Group Report on the Study Programs of Economic at the
University of Latvia
On December 12, 1997 an evaluation team completed it on site evaluation of the
economics study programs of the University of Latvia. The members of the team were:
Dr. Charles Kroncke, University of Tartu, Chairman of the Evaluation Team
Prof. Dr. hab. ekon. Vulfs Kozlinskis, Latvian Agricultural University
Dr. Virginijus Kundrotas, Kaunas University of Technology
Prof. Dr. Bo Ohlmer, Head of the Dept. of Econ., Swedish-University of Ag. Sciences
The team evaluated the following study programs: Bachelors of Economics, Masters of
Economics, Professional Economist (bank economist), Professional Economist (accountancy,
analysis, and auditing), Professional Economist (accountant), Professional Economist (tax),
Professional Economist (financial management) at the Faculty of Economics. The team also
evaluated the Masters Degree in Economics from the subprogram International Relations and
the Professional Program in International Economic Relations at the Institute of International
Affairs. For a complete description of the study programs refer to the self-evaluation reports.
This report covers six topics: curriculum, course content, academic staff, physical resources, and
feedback and quality assurance. Conclusions are presented at the end of the report.
This report is based on the following sources:
• The self-evaluation reports of the faculty of economics;
• interviews with students;
• interviews with faculty and staff;
• interviews with employers;
• discussions with a recent graduates;
• Our observations of the facilities;
• our observations of graduating theses)
• and our observations of selected classes.
The conditions of the visit were very good and the faculty and staff were friendly and helpful.
The self-evaluation reports were well prepared.
1. Curriculum
The content of the above study programs are similar to similar study programs in western countries
with one exception. Accounting usually belongs to Business Administration and not to Economics.
If a student who has graduated with a degree in Economics with a specialization in Accounting
wants to further his/her studies at a foreign university there may be some confusion. A Bachelors
Degree in Economics implies a pure economics program much like what is offered in the
Economics Honours Program of the EuroFacuity. While the content of the accounting
specialization is appropriate, it is important for the development of teaching and research in both
accounting and management that accounting is not isolated from management.
At the masters level, a course in research and pedagogical methods should be taught. Masters
students are potentially future researchers and lecturers at the University of Latvia, and they should
be instructed in the appropriate techniques.
The students of the Professional Program in International Economic Relations requires the students
to complete 50 credits not including the final qualification work. This is relatively demanding, the
masters students must complete 80 credits in two years. Many of these professional students have
jobs and have relatively little time for studies. These students also come from various
backgrounds and should need more time to read about an comprehend new ideas. All these
observations taken together indicate a quality problem in this professional program.
2. Course Content
The content of most of the courses was good. Most of the lectures use some western source
material and Latvian examples. Lectures are supplemented with written assignments and
reading material. However, some students say that they can get by without doing very much
outside reading. The teaching staff uses both lectures and seminar as methods of instruction.
An examination of the prepared course descriptions reveals that most of the material is at an
international level.
3. Academic Staff
The members of the academic staff are well qualified to teach the courses offered. They use
many different teaching techniques such as lectures, seminars, presentations, at home problem
sets, and reading assignments. Students say they feel comfortable asking
questions to their instructors. However, in our brief visits to classrooms, we saw very little teacherstudent interaction.
The Institute of International Affairs often employs international experts to teach short courses
(less than one semester in length). These course often meet several times in one week. The
advantage of such courses is that they expose students many different theories and ideas.
However, too many short classes should not be used. It is often difficult for student to do the
required reading associated with these intense classes in the time required and it may be difficult for
students to approach such a teacher. Such classes often devote more time to introductory
material, thus the students may not have more than a basic understanding of the topic. The
director of the Institute of International Affairs must determine the appropriate balance between
the use of a full-time teaching staff and the use of short courses.
Many members of the teaching staff are also engaged in research. Many have made
international contacts with western organizations and are using these contacts to improve both their
teaching and research skills. The EuroFaculty is an important resource at the University. Some of
the members of the teaching staff are working with members of the EuroFacutly to improve the
level of their economic knowledge and teaching skills.
The research of the staff of the study programs in economics is directed toward an analysis of the
economy of Latvia. Many members of the faculty have devoted a great deal of time to translating
economic textbooks into Latvian. However, some students complained that the best textbooks are
not being translated, and they prefer not to use the translated texts. Lectures often produce books
of their class notes that are made available for students, these books often lack references. Even
some of the translated books lack references that are included in the original. The staff does
not publish enough in internationally recognized journals. This may be because of the lack
of computers available for the teaching staff.
