Student rights

Students' Rights and Duties (and more useful information)

This page provides answers to most of the academic questions raised during the course of studies at the Technion, as well as all relevant information to the student. It is recommended that you review it before contacting your Semester Representative or the Academic Coordinator. Most of the information presented here is quoted from the Undergraduate Studies Regulations. In any discrepancy between the information appearing here and the regulations, the regulations should be followed. If a problem arises, you are welcome to contact your faculty's Academic Coordinator. 

Have you encountered an academic problem or a violation of the regulations? Contact your Semester Representative or Academic Coordinator immediately so that the case can be handled quickly. The rules are not only intended to limit you, but also to help you graduate well with all the rights you deserve, so it is important that you be aware of what is permitted and what is forbidden and what your rights are so that you can focus on your studies in the maximum possible manner.

Course of Study

The Technion has two regular semesters: winter and spring. Each semester is approximately 14 weeks long, excluding holidays and vacations. There is also a non-obligatory, seven-week summer semester during which a limited number of courses are given. Students may use this semester to fill in gaps or accelerate their study program. Since the summer semester is short, each course has double the weekly hours of instruction of the regular semesters.

Click here to view the academic calendar

Completion days - days in which the studies are according to the schedule of a certain day that differs from the actual day of the week. Completion days are designed to close gaps in the learning days that are created because of vacations, so that there are 13 full weeks of study per semester.

Regulation 2.2.3 - Examination Periods 

A first three-week examination period takes place at the end of each semester. There is also a second examination period. During the examination periods, no examinations will be conducted in courses whose credit value does not exceed 1.5. Grades for these courses will be based on examinations and/or quizzes given during the semester. Dates of final semester examinations cannot be advanced, especially not to the last week of the semester. In courses where course work constitutes the major part of the grade, and quizzes are held throughout the semester, a final quiz may be given during the last week of the semester, but only on condition that it be given during regular instruction hours in a format similar to that of previous quizzes.

Regulation 2.2. - 5 Quizzes

The number of in-class quizzes per semester is limited as follows: no more than three quizzes may be given in courses in which there is no final examination; no more than one valid quiz in a course in which there is a final examination. Each quiz shall not exceed two hours and for each valid quiz - a second examination date shall be held. 

Courses - Settings and Relations

The Undergraduate Studies Catalog contains the full information about each course of study at the Technion. Each course includes compulsory courses, Faculty Elective Courses and Free Elective Courses.

Compulsory Courses - courses that must be studied according to a list determined by the Academic Unit Council in addition to basic subjects. The Technion defined that every student at the institute must study courses in mathematics, computer science and science (physics, chemistry or biology, full division appears in Appendix C of the Regulation). In addition, each faculty defines which courses it considers as compulsory in its curriculum.
Faculty Elective Courses - courses that can be chosen by the student from a list or several lists assembled by the academic unit in order to gain academic credits. The scope of elective courses will not be less than 30 credits in a four-year program and 20 credits in a three-year program.

Free Elective Courses - These are all the subjects within the framework of undergraduate studies at the Technion. Each faculty program will include at least 10 credits (or 8 credits in a three-year program) of free choice courses by the student. Among the subjects offered at the Technion, including courses in the Department of Humanities & Arts, this list must include at least 6 points from the list of enrichment courses that have been approved by the Council for Higher Education for this purpose.

Sport Courses – Regulation 1.1.8 - Physical Education

Students are required to take at least two credits of physical education courses. Students may meet this requirement any time during their study program, but may not take more than one physical education credit per semester. Students who have medical authorization stating that they are unable to participate in physical education courses will be exempt from this requirement and will not receive any credits

Please note that at the four-year degree, 10 free credits must be studied in addition to the physical education points (three-year, 8 free and 2 physical).

Relations between Courses: among the various courses there can be relation in which the choice of courses should be taken into consideration:

Regulation 1.2.3 - Relations between Courses

1. Prerequisite Course:

A prerequisite course is a course that must be studied and passed prior to the course in question. Registration in the course will not be invalidated if the prerequisite is not fulfilled. However, appropriate notice will be sent to the course instructor who has the right (despite the adviser’s approval) not to allow the student to study the course. Advisers are requested to carefully consider making such recommendations, and limit them to good students.

2. Linked Courses

Linked courses are courses taken in tandem. Regulations regarding exceptions are the same as those for prerequisite courses (above).

