Academic Staff Info

• So that EKA can provide a high calibre of education, the head of curriculum contracts with specialists to serve as non-permanent staff teachers, reaching agreement with them on the remuneration for provision and teaching of their subject, based on the current pay levels for non-permanent staff.
• The Estonian Academy of Arts uses the Tahvel study information system, which can be accessed at tahvel.edu.ee. Tahvel contains information on your subject, and a list of students registered for lectures. After each assessment, an assessment protocol is to be completed in Tahvel.
• The objectives and learning outcomes (knowledge, skills, values and attitudes acquired through learning) are described in the subject card. You will use this information to compile a subject programme, in which you will provide details on the content of the subject, teaching activities, assessment methods (e.g. test, examination, presentation, study portfolio) and assessment criteria (the knowledge and abilities, defined on the basis of the required learning outcomes, as well as principles for assessing performance, which allow the volume and level of knowledge and abilities acquired to be determined). The approved subject programme must be made available to students at least 1 week before the beginning of the subject (does not apply to optional subjects taught throughout the Academy).
• The volume of a subject is measured in credit points (ECTS credits). One ECTS credit equals 26 hours of study. The amount of contact hours per one (1) ECTS credit is:
  • 12 contact hours at the bachelor’s level (8 contact hours in the session study format).
  • 8 contact hours at the master’s level and 
  • 6 contact hours at the doctoral level.
• The 26 hours (per ECTS) must include both contact hours (including assessment) and independent study in the case of students and preparation of the subject and feedback in the case of the teaching staff member. When preparing the subject programme, bear in mind that independent study (researching literature, writing, practical assignments, etc.) should fit into the hours intended for that purpose (naturally, every student studies at a different pace, but as a general rule of thumb).
• Bachelor’s study subjects are generally taught at EKA on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Master’s degree study takes place on Thursday and Friday (possibly on Saturday as well). 
• The duration of one lecture is a minimum of 90 minutes (two academic hours – 2 × 45 minutes). The timetable is prepared based on the following schedule:

09:00–10:30 

10:45–12:15

12:30–14:00

14:15–15:45

16:00–17:30

17:45–19:15 and from there on – optional subjects

• The respective faculty’s academic affairs specialist may contact you for preparing the timetable for the subject. Notify the specialist of your preferences with regard to classroom and teaching aids/equipment. 
• EKA’s general classrooms are equipped with smart screens. Before your first lecture, the academic affairs specialist can explain how to use these screens. You can also bring your own computer (first make sure what kind of cable plug you need; the screen has an HDMI jack) or a USB memory drive that can be plugged directly into the smart screen. It is also possible to use your finger to draw or write directly on the smart screen and the screens are connected to the internet. For technical help, contact the IT Office it@artun.ee.
• The Moodle e-study environment can be used for teaching, uploading materials, turning in essays and taking exams and credit tests. To create a course, write to EKA’s Moodle administrator Digital Learning Designer Marleen Soosaar marleen.soosaar@artun.ee.

• The academic affairs specialist will provide assistance in all matters pertaining to academic affairs. Contact the academic affairs specialist if you have any problems with classrooms, teaching aids and equipment, etc.
• Please arrive at the first lecture 15 minutes before the scheduled time so that the academic affairs specialist could meet with you at the information desk and brief you on teaching at EKA, the classroom and equipment.
• General classrooms can be opened with a key card that can be picked up at the EKA information desk (“visitor card”). After the end of the lecture, return the card to the information desk. 

• You can find the list of participants for your course in Tahvel. If attendance is a prerequisite for completing and being assessed in the course, this must be specified in the course syllabus, and students must be informed of the course requirements at the first session. If someone attends a lecture who is not on the list, direct them to the Academic Affairs Specialist.

  NB! Optional subjects have waiting lists, meaning that a student on the waiting list must wait until a place becomes available; they are not entitled to attend the lecture beforehand.

• If, due to unforeseen circumstances (illness, etc.), you are unable to conduct teaching, you must notify the students enrolled in the course via the announcements module in Tahvel. Be sure to also inform the Academic Affairs Specialist so that a new time can be arranged in the timetable for the cancelled class.
• Please keep track of the time at which your lecture begins and ends!
• Please make sure which rooms are reserved for you. If there is a double booking, contact the academic affairs specialist, who will help you to find a vacant classroom.
• If you use a room other than the one booked for you, another teacher can enter the classroom and ask you to vacate the room. 
• If you would like additional supplies (A1 paper, markers or other items) or want to make changes in the time and place of the lecture), let the academic affairs specialist know at least 2 days before the lecture.
• In an emergency situation, the EKA assembly point is the park in front of the building.

• At EKA, assessment and feedback are considered an important part of the learning process, and the Good Practice in Assessment and Feedback outlines the main agreements that assessment and feedback are based in the academy.
• Before the end of the subject, let the academic affairs specialist know the time at which assessment and re-assessment will take place and a room will be booked for you.
• If you are grading students’ essays, let the academic affairs specialist know when you will be finished grading them. 
• A teacher has the right not to approve for assessment a student who has not fulfilled the conditions established in the subject programme and in such a case, a negative result must be recorded on the assessment protocol. Notify the academic affairs specialist of the result.
• In case of a negative result, the student has the right to take one re-assessment in the same semester. If the student receives a negative result in the re-assessment as well, they will have to take the course again. NOTE: If a student takes the subject again and again gets a negative result in the assessment and in re-assessment, the student will be exmatriculated (four negative results in one subject).
• If the student is unable to participate in the first assessment due to health reasons (they must submit a certificate) a result of “Not participated” should be recorded.
• Differentiated assessment (grading) by subject or parts thereof takes place on a six-tiered scale (A – excellent, B – very good, C – good, D – satisfactory, E – poor, F – insufficient. Undifferentiated assessment takes place on the following scale: pass and fail. If the student is a no-show for assessment, “Not participated” should be recorded in the assessment protocol.
• At the end of the subject, the teacher enters the result of the assessment into the assessment protocol in Tahvel within 7 working days of the main assessment; and in the case of general theoretical subjects, within 10 working days. The same also applies to re-assessments.
• After entering the results, make sure to also APPROVE the assessment protocol.

• The contract under the law of obligations will be concluded with you pursuant to the Involvement of non-permanent staff in the teaching of the Estonian Academy of Arts and their remuneration rules.
• If you have not previously been under contract with the Academy of Arts, you will be asked to send the academic affairs specialist a copy of a document certifying your education (a copy of your ID card, data on place of residence and bank account number are also required for entering into the contract).
• Your teaching contract will be sent to your email address of record. Read the contract, add your digital signature and send it back. 
• At EKA, teaching is remunerated based on a fixed matrix in which the academic level of the subject (BA, MA, PhD), teacher’s degree and number of students participating in the lecture are each important aspects.
• The remuneration will take place on the basis of the contract under the law of obligations concluded before the teaching starts, the directive on workloads and an instrument of delivery and receipt of teaching service.
• Remuneration is by single payment after the teaching has been completed and the results – i.e. the assessment report – has been completed in Tahvel and approved by you as the teacher. 
• The payment date is the last working day of each month. If the assessment report has not been approved in Tahvel as of 5 days before the payment date, the payment will be carried forward to the next month.