Regulations regarding the State Standard for First Level Professional Higher Education

Issued pursuant to Section 14, Clause 19 of the Education Law
and ction 23, Paragraph two of the Vocational Education Law

I. General Provision

1. These Regulations prescribe the State standard for first level professional higher education.

II. Strategic Objectives of First Level Professional Higher Educational Programmes

2. First level professional higher educational programmes (hereinafter - programmes) shall be implemented in an institution of higher education or in a college. The strategic objectives of a programme are as follows:

2.1. to prepare a student for work in a specific profession, promoting the improvement of him or her as a mentally and physically developed, free, responsible and creative personality;

2.2. to promote the acquisition of knowledge and skills (also skills for independent learning), that ensures the obtaining of the fourth level professional qualification and promotes competitiveness in changeable socio-economic conditions; and

2.3. to create motivation for continuing education and provide an opportunity to prepare for obtaining the second level professional higher education and the fifth level professional qualification.

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3. According to the strategic objectives the specific objectives and tasks of a programme shall be specified within it.

III. Mandatory Content of First Level Professional Higher Education

4. The mandatory content of first level professional higher education shall be included in the following primary components of a programme:

4.1. educational courses (for example, lectures, seminars, laboratory work and practical work, consultations, independent work);

4.2. in-service training outside the educational establishment (hereinafter - training); and,

4.3. a qualification paper.

5. The mandatory content of first level professional higher education courses shall be structured by:

5.1. general education training courses:

5.1.1. human sciences;

5.1.2. social sciences; and

5.1.3. natural sciences, technical sciences and information technology; and

5.2. sector training courses:

5.2.1. mandatory educational courses;

5.2.2. optional educational courses; and,

5.2.3. specific vocational educational courses.

5.¹ The mandatory content of first level professional higher education training course shall include a module for the establishment of vocational competence in entrepreneurial activities (the organisation and founding of an undertaking, management methods, project development and managing principles, record-keeping and financial audit system, knowledge regarding the formation of social dialogue in the community and regulatory enactments regulating employment legal relationships). The module shall be implemented predominantly by competence training, business games and similar methods of practical presentation. The module shall be included in all programmes in an amount of not less than six credit points.

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6. The scope of the programme and training course shall be expressed in credit points. A credit point shall be a unit of calculation that corresponds to 40 working hours of a student.

7. The scope of the programme shall be from 80 to 120 credit points. The minimum scope of primary components of the programme and training course (number of credit points) shall be as follows:

7.1. training courses - total amount - not less than 56 credit points but not exceeding 75% of the total amount of the programme;

7.1.1. general education training courses - not less than 20 credit points; and

7.1.2. sector training courses - not less than 36 credit points;

7.2. training - not less than 16 credit points;

7.3. qualification paper - not less than 8 credit points but not exceeding 10% of the total amount of the programme; and,

7.4. during the studying process not less than 30% of the amount of a course of studies shall be implemented practically. Independent work tasks and the types of the implementation control thereof shall be determined in the description of the training course of the programme.

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8. Selection of training courses in a programme, the content of the training courses and training according to the primary requirements and specific requirements in the professional qualification to be acquired, that are necessary for the performance of duties and main work tasks in the relevant profession, shall be determined by the relevant profession standards.

8.¹ Training shall be implemented in accordance with a training agreement that the institution of higher education or college shall enter into with an employer regarding the ensuring of a training location. The training agreement shall include the training objectives, tasks, planning of the procedures of the training, procedures for the evaluation of achievements of the training, as well as the obligations and responsibilities of the parties. In determining the training objectives and tasks, the content of the training shall also include the familiarisation of the student with the management structure and principles of operation of the relevant training organisation. Representatives of such organisations with which an agreement has been entered into regarding the implementation of training shall participate in determining the training objectives and tasks, as well as in evaluating the training. The part of training specified by an institution of higher education or college may be implemented in the initial stages of studying, in order to develop and establish the idea of the student regarding the profession to be acquired.

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IV. Fundamental Principles and Procedures for the Evaluation of First Level Professional Higher Education

9. The fundamental principles of evaluation of first level professional higher education shall be as follows:

9.1. the principle of summing up positive achievements - the acquired education shall be evaluated, by summing up positive achievements;

9.2. the principle of mandatory evaluation - it shall be necessary to acquire a positive evaluation for the acquisition of the mandatory content included in the primary components of programmes;

9.3. the principle of openness and clarity of requirements - according to the objectives and tasks set out in programmes, as well as the objectives and tasks of training courses an aggregate of the primary requirements is specified for the evaluation of the education acquired;

9.4. the principle of diversity of means utilised in evaluation - various means of evaluation shall be used in the evaluation of the acquisition of a programme; and

9.5. the principle of appropriateness of evaluation - in an examination the opportunity is given to affirm analytical and creative capabilities, knowledge, abilities and skills in appropriate tasks and situations for all levels of acquisition. The scope of the content included in an examination shall comply with the content specified in the course programmes and the requirements for abilities and knowledge specified in the profession standard.

10. The fundamental means of evaluation of the programme acquisition shall be an examination and test. The minimum amount of a training course, in order to organise an examination, shall be 2 credit points.

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11. Acquisition of a programme shall be evaluated in an examination on a scale of 10 points:

11.1. very high level of acquisition (10 - "outstanding", 9 - "excellent");

11.2. high level of acquisition (8 - "very good", 7 - "good");

11.3. medium level of acquisition (6 - "almost good", 5 - "average", 4 - "almost average"); and

11.4. low level of acquisition (3 - "poor", 2 - "very poor", 1 - very, very poor").

12. In a test the evaluation of the level of acquisition of a study course and of training achievements shall be "passed" or "failed", or else an evaluation on a scale of 10 points.

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13. For each study course and training acquired credit points shall be given, if an evaluation of "passed" has been received or if on the scale of 10 points it has not been lower than 4 - "almost average".

14. At the end of the programme acquisition the State final examination shall be taken - a qualification examination that is evaluated on a scale of 10 points and whose component shall be the defence of the qualification paper. The Ministry of Education and Science shall determine the procedures for an examination by proposal of the Vocational Education Co-operation Council. The Council for the State final examination shall comprise the head of the Council and at least four members of the Council. The head of the Council and at least half of the composition of the Council shall be representatives of professional organisations or employers in the field.

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15. A diploma regarding first level professional higher education, that also attests to the acquired fourth level of professional qualification, shall be received by a student who has acquired the programme and passed a qualification examination, obtaining an evaluation therein that is not less than 4 - "almost average".

[29 May 2007]

Prime Minister A. Bērziņš

Minister for Education and Science K.Greiškalns

Translation © 2007 Tulkošanas un terminoloģijas centrs (Translation and Terminology Centre)