The following document contains rules and regulations regarding academic matters as outlined by Shenkar’s administration. These regulations are binding and form an inseparable part of the job descriptions of Shenkar’s academic staff. These regulations were drafted to ensure proper and appropriate conduct between the students, staff and academic administration.
Please read them carefully and act in accordance.
Regular updates from the academic secretariat will be conveyed by email.
Meydanet System
The college provides lecturers with access to an online system for personal information for the lecturer. Through this system, lecturers can receive their list of classes, exam schedule, access and print class registers, timetables, student grade appeals and more.
Go to the Shenkar homepage>staff>log into Meydanet.
Or via this link.
For support, contact meydanet@shenkar.ac.il and in the subject line write: Meydanet system for lecturers. In the body of the email, include your full name, ID number, contact details and a brief description of the issue.
In addition, each class comes with an online course for designing tools for building a timetable, content, multimedia files, forums, assignments, online exams and more. All of this can be found on the Shavit-Moodle system, or through the Shenkar homepage -> Staff -> Moodle (Shavit). The Meydanet online course website can be accessed directly by clicking on the “M” icon.
Moodle-Shavit System
Before submitting a request for support, it is recommended to go through the online walkthrough on the website: Navigation bar -> Support -> Staff walkthrough.
For support, send an email to shavit@shenkar.ac.il.
In the subject line, write: Shavit-Moodle System. In the body of the email, include your full name, ID number, contact details and a brief description of the issue.
Lecturers are required to update their personal details and email address through the Meydanet system. Formal communications from Shenkar will be sent via email. It is the lecturer’s responsibility to ensure their contact details are up to date.
The Center for Excellence in Education
The center supports Shenkar’s teaching community through a comprehensive suite of services, programs, initiatives and workshops. The center facilitates collaborations between lecturers, departments and faculties to promote and support engaging, diverse and modern learning methods. For more information, visit the center’s website.
“Updates, Tools and Information for Academic Staff” Forum
The information forum is provided for the convenience of the teaching community at Shenkar. Here you can find:
– Regular updates from Shenkar.
– Calls to tender for research and collaborations.
– The Shenkar logo (in the quality you’ve always dreamed of) together with a style guide for its proper use.
– Shenkar Word and PowerPoint templates.
– Staff discussion forum.
– Updates from the Center for the Promotion of Teaching (CPT) that includes instructions and tools for building syllabi and tests.
And more!!!
To join, click here.
Signing into the system is possibly only with a @shenkar.ac.il email address.
Contact Regina Adamovich to request a Shenkar email address at academic@shenkar.ac.il
Course Syllabus
- Lecturers at the college are required to submit updated syllabi for all courses they are teaching for approval to their head of department. Syllabi for first semester courses should be sent for approval two weeks before the start of the academic year. Syllabi for second semester courses should be submitted by the start of February. Upon approval from the head of department, the lecturer will upload the syllabus to the course website on Moodle.
- It is the responsibility of the lecturer to present the subjects covered in the course to the students in week one, together with expected outcomes, learning approach (in-person/Zoom/hybrid/workshop/groups etc…), number and type of assignments and evaluation structure.
- The syllabus is to include the course name and number, preliminary requirements for the course (required courses), course summary, expected outcomes, course outputs, course requirements and assessment structure, course structure (including submission dates) and a reading list.
- The reading list must be updated on an annual basis and include a list of books, articles, websites and digital resources. Please ensure that the library catalogue contains the resources the students are required to access. Should any of them be missing, please order them in a timely manner through the department secretariat. Syllabus Template for Faculty of Engineering //Syllabus Template for Faculty of Design.
- In courses with multiple parallel groups, there must be a single, uniform syllabus, even if each group has a different lecturer.
- The head of department is the academic authority for approving the course syllabus. Please ensure the syllabus has been approved by the head of department before the start of the academic year, based on the timetable set out in this document.
Course Registration
- Course registration is on a per-semester basis and will take place before the semester starts, at the exclusive discretion of the department coordinators. A final list of students registered for the course will be submitted in week three of the semester.
After this list has been received, students will no longer be permitted to register for the course retroactively.
The last date for changes to the first semester timetable — end of the second week of the semester.
The last date for changes to the second semester timetable — end of the second week of the semester.
- Students are not permitted to participate in the course without being registered, and they are not to be permitted to participate in study groups aside from those in which they are registered. Likewise, lecturers are not to accept assignments and projects from students whose names do not appear in the list of students, and any student who does not appear in the final list is not to be assigned a grade. Lecturers are requested to periodically check their student lists during the semester.
