Quality Policy

The mission of the Environmental Engineering department is to produce talented and creative Environmental Engineers, provide research that advances the science of Environmental Engineering, and impart expertise that serves society. In particular, it contributes to:

  • the training of scientists capable of contributing to the measurement, monitoring, evaluation, and treatment of problems caused by human activity when they create alterations and changes in the environment.
  • creating an interdisciplinary research environment to develop innovative and effective technologies to address significant environmental challenges.
  • providing environmental services to society, the state, and industries with the aim of sustainable development.
  • to research and innovation that will respond to critical national and global environmental problems and contribute to the action of the United Nations to highlight the emerging movement of solutions based on nature, green infrastructures and more comprehensive branch of ecological engineering in the context of a sustainable and circular economy.

The planning of the Department of Environmental Engineering took into account crucial national experience as well as international data so that the studies offer a comprehensive proposal for the education of Environmental Engineers at the undergraduate level but also in fields that create axes of deepening and specialization at postgraduate level, while additionally cultivating research. The modern international trends and needs of Environmental Engineers impose, beyond the established knowledge areas related to Environmental Engineering, the development and also deepening of other knowledge areas of the Environment such as Smart Cities, Natural and Built Environment Architecture, Entrepreneurship, Business Administration, Environmental Informatics, Engineering Project Management.

Development of knowledge in the field of Environmental Engineering, both on a short-term and long-term basis, is our country's priority and cutting-edge goal.

The department is dedicated to providing high-level education and enhancing postgraduate research as:

  • It offers a high-quality education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels to provide its graduates with a robust scientific background, know-how, and skills.
  • It prepares highly qualified Environmental Engineers who can evaluate, take and implement decisions and constantly evolve in a wide range of activities to become competitive in the challenges of the time in a rapidly technologically and scientifically developing society.
  • It promotes research and innovation, intending to transfer knowledge to cutting-edge areas, advancing the science of Environmental Engineering and expanding its fields of application.
  • It seeks to recognize excellence by encouraging, enhancing, and rewarding the achievements of university community members in teaching and research.
  • Strengthens extroversion through the promotion of collaborations and actions to publicize the achievements of the Environmental Engineering department at a local, national, and international level.

To fulfill its mission and its educational and research goals, the Department is committed to fundamental principles related to:

  • Academic freedom in the educational process and research, as well as the free expression and circulation of ideas,
  • The methodologies and methods of constructing the scientific discourse,
  • Αcademic ethics,
  • The regulatory obligations and standards of the Unified Higher Education Area,
  • Merit and impartiality,
  • Dialogue as a means of consensus-building and respect for freedom and democratic ideals,
  • Transparency and accountability, professionalism,
  • The student-centered pedagogical approach to teaching and learning,
  • Respect for diversity,
  • The removal of obstacles that create exclusions or reduced learning opportunities,
  • Social responsibility regarding the work of the Department and its results.

These fundamental principles bindingly guide the Department's strategy for the development of a culture that recognizes and promotes quality assurance in the fulfillment of its mission in general and, in particular, its educational and research objectives for both the Undergraduate Study Program (USP) and the postgraduate courses it offers (Masters and Doctoral programmes).

The purpose of the Department's quality policy is the continuous assurance and improvement of the quality of its educational and research mission based on the fundamental principles described above.

The quality assurance procedures of the USP in the Department are coordinated and carried out under the responsibility of the Department's Internal Assessment Team (OMEA). OMEA collaborates with the Head of Department and faculty members, the Department Secretariat, MODIP, and staff of the Research Committee to carry out its work.

The Department's quality policy focuses on the following axes and sets specific priorities, procedures, and evaluation criteria.

The appropriateness of the structure and organization of the USP is ensured through the application of clearly defined assessment criteria and procedures for reviewing and revising the USP.

The Department Assembly is responsible for approving the USP. The approved USP forms the basis of the annual Study Guide, which is published on the Department's website and includes clear information on the points at which it may have been renewed in relation to the USP of the previous year.

The USP can be modified yearly depending on the identified needs or the circumstances that arise (e.g., based on the number of teachers, which can change every year or semester depending on the available funding). The regular revision of the USP takes place every two years (usually in June/July, before the start of the new academic year).

The Curriculum Committee (CC) is responsible for drafting policy proposals and monitoring their implementation regarding the revision and general improvement of the quality of the USP. The quality of the USP is assessed separately within the framework of OMEA's annual internal report.