4. Students
The intake requirements are appropriate. Students must perform well in high school and pass an
entrance examination. In all programs there are approximately 8 applicants for 1 place. The
graduation requirements are all appropriate. Students must pass the syllabus, pass an exit exam,
and write a thesis to graduate. However, the team discovered that it is possible for a student to
write a professional, bachelors, or masters thesis without a supervisor. This is not good for the
development of the student, particularly at the masters level. It is the opinion of the team that
student of the International Affairs Institute be required to have a thesis supervisor because
students in these programs have very different backgrounds and they may be writing on a subject
that is relatively new to them.
The team interviewed several groups of students and found them to be intelligent and well
motivated. In general, the students are satisfied with the quality of the study programs.
Students serve on faculty boards and as voting senators in the faculty senate of the
University.
Recent graduates seem pleased with their education. One recent graduate of the Masters Program
in Economics would have liked to have had more economics course taught at the advanced level,
not the intermediate level. However, she understood that that would not be appropriate for most the
students.
Employers seem satisfied with the graduates of these programs. They believe that the quality
of education of these study programs is improving every year. Two of the employers would
like to see the students do more work with case studies. They believe that case studies are a good
way to improve practical skills needed in the business world.
5. Physical Resources
Most of the physical resources (building, classrooms, and computer labs) are shared with the study
program for business administration and the study program for commerce. For a complete analysis
of the physical resources refer to the evaluation reports on these study programs. However, the
resources of the international relations programs are located in another building, and have their
own resources. This building is in the process of being remodelled. The classrooms in this
building are adequate, and there is modern audiovisual equipment that is used by the teaching staff.
The recommendations concerning physical resources are the same as the recommendations made in
the past two reports. First, students would like to see the hours of the library extended. Second,
there must be more computers for lectures (now there is about 1 PC for 7 lecturers). These
computers should be connected to the internet on their desks. The teaching staff cannot produce
international quality research if they do not have the proper resources.
6. Feedback and Quality Assurance
A teacher evaluation survey has only recently been introduced to the faculty of economics and does
not exist in the international relations programs. Every semester students should evaluation all their
instructors, even instructors that teach short (less than one semester in length) courses. Such
surveys give the administration of the University a better picture of what is going on in the
classroom and can help instructors see possible areas for improvement. In the past such
surveys have been organized by student organizations, but the surveys are more likely to be taken
seriously by the teaching staff if they come directly from the administration.
Conclusions
It is the opinion of the team that that the Bachelor of Economics with a specialization in
accountancy, control and analysis of economic activity, and the Master of Economics with a
specialization in bookkeeping, control and analysis of economic activity be moved to the study
program of Business Administration.
The team recommends that the Bachelors of Economics, Masters of Economics, Professional
Economist (bank economist), Professional Economist (accountancy, analysis, and auditing),
Professional Economist (accountant), Professional Economist (tax), Professional Economist
(financial management) at the Faculty of Economics, and the Masters Degree in Economics from
the subprogram International Relations and the Professional program International Economic
Relations at the Institute of International Affairs be fully accredited for six years.
Riga, December 12,1997
Charles Kroncke
Vulfs Kozlinkskis
Virginijus Kundrotas
Bo Ohlmer
Individual Report of Charles Kroncke on the Study Programs of Economics at the
University of Latvia
On December 11-12,1 served as Chairman of the team evaluating the Economics Study
programs at the University of Latvia. The other members of the team were: Prof. Dr. had ekon.
Vulfs Kozlinskis, Dr. Virginijus Kundrotas, and Prof. Dr. Bo Ohlmer. The team evaluated the
following study programs: Bachelors of Economics, Masters of Economics, Professional
Economist (accountancy, analysis and auditing), Professional Economist (accountant),
Professional Economist (tax), and Professional Economist (financial management) at the Faculty of
Economics. The team also evaluated the Master of Economics study program from the
subprogram International Relations, and the Professional Program in International Economic
Relations at the Institution of International Affairs.
The condition of the visit were good, and the faculty and staff were friendly and very
helpful. The many evaluation reports for the different study programs were very well prepared.
