
{"id":194359,"date":"2026-10-02T10:35:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T08:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/ku-aendrer-studieaaret-undervisere-advarer-om-faglige-forringelser\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T12:43:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T10:43:53","slug":"ucph-restructures-academic-year-teaching-staff-warn-of-lower-academic-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/ucph-restructures-academic-year-teaching-staff-warn-of-lower-academic-standards\/","title":{"rendered":"UCPH restructures academic year. Teaching staff warn of lower academic standards"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It should be easier for students at the University of Copenhagen to take a course at another faculty without classes and exams clashing.<\/p>\n<p>University management has therefore adopted a common structure for the academic year, designed to bring the university\u2019s block-based and semester-based courses into the same calendar.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In practice, it will be impossible to squeeze in the same syllabus because our teaching is already very intensive<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Peter W. Thulstrup, associate professor at the Department of Chemistry, senior union representative and member of UCPH\u2019s General Collaboration Committee<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>At the Faculty of Science, SCIENCE, this means that the academic year will be divided into blocks with seven regular teaching weeks instead of eight.<\/p>\n<p>Teaching staff at the faculty fear, however, that the change will mean fewer teaching hours and less course content.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWhat will happen in practice is that the amount of material taught will be cut,\u00ab says Jakob R. Winther, a professor at the Department of Biology, a union representative and a member of the department\u2019s collaboration committee.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf teaching continues with the same number of hours per week, seven weeks instead of eight will mean 12.5 per cent fewer teaching hours,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>Peter W. Thulstrup, an associate professor at the Department of Chemistry, a senior union representative and a member of UCPH\u2019s General Collaboration Committee, points out that courses must still carry the same number of ECTS credits.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIn practice, it will be impossible to squeeze in the same syllabus because our teaching is already very intensive,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<h3>The timetable is already packed<\/h3>\n<p>According to Peter W. Thulstrup, courses involving experimental work often have 10\u201312 teaching hours a week. With two courses running in parallel, students can therefore have 20\u201324 hours of classes before spending any time on preparation and other coursework.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThis type of teaching takes time. It is not as though we can simply add extra teaching days or more contact hours,\u00ab says Peter W. Thulstrup.<br \/>\n<!-- end of module 1 --><br \/>\nConcerns about teaching quality were also raised during discussions of the new structure. An appendix to the papers presented to UCPH\u2019s General Collaboration Committee describes a wish to retain eight teaching weeks, as reducing them to seven was considered likely to lower quality.<\/p>\n<p>That request was not accommodated. According to the appendix, retaining eight weeks would, among other things, leave less time for exams and make it impossible to finish all autumn teaching before Christmas.<\/p>\n<h3>Associate dean: Three of the weeks can be recovered<\/h3>\n<p>Andreas de Neergaard, Associate Dean for Education at SCIENCE, says the faculty has paid close attention to the risk of losing teaching time while working on the new academic year structure.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf this had meant shortening every block at SCIENCE by a week, I would consider that too high an academic price to pay,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>According to the associate dean, the new structure\u2019s negative impact is considerably smaller than the two academics and union representatives suggest.<\/p>\n<p>He points out that the new structure includes four potential supplementary weeks. One falls during the autumn break, which SCIENCE wants to retain, partly out of consideration for staff and students with children. He believes the other three can be used to retain eight weeks of teaching in blocks 2, 3 and 4.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I am absolutely convinced that no one will receive a poorer education<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Andreas de Neergaard, Associate Dean for Education at SCIENCE<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbSo we are not losing four weeks. In reality, we are losing one,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>The supplementary weeks are not, however, official teaching weeks, although they can be used for teaching and other academic activities. According to the supporting documents, they can compensate for the eighth week \u00bbto some extent\u00ab.<\/p>\n<p>Andreas de Neergaard acknowledges that the shorter teaching period in the first block is a step backwards.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAcademically, it is worse than what we have now,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>He cannot yet say whether the new structure will mean a reduced syllabus.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the shorter teaching period, however, he does not expect the overall academic standard of the degree programmes to fall.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI am absolutely convinced that no one will receive a poorer education,\u00ab the associate dean says.<\/p>\n<p>From his perspective as a lecturer, Peter W. Thulstrup is uncertain how much the supplementary weeks can help, precisely because they are not specifically set aside for teaching.<\/p>\n<p>Jakob R. Winther also points to the possibility of teaching clashing with resit exams during these weeks.<\/p>\n<p>The documents describing the new model support this latter concern. In the calendar illustrating the structure, week 13 is both a supplementary week and part of a resit exam period.