Student Guide 2023

This section provides a summary overview of the teaching, learning and assessment procedures and activities in the CHARM-EU Master’s.

Five students checking here notebooks together

 

Living in...
Barcelona

Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is an open, young, vibrant and creative city with a busy cultural, political, business and commercial life. It is a metropolis where every imaginable language can be heard, as well as a city that invites its residents and visitors alike to discover its Catalan culture and traditions. Barcelona has always attracted people from all over the world, making it even more multilingual and special. It is the people living there, with their different backgrounds and cultures, who make it so cosmopolitan, diverse and intercultural. The University of Barcelona is located all over the city of Barcelona, being present with more than 16 Faculties and affiliated centers. This provides the students with a holistic experience of the city of Barcelona, being able to enjoy all its streets and corners. 

(Source: https://meet.barcelona/en)  

Useful links: 

Dublin

Ireland is a member of the European Union and is located in the North Atlantic beside the UK. Ireland is an English-speaking country with a young, vibrant population. It boasts a unique combination of cosmopolitan cities, breath-taking scenery, idyllic countryside and historic sites. The country is a European hub for innovation and industry with global companies such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel, Pfizer and HP based here.

The Trinity campus is located in the heart of one of the most popular and safest cities in the world. Dublin is a vibrant and multicultural European capital, which ranks as the 37th best student city in the world (QS World’s Best Student Cities 2023).  Everything the city has to offer is easily accessible to Trinity students from shops, restaurants and coffee shops to theatres, museums and clubs, ensuring that there is always something exciting for students to enjoy. If you want to take time out to relax in nature, the city’s parks (including Phoenix Park, one of the largest urban parks in Europe), an easily accessible coastline, beaches and the Dublin Mountains are all close by 

Useful links:  

Utrecht

Utrecht is a lively student city in the heart of the Netherlands. Utrecht is a beautiful and inspiring urban setting that nurtures talent and creativity. It’s a dynamic, growing city that is characterised by a personal, human scale and offers myriad opportunities to those ready to grasp them. Last, but not least, Utrecht is an intelligent city that uses innovation and sustainability to meet new challenges and achieve its ambitions.   

Thanks to the help of a young, talented workforce and a citywide programme to create a sustainable society, Utrecht was recently voted the most competitive region in Europe. Lonely Planet ranks Utrecht in their top-10 of the world's unsung places.  

Utrecht University and the city of Utrecht offer a lively environment where students can study and live. The city has a bustling student community made up of many different student organisations and societies.   

Useful links:  

Budapest

Budapest, the capital city of Hungary is located centrally in the heart of the country. With about 1.7 million inhabitants, Budapest provides an enjoyable and vibrant atmosphere for international students during their studies. The large number of sights to visit (many of them parts of UNESCO World Heritage), vibrant cultural life, the reasonable living costs, well-developed and easy-to-use public transport network, and safety make Budapest popular among international students.  

Useful links: 

Montpellier

Montpellier is located in the South of France, right nearby the Mediterranean Sea. With about 300 000 inhabitants, including over 50 000 students, the city provides a very lively and dynamic atmosphere. Montpellier is also a very relaxing place to live in, with the largest pedestrian zone of the country and more than five beaches, the city offers a very enjoyable living environment. Its amazing climate (300 sunny days per year!), its heritage and cultural orientation, its outdoor-oriented lifestyle, its reasonable living costs and well-organized public transport network make it one of the top cities to study in France, attracting many international students every year.  

Useful links: 

Academic Calendar

Please find the academic calendar here

Academic rules and regulations

The Academic rules and regulations apply to the academic year and apply to the admissions procedure, enrollment, education, the assessment and the final review of requirement to be awarded with of the Joint Degree Master’s Programme Global Challenges for Sustainability and to all students who are registered in the Joint Degree Programme and to all those who request to be admitted. 

Download it here.

Enrollment & Registration

How to register to the Master's programme?

Document to be submitted and how to present them

Although we are able to approve your eligibility based on the digital version of the documents, in case you are admitted, we will need to verify the authenticity of the documents submitted in digital format. Please find below two options to submit the documents for verification. You can choose the one that suits you best. 

