are displayed on the students’ official transcript.