<\/p>\n<h3>Union representative: Management prioritises administration over teaching<\/h3>\n<p>Peter W. Thulstrup supports the ambition of a more integrated university where students can more easily take courses across faculties. But he questions whether the benefits justify the consequences.<\/p>\n<p>So does Jakob R. Winther, who wants a basis for assessing how many students will benefit from the change.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt would be very interesting to know how many people this benefits compared with how many it inconveniences,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I simply find it very strange that the people affected are not consulted more<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Jakob R. Winther, professor at the Department of Biology, union representative and member of the department\u2019s collaboration committee<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According to Andreas de Neergaard, around 7.5 per cent of SCIENCE students\u2019 study activity, measured in full-time equivalent student years, takes place at other faculties. This includes joint degree programmes, courses that form part of degree programmes, and electives.<\/p>\n<p>The associate dean says this has been the faculty\u2019s main reason for wanting a common structure.<\/p>\n<p>Jakob R. Winther, however, believes that simpler and cheaper administration has taken priority.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAdministration is being prioritised over teaching,\u00ab he says, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAnd although it may benefit a small number of students, almost every course at SCIENCE will pay the price.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>Administrative savings are one of the stated aims of the change, which is an initiative under UCPH\u2019s administration reform.<\/p>\n<p>Andreas de Neergaard rejects the suggestion that the academic price is too high. Since he believes the problem can be confined to the first block, he considers the benefits of a common calendar to outweigh the disadvantages.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt was the best compromise we could reach to achieve a common structure for the whole university,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<h3>Insufficient involvement<\/h3>\n<p>The two academics also criticise management for failing to give the academic communities affected sufficient opportunity to influence the decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI simply find it very strange that the people affected are not consulted more,\u00ab says Jakob R. Winther.<\/p>\n<p>According to the briefing paper, the model was discussed in spring 2026 by several monitoring and reference groups established as part of the administration reform, including a monitoring group under the General Collaboration Committee (HSU).<\/p>\n<p>Andreas de Neergaard also says he discussed the model several times with SCIENCE\u2019s deputy heads of department for education. According to him, it was also considered at a meeting of heads of studies and through a written consultation with them. He believes the relevant academic perspectives were represented in those discussions.<\/p>\n<p>Jakob R. Winther, however, argues that discussions with those responsible for education do not in themselves ensure that staff have a say. He believes the academic communities affected should have had greater opportunity to influence the decision.<\/p>\n<p>Peter W. Thulstrup also maintains that the implications for teaching should have been discussed more widely within the academic communities. Among other things, he would have liked the matter to have been considered by SCIENCE\u2019s Academic Council.<\/p>\n<p>When HSU itself considered the matter on 17 September, university management had already adopted the structure on 19 August. According to the briefing paper, HSU was to be informed and invited to highlight issues from a staff perspective, particularly regarding implementation.<\/p>\n<h3>A huge amount of work ahead<\/h3>\n<p>Peter W. Thulstrup fears that introducing the new academic year structure will entail a great deal of work to adapt courses and programme curricula.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThere is a huge amount of administrative work involved in adapting these courses and the teaching they involve,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>UCPH\u2019s supporting documents describe implementation as a substantial undertaking that will require resources from both academic communities and the administration.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Management is increasingly making decisions without meaningful staff involvement<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Jakob R. Winther, professor at the Department of Biology, union representative and member of the department\u2019s collaboration committee<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Andreas de Neergaard, however, expects more limited changes at SCIENCE. He does not expect the restructuring in itself to require changes to the degree programmes\u2019 learning outcomes. In his view, many courses will be able to adapt by changing their practical organisation.<\/p>\n<p>He acknowledges, however, that this will depend on what emerges from the work on individual courses. Course coordinators and study boards will have to decide whether any changes to course learning outcomes are needed.<\/p>\n<p>The academic year structure is expected to be introduced in 2028 alongside the new degree formats under the master\u2019s degree reform. The timing has not yet been finalised, however. According to the supporting documents, the scale of the preparations may mean postponing implementation until 2029.<\/p>\n<p>Jakob R. Winther sees the case as the latest example of a trend in which university management makes major decisions without sufficiently involving staff:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbManagement is increasingly making decisions without meaningful staff involvement. This has major consequences for both students and teaching staff, and ultimately for learning, the working environment and job satisfaction,\u00ab the union representative says.<br \/>\n<!