3. Courses without Additional Credit

Courses containing a large degree of essentially similar material are defined as courses without additional credit. No additional credits will be awarded to a student who has registered for two such courses. A student cannot register simultaneously for two courses defined as having no additional credit. If a student successfully completes a certain course and later registers for a course that does not allow additional credit, his grade and credits in the first course will be cancelled, and his grade and credits will be determined by that of the second course. The number of credits obtained upon successfully completing a course will be according to the last course studied.

Whenever material in a course without additional credit contains all the material in a second course, in addition to other material, the first course will be referred to as "containing" and the second as "contained."

Physics Placement Examinations

Regulation 1.3.2 - Physics Placement Examinations (Mechanics and Electricity)

All students must successfully complete section A (mechanics) of the physics placement examination before the start of their third semester of studies, and section B (electricity) of the physics placement examination before the start of their fourth semester. In addition, each academic unit is permitted, with the approval of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, to decide upon an earlier date by which time the student must complete both sections of the physics placement examination. Students who do not meet this requirement will be deemed as students whose academic status is “unsatisfactory” (see section 3.1.5, as follows).

The physics placement examination is compulsory for all students accepted to the Technion (except Architecture and Town Planning, Economics and Biology students), with the following exceptions:

1. Students who, as part of their Israeli matriculation, completed four physics units with a grade of at least 70.
2. Any student who studied in the mechanics or agricultural mechanics track of the Technology for Technicians program and passed external examinations in technical mechanics with a grade of at least 70 will be exempt from section A of the placement examination (mechanics). Any student who studied in either the electronics or instrumentation and control study track of the Technology for Technicians program and passed the external examinations in the track's primary course with a grade of at least 70 will be exempt from section B of the placement examination (electricity).
3. Any student who studied and passed physics in an Israeli or foreign university according to the criteria of that university will be fully exempt from the physics placement examination.
5. New immigrants and any student who completed high school abroad may appeal to the Committee for Certificate Authenticity for an exemption. The Committee will make its recommendation to the Faculty of Physics, which will issue an exemption on the basis of the recommendation.
   In order to enroll in the Physics 1, Physics 1M or Physics 1R courses, students must pass the first section of the physics placement examination or be exempt from it. In order to enroll in the Physics 2, Physics 2MM or Physics 2R courses, students must pass the second section of the physics placement examination or be exempt from it.

More details - here.

The list of programs and their placement examinations – here.

Teaching Methods

Each course at the Technion has a syllabus set by the faculty in which the course is given:

Regulation 1.2.1 - Course Syllabi

Syllabi for every course are determined by the academic unit councils and must be approved by the Senate. Each academic unit must appoint a teaching committee responsible for updating syllabi and textbook lists. Syllabi of service courses (courses given by one unit for students from another unit) must be reviewed in conjunction with delegates of the unit receiving the course. The council of the academic unit providing the service is responsible for its execution. Syllabi must state the course aims, list the topics to be covered, and specify the main topics to be taught in the course. Syllabi will be defined according to chapters in a textbook or books, and supplementary material that may be distributed to students. A copy of the official course syllabus will be distributed to each student enrolled in the course. Every academic unit must review and update its study program, when necessary, and at least once every three years.

From Appendix D (Examinations and Grades Procedure) - Section 3: Teaching Methods and Grade Components -

The teacher of the course must clarify to the students what the teaching objectives and requirements for the subject are at the beginning, including attendance requirements, quizzes, homework, tests, tours, etc., and the implications of fulfilling the course requirements. Details of the material studied will be specified syllabus as determined by the course teacher in addition to the material to be taught in the current teaching. The teacher shall determine, at the beginning of the semester, and at the latest within the first two weeks, the components of the final grade, their weight and the conditions for their weighting. If the quizzes will be conducted, the teacher will announce the type of quizzes in advance. The course lecture will not change the components of the final grade during the semester except in exceptional cases with the approval of the head of the academic unit. If a head lecture was appointer, he/she must also be responsible for the contents of this section.

At the Technion, as in other universities, teachers are given academic freedom according to which they teach. This freedom is regulated by the regulations:

Regulation 2.1.1 - Course Teaching Method

teachers may choose to lecture on material from the syllabus, from material distributed to students during lectures, or from any other material they consider suitable. However, the examination will be based on material from the official course syllabus, including those sections not lectured on by the instructors.

