Created by: Quality Assurance Department (kvalita@rect.muni.cz)
Last updated: March 2023
Regular Internal Evaluation of a Bachelor's
or Master's Degree Programme
2/12 A Brief Guide for Programme Boards
Dear Guarantors,
dear Members of the Programme Board,
you have become a member of a body that is one of the most important elements in the joint efforts
to ensure the quality of Degree Programmes at Masaryk University.
These Guidelines will help you orient yourself in your rights and obligations as Members of the
Programme Board and provide you with basic information about the quality assurance system and
evaluation of Degree Programmes at MU. You will find here a summary of the legislative
requirements in a clear form, as well as some suggestions for the activities and meetings of
Programme Boards.
In case your questions are not answered in this manual,
• Contact the Quality Coordinator at your faculty;
• Visit the MU Internal Evaluation Board website, where you also find:
o relevant regulations governing the quality management and evaluation system at
Masaryk University
o Programme Board Minutes Form
o a summary of Frequently Asked Questions and answers
3/12 A Brief Guide for Programme Boards
................................................................................................................. 3
..................................................................................................... 4
What is the Programme Board?.......................................................................................................... 4
Composition of the Programme Board ............................................................................................... 4
What is the role of the degree programme guarantor? ..................................................................... 5
What is the role of the Programme Board member? ........................................................................ 6
What is the role of a Student Representative in the Programme Board? .......................................... 6
How to replace a Member of the Programme Board?........................................................................ 7
What happens to the Programme Board if the accreditation of a Degree Programme is extended? 8
.............................................................................. 8
When should the Programme Board meet for the first time?............................................................ 8
Do Programme Board Members have to meet in person?................................................................. 8
What topics does the Programme Board usually focus on? ............................................................... 9
How are possible changes to the curriculum discussed?.................................................................. 10
What is the procedure for changing, adding or removing courses in the curriculum? .................... 11
Is it possible to add another form, curriculum or language of instruction to the Degree
Programme?...................................................................................................................................... 11
.......................................................................................... 12
4/12 A Brief Guide for Programme Boards
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The Programme Board is one of the main elements of the quality assurance system at Masaryk
University. It is an advisory body for the Degree Programme Guarantor. Activities and responsibilities
of Programme Boards are regulated by Article 9 of the internal regulation Masaryk University Degree
Programme Quality Approval, Management, and Evaluation Regulations.
The Programme Board shall meet at least once a year with the participation of at least half of the
Programme Board Members. Minutes of the meeting are taken in the prescribed structure and
become part of the Degree Programme documentation.
The Programme Board shall be appointed within three months of the start of teaching in the newly
implemented programme of study or within three months of the previous Programme Board’s term
of office expiring (e.g. renewing the authorization to implement a Degree Programme).
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The Programme Board shall consist of at least five Members and shall be composed as follows:
• Guarantor of the Degree Programme - Chair of the Programme Board;
• at least two other academic staff Members teaching in the Degree Programme;
• at least one student representative of the given Degree Programme or a graduate of the
given Degree Programme with active study at MU;
• at least one employer or graduate representative who is not a Faculty academic community
member.
Individual interrelated Degree Programmes or Degree Programmes otherwise related to each other
may have a joint Programme Board. The Chair of the joint Programme Board shall be appointed by
agreement with the individual Degree Programme Guarantors.
A student in any semester and any curriculum of the given Degree Programme may become a
Member of the Programme Board. However, the participation of a student enrolled in a minor
should be carefully considered, possibly completed by an additional Member from the ranks of
students from another curriculum on the same Degree Programme.
The graduates’ representative should ideally be a graduate for longer than five and less than ten
years to maximize their contribution to the Programme Board.
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The Programme Board meets at least once a year to evaluate the activities of the Degree Programme
and to discuss possible changes – the Programme Board discusses the intention of such change and
decides whether the intended change is substantial or non-substantial.
During the academic year, the Programme Board discusses, as appropriate, plans and proposals for
substantial and non-substantial changes to the accreditation of the Degree Programme, and annually
evaluates the development plan of the Degree Programme.