- Student attendance in class is compulsory, unless the lecturer has explicitly stated otherwise for their course. An absence from more than three lessons (for twice-weekly courses, more than six lessons) will result in a failing grade from the course and the student will be required to repeat the course in a different semester. Absences as a result of reserve duty, fertility treatments, pregnancy and giving birth, or any other recognized reason approved by the head of the department (or the academic secretariat) pursuant to the Shenkar Academic Regulations will not be counted against the number of absences.
- The Academic Regulations prohibit registering for courses with overlapping class times. Lecturers are asked not to authorize such conduct. Special exemptions are at the discretion of the head of department or head of academic secretariat alone.
Course Exemption
A request for an exemption from an academic course shall be submitted through the academic coordinator of the relevant department, as is common practice. Exemption from a course requires the approval of the course lecturer and the head of the department.
Fulfilling Course Requirements
- Students are obligated to fulfil the requirements of their courses (attendance, assignments, exercises, exams etc.) on the dates set out by the lecturer.
- The lecturer must ensure that all the requirements have been met before final grades are submitted to the exams division of the academic secretariat.
Assignments
- The submission date for the project is the date set by the lecturer, department or academic secretariat. This notwithstanding, the last date for submitting assignments will be no later than 45 days before the end of the semester. Any extension beyond this deadline is subject to approval of the head of department.
In cases of late or incorrect submissions, the student must be charged additional tuition fees, even if they have met their academic obligations, pursuant to Shenkar’s tuition fee payment terms. No assignments may be accepted if submitted more than two years after the conclusion of their degree studies. Exceptional cases may be referred to the senior teaching committee.
- It is not permitted to receive or grade assignments submitted by students whose names do not appear on the list for the course issued by the department secretariats.
Exams
- Every exam must have two sittings.
- A special, third sitting (“moed gimel”) will be offered in accordance with student regulations and only with approval from the academic secretariat.
- Exam dates may not be changed once published, and they must not be moved to the date of the last class of the course. Authorization for changes of exam date will be given only in exceptional situations, with the approval of the head of department and the academic secretariat.
- Examination Types
Lecturers are entitled to determine their preferred method of examination from among the following options:
• Written, closed-book (no literature and/or study materials).
• Written, open-book (with literature and/or study materials)
• Oral, subject to approval from the Center for Students with Learning Difficulties (at the HILA Center).
A sample test, or a representative collection of sample questions, will be offered to students (or uploaded to Moodle) during the semester or towards the end of it. - The exam questions must be typed up personally. It is not permitted to entrust the exam typing to a third party. Photocopies of the exam paper must be made within the college.
- All exams will be sent via the Meydanet system, which enables encryption of the files. Exam papers for both first and second sittings must be delivered through the Meydanet system no later than 10 days before the first sitting.
- At the top of the exam paper should appear: Course name and number, semester, year, sitting (first, second, special), name of the lecturer, exam date, exam duration, study materials allowed for use during the exam (if any), and any other details deemed relevant. It is important to include whether the exam requires an exam notebook.
- For any course delivered by more than one lecturer, the exam should be compiled collaboratively by all the lecturers. The expectations and assessment criteria should be uniform for all groups in the course in the following parameters: exam duration, difficulty level of questions, permitted and prohibited study materials, question composition, weighting etc.
- The exam format and parameters must be equal for all sittings.
- As part of efforts on the part of the college to encourage gender equality, and recognizing the importance of language in facilitating a discourse of equality, we ask that the language in exams and assignments be gender-neutral or inclusive. This is particularly important for exams and assignments written in gendered languages, such as Hebrew. According to a study by Dr. Tamar Kricheli-Katz, women’s exam grades broadly, and specifically in reading comprehension and math, are significantly impacted when the exam is written in male-gendered language. However, when the exam’s language is aligned with the gender of the one sitting the exam, the gaps between men and women are narrowed.
- The lecturer must be present at Shenkar on the day of the examination (first and second sittings). Lecturers must visit the room where the exam sitting is taking place after the first half-hour of the exam, and half an hour before it ends. At all other times during the exam, lecturers must be available by phone. In exceptional cases, the head of department may permit a lecturer to be absent and appoint a substitute in coordination with the lecturer. In these situations, the course lecturer is responsible for any explanations and clarifications provided by the substitute.