Exams - Evaluation, Publication of Grades and Appeals

Exam Dates:

Taken from the regulations (Appendix D):

The examination schedule shall be determined and published to the students for the period of registration for the courses. With publication, it is strictly forbidden to make changes / cancellations / additions. If there is a need to make changes / cancellations / additions for justified reasons, a written process (not verbal) will be conducted by means of an orderly approach to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies by the faculty giving the course. The teacher will undertake to solve any problem that may arise as a result of the change. The application will be approved if the following conditions are met:

1. All students will express their written consent.
2. The change will be acceptable to the teacher.
3. There are available rooms to hold the exam.
4. The requesting faculty will take care of the publication of the change.

In most faculties there is cooperation between the Semester Representatives and the secretariat in determining the timetable and the examination schedule. If it is known that a problem may arise, please contact the Semester Representative or the Academic Coordinator before the examination schedule is published.

Key points regarding the exam:

The relative weight of each question should be published in the examination questionnaire, and it is recommended that the relative weight of every section in the question, if any, be published in the examination questionnaire.

In general, the time allotted for the examination should not exceed three hours (net). Any deviation from this rule requires the approval of the Undergraduate Studies Center and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

Instructions for examinees and supervision of examinations:

1. The candidate must arrive at the examination room at least 10 minutes before the examination starts with a student ID or an identity card. Students who will not have a mean of identification will be able to be tested only after being identified by the course teacher, or by an appropriate arrangement between the student and the teacher.
2. It is important to keep every student in the examination room to which he is assigned, and not in another room of his choice. If a list of seats is prepared, the supervisor must ensure that the student is seated only in the designated place, and not in any other place of his choice (on the dates of the second semester, there is no division into the examination rooms for each student).
3. The secretariat will inform the unit heads of the number of supervisors required in each room.
4. All students are expected to act in the examination room in accordance with the instructions of the supervisor. The supervisor may, at his discretion, transfer a student to another seat at any time. Upon entry into the examination room, the examinee will place his or her belongings (including all electronic communications devices, when turned off), use only the material permitted for use in the examination, sit in the place designated for him/her by the supervisor and avoid calls. Throughout the exam, it is forbidden to hold any material related to the examination itself or to the subject of the examination, within the scope of the examination, in the examination room or near it, except for the material that was authorized by the teacher. Calculators required for the test will be simple scientific calculators without communication features.
5. A student who entered the examination room and received the examination form is considered to have participated in the examination. It is forbidden to leave the examination room for the first hour except for the toilet as detailed in section 7 below. Students shall not be allowed to enter the exam room 30 minutes or more after the exam started.
6. The course teacher or a person on his behalf must be present at the beginning of the exam and be available throughout the exam to answer student questions. In cases where supervision is carried out by external supervisors, the teacher must arrive at the examination room before the exam begins to instruct the supervisors. The role of external supervisors is supervision only. Exceeding the guidelines for supervisors is conditional upon the approval of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies and prior coordination.
7. During exams two hours long or more, the exit to the toilet will be permitted in the middle third of the planned examination period. Exit to the toilet shall be conducted in a controlled manner by the supervisors.
8. In very exceptional cases, the teacher in charge or a person on his behalf may decide to extend the examination time to all students. Additional time for certain students is given on the basis of the approval of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies only. The teacher must respect this certificate. The student must submit the confirmation of the extension of time and present it to the supervisors at the time of the examination. All students eligible for an extension of time will sit in a separate room (if possible) dedicated to this purpose.

Testing and publishing grades

1. The teacher in charge of the course is responsible for the examination. Valid exams and quizzes conducted in writing, on examination dates, shall be checked without specifying the name of the examinee. The teacher in charge of the course may be assisted by assistant teachers, but the final grade must be given by him./her only. If there is no technical possibility to do so, this will be done by another senior teacher, to be determined by the head of the unit. It is highly advised that undergraduate students serving as teaching assistants or homework examiners do not grade final exams.
2. The teacher in charge of the course will be personally responsible for submitting the list of students' grades in the course to the unit's secretariat. The grades will be brought to the head of the academic unit attention by the teacher, who will forward them for publication if he/she has no reservations. The course teacher must publish grades within 10 days from the date of the examination (if more than 10 days have passed, please contact the semester representative).
3. Students are entitled to take the exam in the first or the second examination period. It is recommended that students take the exams at the first examination period. Students are not allowed to take three exams in a specific course in the same semester. In any case where a student approaches more than one exam in the course, the final grade is the determining factor.
4. A student may obtain a photocopy or scanning of his exam notebook within a reasonable time after publication of the grades.