Minutes of the Programme Board meetings shall be taken in the prescribed structure and shall
become part of the documentation of the Degree Programme. The Programme Board Chair should
circulate the Minutes to the members of the Programme Board for comments; if the Chair fails to do
so, the members of the Programme Board may consult the Minutes on the document server of the
given Degree Programme (access via the IS – Guarantor application – “Documents” tab), where the
Chair is obliged to upload the Minutes (or authorize the Faculty Quality Coordinator to do so).
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• in cooperation with the course Guarantors, coordinates teaching in the Degree Programme
• is responsible for the quality of the Degree Programme, develops and evaluates it
• comments on suggestions, requests and questions relating to the Degree Programme
• prepares documents for regular internal evaluation of the Degree Programme
• prepares a draft plan for the development of the Degree Programme
• proposes, if necessary, the extension, modification or renewal of the authorization to carry
out the Degree Programme
• proposes the Members of the Programme Board - academic staff and employer’s or
graduate’s representatives - to the Dean
• convenes a meeting of the Programme Board at least once a year
• is responsible for uploading complete documentation of the Degree Programme evaluation
(Programme Board Meeting Minutes) on the document server
6/12 A Brief Guide for Programme Boards
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• participates in meetings convened by the Degree Programme Guarantor
• has the right to consult statistical data on the Degree Programme and other documents
• proposes items for discussion at the Programme Board meeting
• evaluates the professional level of the Degree Programme following the current level of
scientific knowledge
• evaluates the teaching on the Degree Programme and its development plan
• comments on the Self-evaluation Report in the context of the Internal Degree Programme
Evaluation
• comments on the intention to amend, extend or renew the authorization to carry out the
Degree Programme, as well as the intention to cancel a Degree Programme on the initiative
of the Faculty.
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The Student Representative is a crucial element in the Programme Board as a feedback facilitator
from the student’s perspective. The Student Member has full status on the Programme Board, has
access to the data on the Degree Programme in the IS (the Guarantor app) and to the results of the
Subject Survey, and can therefore, like other Members of the Programme Board, for example:
• evaluate the status of the Degree Programme and propose recommendations for its future
development;
• take an active part in the work of the Programme Board, e. g. by providing suggestions and
proposals for improvement of the Degree Programme quality
• provide feedback
o on the Degree Programme as a whole
o on individual courses
o on the quality of teaching
o on issues of social safety and ethical behaviour
• as a representative of the students of a given Degree Programme, he/she is in contact with
the Student Chamber of the Faculty Academic Senate, monitors developments in the Degree
Programme and identifies the requirements and needs of other students in the programme;
• communicate with other students in the programme through mass e-mail correspondence in
the MU Information System.
Student feedback is essential not only for the evaluation of teaching on the Degree Programme but
also for many other related activities (study department, library services, state final exam design,
etc.)
7/12 A Brief Guide for Programme Boards
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Members of the Programme Board from the ranks of academic staff, employers and graduates are
appointed by and dismissed by the Dean based on the proposal of the Degree Programme
Guarantor.
Student representatives are appointed by the Dean based on direct nomination by students of a
given Degree Programme via the nomination application in the MU Information System or based on
nomination by the Student Chamber of the Faculty Academic Senate. Any student of the given
Degree Programme or its graduate actively studying at MU may be nominated.
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The position of a Programme Board Member may be terminated due to resignation, dismissal,
termination of employment (if the Member is appointed as a representative of academic staff) or
termination of student status at MU (if the Member is appointed as a student representative).
The replacement of a Programme Board Member shall be carried out without undue delay so that
the newly appointed Member can participate in the following Programme Board meeting.
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The Programme Board does not intervene in the process of replacing the Degree Programme
Guarantor; the change of Guarantor is the competence of the Dean of the Faculty. When replacing
the Guarantor, it is also necessary to determine whether the current Guarantor and Chair of the
Programme Board will remain a (full) Member of the Programme Board or whether he/she will not
be a Member at all.
