1. science
2. engineering

2
s w e e t
Welcome@FirW
Starters Week of Engineering and Education:
Training for TAs
Content
Welcome@FirW...................................................................................................... 1
Dean’s Office......................................................................................................... 2
Education@FirW.................................................................................................... 3
Learning Environment@FirW.................................................................................. 4
Student Counseling and Guidance@FirW.............................................................. 8
SWEET2............................................................................................................... 11
Lexicon................................................................................................................ 12
Welcome@FirW
The Faculty of Engineering Science started in 1864 as Ecoles Spéciales des Arts
et Manufactures du Génie Civil et des Mines. Today it is a multidisciplinary school
forming academic engineers with a sound scientific background, an advanced
technical knowledge, a stimulated creativity, a concept oriented approach and with
an open view on social issues.
The faculty comprises seven research departments: Architecture, Chemical
Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical engineering, Mechanical
Engineering and Materials Engineering. Education is organized for approximately
4000 students of which 1200 are international students comprising 1700 bachelor
students, 1300 master students and 900 PhD students.
At our faculty, practice sessions are traditionally the responsibility of teaching
assistants (TAs), typically PhD students with an additional teaching assignment. The
Faculty of Engineering attaches great importance to the role of the TAs since practice
sessions are an indispensable tool in a student’s learning process. Practice sessions
serve as the necessary bridge between the theory taught during the lectures and the
practice these students will face during their exams and in their future careers. To
coach the TAs, the faculty organizes an educational training program called SWEET2:
Starters’s Week for Engineering and Education: Training for TAs.
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Dean’s Office
Kasteelpark Arenberg 1 bus 2200
3001 Heverlee
Tel: 016/321401
Fax: 016/321982
info@eng.kuleuven.be
Dean
Michiel Steyaert
Vicedean
Yolande Berbers
Faculty Administrative Director
Annemie Caproens
Staff Member Education
(+ internationalization)
Marie-Paule Buyse
Elsje Londers
Inge Van Hemelrijck
PR
Jelle De Borger
Registrar
Erik Calluy
PhD
Veronique Cortens
Financial Antenna
Maria Beckx
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Education@FirW
Bachelor
The Faculty of Engineering Science organizes two programs: a 3-year bachelor program in
Architectural Engineering and a general 3-year bachelor program in Engineering Sciences.
During the general bachelor program in Engineering Sciences, all students follow the
same program for the first three semesters. For the next three semesters, students
select a main and complementary direction, as you can see in the scheme below.
Master
Bachelor-Master structure
After the bachelor, students can follow a 2-year master programs, ranging from
architecture to traffic engineering and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).
Standing Educational Committee (POC)
Every bachelor and master program has a standing educational committee. This
committee develops and monitors the courses of a study program and the study
program as a whole. These committees are staffed by representatives of the academic
staff, of the teaching assistant fraction and of the student fraction. At the faculty level,
an overarching committee is organized with the program directors of all bachelor and
master programs, vicedean, representatives of the teaching assistant fraction and
representatives of the student fraction.
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Learning Environment@FirW
Program guide
The program guide gathers all the important information concerning study programs.
For each specific study program, all compulsory and elective courses are listed. For
each course listed details can be found in the ECTS course description: credits,
language, contact hours, semester, level and lecturers.
Time tables
Time tables of all courses can be found in the program guide. Time tables of assigned
courses can be found in KU Loket. Time table issues should be addressed to Inge Van
Hemelrijck or Sofie Vanderwegen.
Reservation of rooms
The infrastructure and availability of rooms can be found in KU Loket. Questions
concerning room reservations should be addressed to Sofie Vanderwegen.
Teaching formats
The Faculty of Engineering Science employs diverse teaching formats.
• Lecture: a teaching format in which the teacher offers instruction to the entire
group of students that enrolled for the course. Lectures can be interactive
to a greater or lesser extent; the teacher remains the most important actor.
• Practical: a teaching format with a consistently high level of interaction
between teachers and students, where the teacher acts like a coach.
The guidance of the teacher during the contact hours can consist of:
ÖÖ
ÖÖ
ÖÖ
ÖÖ
supervision by the teacher and/or the teaching staff during exercises;
assistance with individual assignments;
discussions between students, the teacher and/or the teaching staff;
discussion of assignments given in advance or other input by the students.