-- end of module 2 --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SCIENCE\u2019s teaching blocks are to be shortened from eight weeks to seven. Two union representatives fear the impact on teaching and criticise insufficient staff involvement. The associate dean defends the change but acknowledges some loss of quality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":193920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,4539],"tags":[2514,8928,840,8929],"class_list":["post-194359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-arbejdsmiljoe-en","tag-andreas-de-neergaard-en","tag-aarsstruktur","tag-det-natur-og-biovidenskabelige-fakultet-en","tag-peter-thulstrup","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UCPH restructures academic year. 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Teaching staff warn of lower academic standards"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/","name":"University Post","description":"Independent of management","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#\/schema\/person\/ff6534f5b2402ad00c090ce725c33b27","name":"Martin Juhl","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1797e6a2f5504b0011d25ea810ff777cf9961880304ebea2975858e118970e05?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1797e6a2f5504b0011d25ea810ff777cf9961880304ebea2975858e118970e05?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1797e6a2f5504b0011d25ea810ff777cf9961880304ebea2975858e118970e05?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Martin Juhl"},"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/author\/martin_juhl_petersen\/"}]}},"advancedCustomFields":{"expression":{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11543,"filter":"raw"},"enable_comments":true,"align_content":"alignleft","feature_color":"","article_updated":"","layout_group":[{"acf_fc_layout":"Headline","use_post_title":true,"headline":"","style":"default","highlighted_words":"","text_size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":85094,"id":85094,"title":"sol10","filename":"sol10.jpg","filesize":982420,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/sol10.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/der-er-allerede-taeskevarmt-i-hcoe-og-det-er-kun-april\/sol10\/","alt":"","author":"71","description":"","caption":"","name":"sol10","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":85076,"date":"2019-04-26 08:11:35","modified":"2026-10-02 07:40:24","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":4741,"height":3160,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/sol10-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/sol10-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/sol10-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/sol10-1280x853.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":853,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/sol10.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/sol10.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1365,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/sol10-290x193.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":193,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/sol10-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/sol10-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/sol10-990x660.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":660}},"style":"extended","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"A common academic calendar aims to make it easier for UCPH students to take courses at other faculties. At SCIENCE, teaching staff and management disagree over whether the benefits outweigh the academic consequences."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"Blokpolitik","text":"This is a story about what will follow","use_post_excerpt":true},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":true,"contributors":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>It should be easier for students at the University of Copenhagen to take a course at another faculty without classes and exams clashing.<\/p>\n<p>University management has therefore adopted a common structure for the academic year, designed to bring the university\u2019s block-based and semester-based courses into the same calendar.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In practice, it will be impossible to squeeze in the same syllabus because our teaching is already very intensive<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Peter W. Thulstrup, associate professor at the Department of Chemistry, senior union representative and member of UCPH\u2019s General Collaboration Committee<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>At the Faculty of Science, SCIENCE, this means that the academic year will be divided into blocks with seven regular teaching weeks instead of eight.<\/p>\n<p>Teaching staff at the faculty fear, however, that the change will mean fewer teaching hours and less course content.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWhat will happen in practice is that the amount of material taught will be cut,\u00ab says Jakob R. Winther, a professor at the Department of Biology, a union representative and a member of the department\u2019s collaboration committee.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf teaching continues with the same number of hours per week, seven weeks instead of eight will mean 12.5 per cent fewer teaching hours,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>Peter W. Thulstrup, an associate professor at the Department of Chemistry, a senior union representative and a member of UCPH\u2019s General Collaboration Committee, points out that courses must still carry the same number of ECTS credits.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIn practice, it will be impossible to squeeze in the same syllabus because our teaching is already very intensive,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<h3>The timetable is already packed<\/h3>\n<p>According to Peter W. Thulstrup, courses involving experimental work often have 10\u201312 teaching hours a week. With two courses running in parallel, students can therefore have 20\u201324 hours of classes before spending any time on preparation and other coursework.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThis type of teaching takes time. It is not as though we can simply add extra teaching days or more contact hours,\u00ab says Peter W. Thulstrup.