Inženiring in avtomobilska industrija

The assessed study program was accredited in 2016. Since then, only three students have been enrolled in it, and none of them successf ully completed their studies. The program has not been implemented in the last f ive years. However, the f aculty only began to take action at the end of 2022 when it conducted a very limited evaluation of the program with a f ocus group, which included only the course instructors. Despite the conclusion of the evaluation that f urther measures are not necessary, a working group f or the renovation of the study program was appointed in January 2023, but the goals and starting points of this renovation are not clearly def ined. A thorough analysis of the reasons why there are no students enrolled in the study program was not presented in the evaluation process. There are certainly multiple reasons. The tuition f ee, which currently amounts to 4,830 EUR per year, is undoubtedly too high. The condition that the program will only be implemented if at least 5 students are enrolled is completely unrealistic, as is the additional knowledge assessment in the f orm of a written exam in case of enrolment limitations. The possibility of conducting the program in English, which could attract f oreign students, is also not f oreseen. Surely, the reasons f or the lack of attractiveness are also related to the content and structure of the assessed study program. The name of the assessed study program, "Engineering & Automotive Industry," is not ref lected in the curriculum. If the institution wants to f ill a market gap and of f er a specif ic study program, it needs to thoroughly renovate it and prof ile it in a way that will actually enable the study of content that aligns with the program's name, while appropriately adjusting the program's classif ication. In response to the preliminary report, the institution states that “the name of the study program does not necessarily prejudge its content”, but the group of experts disagrees with this viewpoint. The commission of experts proposes the implementation of a SWOT analysis f or the assessed study program, which will provide an in-depth insight into the current state in the environment, including beyond the region. Only based on such an analysis is it pos sible to def ine realistic goals that will serve as a starting point f or a thorough program renovation involving all stakeholders. The key question, however, is whether FINI has the appropriate human resources, research, and inf rastructure potential f or such a doctoral study program. The f indings of this evaluation do not conf irm that. Relying on the establishment of an University in Novo mesto, which is expected to provide them with the necessary potential, is misguided because the procedures and timeline f or the potential establishment of a n university are not in the hands of the institution, which should strive to enter any newly es tablished entity in the best possible "condition." In this regard, the Quality Commission will also play an important role, as it must take on a more active role in establishing an appropriate quality cycle, which is currently not complete. In response to the preliminary report, the institution states that "it is working, together with other institutes in the region, to establish a public university in Novo mesto, but it does not rely on this, which is also proven by the continuity of past work". However, due to the non-implementation of the assessed study program in the last f ive years, it is hard to discuss its continuity. The possible establishing of the University of Novo mesto has been mentioned multiple times in interviews and indirectly ref erred to in the response to the preliminary report, where the institution justif ies the renovation of the study program based on current changes in the local environment. Hence, we f ind the preceding paragraph's f indings appropriate.