To LR Ministry of Education and Science
Centre of higher education INSTITUTIONS operation higher education quality ASSESSMENT
Rezekne Higher Education Institution
Faculty of Humanities and Law
Professional Master Studies Program
“Archive Studies”
(CODE 46 322)
Application for Accreditation
Address of the Faculty of
Humanities and Law:
Atbrivosanas aleja 115
Rezekne, LV-4600
Phone: 46 22681
Director of the study program is in charge of the preparation of accreditation materials:
Dr.hab.hist., professor KĀRLIS POČS
Accreditation application is accepted by acting dean of RHEI Faculty of Humanities and Law:
Mag.paed., lecturer VERONIKA KORKLA
/ Republic of LatviaMinistry of Education and Science
REZEKNE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION
Registration No. LV 90000011588Atbrivosanas aleja 90, Rezekne, LV-4600
Phone: 4623709, Fax: 4625901, e-mail: , http://www.ru.lv
Rezekne
To LR Ministry of Education and Science
Commission of Study Programs Accreditation
APPLICATION
About accreditation of the study program.
We request to consider the accreditation materials of the professional higher education Master studies program:
Name of higher education institution:
Legal address of higher education institution:
Phone:
E-mail address:
Registration certificate No.:
Title of the study program:
Code:
Volume:
Duration of studies:
Place, mode of program implementation:
Admission requirements:
Degree/qualification to be obtained:
Place of implementation:
Program director:
The person dealing with the issues concerning accreditation:
RHEI rector:
/Rezekne Higher Education Institution
Atbrīvošanas aleja 90, Rēzekne, LV-4600
46 23709
LV 90000011588
Professional master study program “Archive Studies”
46322
80 CP
Full-time 2 years (4 semesters), part-time 2,5 years (5 semesters)
Full time and part-time studies
Academic or professional bachelor’s education
Master degree in Archive Studies/archivist’s qualification
Rezekne Higher Education Institution
Faculty of Humanities and Law
Dr.hab.hist., professor K.Počs
Dr.hab.hist., professor K.Počs ()
Prof. L. Svarinskis
Contents
1. Aim, tasks and planned results of the program / 52. Organization of the program / 6
2.1. Compliance of the curriculum with the aim and tasks of RHEI / 6
2.2. Operation of the internal quality mechanism of the study program / 7
3. Structure of the study program / 9
4. Evaluation system / 12
5. Practical implementation of the study program / 13
6. Perspective evaluation of the study program: / 16
6.1. Program compliance with the standards of profession and professional higher education; / 18
6.2. Employers questionnaires about graduates employment for six coming years / 20
7. Students / 21
7.1. Number of students acquiring the program / 21
7.2. Questionnaires of students and their analysis / 21
7.3. Students’ involvement in the study process development / 22
8. Evaluation of academic staff engaged in the study program: / 23
8.1. Number of academic staff / 23
8.2. Eligibility of academic staff qualification for implementation of structural unit’s aim and tasks / 24
8.3. Policy of academic staff selection, renewal, in-service training and development for six coming years / 25
8.4. Qualification and competence of academic staff for ensuring development of necessary research skills, theoretical knowledge, abilities and competences / 26
9. Sources of financing and provision of infrastructure / 26
9.1 Library fund / 27
9.2. Material basis of studies / 29
10. Public relations / 30
10.1. Collaboration with employers / 30
10.2.Collaboration with similar higher education programs in Latvia and abroad / 31
11. Confirmation about possibilities to continue studies in case of interruption of the study program implementation / 32
12. Program development plan / 32
Appendices
1. Copy of License
2. Chronogram of studies
3. Structure of the study program
4. List of other documents necessary for accreditation
5. List of academic staff involved in implementation of the study program
6. List of the main publications of the academic staff
7. Annotation of study course programs
8. Academic staff CVs
1. Aim, Tasks and Planned Results of the Program
The professional master study program “Archive Studies” is currently the only study program in Latvia, where archive workers of different levels, specialists of institutions and companies having higher education, whose work is related to archiving of documents can obtain a professional Master’s degree appropriate to their competences.