Practicals are usually offered for smaller groups of students. The activities known
as seminars, exercises or supervised sessions are categorized under “practical”,
a more comprehensive term that covers several interpretations.
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The practicals can be both practice-oriented and theory-oriented. A
practical, in other words, can be used for different objectives. For instance,
acquiring research skills, critically reflecting on new contents, increasing
the problem-solving ability, being able to perform different techniques, etc.
• Assignments: a teaching format that aims to have students independently
acquire academic competences, both in an individual and group context. No contact
hours are offered for the completion of the assignment, since the students have
to carry out the task in their own time. Sometimes, the students are supervised
by the teacher, e.g. during an intermediate contact moment. The separate
category ‘assignment’ is only used when it exclusively concerns an assignment.
• Bachelor’s paper: after this assignment a bachelor’s degree can be completed.
• Master’s thesis: with this assignment a master’s degree can be completed. The result
reflects the student’s overall critical-reflective attitude and his/her research attitude.
• Internship: a supervised practical training for students, so they can develop
professional competences.
• Field trip or excursion: a teaching format in which students (on the basis of
information structured in advance) are confronted in the field with one or more
concrete applications or phenomena. The students discuss the observations and
findings with the teacher/ teaching staff.
Evaluation and evaluation methods
At KU Leuven, an academic year consists of two semesters; both semesters are
concluded with an examination period. Each course, students have the right to a
second chance in the third examination period during September. Examination results
are released after each examination period.
Assistants are often involved in supervising the exams. When encountering an irregularity,
the TA must contact the course coordinator responsible for the examination and the
ombudsperson as soon as possible. The coordinator should contact the chairperson
of the examination committee and make a report of what has happened. The student
in question may continue his assessment and examination sessions, this includes the
examination at which the irregular conduct was established, albeit after confiscation of
any incriminating evidence and confiscation of the already completed examination part.
The Faculty of Engineering Science employs diverse evaluation methods.
Oral exam
An oral exam is an evaluation method that assesses to what extent the student
masters the outlined objectives through a conversation between the examiner
and the student. Oral exams predominantly work with open-ended questions.
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Written exam
A written exam is an evaluation method in which the student is given questions that
he/she need to answer (sometimes electronically). The answers are used to assess
to what extent the student masters the course objectives. There is no direct contact
between the student and the examiner. Both open and close-ended questions can be
used in written exams.
Practical exam
A practical exam is a concluding (final) exam that assesses to what extent the student
has acquired a competence decisive for or characteristic of the profession. This often
happens in an authentic practice setting (sometimes in the workplace).
Paper/project
A paper is a written product that is the result of a particular task in which students
demonstrate that they are engaging with a field of study content, that they can approach
and solve a problem like experts, that they have acquired certain competences (e.g.
consulting and processing literature). As an evaluation method, a paper is similar is to
a take-home exam. A paper, however, encompasses a broader task than a take-home
exam. The student also works on it for a longer time period. A project is a variant of the
paper, smaller in scope and it can take different forms (short assignment, exercise, …).
Design/product
A design or product is used when students are required to effectively hand in a design
(e.g. a building blueprint/sketch) or a concrete product (e.g. a scale model).
Report
A report is the written reflection of an observation or experience gained by a student
or group of students during a practical, project work, internship, group assignment,
etc. It is often tied to a reflection about the experience. Thus, learning to report and
to reflect is the focus here.
Presentation
Through an oral presentation, students can demonstrate if they have grasped a
particular problem, are able to critically approach the relevant literature, can parse out
the solution to a problem, come to a nuanced opinion about solutions suggested for
a problem, can correctly explain something, can report in a scientific manner, etc. The
presentation may be given by one individual student or a group of students.
Self-assessment/peer assessment
Teaching staff need not to be the only ones evaluating students; the students
themselves may also have a role in the evaluation process. Students can evaluate
themselves on the basis of criteria defined in advance (self-assessment). Students
may also evaluate students in a particular group or (some of) their fellow group
members (peer assessment).
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Participation during contact moments
Participation during contact moments refers to the evaluation of students during
contact moments. These evaluations can count toward the final evaluation; or the final
evaluation can entirely be based on it. Different forms of ‘participation’ exist – from
actively listening, asking questions and answering questions, doing a presentation for
fellow students, co-organising a field trip, to minutely executing a task or experiment
during a practical.
