HUHSDM Academic Due Process Policy

HUHSDM adopted the HU Teaching Policy and Procedures. In addition, due to the specific structure of dental education studies, HUHSDM has modified the policy for dental students in a way which does not contradict HU policy.

 

1. Obligation of participation in school/studies
   1. Participation of students in classes, exercises, seminars, clinical teaching and teaching laboratories is mandatory. Failure to meet these standards will void the student’s right to complete the course. Students who are absent from the classes for justified reasons (reserve military duty, illness, bereavement, pregnancy, childbirth) are required to make up the missed material. Completion of missed material will be done in a manner that will not conflict with the student's continuous course work. A student, whose absence was found not to be justified, will be brought before the Pedagogical Committee, which will recommend to the Dean whether to require the student to make up the missed material, repeat the course or the academic year, or dismiss the student. The students' pedagogies problems could be of academic, clinical or behavioral issues.
   2. Tests, summary discussions, colloquies, etc., are considered as an integral part of the syllabi.

 

 

2. Achievement assessment
   1. Student's will be assessed, according to their accomplishments, by examination at the end of the course, and/or according to other criteria such as; an assessment of the achievements in the laboratory or clinical work, application of theoretical knowledge within the clinical work, submitting exercises and seminars, colloquies and summary meetings, etc. Grades will be reported to the student's Secretariat. The method of grade assessment is detailed in the course syllabi, and presented to the student by the course coordinator responsible for the course at the beginning of the curriculum.
   2. Exam form: Exams can be written, oral, or computerized. Course coordinators in charge of teaching the course are responsible for explaining to the students the syllabus layout and character of the exam(s) at the beginning of the course.
   3. Examinations Schedule: Examinations will be held on dates that will not interfere with regular studies. Final course exams will be held on two specific dates: a standard exam date (first date) and an additional exam date (second date) for remediation or for those who need special accommodation. If the student cannot take the exam at the first date due to personal constraints (as documented in HU policy) s/he will be allowed to take the exam at the second date.
   4. Additional exam date: An additional exam date for D1-D3 will take place after the standard exam date, for the most part during the academic break and will be coordinated by the students’ Secretariat. This exam date is intended for students who did not take the exam at the first date, students who failed and need to remediate, or students seeking to improve their grade after they received the Schools' approval. Students seeking to improve their grade need to register for the exam at least three working days before the exam at the students’ Secretariat office. Students, who failed or did not take the first exam, are exempt from the exam registration requirement.  
   5. Make-up Test: Requests for a special exam date will only be accepted based on the official academic practice and procedures protocol as quoted as follows: "Authorization / allowance to be examined twice a year is not an automatic right". The student that takes the first exam is permitted to be examined again at a second date (and then the last score is final). A student, who is unable to take one of the two tests, is not entitled to have an additional special exam date. However, those entitled to a special date (third date) are:

1. A student who did not take the exam either at the first date or second date because of active military reserve duty, or those who served in reserve duty for 21 consecutive days during the semester before the exam.
2. A student who did not take the exam at the first date or second date, presenting a medical certificate attesting that; she/he could not come to the test due to a problem that arose during pregnancy or due to fertility treatments. In addition, the student is entitled to a special exam date if they have special reasons, such as birth, no more than six weeks prior to the exam.

Students are required to apply for a special examination date at the Secretariats office no later than a week after the publication of exam grades, and to bring all necessary documents.

 

