This is a 6 ECTS course on Public Policies, i. e. 150h of the work of the students (25h/1 ECTS). This work is divided in different types of educational activities, following different teaching methods.

Directed activities:

Lectures: oral presentations with the presence of the teacher and with ICTs support. Examples of public policies and class debates.

Seminars: text and case discussion in smaller groups and in more empirically oriented cases. Introduction, presentation, analysis and discussion. Public policies simulations. Short written exercises.

Public presentation and discussion of group exercises. Group presentations. Discussions and general evaluation.

Supervised activities:

Tutorials: support in the elaboration of the group exercises and following the general aspect of the course.

Autonomous activities:

Reading: individual reading of theoretical essays and policy cases.

Studying and preparing documents and schemes. Online exercises

Elaboration of the group project . Working on the analysis of a public policy case, following the lecturer’s instructions. The format of this kind of exercise will be specified during the course.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

The evaluation of this course consists of five parts:

1) Final exam. It represents 40% of the final grade.

2) Mid-course test. It represents 10% of the final grade.

3) Group project. Elaboration of a group project (4 students) that consists of working on the analysis of a public policy case, following the lecturer’s instructions. The format of this kind of exercise will be specified during the course. It represents 30% of the final grade.

4) Oral presentation of group project. It represents 10% of the final grade.

5) Participation and attendance in class. It represents 10% of the final grade.

Important considerations:

- There is no official schedule of final exams. The lecturer will inform students about the dates of all assessed activities at the beginning of the course.

- On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (via Virtual Campus) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

Retake process

- The final exam and the mid-course test are recoverable; they account for 40% and 10% of the final grade, respectively. The resit will consist of a comprehensive exam on the course. Students must indicate whether they wish to retake the final exam, the mid-course test, or both activities. The grade obtained in the resit exam will replace the grade for the activity or activities being retaken.

-To be eligible for the resit, students must have been previously assessed in activities representing at least two thirds of the final course grade and must have obtained a minimum average grade of 3.5.

- The retake exam will be scheduled by the Dean's Office.

-Students will obtain a “Not assessed/Not submitted” course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items.

SINGLE ASSESSMENT

The Single Assessments consists of three parts:

1) Final exam. It represents 50% of the final grade.

2) Project. Individual. In-depth case study analysis of a public policy. The format of the project will be specified at the beginning of the course. 35% of the final grade.

3) Writing a policy brief to promote evidence-based public policies. 15% of the final grade.

Retake process.

-In order to be eligible for the resit, students who have chosen the single assessment system must have completed and submitted all the required assessment activities and have obtained a minimum average grade of 3.5. Under the single assessment system, the final exam, which accounts for 50% of the overall course grade, will be recoverable. The resit will consist of a comprehensive exam on the course, whose grade will replace the grade obtained in the final exam.

Irregularities in evaluation activities:

- The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence is not permitted in this course.

- In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject. The submissions with irregularities (plagiarism, use of AI, etc) are not eligible for re-sit.

- Exchange students who request to take an exam earlier must submit to the lecturer a written document from their home university justifying their request.