Process evaluation
A process evaluation refers to the systematic gathering of information about the
learning process curve. The final result of the learning process is not the only focus
here; instead the emphasis is especially on the way in which the student realized the
objectives.
TOLEDO
What is Toledo?
Toledo is short for “TOetsen en LEren Doeltreffend Ondersteunen”, or to efficiently
support testing and learning. Toledo is the web-based virtual learning environment at
the Association KU Leuven.
Apart from making course materials and tests available online, it also allows links to
external sources, and offers different opportunities for students and instructors to
communicate with each other through announcements, email, discussion boards,
chat rooms and many more. In addition, instructors can use a test platform, allowing
students to evaluate their own study progress. Toledo offers access to a whole range of
learning activities, like assessments, tasks, group work and e-portfolio tools.
The coordinator of a course can give you Toledo rights for a specific course.
What do I need to use Toledo?
To access and use the tools in Toledo, you need a computer with internet connection
and a recent browser. We recommend Firefox or Chrome.
All KU Leuven personnel can automatically access Toledo with their username and
password on http://toledo.kuleuven.be.
Toledo-issues? Contact the local admin of the faculty: Inge Van Hemelrijck
Library CBA-CampusBibliotheek Arenberg
Here you can find information sources on subjects of
the exact sciences, engineering sciences, industrial
engineering sciences, bio-engineering sciences,
architecture and kinesiology and rehabilitation
sciences. CBA is not only a library, but also a learning
center and an excellent place for teamwork. The library
provides both open and closed spaces for teamwork.
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Willem de Croylaan 6
3001 Heverlee
Student Counseling and Guidance@FirW
First year guidance and counseling
The counseling and guidance of first years students is provided by the Student
Counseling Service.
Each first year student is assigned to a student counselor:
• To discuss general questions about studying at KU Leuven;
• To discuss their results after an examination period;
• To receive information and advice regarding their study pathway.
Students can also make an (individual or in small groups) appointment with a tutor:
• To discuss subject-specific questions;
• To be guided in developing a good study method;
• To get feedback on tests and receive assistance in interpreting study results;
• To discuss problems they encounter during their first year at the KU Leuven.
Moreover, tutors organize group sessions about frequently asked questions or difficult
parts of the course, called ‘Studieruimte plus’.
The Student Counseling Service also act as exam ombudsperson for first phase
courses.
Contact:
https://eng.kuleuven.be/studenten/
studentenbegeleiding/
First year student counselors:
• An Vanfroyenhoven
• Margriet Ovaere
• Hilde Vanaenroyde (architecture)
Celestijnenlaan 200i bus 2201
3001 Heverlee
Student guidance
After the first year, students are counselled and advised by the program directors
(see list beside). Students turn to them to empanel their program and ISP. Program
directors are often assisted by administrative personnel and/or ombudsperson. The
latter provide more daily support and guide students during evaluation periods (see
also beside).
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The Individual Study Program (ISP) is an application in KU Loket that allows students
to register their courses and have them approved according to the regulations of the
program(s) in which they are enrolled. They can also request exemptions through this
channel or have an exchange program approved. A number of ISP-coordinators are
assigned to each program to review, adjust, accept or reject your study programme and
exemption requests.
