GUIDES TO THE UNIVERSITY

One credit point corresponds to 8 hours of lessons; a maximum of 2 additional hours of complementary learning activities can be added; these complementary learning activities include practical exercises and other class activities that aim to improve the student's understanding of the topics covered in class without adding new topics to the course content.

Attendance at lessons is not compulsory, however it is strongly recommended since it meets the proposed educational model designed to favor gradual learning, the active participation of students in class and the creation of a dialog between students and teachers.
For some courses the assessment methods may be different for attending and non attending students.

The educational activities are organized into class groups which are made up of around 150 students each for compulsory courses in the 2007-2008 a.y.: 2 class groups for first-year and second-year students have been scheduled (class groups 19 and 20), which are taught in Italian.

In addition, there will also be around 18 class groups made up of around 125 students for the bachelor programs in the economics area (CLEAM, CLES, CLEF, BIEM and CLEACC).

Class groups are allocated before the start of lessons and each class group is assigned a specific classroom. All students belonging to the same class group follow the lessons in their assigned classroom and have the same teachers.
To facilitate educational activities planning (class group numbers and classroom capacity) students cannot change their assigned class group.
Class groups remain the same for the entire academic year.

For some educational activities (lessons taught in English or applying specific teaching methodology and for courses organized in modules), class groups are divided into smaller groups (between 51 and 99). Students are recommended to follow the indications given by teachers during lessons and to consult the Institute bulletin boards that display the smaller group sign-up methods and the educational activities of these groups. If registration is required, students may consult the yoU@B student diary for a list of activities.

Some courses, in addition to the assigned class groups, may include one or more class groups that apply specific teaching methodology. Among the most common of these are the "LearningSpace" method or lessons taught in English, usually by visiting professors.

The list of such classes together with any sign-up methods (extra activity codes, sign-up deadlines and number of places available) will be posted well in advance on the "General Notices" bulletin board which is located on the ground floor of the University building at via Sarfatti 25, and will also be published on the Internet at http://www.unibocconi.it/classtimetable . In addition, the student may consult the yoU@B student diary for a list of activities to which he may sign up.

Students admitted to these class groups receive confirmation through a personal message in their yoU@B student diary. Students who attend "LearningSpace" class groups will be authorized to follow the online course. Further information on authorization for class groups can be obtained either from the secretary's office of each Institute or can be read on the internet site at http://www.unibocconi.it/weblearning.

Math Crash courses are courses which last about two weeks and which are held at the beginning of first year courses.

Crash courses are designed to reinforce a few mathematical concepts at a pre-university level. This helps students to start university with greater confidence and comprehension. The main topics covered include: equations, inequality, coordinate geometry, trigonometry, power functions, exponentials and logarithms.

Attendance is highly recommended; there is no exam at the completion of these courses. The class timetable and the class group are published on the Internet at the address http://www.unibocconi.it/classtimetable .

The  course profiles are published on-line at

The class timetable has been planned so that educational activities are mainly concentrated in either the morning or the afternoon, in order to make it easier for students to dedicate the other part of the day to individual study.

In the first semester of the first year for example, CLMG students have lessons on 2 mornings (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and 3 afternoons (Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays) a week; in the second semester CLMG students have lessons on 3 mornings (Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays) and 2 afternoons (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) a week.

The first and second year class timetable includes a fixed number of hours  - different from the first and second semester - schedule completely dedicated to foreign languages. This ensures that compulsory lessons and language lessons do not clash with each other.

In addition, there may also be some complementary learning activities scheduled to review some of the concepts dealt with during the normal teaching sessions. These activities are generally held at a different time from the lessons (in the evening from 6:00pm to 7:30pm).

No educational activities are scheduled between 1:00pm and 2:30pm on Fridays, both in first and second semester, this period being reserved for student group activities.

The general class timetable is published on the University's Internet site http://www.unibocconi.it/classtimetable.
 

The class timetable and any changes (the codes are arranged in progressive order) are posted on the bulletin boards, which are located on the ground floor of the University buildings at piazza Sraffa 13 and via Sarfatti 25. In via Sarfatti 25, students can also find the bulletin boards for foreign languages.

After students have enrolled in the academic year, they can view and print the personalized class timetable from both Punto Blu terminals and yoU@B.
At Punto Blu terminals students can see the personalized class timetable for current semester only. On yoU@B students can also view the daily class timetable.

