Your study guide

In our course syllabuses and other course-specific documents, such as course guides and student handbooks, you will find further information that applies specifically to the course you are on.

Our educational philosophy

We are convinced that you will take responsibility for your own learning and we, in turn, invest in physical and online teaching and learning environments to ensure that you have the best prerequisites to succeed in your studies.

Our teaching rests upon scientific and well-tried experience. There is a strong link to research on our courses and study programmes and our researchers are actively engaged in teaching and in the design of your courses and study programmes.

We offer a range of learning activities on the courses you take, and you have a responsibility to participate in these activities. If you do not take part in the learning activities, you need to find out yourself what has been covered.

When you are a student at Örebro University, we want you to show respect both for your fellow students and for your teachers.

Read more about the university’s educational philosophy here.

If you need help in your academic writing

While you are a student at Örebro University, you will read and write a lot of texts. At the Academic Writing Centre at the University Library you can ask questions about reading strategies, source use, disposition and language. You are welcome here, no matter what phase of the writing process you are in or how long you have been a student at the university for. We will look at your needs and provide you with tools that will make the writing of academic texts easier and help you to understand the texts you need to read.

Read more about the support offered by the Academic Writing Centre here.

If you have a disability and are in need of support

If you have a documented disability which is not temporary or passing in nature, and which impairs your ability to study, you can apply for study support. Disabilities that are not temporary or passing in nature include, for example, dyslexia, diagnosed neuropsychiatric conditions, impaired hearing or vision, impaired mobility, and mental health problems.

At Örebro University, study support for students with disabilities is coordinated by Funka. Find out who is eligible for study support and how to apply on Funka’s pages on the university’s website.

The support you are entitled to at the university is often different to the support you may have received at school. Examples of the support you can receive here are adapted examinations, lecture note-taking, and help organising and planning your studies.

Many students apply for support from Funka and the waiting times to see one of our coordinators are long. We therefore advise you to apply for support well in advance of you beginning your studies.

Read more about the support available from Funka here.

About examinations and assessment

At Örebro University, examinations are always carried out in accordance with the latest version of the course syllabus. If you take a course but do not successfully complete all the course examinations during the semester in question, you may later on need to demonstrate that you have met the intended learning outcomes for the course through one or several other modes of assessment. If you are to take an examination again, you should therefore contact the administration team at your school in good time, to find out if and when you can sign up for the examination.

During your course or study programme, you will be assessed in various ways. Before every examination, you need to find out what is expected of you for that particular assessment. This information can be found in the latest version of the course syllabus and in other course-specific documents, such as course guides and student handbooks.

Some of the most common modes of assessment are:

• written hall-based examinations
• take-home examinations
• seminars of various kinds
• oral presentations
• laboratory work
• written hand-in assignments

There are some rules that always apply to written hall-based examinations:

• Signing up is compulsory and it is your responsibility to find out when the sign-up window is open.
• You must bring valid proof of identification.
• You must follow the rules laid down by the university for written examinations.

Learn more about rules for written examinations here.

About cheating and disruptive behaviour

You must abide by the rules that apply at Örebro University. This means that cheating and other disruptive behaviour can lead to disciplinary action, such as a warning or suspension.

If you are unsure of what rules apply, it is important that you ask.

Under Chapter 10, Section 1 of the Higher Education Ordinance (HEO), cheating is when a student uses prohibited aids or other methods to attempt to deceive during examinations or other forms of assessment of study performance. In other words, under law, a student attempting to cheat is sufficient for the university to take disciplinary action.

By plagiarising, that is, passing off someone else’s work as your own, you are guilty of theft. If you want to use someone else’s work, you always have to state your source correctly.

Cheating can be:

• using aids that are not permitted during a written exam, for instance cheat sheets or notes that are not allowed,
• cooperating with others in individual examinations,
• copying answers from a previous examination and using them in your own examination, and
• using the work of others, in whole or in part, making it seem as if it is your own. This includes text, diagrams and tables from books, the internet or computer programs.

Read more about cheating and disciplinary cases here.

About approved leave from studies and non-completion

If you need to be absent from your studies for one or two semesters, you can apply for an approved leave from studies (studieuppehåll). This means that you are guaranteed the opportunity to continue your studies after the leave. There must be special grounds for an approved leave from studies. These include grounds of a social or medical nature, caring for sick children, military or civilian service, or student union positions.

If you take a break from studies without the university approving your leave from studies, this is considered as non-completion (studieavbrott) and you lose your guaranteed place on the programme. In certain cases, and subject to availability only, you may be permitted to resume your studies. Matters involving approved leave from studies and non-completion are handled at your school.