Contact:
ISP- coordinators Bachelor
• Bachelor Science and Engineering Architecture: Hilde Vanaenroyde
• Bachelor Science and Engineering, semester 1-3: Margriet Ovaere
• Bachelor Science and Engineering, semester 4-6:
ÖÖ Electrical Engineering: Prof. Luc Van Eycken
ÖÖ Civil Engineering: Prof. Hans Janssen
ÖÖ Chemical Engineering: Prof. Peter Van Puyvelde
ÖÖ Computer Science: Prof. Philip Dutré
ÖÖ Geotechnical Engineering: Prof. Hans Janssen
ÖÖ Materials Engineering: Prof. Marc Seefeldt
ÖÖ Mechanical Engineering: Prof. Dirk Vandepitte
Student counselors Bachelor
• Bachelor Science and Engineering Architecture: Hilde Vanaenroyde
• Bachelor Science and Engineering, semester 1-3: see previously at ‘First year
guidance and counseling’
• Bachelor Science and engineering, semester 4-6:
ÖÖ Electrical Engineering: Prof. Luc Van Eycken
ÖÖ Civil Engineering: Prof. Hans Janssen
ÖÖ Chemical Engineering: Prof. Peter Van Puyvelde
ÖÖ Computer Science: Prof. Philip Dutré
ÖÖ Geotechnical Engineering: Prof. Hans Janssen
ÖÖ Materials Engineering: Prof. Marc Seefeldt
ÖÖ Mechanical Engineering: Prof. Dirk Vandepitte
ISP coordinators and student counselors Master’s programs:
• Architecture: Prof. Frank De Troyer
• Biomedical Engineering: Prof. Harry Van Lenthe
• Chemical Engineering: Prof. Peter Van Puyvelde
• Civil Engineering: Prof. Hans Janssen
• Computer Science: Prof. Philip Dutré
• Electrical Engineering: Prof. Luc Van Eycken
• Energy: Prof. Lieve Helsen
• EIT-KIC Master in Energy: Prof. Lieve Helsen
• EMM Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: Prof. Guido Groeseneken
• Materials Engineering: Prof. Marc Seefeldt
• Mathematical Engineering: Prof. Karl Meerbergen
• Mechanical Engineering: Prof. Dirk Vandepitte
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: Prof. Marc Heyns
• Traffic engineering and ITS (VLITS): Prof. Dirk Cattrysse
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ISP coordinators and student counselors advanced Master’s programs:
• Artificial Intelligence: Prof. Danny Deschreye
• Conservation of Monuments and Sites: Prof. Koenraad Van Balen
• Human Settlements/Urbanism and Strategic Planning: Prof. Bruno De Meulder
• Nuclear Engineering: Prof. William D’Haeseleer
• Safety Engineering: Prof. Jan Degrève
Support during exams
Ombudspersons (usually a PhD candidate) act as a mediator, especially during the
exam period. Students should contact the ombuds for any problem related to exams
or evaluations. Besides, ombudspersons often work closely with program directors in
the more daily support of students.
Contact:
• The list of ombudspersons can be found on the facultary website (student’s portal)
• Scheduling of exams: Emily Coenen
Administration
• Academic secretary: Prof. Ward Heylen
• Registrar (student administration: transcript of records, diploma, exam processing,
ISP): Erik Calluy
• Vice-registrar and scheduling of exams: Emily Coenen
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SWEET2
Starters’ week of Engineering and Education: Training for TAs
Because teaching is a skill that can be improved through reflection, we want to offer
every assistant some support and guidelines for their teaching assignment. This is why
the Faculty of Engineering Science has developed a TA training. All PhD students who
start on an educational assignment at the Faculty of Engineering Science are obliged to
participate in this educational program. The program consists of a number of thematic
modules that are organized during the SWEET2-weeks throughout the academic year.
These SWEET2-weeks will take place at the beginning of each semester.
What do we offer?
Every SWEET2-week, different modules are organized. TAs are advised to pick the
module that corresponds best to their particular educational task. TAs are free to
attend more sessions that match their educational assignment.
Furthermore, our Welcome Session informs external PhD students about the academic
culture at the Faculty of Engineering Science. Finally, SWEET2-weeks are festively
closed with a reception for participants.
What is required of starting PhD students?
• To choose one module, preferably the one that matches your particular educational
task best.
• To attend the starting session of this module preferably in the SWEET2-week prior to
the beginning of your teaching commitments.
• To execute contingent assignments
• To attend the corresponding follow-up session that will take place in the next
SWEET2-week.
• To mingle and socialize at the reception
Are you a senior PhD student?
• If you haven’t taken part in any of the training sessions before, the rules above
also apply to you.
• If you already attended one or more sessions before, attendance is not mandatory.
Valorization in Arenberg Doctoral School
Participation in SWEET2 can be valorized in the doctoral training diary:
• A certificate will be granted a few weeks after completing the module. Completing
the module means ‘participation in BOTH sessions and successfully conclude
corresponding assignments’.
• Completed modules can be added in the doctoral training dairy (5.2).