3. Criteria for passing from year to year, as part of studies for a Bachelor degree, in Medical science (B.Med.Sc.)
   1. A student's transition from year to year will be approved only if s/he received a minimal grade of 60 in each course and the annual weighted average is no less than a 75.
   2. A student who failed to meet these standards will be automatically blocked from the online course registry, and will not be given the possibility to register for the following years courses.
   3. The School holds the right to approve minimal number of courses in which the required passing grade is higher than a 60, approved by the Pedagogic Committee.
   4. A student who fails to obtain the required annual weighted average (75 or higher), will be brought before the Teaching Committee for B.Med.Sc. , that will recommend to the Vice Dean of Education whether to require the student to repeat the school year or discontinue his/her studies.
   5. A student who received a grade lower than a 60 on both exams (in both first and second date) – in only one subject /course and his/her weighted annual average is at least 80, will be allowed to continue to the next year on condition that he/she will repeat the course and receive a passing grade, pending the approval of the pedagogical committee..
   6.  A student who received a grade lower than a 60 on both exams – in more than one subject /course and his/her weighted annual average is at least 80, his/her matter will be brought before the Teaching Committee for B.Med.Sc, which will recommend to the Vice Dean of Education whether to require the student to repeat the academic year or discontinue his/her studies. The Dean will make the final decision based on the recommendation.  In case his/her weighted annual average is below 80, his/her studies will be discontinued. A student repeating a school year must participate in all courses that his/her final grade is lower than 80. If the curriculum of the year is changed, s/he will be required to follow the new curriculum for that year. In the D-3, the courses must also be repeated with a clinical component.
   7. The Dean with a recommendation of the Teaching Committee for B.Med.Sc may allow a student to repeat an academic year only once throughout his/her studies towards a Bachelor’s degree.
   8. In the case that the Teaching Committee for B.Med.Sc recommends to discontinue a student’s studies, the Vice Dean of Education should review recommendation before the Dean's decision. If not approved, then the issue will be brought for a second evaluation by the Pedagogical committee.
   9. If student is not satisfied with the Dean's decision, HU has an appeal process and students can appeal to three consecutive levels: 1. the Dean of Students. 2. (If level one is unsatisfactory), the student can appeal to the Student Ombudsman and 3. Rector of the HU. Our School's Secretariat is available for advice.
   10. Any student who fulfilled the requirements in the studies for a Bachelor degree (including seminar work), with a final weighted grade of at least 60, will receive the degree "Bachelor of Medical Sciences" (B.Med.Sc).

 

4. Terms of advancement for the degree of Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD)
   1.  A grade of at least 70 in course D3-97327 Basic Skills – Restorative Dentistry Part A, is a prerequisite for the course D4-97841 Basic Skills Restorative Dentistry Part B.
   2. Students must achieve a final average of 80 or above in their Bachelor’s degree in order to qualify to continue towards the degree “Doctor of Dental Medicine” (DMD).

In the case of students who have completed the Bachelor’s degree with a weighted average score between a 75 and 80, the Teaching Committee for B.Med.Sc will submit its recommendations to the Vice Dean of Education, whether to repeat the third year or to terminate his/her studies within the School. The Vice Dean of Education will submit his recommendation for the Dean's final decision. Students who do not pass their Bachelor studies with a weighted grade of 75 and over with will not be allowed to continue DMD studies

 

 

5. Criteria for clinical years (4, 5, and 6) for advancement towards the degree Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD):

The School of Dental Medicine of the Hebrew University identified 3 core Professional Competencies domains for the graduated general dentist: 

• Domain 1: Knowledge base, Health promotion and Treatment planning
• Domain 2: Oral Health Care Delivery
• Domain 3: Professionalism and Interpersonal skills

 

1. In courses with clinical and theoretical components, course coordinators will provide each student with a single grade consisting of both parts. The minimal passing grade of each component will be at least a 60. The relative weight of each component in the final course grade will be detailed in the syllabi.
1. The final grade in each year of studies in each subject will be calculated as follows; the final exam or exams and seminars to be held that year, the clinical grade and other criteria determined by the department and published in advance.
2. The clinical grade in each subject will be based on the student's clinical competence, and professional conduct. Clinical competence will be assessed based on the quality of clinical care.
3. Quality of care, related competencies and the number of procedures performed will make up to 70% of the grade (provided the student carried out the minimal number of procedures required for passing the course). Professional conduct combined with related competencies will make up at least 30% of the clinical grade. A passing grade needs to be received in each part.

 

1. The student's transition from year to year will be approved only if he/she received a grade of 60 or higher in each of that years courses, and if his/her annual weighted average is 70 or higher.
2. A student who received a grade of less than 60 – in only one course, and his/her annual weighted average is 70 and over, his/her matter will be brought before the Pedagogical Committee for discussion and they will, interview the student, and submit their recommendations to the Vice Dean for Education. The Vice Dean of Education will submit his recommendation for the Dean's final decision.
3.  A student who received a grade lower than 60 – in two courses will have to discontinue his studies, and his/her matter will be brought before the Pedagogical Committee for discussion and after interviewing the student, will submit their recommendations. The Vice Dean for Education will recommend whether to allow him/her to repeat the school year or discontinue his/her studies. The Vice Dean for Education will submit his recommendation for the Dean’s final decision.
4. If student is not satisfied with the Dean's decision, HU has an appeal process and students can appeal to three consecutive levels: 1. the Dean of Students. 2. (If level one is unsatisfactory), the student can appeal to the Student Ombudsman and 3. Rector of the HU. Our School's Secretariat is available to advise.

6. Consolidation of clinical requirements

The clinical studies (D4, D5 and D6) are one clinical division. At the end of each year, the student will receive one final grade in each of the clinical courses based on the proportional weight of that course in any given year, as was published in the syllabi. The first expected date to reach the clinical requirements (i.e., skills and competencies) will be set at the end of the academic year (usually late June- early July) and the second date will be set a month after the first date. The second date is the deadline for remediation for those who did not meet the requirements.

