In 1999, development work on the MU Information System continued. The project started at the end of November 1998. In January 1999, the first applications were tested by a limited group of users. Officially, the Information System was put into operation on March 1 1999. At that time, applications for data collection of publication activities, curricula vite and catalogues of subjects were introduced for use. Since then, new applications for study records have been developed. By December 31 1999, after less than a year of being in use, the Information System had registered 11,961 active users. 21,899 users got their password and register names and the entire system recorded a total of 44,738 users. By the end of 1999, the following applications were implemented and used:

Lists and photographs of students, information on students

Record of subject evaluation

Record of follow-up information on subjects

(curricula, etc.)

Information on courses and study (Catalogue of subjects)

Registration, enrolment, changes in course enrolments

Examination enrolment

Requests for accommodation in hostels

Inspection and viewing of Student Cards

How to work with personal data

Record of courses of study

Record of courses of study how to work with them

Support of study permeability

Register of students

Printing of sets and lists, network printing subsystem

Mass selection of students as per any criteria

Catalogue of subjects

Personal pages, option to add data

Publication activities

Curricula vitae

Presentation (general mechanism for data transfer from IS MU)

Documentation of approach rights

Administration of approach (password)

Graphs of system use

Usage record of server and transfer network

The Act on Higher Education stipulates that a school of higher education must provide students with Student Cards after they have been in the Student Register. For its Student card, Masaryk University uses the form of an ISIC identification card with a non-touch chip, a bar code and a colour photograph, as it is an internationally approved card. The validity of a Student Card amounts to 16 months (from September 1 to December 31 of the following year). The MU card consists of a chip supported by the MU order catering system and a bar code usable by other study departments or MU libraries. A valid ISIC card can be used as a whole-year certificate for the purchasing of a concession-priced travelcard from the Transport Company of the City of Brno. The card can also be used for free access to computer and other study rooms of limited access, or for self-copying services. Via study departments, by December 31 1999 the MU faculties had received 13,884 ISIC cards, and these were distributed to its full-time students. Students in other study programmes receive paper study cards with a bar code and a photograph.

Tables and charts state the number of MU students. Tables 1a, 1b and 1c show that there were 18,785 students at eight MU faculties in 1999. This is a figure 4% higher than in the previous year. The main stress was put on study programmes for the degrees of Master and Doctor, although at all faculties (except the Faculty of Informatics) there are also study programmes for the degree of Bachelor.

The number of students in Bachelor’s and Master’s study programmes in the last five years is stated in Table 2 and Graph 1. The number of students per teacher plays one of the significant role in the quality of teacher performance. It is obvious from Table 3 that this number has grown at the majority of MU faculties, but in spite of this the quality of teaching has not decreased. There was total of 33,037 applicants at the 1999 entrance proceedings. The number of applications was in excess of the number of students who could be accepted: at the Faculty of Law - eleven times greater; Faculty of Medicine - five times greater; Faculty of Science - seven times greater; Faculty of Arts - nine times greater; Faculty of Education - seven times greater; Faculty of Economics and Administration - six times greater; Faculty of Informatics - three times greater; School of Social Studies - twelve times greater. For the entire university, on average there were seven times more applicants than places available. An overview of entrance proceedings is given in Table 4. This does not involve self-paying students, scholarship holders from abroad, and graduates accepted for post-graduate studies.

For the faculties, it is the number of students enrolled which counts. In comparison with 1998, the number of students enrolled at MU has grown by 2.5%. The difference between those accepted and those enrolled and studying (33%) was caused by the fact that many students were accepted at more than one faculty. An overview of students enrolled at the individual MU faculties is given in Graph 2.

Masaryk University responded dynamically to growing study interest in its faculties with the accreditation of new study disciplines. The study programmes of the Faculties of Medicine, Arts, Education, Informatics, Economics and Administration and the School of Social Studies were extended. Masaryk University also supports interdisciplinary study projects such as the joint study of medical disciplines at both the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Education.

The number of international students is one of the most important indicators of the school’s prestige at home and abroad. A total of 572 students from abroad enrolled for full-time study, i.e. 3% of all full-time students. In the 1999/2000 academic year, there are 57 more foreign students than last year. On bachelor’s and master’s day-time courses, the majority of students come from Slovakia (319), Greece (91), Bahrain (12), Yemen (6) and Poland (5). There are another 139 students from another 54 countries. The majority of MU faculties continue to strive to increase the number of their students from abroad. The faculties offer individual courses and complete study programmes in English (other languages also available), are represented at various international publicity events and education fairs, and co-operate with international agencies.