The reports were clearly written and translated. The members of the evaluation team were in
complete agreement with the conclusions stated in the Group Report on the Study Programs of
Economics at the University of Latvia.
This report is based on an examination of the prepared materials, interviews with the
academic staff, administration, graduates, employers, and students, and on my observations of
classes and facilities. Like the group report, this report contains six parts: Curriculum, Course
Content, Academic Staff, Students, Physical Resources, and Feedback and Quality Assurance.
Conclusion are presented at the end of the report.
1. Curriculum
The main recommendation of the team concerns curriculum. Accountancy belongs in the
Business Administration study program, not in The Economics study program. This is very
important for students pursuing academic degrees. There seems to be a great deal of confusion
about the difference between economics and business administration. One strong point of the
curriculum is the Economics Honours Program of the EuroFaculty. This is an excellent example of
a pure economics study program. The first two years of this program provide the student with a base
in economic theory, and in the last two years the students can choose many courses from a decent
variety of upper level and applied courses.
2. Course Content
To evaluate course content, the members of the evaluation team visited lectures, and
conducted interviews with members of the teaching staff and the directors of individual study
programs. While accountancy may be in the wrong study program, the content of theses courses
appears to be on an international level. The students of accountancy have access to the latest
accounting software programs.
3. Academic Staff
The members of the academic staff are qualified to teach the courses offered, and most
seem genuinely interested in teaching. While some members of the teaching staff do an excellent job
preparing and presenting lectures, others simply read a prepared text in front of the students.
Some of the research done by the academic staff is conducted at an international level. In
Statistics and Demography we were told about grants from the Science Council, and about their
work on the Human Development Report. In Accounting, we were shown articles written in
internationally published books. However, not all the publications of the academic staff were at an
international level. Because of our visit was short and most of the research was in Latvian, it was
difficult to evaluate the publications. However, it was possible to observe that many of these
publications were without references. If students read texts that are not properly referenced,
they will not learn proper referencing techniques.
4. Students
The team interviewed several students from many of the study programs including
students from the Institute of International Affairs. The students from the EuroFaculty Economic
Honours Program were very enthusiastic about the study program. Students of the Institute of
International Affairs were a little less talkative, but proud to be in that study program. These
students enjoy the short course taught by international experts, and seem to relate well to the
permanent teaching staff. All students interviewed were generally satisfied with the level of
teaching at the University. Employers were also satisfied with the quality of instruction, but
would like the students to use case studies to learn practical skills.
5. Physical Resources
The buildings of the Faculty of Economics and the Institute for International Affairs are
old, but in the process of being remodelled. Overall, the classrooms appear to be in good shape, and
the conditions of the classrooms does not harm the learning process. However, the offices
of the academic staff are far from being adequate. Lecturers have to share an office with several
other faculty members, and these offices do not have adequate computer facilities. Earlier in the
report, I mentioned that students have access to all the latest accounting software, however, it
does not appear that this software is also available to the lecturers. The instructors cannot be
expected to teach the student how to use this software, if they do not have the opportunity to use it
themselves. This crowded work environment without the proper resources is also not good for
research. If the academic staff is expected to publish at an international level the need an office,
maybe shared with one other lecturer, their own desk with a computer connected to the Internet,
and a library with subscriptions to many academic journals. Professors should not be expected to
buy their own computers and software and to work at home. A proper work environment is
also necessary if the University want to recruit bright young faculty members.
One strong point concerning physical resources is the Institute of International Affairs.
The building is old an in the state of being remodelled, but the director is clearly trying to create an
excellent learning environment for the students and an excellent research environment for the
academic staff. This institute has modern audio-visual equipment being used by lecturers, and
there is also a good computer facility with desk-top publishing capabilities.
6. Feedback and Quality Assurance
As mentioned in the group report, students should have the opportunity to evaluate all
their course and instructors. Previously this has been done, but administered by a student
organization, not administrated by the faculty administration. No evaluation procedure is being
used in the Institute for International Affairs. It is important that students also have the
opportunity to evaluated short course. All EuroFaculty lectures are evaluated by the students
ever semester.
Conclusion
I agree with the recommendation of the evaluation team that the following study
programs should be fully accredited for six years: Bachelors of Economics, Masters of
Economics, Professional Economist (accountancy, analysis and auditing), Professional Economist
(accountant), Professional Economist (tax), and professional Economist (financial management),
Master of Economics from the subprogram International Relations, and the Professional
Program in International Economic Relations.