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":193927,"id":193927,"title":"Sk\u00e6rmbillede 2026-10-02 103224","filename":"skaermbillede20261002103224.png","filesize":99194,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/skaermbillede20261002103224.png","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/ku-aendrer-studieaaret-undervisere-advarer-om-faglige-forringelser\/skaermbillede-2026-10-02-103224\/","alt":"","author":"106","description":"","caption":"","name":"skaermbillede-2026-10-02-103224","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":193918,"date":"2026-10-02 08:34:38","modified":"2026-10-02 08:35:34","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1104,"height":625,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/skaermbillede20261002103224-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/skaermbillede20261002103224-480x272.png","medium-width":480,"medium-height":272,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/skaermbillede20261002103224-768x435.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":435,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/skaermbillede20261002103224.png","large-width":1104,"large-height":625,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/skaermbillede20261002103224.png","1536x1536-width":1104,"1536x1536-height":625,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/skaermbillede20261002103224.png","2048x2048-width":1104,"2048x2048-height":625,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/skaermbillede20261002103224-290x164.png","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":164,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/skaermbillede20261002103224-290x180.png","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/skaermbillede20261002103224-700x396.png","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":396,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/skaermbillede20261002103224-990x560.png","extended-width":990,"extended-height":560}},"style":"extended","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":false,"alternative_caption":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>Concerns about teaching quality were also raised during discussions of the new structure. An appendix to the papers presented to UCPH\u2019s General Collaboration Committee describes a wish to retain eight teaching weeks, as reducing them to seven was considered likely to lower quality.<\/p>\n<p>That request was not accommodated. According to the appendix, retaining eight weeks would, among other things, leave less time for exams and make it impossible to finish all autumn teaching before Christmas.<\/p>\n<h3>Associate dean: Three of the weeks can be recovered<\/h3>\n<p>Andreas de Neergaard, Associate Dean for Education at SCIENCE, says the faculty has paid close attention to the risk of losing teaching time while working on the new academic year structure.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf this had meant shortening every block at SCIENCE by a week, I would consider that too high an academic price to pay,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>According to the associate dean, the new structure\u2019s negative impact is considerably smaller than the two academics and union representatives suggest.<\/p>\n<p>He points out that the new structure includes four potential supplementary weeks. One falls during the autumn break, which SCIENCE wants to retain, partly out of consideration for staff and students with children. He believes the other three can be used to retain eight weeks of teaching in blocks 2, 3 and 4.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I am absolutely convinced that no one will receive a poorer education<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Andreas de Neergaard, Associate Dean for Education at SCIENCE<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbSo we are not losing four weeks. In reality, we are losing one,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>The supplementary weeks are not, however, official teaching weeks, although they can be used for teaching and other academic activities. According to the supporting documents, they can compensate for the eighth week \u00bbto some extent\u00ab.<\/p>\n<p>Andreas de Neergaard acknowledges that the shorter teaching period in the first block is a step backwards.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAcademically, it is worse than what we have now,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>He cannot yet say whether the new structure will mean a reduced syllabus.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the shorter teaching period, however, he does not expect the overall academic standard of the degree programmes to fall.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI am absolutely convinced that no one will receive a poorer education,\u00ab the associate dean says.<\/p>\n<p>From his perspective as a lecturer, Peter W. Thulstrup is uncertain how much the supplementary weeks can help, precisely because they are not specifically set aside for teaching.<\/p>\n<p>Jakob R. Winther also points to the possibility of teaching clashing with resit exams during these weeks.<\/p>\n<p>The documents describing the new model support this latter concern. In the calendar illustrating the structure, week 13 is both a supplementary week and part of a resit exam period.<\/p>\n<h3>Union representative: Management prioritises administration over teaching<\/h3>\n<p>Peter W. Thulstrup supports the ambition of a more integrated university where students can more easily take courses across faculties. But he questions whether the benefits justify the consequences.<\/p>\n<p>So does Jakob R. Winther, who wants a basis for assessing how many students will benefit from the change.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt would be very interesting to know how many people this benefits compared with how many it inconveniences,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I simply find it very strange that the people affected are not consulted more<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Jakob R. Winther, professor at the Department of Biology, union representative and member of the department\u2019s collaboration committee<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According to Andreas de Neergaard, around 7.5 per cent of SCIENCE students\u2019 study activity, measured in full-time equivalent student years, takes place at other faculties. This includes joint degree programmes, courses that form part of degree programmes, and electives.<\/p>\n<p>The associate dean says this has been the faculty\u2019s main reason for wanting a common structure.<\/p>\n<p>Jakob R. Winther, however, believes that simpler and cheaper administration has taken priority.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAdministration is being prioritised over teaching,\u00ab he says, adding:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAnd although it may benefit a small number of students, almost every course at SCIENCE will pay the price.