The number of graduates (Czech citizens) is shown in Table 5 and the number of graduates (foreigners) in Table 6.

Masaryk University opened a further Introductory Course of the Third Age University, and MU students participated in the Introductory Course, Course of Practical Gerontology and U3A Club of Graduates. Lectures as part of U3A were attended by 433 students.

Faculty of Medicine - adjustments were implemented in study programmes of individual disciplines

Faculty of Science - in connection with the introduction of a new credit system compatible with ECTS, all study programmes were updated

Faculty of Arts - study subjects are annually updated; the range of elective and optional subjects is extended by topical themes, and these change with regard to changes in the external teaching staff.

Faculty of Education - in connection with the introduction of a new credit system, all study programmes were updated. The changes were related mainly to the structure of study programmes (a new range of compulsory, elective and optional subjects, an adjustment to the volume of contact hours).

Faculty of Economics and Administration - in the Economic Policy study programme, the subject of National Economics was updated: two new specializations (Economics and Economic Policy) were added.

Faculty of Informatics - The Faculty introduces innovation into its study programmes gradually, following development trends in information technology, and depending on the subjects offered by its external lecturers. In the framework of the study programme for future teachers, the contents of the Final State Examination were adjusted in order to reflect the demands of the basic profile of the Faculty’s graduates. By that change, a clear division was made between the professional and teaching orientation. A Bachelor of Informatics study programme was opened, which required an adaptation to the Master’s degree course. In many basic mathematics and information technology disciplines, students can choose how they complete their studies, to which are related necessary adjustments to lectures and different evaluation methods. On the whole, the mutual permeability of master’s and bachelor’s study programmes was increased, including necessary adjustments to the faculty’s study and examination rules thus increasing the chance of students finishing their education successfully.

School for Social Studies: minor adaptations to the school’s study programmes are implemented in line with new development trends in the field.

New bachelor’s, master’s and post-graduate programmes

Faulty of Law - there are no new master’s study programmes at the moment, nor are these planned for the near future.

Faculty of Medicine - in the academic year 1999/2000 no new study programmes were introduced.

Faculty of Science - bachelor’s programme in Applied Biochemistry, master’s programme in Mathematical Biology.

Faculty of Arts - in the academic year 1999/2000 full-time bachelor’s courses were opened in Baltic Studies in combination with another subject, Portuguese studies in combination with another subject, a full time master’s course in general linguistics in combination with another subject, a full-time bachelor’s course in social pedagogy and counselling (thus far only in combination with another subject) and a full-time master’s course in scientific informatics and librarian studies (thus far only in combination with another subject).

Faculty of Education - in the academic year 1999/2000 no new study programmes were introduced.

Faculty of Economics and Administration - bachelor’s and master’s study programmes did not experience any changes (it is planned to introduce them in the academic year 2001/2002). At post-graduate level, a new study programme titled Economic Policy was accredited, consisting of two disciplines (Economic Policy and Public Economics). As a joint project of the Faculties of Economics and Administration, Science, Art and the School of Social Studies, the Faculty of Arts and in co-operation with the University of Rennes, a two-semester Czech- French study programme in Public Administration was opened.

Faculty of Informatics - For the academic year 1999/2000, the Faculty opened a new bachelor’s study programme in computer technology. This three-year programme was approved in 1998, though the students started their studies only in September 1999. This new programme reflects the demands of Czech industry, and in comparison with other subjects focuses on more practical issues. Graduates in this subject are interested in careers as practical programmers, computer network administrators, Internet page design, etc.

School of Social Studies - a new study programme titled International Territorial Studies.

Faculty of Medicine - there are no signs that graduates are not able to find employment; there is, however, a certain unbalance concerning the variety of medical disciplines.

Faculty of Science - According to information available, the majority of graduates of the Faculty find a position connected to the discipline studied.

Faculty of Arts - the study programmes of the Faculty cover subjects studied at grammar schools and other types of secondary school. Graduates in philological disciplines work both as teachers and translators/ interpreters. Graduates in fine art studies find their work in various cultural institutions, galleries, theatres and as reviewers of the mass media. Graduates in education and psychology disciplines answer the demands of counselling and medical institutes. The Faculty strives to reflect new trends on the job market. It is necessary, however, to point out that the Faculty does not follow the progress of their graduates in employment.