Riga, December 13,1997
Charles Kroncke
1997-12-22
An individual report on the study programs in Economics at the
University of Latvia
Prof. Dr. Bo Ohlmer, HeadofDept. of Economics, Swedish University ofAg. Sciences
On December 12,1997, an evaluation team completed its evaluation of the study programs in Economics
at the faculty of Economics and Management and the Institute of International Relations of the University
of Latvia. This is the individual report of one of the team members.
The team evaluated the following study programs: Bachelor of Economics, Master of Economics;
Professional Economist (bank economist), Professional Economist (accountancy, analysis, and auditing),
Professional Economist (accountant), Professional Economist (tax), and Professional Economist (financial
management) at the faculty of Economics and Management. The team also evaluated the Master degree in
Economics of the subprogram International Relations and the Professional Program in International
Economic Relations of the Institute of International Affairs.
The comments, analysis and conclusions given in the group report are developed jointly by the team
members. I fully agree with these statements, so I will not repeat them here. I will just give additional
comments on some of the issues raised in the group report based on a comparison with relevant Swedish
study programs and European standards.
A strategic problem in the curriculum
The content of the Bachelor, Master, and Professional study programs are similar to corresponding study
programs in Sweden and Europe with one exception - accounting normally belong to Business
Administration and not to Economics. When the graduates with a degree in Economics and a
specialization in accounting are going to study at a foreign university, there-will be some confusion.
However, a more strategic problem is that the present Business Administration subjects and the
Accounting subject need each other. Accounting is one of the foundations in management of a business or
another organization. Information about the economic performance of the organization is vital for the rest
of the management. The accounting system should not only comply with the laws but also with the
information needs of the organization. It has strong relations to the goal analysis and goal formulation
function of management, because the economic performance shows what is possible to attain, and the goal
structure determines the measurements of economic performance that are important to calculate. It has also
strong relations to the planning functions because it gives data to the planning. The most important short
run plan is the budget, which summarizes the consequences of the plans and decisions of all parts of the
organization into a plan of the payments of the year. The budget is continually compared to the outcome
during the year with the aid of the accounting system, and this continual comparison is the basis of the
managers' control of the organization. The teachers and researchers in accounting and the rest of Business
Administration need each other to develop the teaching and the science, and they should not be isolated
from each other. The staff of the Accounting Department should think of them as a part of Business
Administration instead of Economics. The study program directors of Business Administration should also
include accounting in their thinking. In the evaluation of the Business Administration study programs in
June 1997, one conclusion was that accounting and financial analyses were taught too little, which may be
an effect of the misclassification of accounting.
Despite the misclassification of accounting, the content of the accounting study programs is following
correspondent study programs in Sweden and Europe.
The concept of entrepreneurship
In the discussion with the staff, a question was raised about using the concept of entrepreneurship instead of
business administration.
The concept of entrepreneurship has several definitions. The broadest is that an entrepreneur is the same
as a manager, and that entrepreneurship is the same as management, i.e., business administration. A more
narrow definition is that an entrepreneur is a manager that makes a business of a new product, activity,
technology, or idea. Then, entrepreneurship is the process of making business out of the new opportunity.
One well-known definition in this line is given by Schumpeter1, and another by Kirzner2. These more
narrow concepts are very useful when studying the driving forces of developing single businesses or whole
economies. Because of the existence of several definitions of entrepreneurship, it is wise to avoid using
this concept if there exist synonyms. So, I recommend keeping the present name of the accredited study
program Business Administration.
Quality issues
Some of the textbooks lack references. In some of the translations of English textbooks, the references
have been excluded. In scientific writing it is important to inform about the sources of your statements of
at least two reasons. Firstly, the sources are the scientific support of your statements. Secondly, the sources
tell the reader where to find more information on the issue.
In scientific writing, such as the publications by the lecturers and the bachelor/master theses, it is important
to give a literature review to summarize the existing knowledge about the issue in question. The literature
review could be improved in many of the scientific publications shown to the evaluation team.
The deficiencies regarding references in the textbooks and literature reviews in the scientific writing
indicate a need of courses in scientific methods. Such courses should be included both in the study
programs and, at a higher level, in the continued staff training.
The pedagogical methods used in the visited classes varied considerably. Some lecturers just read their
notes and the students made notations. The faculty should engage experts, e.g., the Pedagogical Institute of
the university, to give pedagogical training to the staff.