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>Administrative savings are one of the stated aims of the change, which is an initiative under UCPH\u2019s administration reform.<\/p>\n<p>Andreas de Neergaard rejects the suggestion that the academic price is too high. Since he believes the problem can be confined to the first block, he considers the benefits of a common calendar to outweigh the disadvantages.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt was the best compromise we could reach to achieve a common structure for the whole university,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<h3>Insufficient involvement<\/h3>\n<p>The two academics also criticise management for failing to give the academic communities affected sufficient opportunity to influence the decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI simply find it very strange that the people affected are not consulted more,\u00ab says Jakob R. Winther.<\/p>\n<p>According to the briefing paper, the model was discussed in spring 2026 by several monitoring and reference groups established as part of the administration reform, including a monitoring group under the General Collaboration Committee (HSU).<\/p>\n<p>Andreas de Neergaard also says he discussed the model several times with SCIENCE\u2019s deputy heads of department for education. According to him, it was also considered at a meeting of heads of studies and through a written consultation with them. He believes the relevant academic perspectives were represented in those discussions.<\/p>\n<p>Jakob R. Winther, however, argues that discussions with those responsible for education do not in themselves ensure that staff have a say. He believes the academic communities affected should have had greater opportunity to influence the decision.<\/p>\n<p>Peter W. Thulstrup also maintains that the implications for teaching should have been discussed more widely within the academic communities. Among other things, he would have liked the matter to have been considered by SCIENCE\u2019s Academic Council.<\/p>\n<p>When HSU itself considered the matter on 17 September, university management had already adopted the structure on 19 August. According to the briefing paper, HSU was to be informed and invited to highlight issues from a staff perspective, particularly regarding implementation.<\/p>\n<h3>A huge amount of work ahead<\/h3>\n<p>Peter W. Thulstrup fears that introducing the new academic year structure will entail a great deal of work to adapt courses and programme curricula.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThere is a huge amount of administrative work involved in adapting these courses and the teaching they involve,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>UCPH\u2019s supporting documents describe implementation as a substantial undertaking that will require resources from both academic communities and the administration.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Management is increasingly making decisions without meaningful staff involvement<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Jakob R. Winther, professor at the Department of Biology, union representative and member of the department\u2019s collaboration committee<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Andreas de Neergaard, however, expects more limited changes at SCIENCE. He does not expect the restructuring in itself to require changes to the degree programmes\u2019 learning outcomes. In his view, many courses will be able to adapt by changing their practical organisation.<\/p>\n<p>He acknowledges, however, that this will depend on what emerges from the work on individual courses. Course coordinators and study boards will have to decide whether any changes to course learning outcomes are needed.<\/p>\n<p>The academic year structure is expected to be introduced in 2028 alongside the new degree formats under the master\u2019s degree reform. The timing has not yet been finalised, however. According to the supporting documents, the scale of the preparations may mean postponing implementation until 2029.<\/p>\n<p>Jakob R. Winther sees the case as the latest example of a trend in which university management makes major decisions without sufficiently involving staff:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbManagement is increasingly making decisions without meaningful staff involvement. This has major consequences for both students and teaching staff, and ultimately for learning, the working environment and job satisfaction,\u00ab the union representative says.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"da","identifier":"Nyhedsbrev","headline":"Modtag et ugentligt nyhedsoverblik i din inbox","button_text":"Tilmeld nu","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":42,"name":"Education","slug":"education","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":42,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":666,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":4539,"name":"Working environment","slug":"arbejdsmiljoe-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4539,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":99,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[{"term_id":2514,"name":"Andreas de Neergaard","slug":"andreas-de-neergaard-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":2514,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":8928,"name":"\u00e5rsstruktur","slug":"aarsstruktur","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8928,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":840,"name":"Det Natur- og Biovidenskabelige Fakultet","slug":"det-natur-og-biovidenskabelige-fakultet-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":840,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":7,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":8929,"name":"peter thulstrup","slug":"peter-thulstrup","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8929,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"}],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11543,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":697,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/sol10-1280x853.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194359"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194363,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194359\/revisions\/194363"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/193920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}