The aim of the study program is to ensure successive integrated professional master archive studies for the individuals working in the field of archiving in order to train specialists with theoretical comprehension about research topicality of contemporary fields of science as well as their link with particularity of archive work; to develop creation of academic and professional competences appropriate to the theory of archive studies.
The tasks of the program are:
1) to impart deepened theoretical knowledge in archive studies and related fields of sciences (auxiliary disciplines of history, social sciences, etc.);
2) to develop skills of analysis and abilities of research and evaluation of archive documents appropriate to contemporary methodology;
3) to deepen and widen competences of archive workers for implementation of IT technologies in systematization of documents, creation of data bases, storage and protection of documents;
4) to ensure acquisition of integrated management theories, project development, and pedagogy and psychology of law to stimulate communicative potential of students as well as their competitiveness in the labor market;
5) to promote development of students scientific skills, to facilitate their possibilities in creative, scientific research work motivating them to continue the studies for a doctor’s degree.
Anticipated result: improved intellectual, professional and practical competences of archive workers, that ensure their knowledge and skills to individually trace, formulate, analyze and discover theoretical and practical solutions in archive work: ability to apply acquired theoretical knowledge and research skills in scientific research and in popularization of archive documents; skills to create and administrate systems of archive documents, to stock documents, thus ensuring storage, accessibility and usage of collected documents; comprehension about professional ethics and archive documents system operation in compliance with legislation.
2. Program Organization
Implementation of the study program at Rezekne Higher Education Institution is regulated by RHEI Senate accepted regulations On RHEI Academic and Professional and Study Programs. Organization and management of the study program is performed by the director of the study program. His activities are regulated by the regulations On the Study Program Director at Rezekne Higher Education Institution.
Professional master study program Archive Studies is licensed on 09.06.2005 for three years (see Appendix No.2 for the copy of license). Practical implementation of the study program has started in January 2006, except the group of part-time students. The second group of students has begun full-time studies on September 1, 2007.
Currently changes have been made to the part-time studies program in comparison with the program, which has been introduced for the licensing, changes are as follows:
1) students requested to include the study course Banks and their Documentation in the module of the theoretical part,
2) in order emphasize integration of related fields of sciences in archivist’s competences, several closely related, but small in the sense of volume courses were combined: Management Theory and Management of Archive Work, Record Keeping and Documents Management, Global Communication and Intercultural Communication, Administrative History of Latvia, State Power and Administration Institutions History, History of Latvia State and Law, Courses of elective module were changed too (see the study program in Appendix 4).
3) full-time students have possibilities to acquire novelties about the EU archives work within the framework of ERASMUS/SOCRATES exchange programs or during lectures of visiting lecturers of collaboration partners.
2.1. Compliance of the Curriculum with the Aim and Tasks of RHEI
The aim of RHEI is to impart students academic and professional higher education, which is competitive in the European education space and complies with the science development level as well as Latvian culture traditions, to develop culture, science and education in Latgale region and thus in all Latvia. The aims and tasks fully comply with higher education institution strategy. European Higher Education ministers communiqué, accepted in Bergen in 2005, determine that accessibility towards higher education should be widened – “appropriate conditions for students should be made, so that they could successfully graduate…”. Bologna declaration states that only acquisition of a Master degree is higher education. Hence the offered study program from the point of view of RHEI and Latvia state interests should be valued as topical for all specialists who work in the sphere of archiving in Latgale and Latvia. Currently there are 600 workers of archives in the Republic of Latvia, basing on the data gathered by the State Archive of Latvia, and a majority doesn’t have professional higher education and a qualification in the corresponding field. Special archive workers education with qualification – 4 historians-archivists, 3 archivists–record keepers, who have obtained education at Moscow Institute of Archive studies in the 1980s and earlier. 10-12 people have obtained qualification certificates in courses for archive workers, which once were organized by Moscow National Economy institute, or during probation abroad. A majority of the persons working in state archives and a few persons working in institutional archives have acquired the knowledge and skills of archiving in courses, some students have acquired an archive studies course within bachelor study programs at LU or RHEI, including archive practice.
Thus the offered master study program:
1) ensures succession of professional education for the individuals working in the field of archiving;
2) integrates theoretical knowledge and the latest methods of research in archive studies and auxiliary sciences of history, as well as in management science, communicative sciences, economics, informatics, juridical, pedagogical and other sciences,
3) is flexible, follows demand in Latvia and the EU labor market,
4) anticipates to engage lecturers from RHEI collaboration universities in implementation of the study program.