The teaching activities for the 2007-2008 a.y. will follow the schedule below:

First year students

• I semester: Tuesday 11 September 2007 is dedicated to the "Welcome first-year students", the presentation of the course by the Dean of the School of Law and by Director of the combined Bachelor and Master of Science in Giurisprudenza [Law] Program; teaching activities will start on 12 September 2007;
  

Second year students

• I semester: from Thursday 13 September 2007 to Friday to 21 December;
  

First and second year students

• II semester: from Monday 18 February 2008 to Friday 6 June.

Please note that language lessons begin on 17 September 2007 in first semester and on 18 February 2008 in second semester, just like all other courses.

In addition, the yoU@B student diary allows students to integrate their personalized class timetable with other educational activities that interest them and to view and print all other information recorded in their yoU@B diary for the desired period (daily, weekly, monthly, and so on).

On graduation days (Undergraduate, MSc and four-year degrees), listed below, lessons for all courses and all programs (Undergraduate,Bachelor Programs, MSc and Combined Bachelor and MSc in Giurisprudenza [Law]) are suspended:

• Friday 5 October 2007;
• Saturday 6 October 2007;
• Friday 14 December 2007;
• Saturday 15 December 2007;
• Thursday 27 March 2008;
• Friday 28 March 2008;
• Friday 30 May 2008.

During the partial exam periods, listed below, lessons in all courses are suspended:

• first semester: from Thursday 25 October 2007 to Saturday 10 November 2007;
• second semester: from Monday 14 April 2008 to Thursday 24 April 2008.

In addition, lessons are also suspended on the following days:

• Thursday 1 November and Friday 2 November 2007;
• Friday 7 December 2007;
• From Friday 21 March to Wednesday 26 March 2008;
• Friday 25 April 2008;
• Thursday 1 May and Friday 2 May 2008;
• Monday 2 June 2008.

During office hours students have the opportunity to consult teachers. This gives students the chance to seek further explanations or clarifications of the topics that were not fully understood during lessons.
The office hours timetable is displayed on the Institute bulletin boards and can also be found on the Internet site at http://www.unibocconi.it/studentconsultationhours  or in the yoU@B student diary, which provides a direct link to the page.

There are 2 types of tutor assistance offered to students:

• course level assistance is proposed by the Course Director and approved by the Program Director; this type of tutoring includes correction of exercises assigned as homework on case studies, realization of projects and management of the online community; in addition, it could also involve lectures that require the use of software;
• "interdisciplinary" level assistance: this aims to provide students with guidance and support to ensure that they can be actively involved in the studying process during the whole course.

For information about courses and tutor activities (names of tutors, office hours and rooms) see the "Tutors" bulletin board located on the ground floor of the University building at via Sarfatti 25.

• Tutors 2007-2008 a.y.

Bocconi uses a detailed evaluation system to check the teaching quality provided during lessons which involves the student's direct active input. The main activities include:

• checks carried out through "class group representatives" who are appointed to represent the entire class group by liaising with teachers, acting as their spokesperson in presenting their observations and suggestions and outlining any difficulties that may arise during lessons.
  The role of class group representatives is to create an environment which favors more interaction between teachers and students. As a matter of fact, the Course Director is invited to periodically meet with these students, and at the end of the semester, discuss with them the general outcome of the course and if needed, the results of the evaluation;
• evaluation of the university experience questionnaire, carried out during the degree program and organized as follows:
  
  - mid-semester evaluation (so called "mid-term evaluation"), carried out voluntarily by students at teacher's requests to gather information on teaching quality and course progress and shedding light any problems in a timely fashion which allows corrective action to be implemented before the end of the course;
  - end-semester evaluation is carried out close to end of the period of lessons; involves all teachers and courses in academic programs including foreign languages and computer skills;
  - evaluation of assessment methods is carried out every two years to gather information on the efficiency and fairness of the procedures used to test students' preparation; this is carried out by completing an online questionnaire, available during the academic year on the yoU@B diary;
  - evaluation of the overall university experience questionnaire, involves students who are about to complete their studies. It is aimed at gathering information on students' impressions with respect to the quality and effectiveness of the course of study, on their study experience and on the main support services (e.g. Career Service , ISU Student Assistance and Financial Aid, SRI- International Relations Service). Also in this case the questionnaire is completed online via the yoU@B diary and it is available for graduating students around one month before the deadline for making the graduation reservation.