- The exam duration is determined by the lecturer. An extension of up to 15 minutes is at the discretion of the lecturer. Any additional extension beyond this is subject to approval and coordination with the head of department.
- The lecturer will be present at Shenkar until the end of the exam. At the end of the exam, the test papers will be delivered for photocopying. Once photocopied, the lecturer will receive an email update informing them that the exams are ready for grading. The exams are to be graded using the TomaGrade online grading system.
- Academic accommodations will be approved for students with learning difficulties, or different pedagogical or emotional issues, by HILA — Student Advancement Center, or Shenkar’s resident psychologist. Lecturers are not authorized to approve exam accommodations for students.
Lecturers are obligated to respect and uphold decisions made by HILA.
- Students with authorization from HILA are entitled to accommodations as detailed by the center in its authorization. This authorization should be presented at every exam.
The notebooks of students for whom the center authorizes an accommodation of not penalizing spelling mistakes should be marked with a special sticker.
- Oral exams for students with learning difficulties should be approved only in exceptional situations and require approval from HILA — Student Advancement Center and the head of the academic secretariat.
Oral exams will be held in coordination with the lecturer.
- Contact details, Ms. Hagit Weinberg, Head of the Tests, Grades, and Alumni Division at the Academic Secretariat: hagit@shenkar.ac.il 03-6110170 / 050-4440869
Assessing and grading assignments
- The lecturer should deliver their grades to Hagit Weinberg, head of the Tests, Grades and Alumni Division at the Academic Secretariat, and to the department coordinator.
- Exams
Grades should be provided within 14 calendar days of the exam date for classes with up to 100 students. An extra seven days will be provided for classes with more than 100 students.
- Assignments
Grades should be provided within three weeks of the final submission date. An extra week will be granted for classes with more than 100 students.
- Seminar papers
Grades should be provided within six weeks of the assignment submission date.
The grades will be delivered in a “Student List for Inputting Grades” form, which will be provided by Hagit Weinberg, with one copy remaining with the lecturer.
The scanned notebooks will appear in Meydanet once the grade has been filed in the system.
- First sittings will take place at the end of the semester and are condensed into a period no longer than four weeks. As a consequence, there are short turnaround times between exams.
Second sittings for first semester courses take place after the second semester is underway.
First sittings in second semester courses take place at the start of the summer break.
Second sittings in second semester courses take place immediately after first sittings are finished.
A special, third sitting for course exams will be offered if necessary and subject to approval (as detailed in the student regulations).
- The department coordinator will be responsible for keeping track of grade submission dates and report to the head of department, dean of the faculty and exams division at the academic secretariat any failuer to submit grades and/or finish grading exams by the necessary date. Lecturers are required to adhere to the course assignment timetable.
- Final course grades should be delivered in an Excel file to be sent to Hagit Weinberg (these can also be retrieved from the Meydanet system). The file should be sent to the grading division hagit@shenkar.ac.il within 14 calendar days of the exam date.
- The following are the grading codes at Shenkar:
Numerical grade for the course — 1-100
Participant — 222
Pass — 333
Fail — 111
Failure to complete course requirements — 888
Not assessed — 555
Appealing a grade
- A student is entitled to review their exam/take-home test through the Meydanet system (or on the exam-opening date) and to appeal the grade awarded up to four days after the grade is published.
- The lecturer’s response to the appeal should be submitted through the Meydanet system. During the exam period, it is the lecturer’s responsibility to go into the Meydanet system and check for student inquiries and appeals. The response to the appeal must be submitted within five days of its submission.
- A student who disagrees with a lecturer’s decision regarding their appeal is entitled to submit a detailed written request to the head of department.
- Grades cannot be adjusted after the proof of eligibility for a degree has been received.
- Grades cannot be appealed for projects assessed by a committee of examiners.
- The appeal may validate, raise or lower the previously assigned grade.
- In exceptional cases, the head of the department is entitled to discuss appeals that have not received a response within 14 days.
- A student who submits an exam appeal and has not received a response from their lecturer by the subsequent sitting (whether this is the second or third), will be awarded the higher grade of the two sittings in which they participated.
Opening Exam Notebooks — Protocol
Looking over and appealing a confidential exam:
1. Looking over a confidential exam — the questions, the notebook and the answer paper — should be done within a one-on-one meeting with the lecturer.
2. Upon publication of grades in the course, there will be a predetermined date on which the lecturer’s exam notebooks will be made available to be opened.