1
2
Schumpeter, J., 1934. The Theory of Economic Development. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press
Kirzner, I. M., 1973. Competition and Entrepreneurship. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press
Few students in some specializations
Some specializations have very few students, e.g., Statistics, Demography and Mathematical Economics. It
is costly to have classes with few students, and, also, a weak interest may slow down the development of
the science and the teaching. It is important to find ways to increase the interest and the resources. One
way could be to enlarge the target group, such as also give postgraduate courses and continued staff
training for students and staff in other disciplines, universities and institutes in Latvia.
Feedback from students
A teacher evaluation survey has recently been introduced to the faculty of Economics and Management,
and does not exist in the international relations study programs. In other European study programs it is
common to use course evaluation surveys.
The exams give the teacher feedback on the result of the teaching and learning, but the teacher also needs
feedback on the process of teaching and learning in order to explain the student achievements. The
teaching and learning processes and the student achievements differ from course to course, and the
retrospective feedback should be given from fresh memories, so each course should be evaluated
separately and directly after the course. The use of course evaluation surveys is important in the
development of the pedagogical methods.
Conclusions
This individual report does not include a full summary of my evaluation, so the conclusions are not
included here. See the group report for the complete evaluation and the conclusions.
Upgsala December 2,1997 Bo Ohlmer
Evaluation Report
Assessment of the Bachelors and Masters study programs in Economics and professional
study programs: Professional Economist ( bank economist ), Professional Economist (
accountancy, analysis, and auditing ), Professional Economist ( accountant), Professional
Economist ( tax ), Professional Economist ( financial management ) at the Faculty of
Economics, University of Latvia and 2 study programs at Institute of International Affairs,
University of Latvia:
Masters study program in Economics from the subprogram International Relations and the
Professional Program in International Economic Relations.
This evaluation report presents the outcome of an assessment visit conducted by Dr. Virginijus
Kundrotas, Associate Professor, Managing Director of Business Training Centre, Kaunas
University of Technology, during the period of December 11-12,1997.
Study aims
The goals of the above-mentioned academic programs are to provide students with the
opportunity to acquire undergraduate and graduate academic education in the field of Economics
using a process of creative studies and research.
The goals of the professional programs are to train qualified specialists in different branches of
economics and foreign relations managerial specialists through creative learning and practical
training. Emphasis is placed on developing foreign language skills and enhancing professional
competence hi the field of economics, through the use of authentic texts on international
economics and politics.
The goals of the academic as well as the professional programs at the Economical Faculty
correspond with the primary aim of the Faculty of Economics to provide the students with a
possibility to acquire academic and professional education as well as to do scientific research in the
branch of economics. The same should be said and about programs at the Institute of
International Affairs. The goals of all the above-mentioned programs are clearly defined and
understandable. A meeting with graduates and their employers proved that these aims are being
met in reality and correspond with the needs of the State of Latvia.
Content of studies and curriculum design
The curriculum in all study programs is designed based on the needs of the State of Latvia. At the
same time the curriculum is similar to that of the study programs of Western countries. The only
recomendation is that the development of instruction and research in the accounting
specialization in the Bachelor and Masters programs at the Faculty of Economics be integrated
with the managerial courses taught in the Business Administration program, because usually
accounting is a sub-field of Business Administration, not to Economics. Continued separation of the
accounting specialization programs from Business Administration may cause confusion for
Western universities and problems for a graduate with degree in Economics with a specialization in
Accounting who wants to continue studies at a Western university.
The Faculty of Economics provides both academic and professional programs. There appears,
however, to be almost no distinction between the course contents of the bachelor degree and the
professional programs.
It is recommended that the bachelor degree and professional programs develop separate courses for
their respective students.
This recommendation is especially important for the programs at the Institute of International
Affairs, where its students come from such diverse academic backgrounds, possessing
undergraduate degrees in education, liberal arts,and music. A lecturer would find it difficult to
establish a level of instruction that meets the needs of the bachelor degree students, who possess a
background in economic studies, while, at the same time, not overtaxing the professional
students who do not.
The content of most of the courses is good, both in the programs of the Faculty of Economics and
the Institute of International Affairs. Most of the lecturers use western source materials and local
examples and cases. However, some students mentioned that they can get by without doing much
outside reading, which suggests that the self-study method should use more additional literature,
especially recent western literature.