The Dean submits a proposal to appoint a new Degree Programme Guarantor to the Faculty's
Scientific Council, and after its approval, the change of Guarantor is notified to the MU Board of
Internal Evaluation within 30 days, usually through the Faculty Quality Coordinator.
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If the authorization to implement a Degree Programme is extended by the MUIEB or the NAU, the
term of office of the Programme Board expires. In such a case, a new Programme Board must be
appointed within three months of the previous Programme Board's term of office expiring.
If the accreditation of a Degree Programme is terminated, the term of office of the Programme Board
is terminated as well.
Meetings of the Programme Board shall be convened by its Chair as necessary, but at least once a
year. Meetings may be held in the presence of at least half of the Members of the Programme Board.
Minutes of the Programme Board meetings shall be taken in the prescribed structure and stored on
the document server of the relevant Degree Programme.
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The timetable of the Programme Board is fully within the competence of the Degree Programme
Guarantor. The Programme Board meets as needed; the first meeting may take place on the day the
Members are appointed. However, the Programme Board must meet no later than one year after its
establishment.
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To provide adequate space for discussion, face-to-face meetings of Programme Board Members are
preferred. The Programme Board shall meet in person at least once a year - if it is not possible or
practical to ensure the presence of a Member in person, a form of videoconferencing may be used.
9/12 A Brief Guide for Programme Boards
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During the academic year, the Programme Board discusses proposals for substantial and nonsubstantial
changes to the Degree Programme as appropriate and annually evaluates the programme
development plan, which may focus, for example, on:
• summary of non-substantial changes in the Degree Programme over the last period;
• results of the admission procedure;
• the course and result of state final examinations and defences of qualification theses;
• the results of the course survey for the last period;
• the state of internationalization of the Degree Programme;
• the rate and causes of academic failure;
• issues of social safety and ethical behaviour;
• the promotion of the Degree Programme to potential applicants, etc.
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Once you have been appointed as a member of the Programme Board, you will find a new
application in your IS – the Guarantor app: https://is.muni.cz/auth/garant - then you need to click on
“Programmes” and select the relevant Degree Programme.
In the left menu, you will then find links to other applications related to the Degree Programme.
Particularly important is the “Documents” application (yellow arrow), which leads to the Degree
Programme’s document server, where all the Minutes of the Programme Board meetings are stored,
as well as materials related to the internal evaluation of the Degree Programme. You can see what
was discussed at the Programme Boards in the previous years. The Guarantor of the Degree
Programme is responsible for uploading the documents on the document server. Administrative
support is provided by the Faculty Quality Coordinator. If the documents cannot be found, please
contact either the Guarantor directly or the Faculty Quality Coordinator to ask for the documentation
to be completed.
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In the “Managerial data” section (red arrow), you will find statistical data related to the Degree
Programme, such as data on studies, studies abroad, final theses, study failure rates, information on
study support and admissions. In this section, you will also find a link to the results of the Course
Survey, which you can either view and examine straightforwardly, or generate in PDF format.
Programme Board members can access the full results of the Course Survey for a given Degree
Programme, including the verbal evaluation and comments. Course Survey results should be
discussed at the annual Programme Board meeting.
Access rights are automatically granted to new Programme Board members via the IS MU, usually
overnight. If you have a problem accessing the Guarantor app or Managerial Data, please contact
kvalita@rect.muni.cz, include your ID number (UČO) and specify exactly what you are unable to
access. To identify the problem and fix it faster, please attach a screenshot.
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At its meeting, the Programme Board discusses all changes in the Degree Programme and evaluates
whether a particular change is substantial (major) or non-substantial (minor).
In the case of minor changes, the Programme Board is the decision-making body, and these can be
discussed retrospectively. Non-substantial changes do not affect the graduate profile and do not
need to be submitted to the MU Internal Evaluation Board. Non-substantial changes typically include,
for example, changes within individual courses - their title, content, objectives, learning outcomes,
course Guarantor, etc.
Major changes are those that have a significant impact on the profile of the graduate for the Degree
Programme, in particular changes in the conditions of study or state final examinations or the form of
qualifying papers. In addition, major changes are also considered to be significant changes to the
scope of compulsory practice or profiling courses - the key is always whether the changes have a
significant impact on the graduate's profile.