  1. If you are living in one of the cities of CHARM-EU partner Universities (Barcelona, Dublin, Utrecht, Budapest, or Montpellier) you can schedule a personal meeting with the CHARM-EU officer at the corresponding University.
  2. If you are not living in one of these cities, we would kindly ask you to send certified copies to the CHARM-EU Barcelona Office in charge of registration at the following address:

Att. Ms. Miriam Gasol

CHARM-EU Office

University of Barcelona

Carrer Balmes, 7  2do A

08007 Barcelona

SPAIN

What is a certified copy? A certified copy of an original document (for example, your degree certificate or transcript) is a copy that bears an endorsement or certification that it is a true copy of the original. We can accept both physical (hard) copy and digital documents, as long as their authenticity can be verified.

Certified hard copy

The most common way to arrange a certified hard copy is by visiting the relevant department of your university (such as student services or the academic registry) with your original documents. You should ask them to make a photocopy of your original documents, and then to stamp and sign the photocopy. Please note, all documents you send to us become the property of CHARM-EU University and will not be returned to you.

Certified copies can be obtained from:

  • Any office of the 5 CHARM-EU partner Universities.
  • A notary public registered in any of the countries of the CHARM-EU Universities.
  • The Spanish/Irish/Dutch/Hungarian/French diplomatic or consular authorities outside these countries.

The certified photocopies can then be sent to us by post as described above.

In the case of documents requiring legalization, the corresponding certification or apostille must be attached to the original document, and the interested party must submit a certified copy of the complete document, including all text relating to the legalization procedure.

Digitally certified document

Instead of certifying a photocopy, you can also submit a digitally certified document. We can accept these documents if they meet the following requirements:

  • Satisfy the certification guidelines of the issuing university.
  • Can be verified electronically on the website of the issuing university, a document verification platform, or by means of a digital certificate.

The CHARM-EU Joint Virtual Administrative Office will help you throughout the entire process. For any additional information or any doubt, please contact them.

Services, Practical information & Accommodation

Please remember that the university where you will start face-to-face, is indicated in the resolution sent by the CHARM-EU Office. Here you have some practical information from each university:

University of Barcelona

Trinity College Dublin

Utrecht University

Eötvös Loránd University

University of Montpellier

Counselling Services

The Counselling Services is provided by ELTE Counselling Centre. The Counselling Centre provides online individual counselling to CHARM-EU students in English.        

Experienced psychologists at the Faculty of Education and Psychology provide a professional counselling service to all our students. They are available to help students work through their difficulties, understand themselves better and find ways of managing their situation.

The Counselling Centre staff are professionally trained and widely experienced clinical and counselling psychologists, psychotherapists, all of whom are accustomed to helping people from many different backgrounds and cultures, and with a wide range of issues.

Counsellors can help students with a wide range of difficulties:

  • Family problems and parental separations
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Work-related problems
  • Academic difficulties
  • Managing transitions
  • Anxiety and stress
  • Mood disorder
  • Problems with establishing contacts
  • Problems with self-esteem
  • Lack of motivation, doubts about the career path you have chosen
  • The loss of an important person

After scheduling an appointment, students can meet a psychologist on 1-6 occasions. The psychologist will help them to reconsider problems, provide support, and help manage change.

Counselling sessions are held in complete confidence, in accordance with the instructions laid down in the Psychological Ethical Code, and Counselling Centre employees are covered by the obligation of confidentiality. Please find our privacy notice here.

Appoints can be arranged via mail: counselling@ppk.elte.hu

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

This section provides a summary overview of the teaching, learning and assessment procedures and activities in the CHARM-EU Master’s.

For more detailed information about the Master’s teaching and learning  structure and assessment, links are provided.

The CHARM-EU educational experience

CHARM-EU is part of the innovative European Universities Initiative, seeking to create European universities of the future. Students, staff and researchers will be skilled in navigating the twin green and digital transition, building a resilient society, and solving global societal challenges.

You will be one of the first students in Europe to take part in a European University at postgraduate level and experience this new way of teaching and learning. Throughout the Master’s, you will be pioneers and leaders for future CHARM-EU students. Your learning matters to us, to future students, and to Europe. We are always seeking improvement in our teaching and learning approaches, and as pioneers for CHARM-EU, we encourage you to share your experiences with us.

To create a university of the future, and give you the best possible learning journey, our ways of teaching need to be innovative, transformative, and future facing. To do this, CHARM-EU teaching follows ten educational principles. These principles scaffold your educational experience. In this section we will explain what you can expect from teaching and learning in the Master’s and what will be expected from you.

More details about the CHARM-EU learning experience can be found in the document “Teaching and Learning: CHARM-EU Educational Experience".

