Code of conduct

"IOB heralds the principles of equality, transparency, open and honest communication, pluralism, tolerance and mutual respect. All students must show respect, in expression, language and attitude, for other members of the University community, irrespective of their gender, language, belief, age, sexual orientation or other grounds commonly mentioned in international human rights instruments. Any student who falls victim to discriminatory or offensive behaviour, on behalf of staff members or of fellow students, can report such incident to the IOB social service or to any other staff member. Through a discrete approach, safeguarding the integrity of all parties involved, the IOB will act upon the reported incidents."

Academic Survival Guide

Doing a one-year Master’ programme at IOB is not only a matter of adapting to a different country, different cultural values, habits, etc.; it also requires an adaptation to an entirely new academic environment. The Belgian academic context, and specifically that of IOB, may be quite different from what you are accustomed to. Without proper guidance, students might get lost in this labyrinth of new rules, concepts, terms and guidelines. This is why we have compiled an Academic Survival Guide (ASG). It is intended to serve as a point of reference for all matters related to research activities, assignments and exams performed in the course of your Master programme. The first part of the ASG introduces students to the academic aspects of the Master while the second part contains practical information. The Academic Survival Guide will be made available to students upon arrival.

Lectures, courses and exams

As a student, the idea is that you actively participate in classes and exams. You will be introduced to various types of instruction such as lectures, exercise sessions, seminars, interactive lectures and so on. Lecturers will also give you assignments or cases to work on alone or in groups with other students. This mix of teaching methods will allow you to acquire knowledge and insight as well as developing the necessary skills for your career. You can find a lot of information about your programme components in the University of Antwerp's electronic learning environment (Blackboard). Lecturers use the learning environment as an important channel for organising lectures, supervising students, setting and collecting assignments and posting announcements.

The exams for most programme components are usually organised at the end of each module. If you need a second chance for one or more programme components you can sit for the exam(s) again during the second session in August. Some programme components also carry out assessments during the semester, in the form of mid-term exams or assignments, for example. 

ECTS credits or study credits

The study credits concept is one of the most important elements of the Flemish higher education system. The number of study credits you use and earn is used to measure your performance and study progress and social status as a student. 

What are study credits? 

Study credits are used as an accounting unit in higher education. The number of study credits a programme component or module has is an indication of its weight in your overall programme. One study credit represents between 25 and 30 hours of study time. Study time means: attending educational activities (lectures, seminars, exercises, etc.), the time you spend on preparing, studying, sitting exams, doing exercises and writing papers or completing other assignments which are used to assess your progress.

Every programme component has at least three study credits. A full-time academic year is therefore worth 60 study credits, or between 1500 and 1800 hours of study. Study credits are primarily a means of measuring your programme's workload. Study credits also count towards your results: the marks you receive (between 0 and 20) are weighted on the basis of each programme component's study credits. This means that the results you get for a programme component worth a lot of study credits will have a bigger influence on your overall results. Study credits are also used as a means of calculating your registration fee. Finally, the Government of Flanders own study progress and learning account principles also make use of study credits as a unit of measurement. 

Study progress control

The IOB applies a system of study progress monitoring. Students performing very weakly during the first semester will be called for an interview with the IOB's programme director in order to take measures for improvement. Students who do not obtain at least 60% of the credits after one academic year will be subject to conditions for re-enrolment. Students who do not meet these conditions imposed by the IOB , will be refused further enrolment.

Education and Examination Regulations

The translation of the Education and Examination Regulations will be available in August..