By the end of D6 a final grade for each clinical course will be given based on course grades of D4, D5 and D6.

 

7. Repetition of an academic year during Clinical studies
   1. A student repeating an academic year for any reason must participate and be tested in all clinical and theoretical courses. If the student attained an 85 or more in the theoretical section of a course he/she may submit a request for exemption from that part of the exam.
   2. The Dean, following the recommendations from the Pedagogical Committee, may allow a student, to repeat the school year only once during his/her studies (years 4, 5, 6) for the degree of Doctor of Dental Medicine.
   3. A student that received the approval of the Pedagogical Committee to continue his/her studies under special circumstances and failed to meet them, his/her matter will be brought once again for discussion before the Pedagogical Committee which will discuss the matter and present their recommendations to the Dean.
   4. In the case that the Pedagogical Committee recommends discontinuation of students studies, approval is required by the Vice Dean of Education before the Dean's decision. If not approved, a second evaluation is required by the Pedagogical Committee.
   5. If the student is not satisfied with the Dean's decision, HU has an appeal process and students can appeal to three consecutive levels: 1. the Deans of Students. 2. If this is not to the satisfaction of the student, he/she can appeal to the Student Ombudsman and 3. Rector of the HU. Our School's Secretariat is available to advice. 

 

8. Quizzes and clinical tasks

In addition to the scheduled exams released earlier in the year, each course may have didactic quizzes and / or clinical duties introduced into the curriculum if noted in syllabi.

The purpose of the quiz is to evaluate the student's knowledge/competence in a specific area. The quiz shall be no longer than 30 minutes. The quiz will be given within the course regular teaching hours. If a student failed the quiz, he/she can retake the quiz. Quiz scores will be added to the final grade in that course. The exact weight of each quiz in the final average shall be released ahead of time.

If the student fails to demonstrate adequate proficiency after more than two attempts, his/her matter will be brought before the course coordinator who will provide a recommendation to the Pedagogical Committee on how to proceed. The committee in turn will provide a recommendation to the Dean for final decision.

 

9. Participation in Conferences

In each clinical year (D4, D5, and D6) students can request to participate in two dental conferences yearly. 

 

10. A break in studies in exceptional cases
    1. A Bachelor's degree graduated student (B. Med.Sc, between D3 and D4) may request a leave of absence to study in another department in the university or academic institution. If the student is studying for a Masters or Ph.D. degree, the Dean may grant him up to 3 years of absence before he starts his/her clinical track. In this case upon return to the clinical studies, the student will be required to complete two clinical courses and requirements of the course instructors.
    2. A Bachelor's degree (B. Med.Sc) student may request a leave of absence of no more than 2 years from his/her studies due to health, familial or other various reasons. The student must submit a written letter to the Dean explaining the grounds for his/her request. The student may return only at the beginning of an academic year (not within), and only after the student has submitted a written request by June the year before, to the Secretariat stating his/her intention to return.
    3. A student throughout the clinical years, who seeks a leave of absence, for the reasons stated in Section 2 above, must submit a written request explaining his/her matter to the Dean. Leaves of absence will be granted during clinical years only under extenuating/exceptional circumstances, and under the condition that the student meets the "Refresher requirements" as set by the various Department Heads. A student who fails to meet the requirements will not be allowed to return to his/her studies.

 

 

11. Discipline

Students must follow the disciplinary guidelines as set forth in the Disciplinary Regulations for Hebrew University Students, and is available in Hebrew.

 

12. Disciplinary Authorities:

The disciplinary authorities at the University are: the Dean; the Disciplinary Committee, which includes the Disciplinary Commissioner (hereinafter: the Commissioner) and his Deputies; the Disciplinary Appeals Committee.

1. Selection of the Commissioner and her/his deputies
   1. The Standing Committee shall appoint the Disciplinary Commissioner from amongst the permanent teaching staff with legal training at the University, and his deputies from amongst the entire permanent teaching staff of the University, for a set period. The appointment of the deputies will be made in consultation with the Commissioner.
2. Single Judge and Panel
   1. The Commissioner for Disciplinary Affairs is authorized to exercise all of his powers sitting as a single judge, or, if he has so decided, in a panel together with his deputies.
   2. Any power conferred upon the Commissioner for Disciplinary Affairs is conferred upon his deputies as well. Any decision or a judgment of a deputy has the same validity as that of a decision or a judgment of the Commissioner in all respects.
   3. No hearing will be held in front of a single judge who is a teacher in the unit (department, section) in which the defendant is a student. This rule will not apply when the student studies in the Faculty in which the Commissioner himself is a teacher.

