Matematika

The undergraduate study program Mathematics at the University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Information Technologies, is conducted in both Slovenian and English language. In the third year, the program offers seven study fields; however, only the general study field has been available in the past three academic years. Despite this, students still have access to elective courses from all study fields, based on their interest. Nevertheless, it is recommended that the study program is changed such as to eliminate the study fields or, at least, reduce the number of study fields to those that can be offered annually. Progression rates in both the Slovenian and English versions of the program are low from the first to the second year and from the second to the third year. The pandemic might be a contributing factor, but the reasons for student dropout need further investigation, as the program's leadership is currently speculating on the causes. Due to the smaller student numbers, elective courses in the third year are taught jointly in English for both versions of the program. This approach, viewed as internationalization at home, should be communicated to prospective students before enrolment, and not just at the information day, as not all prospective students may attend it. No issues were identified with students enrolled in the Slovenian version regarding the joint English-language courses. The expert group found that several courses have been delivered with a different type of contact hours than accredited. This discrepancy necessitates appropriate changes to the study program. Additionally, for elective courses and one mandatory course delivered with reduced contact hours, there should be records of how the learning objectives and outcomes outlined in the curriculum are achieved by other forms of work. While faculty believe that delivering elective courses in full would be superior, students are satisfied as long as all desired elective courses are offered. However, a significant problem identified is the joint delivery of mandatory courses in Analysis and Computer science with other study programs. This results in Mathematics students not receiving the level of instruction they would if the course were solely for them. When academic staff is available and financial conditions permit, it is recommended to separate these courses. The study program is distinguished by the high scientific research excellence of the faculty, who are involved in numerous research groups and projects. Students are encouraged to engage in research activities already at the undergraduate level. Some students have had research publications before completing their studies, which has facilitated their acceptance into prestigious universities abroad. Small student numbers are seen as a significant advantage, allowing direct and continuous communication with faculty. This ease and effectiveness in addressing potential problems are envied by other students at the faculty. Graduates express high satisfaction with the knowledge and competencies acquired during their studies. They believe the program met their expectations and would choose to study Mathematics at FAMNIT again. However, they noted a desire for more practical applications of their knowledge during their undergraduate studies. This was echoed by current students, who also expressed a wish for more practical connections in individual courses. Employers are highly satisfied with the program's graduates and have shown interest in contributing to the curriculum development of an elective practical training course if the faculty decides to offer one. Faculty and researchers are satisfied with their work environment and opportunities for professional development. The University of Primorska recently introduced the option of a sabbatical year, which many interviewees with the expert group plan to take advantage of. The expert group also found that faculty are not overburdened with teaching duties, except in the areas of financial mathematics and statistics, where there is a shortage of staff. The group of experts provided the most suggestions for improvement regarding the self-evaluation process and the self-evaluation report. Conversations with staff and students reveal that various aspects of the study program's implementation are discussed, and the opinions of different stakeholders are taken into account. Although the self-evaluation of the study program is conducted annually, the experts made several suggestions regarding the content that should be evaluated, as detailed under standards 1 and 2 of this report.