In the context of a major change in the authorization to carry out a Degree Programme, it is not
possible to change, for example, the name of the Degree Programme, the profile of the Degree
Programme, the field of education, the degree awarded or the standard period of study.
Depending on the nature of the change, the Programme Board proceeds in different ways:
• If the change is minor, the Board shall discuss it and, if it agrees, note it and record it in the
minutes. Discussion in this case may also take place per rollam or retrospectively, e.g., at the
annual meeting. Minor changes need to be consistently recorded so that the overall change
in the curriculum can be evaluated in the longer term. The recording’s level of detail is left to
the discretion of the programme Guarantor. It is recommended that at a minimum, changes
to entire courses and credit grade shall be recorded, as these changes affect the curriculum
and the recommended course of study, which is published on the University website and in
the programme catalogue.
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• If the change is major, the Programme Board discusses it and, if approved, a proposal for a
change in the authorization to implement the Degree Programme is prepared and submitted
by the Dean to the MU Internal Evaluation Board for approval. If the MUIEB approves the
proposal for a substantial change, the change is effective and may be reflected in the further
implementation of the programme.
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This is a change in the Degree Programme and the task of the Programme Board is to assess whether
the change is major or minor (see the previous point).
When adding or removing a course or replacing one course with another, one of the essential criteria
is whether the course is profiling (marked P or Z) or non-profiling, and also whether the course is
classified as compulsory, compulsory-elective or elective.
The courses of the profiling foundation (P) and the basic theoretical courses of the profiling
foundation (Z) are the means to achieve the declared learning outcomes and thus fundamentally
influence the profile of the graduate of the Degree Programme. The learning outcomes and the
graduate profile are fundamental to the authorization to pursue a programme of study and any
change in them is normally assessed as a major change.
In the case of non-professional compulsory and compulsory elective courses, it is necessary to
individually consider the existing and resulting composition of courses both in terms of content and
in terms of the optimal distribution of the study load, etc. Unless there are major changes in the
composition of the curriculum, changes in non-professional and compulsory elective courses are
usually minor.
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In these cases, there are no changes in the Degree Programme. In the case of adding another form of
study or another study plan, it is an extension of the authorization to carry out the study
programme. The intention to extend the Degree Programme is discussed by the Programme Board,
and a proposal is then prepared, which the Guarantor submits to the Academic Senate of the Faculty
for its opinion and, together with this opinion, to the Scientific Council of the Faculty. The approved
Degree Programme extension proposal is then submitted to the MU Internal Evaluation Board.
12/12 A Brief Guide for Programme Boards
In the case of an intention to create a new language version of the same Degree Programme, for
example in English, a separate new Degree Programme must be created. In such cases, the rules
applicable to establishing a Degree Programme are followed but simplified to establish a language
mutation of an existing Degree Programme.
The quality assessment of Degree Programmes at Masaryk University is enshrined in three related
regulations:
• The key document regulating the function of Degree Programmes at MU is the internal
Degree Programme Quality Approval, Management and Evaluation Regulations; Article 9 is
devoted to Programme Boards. The above-mentioned regulation also includes an annex
entitled “Quality Standards for Degree Programmes at MU”.
• The technical details of the structure and form of a Degree Programme are regulated by MU
Directive No. 11/2017 Rules for the Development of Degree Programmes.
• The general framework of the entire quality assurance and evaluation system is set out in the
internal regulation Masaryk University Educational, Creative and Associated Activities Quality
Assurance and Internal Evaluation System Guidelines
These three Masaryk University regulations are based on the relevant provisions of the and in
particular on the Government Regulation on Standards for Accreditation in Higher Education. In
addition to the legislative requirements, the Masaryk University regulations also take adequate
account of the methodological guidelines of the National Accreditation Office for Higher Education.
In addition to the legislative requirements, the Masaryk University regulations also take adequate
account of the methodological guidelines for the National Accreditation Office for Higher Education.