Faculty of Education – the Faculty focuses on study programmes for teachers in elementary and secondary schools, together with the study of special pedagogy and social pedagogy. In teachers’ disciplines, the Faculty also opens such subjects and combinations which comply with curricula of elementary and secondary schools. As there is an increased demand for primary-school teachers, the Faculty accepted double the number of students for its combined study programme in this area. A general lack of teachers of foreign languages is addressed by extension study programmes. With regard to a growing number of pupils with various health problems and to the changing social situation in the Czech Republic (growing crime-rate, drug problems), the Faculty offers various courses in special pedagogy (extension Bachelor’s, follow-up Master’s courses) and special pedagogy (Master’s , follow-up Master’s and distance courses).

Faculty of Economics and Administration – according to statistical data acquired, the Faculty did not change the number of students accepted; in comparison with other schools of higher education, its graduates are quite successful in finding work in the Czech job market.

Faculty of Informatics – according to annual research implemented among MU graduates, graduates of the Faculty of Informatics do not have any problems in finding work. They are able to find professional positions corresponding with to study subjects. Statistical data from the job market in the USA and the EU show a great manpower shortage in the field of information technology (hundreds of thousands of vacant positions). It is obvious - in spite of the great endeavours of schools of higher education and other educational institutes - that unbalanced situation will not change for the better in the next ten years.

School of Economics and Administration – the Faculty does not measure its graduates’ engagement in employment. It has not, however, received any signals that the school’s graduates are not able to find positions in their field on the Czech job market.

Faculty of Medicine – no new forms of study were introduced.

Faculty of Science – introduction of a credit system, flexible study programmes which allow students to form their own study plans.

Faculty of Arts – introduction of forms of study is limited by the Faculty’s location and its technical facilities. For the last two years, the Faculty applied twice for a grant from the Development of Schools of Higher Education Fund but it did not succeed. This grant was aimed for the setting up of a digital laboratory and multimedia teaching room which would allow the use of modern teaching methods in a variety of study programmes, and create an opportunity to open new teaching courses. For the majority of disciplines taught at the Faculty, it is difficult to implement distance and combined forms of study.

Faculty of Education – traditionally, the Faculty offers full-time courses and a combination of full-time and distance courses. It does not offer a specialized form of study.

Faculty of Economics and Administration – the Faculty has conducted intensive negotiations with the Fern Universitat Hagen in order to develop technical requirements for a standard type of distance study

Faculty of Informatics – the Faculty offers day-time study programmes only. In seminars and lectures, teachers of the Faculty use state-of-the-art audio-visual technology and computer programs. Demands on students’ independent work have grown: ability to use computers and the Internet is a necessity.

School of Social Studies – at the beginning of the academic year 1999/2000, a new form of study was introduced: a combined course in selected disciplines

Table 7 shows the number of not passed students

Faculty of Medicine – applicants with disabilities can study at the Faculty on the condition that they are able to cope with the general requirements of the physician’s work. In bachelor’s study programmes, students with disabilities are excluded from physiotherapeutic disciplines as they require great physical elfort.

Faculty of Arts – there are a number of students with disabilities at the Faculty. Individual departments prepare the contents and form of their study programmes together with the Help Centre for Blind and Visually-impaired Students at the Faculty of Informatics. The main problems are caused by insufficient financial support (for interpreting of basic lectures into sign language, video recordings, etc.).

Faculty of Economics and Administration – the Faculty is fully prepared for the teaching of students with disabilities.

Faculty of Informatics – offers its study programmes to students with disabilities. The building of the Faculty is a barrier-free area. At the present time, one wheelchair-bound student is studying at the school. The Faculty has established a Help Centre for Blind and Visually-impaired Students which – from the beginning of the year 2000 – is a university-wide institution. At the Faculty, there is one blind student whose study is supported by researching new technologies in the field of language synthesis. With the help of special program instruments for language synthesis, the Faculty’s www pages are easier for visually-impaired and blind students to read.

School of Social Studies – at the present time, two students with disabilities study at the School.

Table 1- Number of students - Czech citizens - at MU on October 31 1999

Table 1b - Number of students - foreign students - at MU on October 31 1999

Table 1c - Number of students at MU on October 31 1999

Table 3 - Number of students per MU teacher

Table 4 - Analysis of admission proceedings at MU for the academic year 1999/2000

Table 5 - MU graduates - Czech ¹⁾

Table 6 - MU graduates - foreign

Table 7