UniverCity Life: academic and social customs

All exchange students must always update their Learning Agreement (LA) and make sure that it corresponds exactly to the courses attended at Unipd. It is important to know that there is no automatic connection between the LA and Moodle, between the LA and Uniweb, nor between Moodle and Uniweb. After changing your LA, you must also report the same changes in the Uniweb study plan, and vice versa.

At the University of Padua it is not necessary to formally enroll in the courses you attend. Enrolment as an exchange student at the University of Padua is sufficient to attend classes. This does not mean that there are no other procedures to follow: it will be necessary to register for each course on the Moodle e-learning platform, use the OrariUnipd app to track attendance, fill in the Study Piano on Uniweb (consult the "Durante il soggiorno" section). Detailed instructions will be given during the Welcome Days and by email.  

Classes can start before or after the official semester start dates published in the Academic Calendar and Course Catalogue. To know for sure the start date of the lessons, it is necessary to check the class schedule of each course unit, which is usually published between 4 and 2 weeks before the start of the lessons (i.e. in September and February).

Attendance is compulsory only for very few courses. This information can be found in the Course Catalogue (course unit page >"course unit Information" > "Compulsory attendance: Yes/No").
If attendance is not mandatory, it is possible to skip some lessons, ask colleagues for notes, etc. You can also decide not to attend the course unit at all and still take the final exam (for example, in case of overlap with other courses). In this case, students must absolutely immediately inform the lecturer in charge of the course, because non-attending students are usually assigned additional study materials.

Consulting the timetable of a course unit, you will notice that there are 2-3 lessons per week: these are not shifts to choose from and attend only one lesson per week, but you have to attend all the lessons, which are held on several days during the week.

Having two classes at the same time or partially overlapping is quite normal for exchange students. The reason is that you have the possibility to choose courses belonging to different degree courses and years, while the class schedules are organized to avoid overlapping only for those enrolled in a specific year of a specific first-cycle/Bachelor's degree course.

The standard duration of the lessons is 45 minutes. When you have a "2-hour" lesson on the same day, the teacher will communicate how he wants to manage the total time: he could do 1h30 without interruption, he could start later or finish earlier, or he could take a break between the 2 "hours".   

In Italian universities exams can be written or oral, they can take place at the end of the lessons or there can be intermediate tests during the semester. Final exams can also consist of several tests (for example: a written test and an oral exam).
For some people, oral exams may be a novelty: it is a kind of interview, in which the lecturer will ask some questions about the content of the course. They usually last about 20 minutes.
For each course unit, in each exam session, it is possible to choose between two exam dates (called "exam sessions").

How do I know the dates of the final exams?

• The professor will say this during the first lesson, or post a notice on the course page on Moodle
• The dates of the exam sessions are published on the Exam Desk on Uniweb usually about one month before the exam session
• You can do a search on the Department's website
• You can ask for support from fellow students  

It is necessary to formally register for the final exams (and for the modules/partial exams): you are not automatically authorized to take them! The reason for this is that you can choose one of the different dates available to take the exam, so you will have to register during the registration period that precedes the exam date. Enrolment is done online on Uniweb, about 2-3 weeks before the exam date.   

To contact the lecturer in charge of a course, simply search for his/her surname in the search field of the online course catalog. The list of his teachings will be shown and, by clicking on his name, you will arrive on his personal page with all the information: e-mail address, office address, office hours, etc.

When addressing teachers, remember that in Italy you are rather formal in this type of relationship (unless the professor asks you to do otherwise): you should not call a lecturer by name and you should always use the title (for example: "Dear Professor Rossi", not "Dear Mario"). And if you write or speak in Italian, you should use the polite form ("Lei").

When sending an email to lecturers or University offices, you must always introduce yourself, signing with your name and surname and possibly with your matriculation number.   

• In Italy it is necessary to always have your identity card or other recognition document with you. It is also mandatory to provide your name, surname and personal data to any public official/employee of the public administration who requests to see them in order to identify you. If you are a non-EU student and your only identity document is your passport, you can bring a photocopy of the main pages with you in case you need identification.
• In Italy there is a separate waste collection system. It is mandatory to use separate containers at home and then dispose of the waste in the appropriate public bins located in the streets or deliver it according to the door-to-door collection system. It is advisable to look for specific information based on the area where you live (if you live in Padua, you can consult here the map and the different systems based on the area of residence. Information on the Acegas Padua website.
• In Padua you use the bicycle or the electric scooter a lot. It is mandatory to respect the highway code like other vehicles: it is forbidden to go in the opposite direction to the direction of travel, on sidewalks or under arcades.
• If you live in a condominium, it is a good idea to respect the privacy and spaces of your neighbors: you must respect the "hours of silence" provided for by the condominium regulations (you can ask the owner for a copy), do not leave household waste on the landing, keep the common areas tidy.