This is what my typical week at university looks like; the main difference between UoL and UniPd is the number of lectures; the Italians have more classes, but that does not always mean they cover more!

Lectures & labs

Longer – that’s how I would describe most of the lectures. But do we cover more than in the UK? Not necessarily. There seems to be (at least in my modules) less reading and home preparation overall as the lecturers and GTAs cover a lot of content in the classes. Our lectures normally last ‘two hours’ (90 minutes – without a break), which is quite long, especially given the attention span. The lectures are not too different; we normally follow slides, listen to the lecturers and take notes. Depending on the importance of the module (and the number of credits assigned), there can be several lectures a week. The Clinical Psychology module I will be taking in the second semester, for example, is worth 12 ECTS – and the lectures take place 4 times a week!

Compared to the University of Lincoln, the lectures are smaller, and if there is a big group of students, the university often splits the course into halves (odd and even student ID numbers), which are then taught by two different lecturers. They also don’t tend to be compulsory, so our attendance is not monitored in any way; the students are expected to manage their studies themselves and prepare for the examinations as they see fit. Some students even agree on an individual study plan with the lecturers, especially if they are distance students.

Some modules normally have ‘lab hours’, which is the equivalent of our workshops; I signed up for a postgraduate module of statistics which has 2 timetabled sessions. We normally spend one of the session in the class learning theory and the second session is dedicated to practising on PCs using R.

One of the PC labs @ the School of Psychology.

Self-study & libraries

Some lecturers give compulsory reading lists – I have not had had compulsory readying apart from the Educational Psychology, which was taught in Italian, so I needed to make sure I learn the relevant information in English. It might happen to you that you like a module @ UniPd that is taught in Italian and the lecturer will allow you take the exam in English, in which case you will be doing some self-studying.

From my experiences, most of the information is on the slides, which tend to be quite long – my Psychopharmacology lecture, for example, consisted of 121 slides. I would say that there are both advantages and disadvantages to learning from slides only – the information is condensed and more compact, but if you don’t understand a particular thing, you will end up looking it up anyway.

The University runs a network of libraries around the city and quite often, schools and departments (just like the School of Psychology) have their own small libraries. Our library has the capacity of 200 students (and is often packed, so it can be difficult to get in to get a book) and offers standard services, such as book loans, access to journals, and access to PCs and copy machines.

A traditionally-looking library.

General requirements

Depending on the modules you select, you might need to fulfil some specific criteria – prerequisites. This is especially the case if you, for example, want take a postgraduate module that assumes basic knowledge of the topics covered. This is often mentioned on the subject offer website and in such cases, an approval from the lecturer might be required for you to have your Learning Agreement signed.

During the semester, you should try to keep up with your studies. Some lecturers might decide to give you progress tests (or partial exams, although this has not happened to me). You might also be asked to give presentations, join discussions and take pare in peer evaluation. Compared to Lincoln, essays tend to be less frequent – and if they are a part of the course requirements, they are often weigh less than in Lincoln.

Interested in what the exams are like in Padova? Look out for the next article!

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