Appealing grades

1. A student may submit an appeal within four days of the date of availability of a copy of his test notebook.
2. The appeal will be submitted in writing on a form that can be received in the unit. In the form, the student will specify his reasons for submitting the appeal. Students should be aware that the entire exam may be re-checked, and not only the sections to which he referred in his appeal. Therefore, the results of the appeal can increase, decrease, or leave the grade as it is. There is no right to appeal an oral examination grade.
3. The course teacher must respond to appeals within a reasonable period of time (not later than one week before the second examination date). A teacher who wishes to change a grade will submit a reasoned recommendation for the approval of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Any request to change a grade that will be submitted to the Undergraduate Studies Secretariat long after the publication of the grade must be explained in detail and should be approved by the Undergraduate Studies Coordinator in the unit. Any such request shall be submitted for approval by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.
    

Repeating Courses

Regulation 3.1.3 - Examinations and Repetition of Studies

1. A student is permitted to attend examinations in the first and/or second examination period.
2. A student may register again for any course that he/she has already studied to improve his/her grade in that course during the two consecutive semesters following the semester in which he/she first received a "pass" grade in the course.
3. In special cases, additional time will be approved for improving the grade, subject to a recommendation from the academic unit and approval by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Special consideration will be given to problems related to first-year courses and courses given only once a year.
4. A student may register for any compulsory course in his study program if the last grade he received in that course was a "fail".
5. A student may study advanced projects or labs (such as “Overall Planning” in the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning) twice at most. The list of courses to which this section applies will be updated periodically by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.
6. In any event, the last grade is the binding grade.
    

Academic Distinction

Regulation 3.1.4 - Academic Distinction

1. Study tracks at the Technion will be divided periodically by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies in consultation with the heads of the academic units into groups that will be referred to in this section as "study channels." The list of the study channels will be published on the Undergraduate Studies website.
2. Prior to the "President’s List" ceremony held each semester, the Dean of Undergraduate Studies will determine and publish numerical thresholds for inclusion on the “President’s List” and the "Dean’s List" in each study channel. These thresholds will be based on achievements in the previous semester, and be determined in such a way that in each study channel approximately 3% of the students will be included on the "President's List" and approximately 15% on the "Dean’s List" (including those on the "President's List"), and on condition that the numerical thresholds are not below 91 (for the "President's List") and 84 (for the "Dean's List").
3. The criterion for inclusion on the "President's List" will be the accumulation of at least 18 credits in the semester program with an average grade of 91 or higher as long as it is not lower than the threshold defined in section 2 above. The criterion for inclusion on the "Dean's List" will be the accumulation of at least 18 credits in the semester program with an average grade of 84 or higher as long as it is not lower than the threshold defined in section 2 above.
    

Regulation 3.2.4 - Degree Distinction

1. Study tracks at the Technion will be divided periodically by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, in consultation with the heads of the academic units, into groups that will be referred to in this section as "study channels." The list of study channels will be published on the Undergraduate Studies website.
2. After the annual graduation ceremony, the Dean of Undergraduate Studies will determine and publish numerical thresholds for summa cum laude and cum laude honors for each study channel during the year up to the subsequent graduation ceremony. These thresholds will be determined based on achievements in this study channel in previous years: in each study channel, approximately 3% of the students will graduate summa cum laude and approximately 15% cum laude (including summa cum laude). The right to this honor will be determined based on the student's formal completion of his studies.
3. The criterion for graduating summa cum laude will be an average grade of 91 or higher, provided it is above the threshold defined for graduating summa cum laude in the student's study channel. The criterion for graduating cum laude will be an average grade of 84 or higher, provided it is above the threshold defined for graduating cum laude in the student's study channel (and the student is not entitled to graduate summa cum laude). This regulation will be first applied in the graduation ceremony of June 2008.
    

