Perspective evaluation of the Programme

7. Evaluation of the Programme

7.1. Programme goals and objectives

The goal of the Programme is to realise a professional bachelor programme offering theoretical knowledge and practical skills to ensure acquisition of a relevant knowledge base and professional competence corresponding to the respective Professional Standard (Head of logistics structural unit – PS 0290) and the 2nd-level professional tertiary education in the specialisation of business logistics. Completion of the Programme leads to the attainment of the qualification “Head of logistics structural unit”.

The Programme comprises lectures, practical classes, practical placement and study of relevant literature leading to acquisition of general education courses, and basic specific branch-focused and theoretical courses, IT technology, professional branch specialisation courses, as well as relevant humanities. Completion of these courses will allow:

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  To gain understanding of the goals of economic activity of an enterprise or an organisation and relate these goals with the goals and objectives of the corresponding logistics structural unit;
  
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  To practically apply the knowledge gained in the decision-making theory and collecting and analysing the data on the operation of the system;
  
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  To gain understanding of general principles and regularities of international trade and international economic relations;
  
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  To select appropriate information software for processing relevant data and for implementing decision-making techniques;
  
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  To organise tenders on the supply of raw materials and goods;
  
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  To group raw materials and goods supplied by their relevance in stock;
  
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  To apply theoretical models for establishing the volumes and frequency of regular purchases of raw materials and goods in practical operation of enterprise or organisation;
  
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  To assess the required guarantee stock level for raw materials and goods to be purchased;
  
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  To assess discount terms with regard to raw materials and goods to be purchased;
  
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  To develop general strategy of distribution of products to be supplied to buyers;
  
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  To establish rational location and optimum number of warehouses within the operating distribution system;
  
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  To manage the use of company’s or organisation’s own transportation fleet for transporting goods;
  
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  To organise tenders for external carriers for transporting company’s or organisation’s goods;
  
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  To control operation of freight carriers using different modes of transport;
  
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  To organise international intermodal transportation of goods, choosing routes, mode of transportation and carriers;
  
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  To organise tenders for freight forwarders and transportation agents to be used for international conveyances;
  
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  To conclude agreements with carriers, forwarders and agents on international freight transportation;
  
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  To assess costs of international freight transportation, required timeframes and storage of goods;
  
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  To practically apply theoretical knowledge in resolving problems and decision-making.
  

The system of studies at Riga Technical University has been developed pursuant to the LR law “On education”, the law “On higher educational establishments”, and the law “On professional education”, so that it could maximally ensure the attainment of the goals set forth by the particular study programme and facilitate fulfilment of its objectives. The system of studies at RTU is also governed by internal regulatory documents specifying relations between students and the University, as well as the procedures and processes of organisation and realisation of studies.

Most relevant documents specifying the relations between students and the University are enrolment documents and individual agreements stating the requirements for obtaining education, as well as regulations on internal working procedures.

Most relevant documents and governing bodies regulating, administering and determining the course, procedures and organisation of studies are:

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  RTU Charter;
  
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  RTU Administration and RTU Senate;
  
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  Administration of the Faculty and the Faculty Council;
  
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  Programme Administration;
  
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  Students Self-Government;
  
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  Study programme;
  
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  Course programmes.
  

Students are offered a possibility to acquire additional knowledge, to change the mode of studies and the study programme, including the right of the transfer of the grades acquired in other study programmes of tertiary education, as well as to temporarily (but not longer than for 2 years) suspend studies, retaining relations with RTU.

Normative documents regulating the activities of the University are available with the Programme Administration and may also be found in the RTU web page in the Internet.
The programme “Business logistics” valued at 160 credit points is implemented as:

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  4-year (full-time), or
  
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  5-year (part-time) 2^nd-level professional tertiary education programme.
  

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  International Business and Customs Institute (SESMI),
  
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  Chair of International Economic Relations and Transport Economics and Logistics,
  
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  Institute of Production and Entrepreneurship,
  
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  Institute of National and Regional Economics,
  
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  Institute of Occupational Safety and Civil Defence,
  
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  Humanities Institute,
  
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  Chair of Engineering Mathematics,
  
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  SESMI Language Instruction Group.
  

The institutes, and the chairs and professors’ groups within these institutes ensure the required teaching and methodological work: they develop and update course programmes, ensure delivery of relevant courses, supervision and defence of diploma projects, as well as development of study and methodological materials.

The Programme is supported by appropriate technical and maintenance personnel.
During acquisition of each course students must pass tests specified in the programme of the particular subject – current progress tests and/or independent assignments. The completion of acquisition of a subject is assessed by a test or examination.

Examination may be taken only by students having fulfilled all programme requirements (they have passed all the tests and fulfilled independent academic assignments etc.). Otherwise, students are not allowed to take examinations. Assessment grades are recorded in each student’s individual academic record book and in the examination sheet of the particular subject.

The final test, if it is not passed within the time specified in the timetable or examination schedule, is regarded as academic debt. The requirements and procedures for settling academic debts are fixed by corresponding RTU Senate resolutions.

Students may take final examinations, provided they have passed all final tests/examinations required by the Programme for each academic course.