To achieve its purpose, the CC considers the comments and suggestions of the Department's regular internal evaluations concerning the USP and the comments and recommendations of the student bodies in collaboration with the Department's OMEA and MODIP. An external review has yet to be done to consider the Department's external evaluation reports.

The Sections of the Department, as the most competent body, are responsible for the following:

  • The compilation of the list of proposed courses of each Sector that make up the USP,
  • The coherence and complementarity of all courses, the intended learning outcomes according to the European and National Framework of Higher Education Qualifications, their content, methods, weekly units, bibliography, and examination methods.

At the same time, for drafting its proposals, the CC takes into account the evaluations of the students in each course of the USP and the opinions submitted by the collective bodies of the students. It also seeks feedback from relevant external bodies, such as scientific associations, etc., regarding the need for learning outcomes that they consider essential in the labor market and the development of science and technology.

The CC's proposal for revising the USP every two years includes an account of the results obtained in the two years between the last revision of the USP (achievement of objectives, weaknesses, etc.). To promote the quality and effectiveness of the teaching work in relation to science and the labor market, the Department is committed to ensuring that the educational process utilizes the interests, needs, and special abilities of the students and aims at the continuous development of their scientific competence and personality. It is also committed that the educational process promotes student-centered pedagogical methods and practices and aims at their substantial participation in it. At the same time, the introduction of students to modern scientific developments and the international dialogue on the subject of each course is promoted and deepened in a way that is as applicable as possible for the acquisition of appropriate science skills and, in general, the labor market. Students are evaluated based on reliable and valid criteria, regulations, and procedures that are applied consistently. Also, formative assessment is dynamically promoted, i.e., systematic assessment during the course to cover the learning needs and interests of the students and not simply at the end to evaluate their knowledge as is usually done. The methods, means, and assessment criteria for each course are communicated to students at the beginning of the semester and are discussed and confirmed with them.

To implement the above commitments, the Department:

  • utilizes information and communication technologies in the educational process, etc.),
  • promotes student autonomy with methods that strengthen critical understanding and not memorization,
  • notifies students promptly of the Study Guide, the individual Regulations, and detailed information for each course, such as the intended learning outcomes and the proposed material,
  • enhances student mobility through Erasmus+,
  • promotes alternative ways of evaluating the students' performance beyond the standard written and oral exams, such as group and individual assignments, progress, exercises, etc.

The quality assurance of the teaching staff is guarnateed per the relevant legislation, and it is committed that the faculty members and the other teaching staff of the Department:

  • Are selected and developed on merit and impartially based on the highest criteria of scientific competence that apply at an international level,
  • Constantly seek to improve their scientific competence in accordance with modern international developments in their field and the needs of the labor market,
  • Actively contribute to upgrading the Department's prestige and the quality of the studies it offers.

To implement the above commitments, the Department:

  • Implements selection and development procedures for teaching and research staff that not only comply with the letter but also the spirit of the law,
  • Urges the teaching and research staff and contributes on their part so that they actively participate in research projects of national and international interest and expand their collaborations with university institutions and research institutions of high prestige,
  • Urges the teaching/research staff to regularly produce publications in highly prestigious and quality peer-reviewed scientific journals and to generally promote the scientific dialogue in their field through the publication of monographs, participation in collective volumes, conferences, workshops, etc.,
  • Contributes to utilizing and expanding mobility opportunities for faculty members in university and research institutions abroad

To ensure the connection between research and teaching, the department has accepted the following commitments:

  • Scientific research is an integral part and feeds back into teaching,
  • Students are introduced to and delve into methods and techniques of modern scientific research,
  • Students acquire applied research design skills.

The implementation of the above commitments by the Department is implemented by:

  • methodologically oriented courses and seminars so that students acquire high-level knowledge and research skills,
  • additional opportunities to deepen research through specialized circles organized by the Department's Laboratories,
  • opportunities to participate in national and international studies through research projects and actions.

To ensure the quality of learning means, resources, and support activities within the scope of its capabilities, the Department provides resources, tools, and services that support and enhance the mission, goals, and daily work.

To implement the above commitments, the Department takes the initiative. It develops partnerships with other Departments and third parties to expand opportunities offered to students in relation to scholarships, advising services, participation in social action groups, etc.

 

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