Master's structure and learning activities

The Master’s consists of three distinct phases: Preparatory phase, Flexible phase, and Capstone phase, aligned with CHARM-EU pedagogical principles, with gradual acquisition of knowledge, skills and competencies.

The preparatory phase consists of three compulsory modules: sustainability, social innovation and transdisciplinary research. It aims to ensure all students receive a common grounding in key skills and content required. 

The flexible phase has equally three modules in one theme, selected from three thematic pathways: food, water or life & health. This phase aims to provide students with multiple options for learning within CHARM-EU related themes. 

The Capstone phase consists of one 30 ECTS module. During this phase, students work collaboratively with their peers, academic staff, and extra- academic actors (e.g. business and society) on an authentic sustainability challenge which is based on the student’s original disciplinary field. This phase aims for students to practically apply their knowledge and competencies through experimental learning.  

More detailed information about the Master’s structure can be found in this section on our website and at this document.

There are different teaching and learning methods that you will be engaged in including group work, workshops, lectures, coaching sessions, meet-the-expert sessions, tutorials, field trips and more. Every Module Coordinator has designed the module in a way that it matches the intended learning outcomes, content, and educational principles.  

Roles in education, teaching and learning 

CHARM-EU participants can take different roles in the master's programme:

  • Teaching
    • Module coordinator: Organize different kinds of learning activities such as lectures, tutorials or workshops. They overlook the modules as part of the programme and establish the learning materials as well as any guest members such as guest teachers.  
    • Teacher: Deliver the learning activities and content during class through hybrid teaching 
    • Teaching Assistant: Supports the teacher and the students throughout the modules. Especially in the classroom regarding its technological aspect, questions and group work on side of the students and facilitates the communication with the teacher and module coordinators.  
    • Experts / External stakeholders: Delivers specific expertise as (external) professional with the aim to provide new perspectives to the challenges. 

 

  • Advice:
    • Mentor: Guides you in your learning journey throughout the whole master’s programme by having student-mentor meetings. Monitors your progression in relation to the Programme Learning Outcomes and provides a Mentor advice based on the insight gained. 
    • Supervisor/coach: During the Capstone phase they monitor the overall progress of the group work and/or your professional development.  

As a student you are in the lead of your learning experience. We provide you with the resources to become the professional you want, but at the end you are in the driver’s seat to make this happen. This means that you as a student also have a role within the education programme. Your role as a student is to actively engage in module activities, pro-actively communicate with the mentor and teachers and you are responsible for getting the Module assessments into your E-portfolio in time.

More details about the CHARM-EU learning experience can be found in the document Teaching and Learning: CHARM-EU Educational Experience"

CHARM-EU Assessment

In CHARM-EU we are using an innovative approach of assessment. The main goal is to support students in their learning process by moving away from a traditional approach and instead, assessing student development across the whole master’s programme. The assessment of each module does not entail a pass or fail decision. 

What are the assessment indicators?

There are several Programme Learning outcomes (PLO) Domains in the master's which are the core of all module assessments and connected to the outcomes of each module (Module Learning Outcomes). During the master's programme you will develop yourself based on these PLO Domains and will be assessed on these. 

CHARM-EU PLO Domains

More details about the PLO Domains can be found in the document Teaching and Learning: CHARM-EU Educational Experience"

How will you be assessed? 

Throughout the master’s, you will be assessed through different learning formats that have a different impact on your assessment. Throughout each phase your work, the assessments and feedback combined make your Phase portfolio. 

1. Module assessments (low stakes): 

  • All assessment activities within modules result in performance relevant information or feedback to the student about their progression. Assessment activities can include: knowledge test, presentation, essay, role play among others.   

  • Module assessments encourage students to develop themselves rather than just learning for the test. This means that a student will not be ‘punished’ for underperforming on a module assessment, but rather feels encouraged to work on a knowledge or skill gap and demonstrate later on that he/she/they managed to fill the gap.

  • Module assessments do not lead to a pass or fail decision in itself, but provide meaningful feedback to the student.     

2. Mentor advice (intermediate stakes):  

  • The mentor will provide you with feedback on its overall growth and progression in the programme.  

  • To monitor how the student is doing and to make sure that the student stays on track, a mentor provides an advice.   

  • The mentor reviews the feedback the student receives during the Module assessments and how the student enacted on this.  

3. Phase decision (high stakes):  

  • The combination of multiple module assessments and feedback by your mentor will lead to a Phase decision. The assessment procedure for the Phase decision will commence after all module assessments and mentor advices have been completed.  