2.1. For first sittings, this date should come no later than five calendar days before the second sitting.
2.2. For second sittings, this date should come no later than two weeks (14 calendar days) after results are published.
2.3. The date, time and place for exam notebooks to be opened will be publicized concurrently with the publication of grades.
2.4. A further date will be scheduled for anyone who is prevented from attending the predetermined date.
3. Exams will be opened under supervision, and there will be no option to copy, film or remove the exam from the room.
4. Appeals will be considered based on a review of the relevant content in the exam notebook alone.
5. The verdict of an appeal for first sittings should come no later than five calendar days before the second sitting.
For second sittings, the verdict of an appeal should be published no later than five days after the date of the second exam notebook review date.
6. In case of deviation from the regulations between the sittings, the student will be entitled to choose the higher grade of the two sittings.
7. Exam questions and answers will be presented to the student by the lecturer.
Lecturer absence
- Any absence from a class should be reported to the department secretariat at the earliest opportunity, so the students may be informed and an alternative date for the class found.
- The head of department and department secretariat should be informed regarding absences known in advance, such as reserve duty or maternity leave.
- As stated in the regulations, absences from class are not permitted except in cases of illness, reserve duty or with written approval from the head of department.
- The lecturer is required to make up any missing classes. Lecturers in the Faculty of Design should coordinate the date of the new class with the department coordinator. In the Faculty of Engineering, this should be coordinated with the coordinator and Ms. Bella Dorfman, head of the Curriculum Division.
Catch-up support for students returning from reserve duty
Lecturers are obligated to support students in making up any gaps incurred by a student in the course of reserve duty, in accordance with the Council for Higher Education Regulations — Accommodations for Students in Reserve Duty.
The reserve duty coordinator at the Dean of Students office will inform the department and teaching staff in such cases as additional academic accommodations are to be provided.
Students with learning disabilities, ADD and other disabilities, and students from special population groups
HILA — Student Advancement Center is tasked with supporting students with learning disabilities and ADD, students with disabilities and students whose native language is not Hebrew (new immigrants, students of Ethiopian background and Arab students).
Students who receive approval for exam accommodations from HILA have gone through the center, presented a valid evaluation or medical note, and have been found eligible for exam accommodations as set out in the criteria.
The support center does not approve exam accommodations without valid and formal documents to back up the application. Lecturers are obligated to respect academic accommodations and give students the full support they require to progress in their studies at the college.
The list of approved accommodations will be provided to examiners at the time of the exam, and they are responsible for ensuring that all students receive their approved accommodations.
In specific cases, the accommodations provided require the approval of a lecturer (e.g.: replacing the exam with a take-home test, use of study materials for an exam etc.). In some cases, after the accommodations have been approved, the students are asked to speak with the lecturer directly to receive permission to implement the accommodations. In other cases, the center will coordinate this directly with the lecturer.
The support center encourages students to speak with their lecturers directly and guides them through doing so, to share their struggles and to find mutually acceptable solutions. This recognizes the professionalism of the lecture and their ability to see the whole picture; the pedagogic needs, the student’s struggle and possible acceptable resolutions. The final approval for accommodations will be provided by HILA — Student Advancement Center.
Lecturers are invited to discuss individual cases or general queries that arise with the center, to identify potential solutions.
All information provided to the lecturer by the support center is confidential and must not be shared or discussed with third parties, in private or in public, without the explicit consent of the student or a representative of HILA.
For all inquiries, contact HILA — Student Advancement Center office-hila@shenkar.ac.il
Reut Shalit — Director of HILA — Student Advancement Center y-hila@shenkar.ac.il 03-6110171
Shira Clayman — Accessibility Coordinator neg-hila@shenkar.ac.il 03-6110181
Dr Lior Eadan Bar-Nahum — Psychological Counseling Services Director psy@shenkar.ac.il
Rhea Burshtin – Learning Disabilities Advisor and Support rhea-hila@shenkar.ac.il
Teaching Assistants
- Employing teaching assistants/exam and assignment graders for a course is subject to approval from the head of department and head of the academic secretariat, before the course start date.
- The course lecturer should brief their teaching assistant in their duties for the course.
Teaching Aids and Teaching Materials for Students
The teaching community is obligated to submit a list of obligatory academic materials for students and their cost to the head of department. This should be submitted together with the syllabus. The department head shall approve the list before the start of each semester.