Unsatisfactory Academic Status

Regulation 3.1.5 - Students with an Unsatisfactory Academic Status

A student's academic status will be deemed "unsatisfactory" if at least one of the following conditions holds:

1. The cumulative weighted grade average is less than 65.
2. The "course success rate" is less than 66%.
3. The student's status was unsatisfactory in the previous semester, and he has not successfully completed the program of studies determined for them.
4. The student did not complete his physics placement exams within the necessary time period (see section 1.3.2).
5. The student did not complete his English requirements by the end of his fourth semester of studies (see section 1.3.3).
6. The student did not complete his Hebrew studies by the end of his second semester of studies (see section 1.3.4).
7. The student has been studying for two or more years beyond the nominal period for obtaining his degree, i.e., from semester 13 (in a four-year degree program), from semester 11 (in a three-year degree program), etc.
8. In the first two semesters of his studies, the student has accumulated less than 27 credits of the recommended courses in the study track in which he is registered. For the purpose of this section:

-      the Scientific English 1 and Scientific English 2 courses will be recognized as the equivalent of two academic credits, and completing the physics placement examination will be recognized as the equivalent of four academic credits. A student who is exempt from studying Technical English (or if the course does not appear in the first year of his study program) is obligated to take 24 such academic credits.

-      A student who has to study Hebrew must accumulate 27 credits within the four first semesters of his studies.

-      This section does not apply to students whose admittance was based upon previous university studies.

At the end of the first and second semesters of studies, and in advanced years - once a year at the end of the summer semester, and in other semesters as required by the regulations, all students progress in the studies will be examined. Students who are in a unsatisfactory academic status will be invited to the academic unit for counseling and guidance. The academic unit will hold a discussion and in accordance with the severity of the student's situation, it will recommend to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies the conditions for continuing his/her studies (such as setting a curriculum for one semester or a year or other requirements) or discontinuing studies. During the discussions, consideration will be given to special circumstances such as reserve duty service. The academic unit will inform the student of its recommendation, which will be submitted to the decision of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. The academic unit must appoint the person responsible for the counseling and guidance and the procedure for the suspension of studies and inform the students and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. A student who has been discontinued is entitled to appeal this decision orally or in writing to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. A student who was in unsatisfactory academic status at the time of his/her discontinuation or interrupted studies may submit an application to return to studies after the end of two years from the date of termination of the studies (see Regulation 3.1.6).

Unit for the Advancement of Students

A unit that is subordinate to the dean of students (not to the faculties), and includes a team of qualified counselors who will help you with difficulties in your studies.

The counselors of the Unit for the Advancement of Students are not the same as the high school counselors - we are all students at the Technion and the responsibility for learning is ours. The goal is not to force you to learn, but to help you learn correctly!

What does it mean? With regard to learning disabilities, physical difficulties (vision or hearing difficulties), this is the address to contact the unit for aids and time extensions, and the sooner the better.

If you find it difficult to study (maybe even more than everyone else), you feel that you are not coping, it is difficult for you to plan study timetable, you are stressed out or you have exceptional personal / family / financial problems.

We recommend going to counseling in the middle of the semester, if you feel nervous by the middle exams and / or failed them, even if you think you know exactly why. The distinctions are a baptism of fire designed to prepare you for the future, and any help you can use to succeed is worth exploiting.

If you served in reserve duty during the semester and therefore did not meet the pace of study, here you will receive help in the form of academic mentors who will sit with you one on one and will help you with material you're having difficulties with.

Who are these mentors? Our mentors are students that excelled in the courses they teach, and they usually have experience in mentoring, so they also know the difficult points in every course.

Try, ask, solve questions with the mentor, and you will usually see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Remember that in most cases the difficulties are with complicated ideas, and an hour with a student who controls "perfect" and knows how to approach the question correctly can make the difference between failure and good grades.

In order to receive mentoring hours you need to schedule an appointment with a counselor (during times of overload you will only talk to secretary Dalia), and get a list of mentors. It is important to know that in the first semester you are entitled to a 50% discount, so that every session will be at a price of 25 NIS.

(Tip: ask the counselor to recommend you of the busiest mentors - they're probably the best.)

And another thing: because the mentors are themselves students, do not wait for the last minute to call them. In case of difficulty, you should take a lesson already in the middle of the semester.

If you want to talk to a counselor personally, there's no problem. Most of the counselors work daily, and have free reception hours between 12:00 and 13:00. Otherwise, you can schedule an appointment in the unit office or by phone: 04-8294110/2

The unit is located at Ulman 400, in room 470.