  • Phase decisions are assessed by a group of examiners known as the Portfolio Assessment Committee (PAC). 

  • A phase decision is a high-stake decision that is based on multiple low and intermediate stake assessments 

  • The Phases will be graded during the high-stakes Phase decision from 0-100. A pass mark on each Phase (thus all Modules related to that Phase) is 50 and above. The mark of the Modules of the Phase will be the overall mark obtained in the Phase itself.  

Who assesses students? 

  • Module assessments are assessed by teachers, other relevant stakeholders, peers, and in some cases the student (self-assessment).   

  • Mentors provide advice to students about growth and progression throughout the Master’s. 

  • Phase decisions are assessed by a group of examiners known as the Portfolio Assessment Committee 

What is the pass grade for assessments? 

  • The Phases will be graded during the high-stakes Phase decision from 0-100. A pass mark on each Phase (thus all Modules related to that Phase) is 50 and above. The mark of the Modules of the Phase will be the overall mark obtained in the Phase itself. 

How can you monitor your progress and use your portfolio? 

  • Each student will use Scorion, an E-Portfolio system, that collects all assessments and feedback in one place.  Please review the section “Technology in CHARM-EU Teaching and Learning” for more information about the Virtual Learning Environment. 

  • Scorion provides assessment data visualizations (e.g. Spider Charts) so students can monitor how they are performing in Programme Learning Objectives. It is important that all students keep track of their E-Porfolio throughout the Master’s to help them reflect and build on their learning experiences.  

  • Assessors will endeavour to provide feedback on assignments within 15 working days.

CHARM-EU Mentors

CHARM-EU mentors will be mentoring students and are a key part of our teaching and learning programme. They meet regularly with students to help them progress and reach CHARM-EU Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs). Mentoring in CHARM-EU is different than being a teacher; rather than teaching students module content or guiding activities, mentors listen and ask questions. They help students with forming learning goals, and support them in the plan of action their need to achieve these.

Our mentors have previous experience in teaching and assessing undergraduate or postgraduate students, and are trustworthy, empathetic, and enthusiastic individuals. Each mentor will commit 3 contact hours per phase per student (September to February; February to July; September to the following February).

During the Master’s induction week, students are allocated one CHARM-EU mentor from our alliance institutions. The same mentor and student meet throughout the three phases of the Master’s and are both committed to maintaining a two-way supportive relationship. 

What does a CHARM-EU mentor do? 

The mentor guides, supports, and provides feedback to students across the three phases of the Master’s. 

A CHARM-EU mentor meets regularly with students to:

  • Share practical advice, insights, and guidance,  
  • Develop student learning goals,  
  • Support student achievement of CHARM-EU Programme Learning Outcomes,  
  • Provide a knowledgeable, empathetic sounding board, 
  • Serve as a positive role model,  
  • Discuss feedback students receive for their module assessments, 
  • Informally advise students on future career development. 

Mentors also identify when a student is in difficulty and liaises with CHARM-EU support services when necessary.  

Who are CHARM-EU mentors? 

Mentors are academic teachers and researchers from a CHARM-EU partner institution. Many have worked with CHARM-EU on developing the Master’s content, and all have previous experience with mentoring university students. 

How often do students meet with their mentor? 

Students have dedicated meetings with mentors for a total of 3 hours across each Phase of the module (9 hours total). This would mean up to 18 30-minute meetings in the Master’s.    

What are the responsibilities of students in the mentoring relationship? 

Students are responsible for meeting and communicating with their mentor, being considerate, reliable, and committed to the mentoring relationship throughout the entire Master’s programme.

In the image below, you can find the student assessment journey in CHARM-EU Master’s Global Challenges for Sustainability.

Mentors scheme 2022

Technology in CHARM-EU Teaching and Learning

Technology enhanced learning means enhancing learning and teaching in higher education through the use of technology. Rather than technology as an isolated component, within CHARM technology is a fundamental part of the programme.

Virtual learning environment

CHARM-EU uses three core platforms in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE): 

  • Moodle: This is the learning management system that is used to organize modules and course content for the master’s programme. Here you can find all the class material of the different courses 

  • Scorion: This is the platform that holds the E-portfolio CHARM-EU students use for collecting their programmatic assessments, therefore, to review and evaluate progress as well as providing and getting feedback. Scorion facilitates a student-led approach meaning that it makes you responsible for filling it with the relevant data.   
    The main benefits of this system are the flexibility that it provides as well as a powerful set of dashboards for students and instructors that show student progress across a large, customizable set of criteria.  