The student has to choose the theme of the diploma project, which is further evaluated at the meeting of the respective chair or professor’s group and is then approved by the FEE Dean’s order. The diploma project has to be student’s independent work elaborated in the final semester under supervisor’s guidance.

The studies take place both in lecture-rooms and locations of practical placement. Theoretical and practical classes are held in lecture-rooms, consolidation of theoretical knowledge and acquisition of practical skills takes place at practical placement sites.

Considerable improvements have been made with regard to provision and updating of the process of studies. Lecture-rooms are fully renovated and equipped with new furniture and required equipment (screens, overhead projectors). Students have access to computer rooms, copying machines, periodical publications and course literature; there is also access to the Internet.

Students of the professional tertiary education programme “Business logistics” acquire skills that are relevant for doing research, working with literary and Internet sources required for successful elaboration of academic assignments and diploma projects.

The system of assessment of the achievement of Programme goals and objectives is reflected in Table 2.

Assessment of students’ academic performance is based on the requirements of the standard of the 2^nd-level professional tertiary education (LR MC Regulations No.481 of 20 November 2001 (Clause 29 – 32)).

Students’ performance results are discussed at the meetings of the Chair of International Economic Relations, Transport Economics and Logistics; they are collected and evaluated by the Programme Administration to be used as the basis for further upgrading of the study process.
The basic principles of evaluation of the performance progress in the Programme are:

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  The principle of aggregation of positive achievements;
  
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  The principle of compulsory examination;
  
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  The principle of openness and transparency of assessment criteria;
  
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  The principle of diversity of forms of assessment;
  
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  The principle of accessibility of examination.
  

Basic methods of assessment of the level of acquisition of the Programme are examinations and tests to be passed at the end of each study course, the type of assessment being specified in each particular course programme.

Examinations are accepted by the academic staff conducting the specific course or by the academic staff appointed by the head of the respective academic unit.

Tests are assessed as “passed” or “not passed” and are accepted by the academic staff conducting the course.

Besides the final assessment, upon completion of the course there are also current progress tests – current tests, assessment of presentations at seminars, independent academic work assignments etc. Current progress tests are specified in particular course programmes.
Practical placement is assessed as “passed” or “not passed”.

Practical placement is evaluated by the placement supervisor and the Placement Defence Committee when hearing the defence of the placement report, as well as by taking into account the references of the companies hosting placement.

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  conditions, requirements and the list of questions for final assessment of the courses are available with the Programme Administration and academic staff conducting the respective course;
  
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  conditions, requirements and questions included in the assessment are elucidated during the first class of the respective academic course.
  

The programme is to be completed with the state examination; part of this examination is the elaboration and defence of the diploma project being assessed according to the 10-grade scale. The evaluation criteria for assessing the defence of the diploma project are:

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  systematisation, consolidation and expansion of theoretical knowledge and practical experience;
  
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  independence of working with literary and other sources of reference, incl. also sources in foreign languages;
  
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  skills to formulate theoretical approaches and resolve the problems being investigated, which include writing specific executive summaries, making complex generalisations and coming up with novelty elements;
  
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  analysis of a topical business problem;
  
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  elaboration of feasible practical solutions;
  
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  development and consolidation of skills to independently tackle a business-related research and to defend the results.
  

The diploma of the 2^nd-level professional tertiary education is awarded to a student, who has acquired the programme and has passed the state examination with a successful assessment grade (the lowest successful grade being 4 (almost satisfactory)).

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  1^st year – 20 full-time students having secondary education;
  
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  2^nd year – 0;
  
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  3^rd year – 8 full-time students having 1st-level professional tertiary education;
  
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  4^th year – 7 full-time students having 1st-level professional tertiary education.
  

The graduates of the programme will be the students that have acquired the courses of the programme in the specialisation “Business logistics and transport economics” within the bachelor programme “Entrepreneurship and management”.

So far, specialists in business logistics were trained in the specialisation of “Business logistics and transport economics” within the programme “Entrepreneurship and management” by completing a 2-year programme after college and a 4-year economist’s programme. In the period from 2001 to 2005 this specialisation programme had 120 graduates.

7.5.4. Students’ questionnaires and analysis
A students’ poll was conducted in 2005. The questionnaire form is attached as Appendix 6. The results of the questionnaires are currently being generalised and will be used for evaluating the quality of the programme. Students and the FEE Students’ Self-Government are actively participating in the analysis of the questionnaires and results.
7.5.5. Graduate questionnaires and analysis
No questionnaires have been conducted as yet, since the Programme has not had graduates. In the future it is planned to use graduate questionnaires as practiced by the Faculty of Engineering Economics. A sample of the questionnaire form is attached in Appendix 9.

7.5.6. Participation of students in the improvement of the study process

Students may participate in perfecting the study process directly – by expressing their wishes and expectations to the academic staff delivering the course, the heads of the chairs and professors groups, Programme Director, or through the Students Self-Government, whose representatives take part in Faculty Council meetings.

Students’ questionnaires are especially important; they are conducted regularly and objectively reflect students’ about the particular course and organisation of studies.