The reception hours of the unit's secretariat (Ulman 470) are:

Sunday - Wednesday between 08:00 - 15:30, Thursday 08:00 - 13:30

Phone: 04-8294112, 04-8294110.

You can schedule an appointment with a counselor by telephone.

The faculty counselors are:

Ora Gelbman - Civil and Environmental Engineering, Agricultural Engineering Track, Mapping and Geo-Information Engineering and Physics.

Orli Salai - Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Architecture and Town Planning.

Anat Frenkel - Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Teaching Technology and Science, Biology, Biotechnology and Food Engineering.

Hagit Fishhendler - Computer Science, Mal’ach program.

Dalia Peled - Industrial Engineering and Management, Economics, Materials Engineering, Biomedical Engineering.

Yael Caspin - Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautics and Aerospace Engineering.

Sarah Katzir - Medicine.

Student Ombudsman

According to the Student Rights Law, section 22: Every institution shall hold a Student Ombudsman; Each candidate and every student in the institution may submit a complaint to the Student Ombudsman or other body in the institution authorized to investigate complaints (in this section - the Ombudsman) if he/she believes that the student’s rights were violated under this law, including as part of a disciplinary proceeding according to chapter D, or was not properly treated by the academic or administrative staff of the institution, The ombudsman will examine and clarify every complaint he/she has received and respond to the complainant. The ombudsman may submit his/her recommendations regarding the complaint to any authorized person in the institution. The Student Ombudsman shall also report to the head of the institute, each year, on his/her actions to investigate the complaints from the catalog (link).

Administrative issues

It is recommended that you contact the responsible caregiver (the head of Student Accounts Department for tuition fee issues, the security officer in parking matters, etc.). If the problem is not solved, you can contact the Dean of Students in writing or schedule a personal conversation. The Dean of Students meets students once a week at the student union building on the ground floor. Registration for a conversation is at the dean's office.

"Student Ombudsman" - If all of the above options have been exhausted and no satisfactory solution to the problem has been found, please refer the complaint to the Student Ombudsman with relevant documents as explained below (Note: A complaint that was not clarified before by the Dean of Undergraduate/Graduate Studies / Dean of Students, as detailed above, will be returned to the student without treatment).

1. "Student Ombudsman" is an independent and neutral authority handling students' applications that have not been resolved by the accepted channels. The Ombudsman acts as an objective arbitrator between the student and the authorities and academic and administrative bodies of the institution. They hear the parties and have access to all relevant written information.
2. Every student may turn to the Ombudsman on any subject in which he/she feels that he/she has been wronged, except for matters discussed in the Disciplinary Committees and in law court, as well as scholarships and assistance grants to the dorms (decisions on these matters are made in an orderly and joint procedure to the Technion and Student Union authorities).
3. A student may apply to the Student Ombudsman in order to consult with him/her regarding the filing of a complaint.
4. The Ombudsman does not handle anonymous requests, but at the request of the student it is possible to preserve the confidentiality of the name.
5. The Commissioner receives students in the office of the Dean of Students at the Fishbach building.

In order to arrange an appointment with the Student Ombudsman, please contact Ms. Rivka Leviatan of the Dean's Office (also available by telephone - 3143).

Student Rights Law

In 2007, the Knesset passed the "Student Rights Law", which aims to anchor the basic rights of students and ensure access to higher education in Israel while maintaining equal opportunities.
In 2008, an amendment to the law was passed that regulates the rights of students from reserve duty.

Pregnant Students

At its meeting on April 12, 2011, the Council of Higher Education approved the recommendations of the committee for the regulation of the rights of pregnant and maternity students. The principles guiding the committee in its work, headed by Prof. Ruth Bait Marom, a member of the Council for Higher Education, were:

• Promoting gender equality in Israel's higher education system.
• Responding to the variance that exists today in the nature of the family cells: single parent families, dual parent families, single gender families, as well as the possibility of dividing the parental leave or adoption leave between the parents.
• Maintaining the quality of the graduate. The adjustments should increase the flexibility under the conditions for fulfilling the tasks without waiving the academic requirements.
• All adjustments made to students in this group will be free of charge (including towing and overhead payments).

Among the committee's recommendations that were approved:

Absence from lessons:

An "eligible student" is entitled to be absent from 30% of all classes in any course in which attendance is required. If the absence exceeds 30%, the student will be given the opportunity to cancel the course and repeat it.