Study plans of professional master study program “Archive Studies” ensure free choice of study modules, topics of research and methodology. (see Appendix No.5 Study Plans).
2.2. Operation of the Internal Quality Mechanism of the Study Program
The internal quality mechanism of the professional master study program “Archive Studies” is developed basing on Control System of Studies Quality Evaluation at Rezekne Higher Education Institution (htpp://staff.ru.lv/senata_lemums_2005.02.28.doc). The quality system of studies divides the following spheres:
1. Compliance of the study process with RHEI development strategy.
2. Quality of academic staff.
3. Quality of the study program.
4. Quality of collaboration between applicants and graduates.
5. Quality of the study process.
6. Quality of infrastructure.
7. Financing and quality of economic activities.
Evaluation of the quality of the academic staff, program, and study process is considered to be important in the internal quality system of the study program “Archive Studies”, these are controlled by normative acts, persons involved in the quality evaluation process, revealed by the scientific researches of students and lecturers and the results of the study process.
The quality of the academic staff is determined by:
- its quality conformity to the requirements of normative acts,
- activities of scientific work, results,
- professional competence, creativity (see chapter 8).
The criteria of the quality of the study program are as follows:
- clarity of the aims and tasks of the study program, its approachability, conformity to RHEI development strategy (see chapters 1 and 2),
- conformity to the content of the LR education and academic education standards, other normative acts of the EU, flexibility and variety for development of the study program (see chapters 3 and 6),
- observation of the democracy principle in management of the study program, and interrelations of students and academic staff (see subchapter 7.4.), methodological (including study course programs, and calendar thematic plans), informative and materially technical provision (see chapter 9),
- annual self-evaluation of the study programs, discussing pros and cons, changes and development possibilities as well as improvement of the study programs (see chapter 12),
- contribution of the study program director to the management of the study program (see chapter 2 and subchapter 2.1.).
The quality of the study process in RHEI quality mechanism is evaluated by the following parameters:
- load of studies, organization of independent work – planning, amount, kinds of tests, etc.; possibilities of consultations; innovative study process methods, clear format of the results anticipated in the studies, solution of problems, application of new information technologies (see chapter 5),
- fairness of assessing knowledge and skills; usage of these results for improvement of the study process. (see chapter 4),
- involvement of students in scientific research work (topicality of the theme and relation to the content of the program), contests of students’ scientific works (awards, prizes, special grants), creative activities (see sub-chapters 7.6., and 8.4.),
- international collaboration, students exchange with other universities, possibilities of students practice in Latvia and abroad (see sub-chapter 10.2).
3. Structure of the Study Program
Professional Master Study Program “Archive Studies”
1st table
I / Field Theory Module “Traditional Aspects and Novelties in Archive Studies” / Credit Points40
Archive Studies and its Topical Problems / 4
Global Communicative Systems and Intercultural Communication / 3
History of Power, Administration and Law in Latvia / 3
Paleography / 3
Information Systems of Electronic Documents / 3
Archaeography / 2
Methods and Methodology of Research Work / 2
Master Examinations / 20 CP
Master Paper Seminar / 2
Master Paper / 18
II / Professional Specialization Module “Archivist and Society” / 17 CP
Compulsory courses (12 CP)
Management of Documents / 4
Preventive Protection of Documents / 2
Systematization of Documents / 2
Archive Pedagogy / 2
Professional Ethics / 2
Selective Courses (5 CP)
Applied Communication and Communication Psychology / 3Archive Work Management and Management Theory / 3
Project Management / 2
Banks and their Documentation / 2
Latvia and World Archives / 2
III / Practice Module / 16 CP
Professional Practice / 10
Research Practice / 3
Qualification Practice / 3
IV / Elective Courses / 7 CP
Auxiliary Disciplines of History / 3
Copyright, Administrative and Municipal Rights / 3
Historical Documents in Archives / 3
Sociology / 2
Other study courses offered by RHEI
(see Appendix No.16, 12. for Study Course Programs and Practice Guidelines)