The way the studies are arranged at university depends on what subjects you study. In some courses within you will have a large number of scheduled hours, while in others you will study more independently.
Forms of study
The forms of study are many and varied. You may have everything from lectures in large groups to individual tuition. Listed below are some examples of the most common forms of study at Chalmers.
Lessons
The lesson is similar to the lecture but it is normally conducted in smaller groups and provides a greater opportunity for discussion and consideration of the required reading in detail with the lecturer.
Laboratory sessions
Students who are going to study subjects in natural sciences and technology will certainly encounter laboratory sessions as a form of teaching. In the laboratory session students carry out practical experiments, in groups or individually, on the basis of what has been taught in lectures or lessons. The laboratory sessions are often reported in writing and, as a general rule, they are compulsory.
Seminars
Seminars are a form of teaching where students and a teacher get together in a group to carry out a discussion on a certain topic or book. This form of learning is based to a great extent on the active participation of those present. At undergraduate level this is a common form for reporting on project work and essays of different kinds.
Lectures
The classical form of teaching at colleges and universities is the
lecture. Lectures are often given before a large group of students, and
during the lecture the teacher highlights important aspects of the required reading.
Group project
Group projects are a form of work which is becoming more common. In a group project a group of students works independently on a task or to solve a problem. Group projects are often examined by reports in writing and/or oral presentations.
Supervision
When you work in projects you are often provided with supervision from a professor or a lecturer. A supervisor will support you and guide you through problems that may occur in your projects. Supervision is usually conducted individually or in small groups. It might be a matter of preparing for an oral presentation, planning or designing the thesis.
Examinations
After each course or part of a course on a programme your knowledge is tested. The most common form of knowledge testing is the written examination, but other forms of examination, such as the oral examination, project work, laboratory session or essay writing, are also used.
It is the examiner on the course who is responsible for ensuring that you, the student, receive information about the examinations on the course (form, timing, aids and so on). The examiner has the ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the examination and decisions about grades.
For the examination results, on most courses Chalmers uses the grading scale Fail, 3, 4 and 5. On some courses you can only be awarded fail or pass. If you fail the course, you must either take a re-sit examination, or you must make up the credits in some other way in order to pass.
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