• Prior to submitting the doctoral training diary at the end of the doctoral training
to the Faculty Administration, it needs to be approved by the representative
of the relevant department in the Faculty Doctoral Committee. Upon request,
participation at SWEET2 must be proven.
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Lexicon
8.1Lexicon
ACQA
Academic Competences and Quality Assurance, an educational
framework to describe and develop academic programs.
Competence
The ability to apply integrated knowledge, skills and attitude.
Course coordinator
The professor appointed by the KU Leuven who has the final
responsibility when more than one lecturer provide a particular
course.
Course unit
(OPO or OPleidingsOnderdeel)
A delineated set of educational, learning and examination
activities aimed at acquiring well-defined competencies. A course
unit shall comprise at least three whole credits and lead to one
distinct assessment mark.
Credit
An international unit accepted within the Flemish-speaking
Community of Belgium which corresponds to a minimum of 25
and a maximum of 30 hours of prescribed educational, learning
and examination activities and in which the study load of each
course or course unit is expressed.
Cumulative study
efficiency
Study efficiency calculated over all preceding academic years
within a study program up to the most recent examination period.
Disability
A permanent or long-term disability, which has been recognized
according to the KU Leuven registration procedure. The following
subgroups are distinguished: motor disability, hearing disability,
visual disability, chronic illness, mental disability, multiple disability
and other disabilities.
ECTS course
description
This sheet describes the main elements in a course unit:
objectives, examination, load, study material, etc.
Educational activity
(OLA or
OpleidingsLeerActiviteit)
Subdivision of a course unit in terms of a specific coherent group
of educational and learning activities, and the number of credits
to be earned in each; every course unit consists of at least one
educational activity.
Examination
Evaluation aimed at verifying whether, in view of their studies,
the students have acquired skills related to a course unit. An
examination can take place at a particular moment in time, or
may be spread over time in a series of activities such as during
internships or the various forms of continuous assessment.
Individual annual
program (IAP)
Set of course units that an individual student takes up in one
program of study during one academic year.
Individual program
of study (ISP)
The sum of all annual programs that an individual student takes up
with a view to obtaining a degree or certificate.
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Learning account
(leerkrediet)
Credit granted by the Flemish government to a student, expressed
in credits, which can be used to follow one or more courses of
study or course units.
Learning outcome
The determination of what a student is expected to know,
understand and can apply after completing an education-related
learning process. Learning outcomes are defined in terms of
competences concerning knowledge, skills and attitudes typical
for a program of study, a course unit or a set of course units.
Lecturer of a
course unit
The staff member who is officially appointed by KU Leuven as the
‘assignment holder’ of a (part of a) course unit.
Ombuds
Member of the personnel (usually a PhD candidate) acting as
a mediator especially during the exam period. Students should
contact the ombuds for any exam related problem, in particular
when they will not attend an exam.
Program director
The chairperson of a standing educational committee.
Program or course
guide
The entire body of specific course information supplemented with
examination regulations.
Standing
educational
committee
(POC or
Permanente OnderwijsCommissie)
The committee entrusted with developing and monitoring one or
more courses of study and made up of members of the academic
staff and representatives from the student body, with the possible
attendance of alumni.
Study efficiency
(studie-efficiëntie)
The ratio between the number of credits obtained and the number
of credits actually taken in an academic year within a program of
study, expressed in a percentage.
Study load
The number of credits awarded to a course, course unit or
educational and learning activities thereof.
Study time plus
(studieruimteplus)
On a regular base, first year students are provided rooms where
they can work (in groups) in the presence of some tutors at whom
they can ask all their questions.
Toledo
Web-based virtual learning environment at the Association of the
KU Leuven.
Tolerance
A choice made by the student to keep a tolerable result; to
apply tolerances implies that the tolerable result is being kept. To
dismiss a tolerance means that the students do not wish to keep
the tolerable result and that they will redo their exam.
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FACULTY OF
ENGINEERING SCIENCE
Kasteelpark Arenberg 1 box 2200
3001 HEVERLEE, België
tel. + 32 16 32 13 50
info@eng.kuleuven.be
www.eng.kuleuven.be
Contact
Elsje Londers
elsje.londers@eng.kuleuven.be
Inge Van Hemelrijck
inge.vanhemelrijck@eng.kuleuven.be