CORDA Project - English Language

The project activity takes place during the penultimate or final year of higher education, at a stage, therefore, when the student has not yet made a final choice of degree course; at this stage, moreover, the student still has many months ahead of him or her to make up for any gaps that may have arisen (which is not the case with traditional "pre-courses" close to the university course).

Following contacts with some "pioneering" Principals, a fine timeline has been defined: since after March, the mature students are focused on the baccalaureate exam, the courses directed to the fifth classes must be finished within the first two weeks of March; then given the school trend between September and February (slow start, body of classes, maximum intensity in January for the midterms, then slowing down in February), the course must have opposite trend (intense in October and February, but without completely shutting down in the midterm months).

The activity of the CORDA project is governed by an agreement to be stipulated between the University of Parma and the individual High Schools involved.

The framework agreement has a five-year duration, and is activated annually upon authorization of the coordinator. The individual School provides a professor for each course (which usually takes place outside the normal class schedule), as well as the necessary classroom and equipment; on the day of the final examination (which takes place at the University except for the most distant hubs) the professor is granted permission to travel to the examination site, for supervisory activity.

The University of Parma provides the course program, the time scanning of the topics, takes care of the preliminary training of the teachers, takes care of the conduct, correction and communication of the results of the final test, and pays the School an amount (established in the agreement) that the School usually turns over to the professor who taught the course. The results are communicated personally to the students, with a detailed analysis that can serve as an effective means of orientation.

For any information related to the English language CORDA, interested Schools can ask for information to the person in charge, prof. Michela Canepari.

Subsequently, for the activation of the agreement, interested Schools get in touch, conveniently in advance (May), with the project coordinator, and agree to join the project. Once the framework agreement has been finalized, year by year each School applies to the head of the area concerned for the activation of the agreement, specifying the number of courses it asks to be able to deliver (even none, if in certain years a School does not intend to deliver the course).

All administrative information (text of the agreement, how to sign, list of schools that have an agreement, how to apply for the activation of the agreement) is available on the University website at the page:

https://www.unipr.it/en/node/13358
(Only in Italian)

From the year 2018/19 the CORDA project can also be made to count as School-Work Alternance (Alternanza Scuola Lavoro), in fact the University of Parma is an authorized body for the certification of alternance for the agreed Schools (instructions to activate the agreement). Here is the procedure:

1. Interested Schools enter the CORDA project among the possibilities of A.S.L. On this page and in the subject-specific ones you will already find description and program. The project can be framed in the A.S.L. as"guided in-depth course on the fundamental points that allow better access to university and give an increase in the awareness of one's own means".
2. Each School prepares itself the A.S.L. form with the CORDA project and the space for the signature of the University of Parma disciplinary coordinator as external tutor.
3. The project professors keep for each class the signature sheet, entry and exit as usual.
4. At the end of the course the project professors prepare a summary (student such hours tot), which they will sign for our guarantee, and report the hours on each form-student.
5. On the day of the final exam (whose hours are not to be counted among the A.S.L. hours) all the forms to be signed are brought to the University of Parma disciplinary coordinator.