 

 

13. Eligibility for receiving the Degree Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD)

A student who successfully finished his/her final exams and clinical requirements at the end of the senior year will be allowed to take the Government licensing exams (boards) in dentistry. After completing his/her thesis and all other requirements the student will be eligible to receive the degree of Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).

 

14. Doctoral Thesis

The School of Dental Medicine emphasizes the importance of doctoral thesis, which is part of the curriculum, and required by the Hebrew University to receive the degree of Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD). Conducting a DMD study and thesis grants students experience in the design and execution of research and collecting data from literature.

The process of thesis preparation will be introduced in the course “Introduction to Basic and Clinical Research”, given in the first clinical year.

The purpose of the thesis is to provide research tools for students in the following areas:

• Experience in scientific writing and the evaluation of scientific studies.
• Defining the stages in the preparation and implementation research.
• Conducting actual scientific research.
• Acquiring knowledge about research methods.
• Definition and formulation of a problem of interest in the field of basic dental science or clinical science.
• Editing a research proposal that presents a scientific way to solve the problem.
• Summarization of the experiment, critical evaluation of results and assessment of the contribution of the results to the field.
• Practice basic statistical tests.
• Acquaintance with the latest literature in the area researched.

The DMD Thesis Committee encourages research proposals in basic and clinical sciences. For example:

• Basic science research (including experimental work with cells, and/or animals).
• Clinical research (research on healthy volunteers or patients).

The DMD Thesis Committee encourages students to initiate research ideas independently, and seek out a mentor from within the faculty members immersed in the relevant field. Literature reviews and / or case reviews will not be accepted.

 

1. Instructor guidelines and Role definitions: The primary mentor should be a holder of an academic degree of at least "lecturer". If necessary, another instructor from the School (all levels) may be added. It is also possible to share mentors who do not belong to the School of Dental Medicine – under the condition that they belong to a recognized academic institution. Exceptions will be discussed by the DMD Thesis Committee.
2. Instructor: Thesis instruction should be carried out by Dental School faculty who hold the rank of lecturer and above. The primary mentor must carry the title/rank of lecturer or higher, and be a faculty member of the Dental School (with a Ph.D. or DMD). The number of instructors will be limited depending on the subject and nature of work. In any event, one of the instructors (Primary Instructor) will have the ultimate responsibility for instruction, implementation and completion of the research. It is the Instructor's duty to continuously instruct the student throughout all phases of research, including writing the thesis. If there is no progress in research or an issue regarding the instruction arises, the instructor will report it in writing to the Chairman of the DMD Thesis Committee.

 

1. Reviewer: From any School of the Hebrew University holding the rank of lecturer and above is qualified to be a thesis reviewer. The reviewer will be appointed by the DMD Thesis Committee. The reviewer will review the thesis proposal and recommend changes if necessary. The thesis will only be graded when; the final thesis is written, bound, approved and signed by the mentors.

 

1. Thesis evaluation: A reviewer will be selected from a list of three candidates that the instructor chose. After submitting the thesis proposal, it will be handed to the reviewer who will assess the significance and scope of the proposal. It is recommended that the reviewer will not be from the same department as the instructor. In general, the selected reviewer is anonymous. In exceptional cases a meeting between all parties may be arranged by the chairs of the committee upon agreement from all sides. The reviewer must hand in his/her written opinion within 3 weeks. After completion of writing the thesis (before binding), the student will take the thesis to his/her instructor for revisions / changes. After the instructor gives approval the thesis will be bound. At this point the thesis will be sent to a reviewer, generally the same reviewer that examined and approved the proposal. This reviewer will grade the thesis.

In addition, the reviewer and the instructor will fill out a student evaluation form sent by the secretariat upon receiving the thesis. Upon giving their opinion (instructor and reviewer), the committee will calculate the student’s final grade in this manner: 60% Instructors grade, 40% reviewer’s grade. In cases in which the difference between grades will be unusually high (greater than 20 points), the committee will give the thesis to an additional reviewer for evaluation.

 

In the case that a student’s DMD research was published or accepted for publishing by a scientific journal listed in the CITATION INDEX / IMPACT FACTORS, and the student wrote the article himself and appears either first (or second – in the event of 2 instructors) or last, he shall be exempt from handing in a written thesis.

In this case, it should be noted in the article that “the research was performed in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the School of Dental Medicine - Jerusalem for the Degree Doctor of Medical Dentistry ". Students that present a poster of their research will receive a bonus of 10 points on their final grade.