  • Microsoft Teams: This is the main collaboration platform for CHARM-EU students.  
    Teams combines chat and video meeting functionality with document management and collaborative editing features. You will use it for almost all collaboration tasks, both for in-class activities and teamwork, as well as a critical tool for capstone teams. The hybrid teaching of the courses also takes place on MS Teams. 

You will be using all three platforms throughout the master's programme to support your learning and to become one virtual learning environment together with the students in the other partner universities. To access all three platforms, you need a SolisID which is secured through a password and 2-factor-authentication.  

If you need assistance with these platforms during the programme, you can receive support via the email: CHARM-VLEsupport@uu.nl.

Hybrid classrooms

“Each partner university has a hybrid classroom. The hybrid classrooms allow students at the different universities to follow the same class in real time. Engaging with the other students and teachers that are in the different locations. The hybrid classrooms are equipped with a screen participate in work group activities with your peer students.” 

Student equipment

Students (and teachers) should bring their own devices to the classroom including headphones with a microphone, and a personal computer with an integrated camera and HDMI or USB-C output. Student devices should have a minimum of 8GB of RAM, in addition to the minimum requirements for Microsoft Teams.

You do need support to buy a device or you have special needs on technology? Please contact your local University student services. 

For full details of technology in CHARM-EU teaching and learning please read this document.

Inclusion and Diversity

Inclusiveness is one of CHARM EU's Core Values

One of CHARM-EU's core values is inclusive. We strongly believe in the power of diversity to enrich the learning experience and to advance academic debate and knowledge creation and production. We see it as our social responsibility to foster an open, welcoming and safe environment grounded in inclusivity, compassion, and mutual respect, where individuals from all backgrounds, lived experiences, circumstances and access needs can collaboratively learn, work, and serve. We are committed to creating excellence in teaching and learning by providing the appropriate structures and services that both remove barriers to success and support the access and participation needs of students and staff.

How we interact with one another affects the integrity of the CHARM-EU's academic and workplace environments. Through our core value of inclusiveness, we help support a climate of respect, accountability, honesty, and integrity in the community. CHARM-EU prohibits any discrimination on any grounds and does not tolerate any form of bullying and harassment. This approach is warranted because violations of a person's dignity and respect can lead to a culture that disrespects, undermines, and belittles people, violating our Masters' programme publicly stated values, mission, and purpose.

About CHARM-EU Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team

The CHARM-EU Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Team work to ensure inclusion and diversity sit at the heart of the CHARM EU organisational culture and operation, particularly the CHARM-EU Master's in Global Challenges for Sustainability programme. The CHARM-EU DEI Team act as an expert group that advises, supports and collaborates with relevant CHARM-EU organisational units, student services and modules to safeguard our commitment to creating an inclusive CHARM-EU experience.

Needs Assessment

Students with access and participation needs shall be provided with additional supports, where needed, and in line with capacity and resources of CHARM-EU and the participating institutions. Reasonable accommodations and other flexibilities are available for students with a variety of backgrounds and circumstances according to national and international equality and non-discrimination legislation including in relation to individuals with disabilities. 

Students seeking to avail of reasonable accommodations are encouraged to seek an Individual Needs Assessment in a timely manner, preferably at the beginning of their studies. If you would like to request an Individual Needs Assessment or have any access and participation needs to be considered during the Master's Programme, please contact the CHARM-EU DEI Team Leader, Agnes Sarolta Fazekas (fazekas.agnes.sarolta@barczi.elte.hu), who will be happy to guide you.

Joint Virtual Administrative Office

The JVAO is composed of six Officers, each working in different universities, and each responsible for coordinating one of the 5 main responsibilities: Registration (UB), Education (UU), Mobility (ELTE), Boards (TCD) and Services (UM). Even though each of these five main tasks is the responsibility of a different university, all 6 officers work on all 5 tasks hand-in-hand, as a unique and united office.  

The JVAO is the contact point for each university and the main contact point for the students and the teaching staff. They assist them for any of their needs (services, assistance, logistics, etc.). If required, they redirect them towards the appropriate service inside the university (medical support, sport facilities, student counselling, etc.), or bring the issue to the other Officers. 

If you need any information, you can contact the JVAO by email or by phone and if necessary request an appointment. The contact information is available here.