Homework:

The "eligible student" who did not submit assignments on the dates determined to have occurred during her period of complications of pregnancy or fertility treatment may submit the tasks or alternative assignments in accordance with the decision of the lecturer and with his consent, seven weeks after the end of her eligibility period.

Exams:

1. A pregnant student whose condition does not allow attendance on the exam will be examined at a later date within the accepted time limits (the student will be required to provide a medical certificate).
2. An "eligible student" (who is in the period of complications of pregnancy or fertility treatments) shall be entitled to take examinations in subjects in which she has not been examined in respect of her condition, on the dates of examinations acceptable to the institution (second or third examination period etc.)
3. An "eligible student" who is absent from a pre-requisite course for another course, or to an advanced school year, is entitled to "conditional" study in the advanced course or in the advanced year.
4. Pregnant students have an exceptional exit permit for toilet during the exam.
5. A pregnant student will be given an additional 30 minute to the examination.

Study termination:

An "eligible student" may terminate her studies prior to the examination date retroactively for the semester in which she gave birth, and reserve her right to re-register free of charge, provided that the studies are not deferred for more than two years.

Spouse to "eligible student":

The spouse of an "eligible student" will be entitled to a one-week vacation from his/her studies. In addition, the spouse of an eligible student will be entitled to an additional examination date if he/she did not participate in an exam which was held within three weeks of the date of birth.

Degree completion date:

The completion date of the degree will be extended according to the period of the permitted absences, without overhead payment, up to one year from the accepted date for completion of the degree.

Parking:

A student is entitled to receive parking permits from the seventh month of pregnancy until one month after birth, and the institution will try to give preference to the purchase of a parking pass on the campus for parents of children up to the age of two.

Additional details: for a document containing all the committee's recommendations that have been approved click here.
To view this topic on the Israel Student Union website click here.

Procedure for Special Examinations (Grieving, Hospitalization and a Severe and Prolonged Physical Restriction)

Another impressive achievement in the field of student rights, which finally provides a solution for students at the Technion who have had to miss an exam due to difficult events – grieving, hospitalization or serious injury.

The procedure was applied against the background of many cases in which students were forced to miss examinations due to special and difficult circumstances, but there was no orderly response regarding it. In some faculties there is an internal procedure, but at the Technion institute level there was still no answer to such cases.

The proposal was brought to the discussion by a committee of students from TSA representative. After several discussions, it was decided to apply the following procedure as procedure of undergraduate studies.

The procedure states that a student who is forced to lose an examination due to special circumstances is entitled to an alternative date in one of two ways:

- If a reserve exam is held in the course, the student may, with the approval of the head lecturer, join the exam.

- If no reserve exam is held, or alternatively, the course's head lecturer did not permit the student to take the exam, the student is entitled to take the course's firstsecond exam in the following semester (according to the decision of the Undergraduate Studies Secretariat).

Who is eligible?

- Hospitalization: A student who was hospitalized on an examination date or was hospitalized and discharged up to four days before an examination. A referral to the ER is not considered hospitalization.
- A student whose first degree relative died (parent, brother/sister, son/daughter, spouse) and the date of death occurred on the day of the examination or two weeks prior to the examination.
- A severe and prolonged physical limitation (e.g., serious injury) which is a serious impediment to the examinations.

How can you get what you're entitled to?

You can contact the Undergraduate Studies Center by filling a form (if the link does not work, please go to the Undergraduate Studies website -> Forms -> Special Exam Application Form). Relevant certificates must be presented as evidence of serious prevention.
For questions, please contact the Semester Representative / the faculty Academic Coordinator.

Exemption from the Obligation of Enrichment Studies

A student who has accumulated 6 credits or more in one of the following subjects: Choir 3 (394587) or Orchestra (394582) will not be required to study 6 credits of enrichment studies, but will be required to study only 2-4 credit, according the key set in Table 1. In any case, the student must take at least 2 credits of enrichment studies.
A student who has accumulated 6 or more credits in a sports team (394902) and has submitted a certificate stating that he has represented the Technion in two league seasons or in two inter-university competitions will not be required to study 6 credit points in enrichment studies, but will be required to study 2-4 credit points in enrichment studies according to the key set in Table 2. In any case, the student must take at least 2 credits of enrichment studies.