Only good words can be said about the quality of the Bachelor, and Masters theses, which were
found to be well-organized, well-prepared, and well-researched. We noticed a discrepancy,
however, concerning the number of credit points awarded for Masters thesis preparation. The
self-assessment report of the Study Programmes of Economics states that 32 credit points are
dedicated for Master's thesis preparation ( see pages 82, 84, 86,etc...), while the Master's study
programmes description (see the same report, page 15 ) states that it should be 20 credit points.
It was also noticed that the Professional Program in International Economic Relations requires
that its students complete 50 credits ( not' including the final qualifying work ) within one
year .This would be a very demanding course load even for full-time students. The full-time
masters students are given two years to complete 80 credits. When one takes into consideration the
awarding a different number of credit units for completing the same course (i.e. in the Theory of
Economics and Market course, masters students receive 1 credit unit and professional students
receive 3 credit units), the impression is that there could be a very real quality problem with the
professional program.
Another recommendation will be to include a course in research and pedagogical methods into the
Master's study program.
It is also necessary to mention the positive role of the EuroFaculty in creating the Bachelor's
Honours Programme for the best and most highly motivated students. This program will help the
university to prepare these students to enter and complete international postgraduate programs in
economics and business.
Students
The admissions process for applicants wanting to attend the Faculty of Economics and Institute of
International Affairs is appropriate, as well as are the graduation requirements. The
competition coefficient, according to the information received from the administration, of both
institutions is approximately 8. This is indicative of the Faculty of Economics and Institute of
International Affairs having a very good reputation in Latvia.
However, it was strange to discover that it is possible for a student to write a final professional
work, a Bachelors or Masters thesis, without a supervisor. This situation needs to be changed
because it is not supportive of student development. This concern is especially important when it
comes to the students of the Institute of International Affairs, who should be required to have a
thesis supervisor because the students in these programs have such different educational
backgrounds and they may be writing subjects that are relatively new to them.
Meeting with the student representatives of the Faculty of Economics showed them to be active,
intelligent, and eager to learn. They were, however, for the most part students from the
university's Euro-faculty, and it is difficult to consider them as being a representative sample of
the university's student body. Observation of the lectures and seminars ( both hi the Faculty of
Economics and Institute of International Affairs ) showed that the students who attended these
classes were quite passive in their approach to learning and not skilled enough in debate or
interpersonal communication. They were afraid to ask questions or raise points for discussion
with their lecturers during the study process.
According to the information which we received during our meeting with the students, they play an
active role on the Faculty Board and University Senate, and in evaluating their lecturers. Many
students at the Faculty of Economics, especially those participating in the Eurofaculty program,
have had international experiences. Their competence in the English language makes it possible for
the university to increase its number of foreign exchange programs with other universities.
The students are active in organizing different student events. They participate in AISIEC and
similar organizations.
Faculty
There is a strong pool of lecturers hi all departments of the Faculty of Economics. Research is being
conducted, as evidenced by the lists of publications in each department. Inspite of this, 21
lecturers did not provide lists of their publications, and 7 lecturers had their last publication prior to
1992.
Each department has a good percentage of lecturers who have their doctoral degrees and who can
speak a foreign language. The Faculty of Economics is taking steps in preparing for its future -for
example, the Accounting department has nine students enrolled in its doctoral program. Some
doctoral students are studying abroad in Western Universities and planning to come back to their
departments after graduation.
After attending a few lectures and seminars given by lecturers of the Faculty of Economics, I was
satisfied with their qualifications to teach the courses offered. Despite this, the lecturers should use
a wider variety of teaching methods, technology and equipment. The most common method used
during the visited classes was lecturing.
The Institute of International Affairs primarily uses the lecturers from the Faculty of Economics,
other institutions, and foreign visiting professors on a part time basis. This institution often employs
international experts to teach short courses (less than one semester in length). The courses often
meet several tunes in one week. The advantage of such courses is that they expose their students to
many different theories and ideas. However, too many short classes should not be used. It is often
difficult for a student to do the required reading associated with such intense classes in the time
required and it may be difficult for the students to establish a rapport with their teachers.
Additionally, these classes often devote more time to introductory material, leaving students with
not much more than a basic understanding of the topic. The director of the Institute of International
Affairs must determine an appropriate balance between the use of a full-time teaching staff and the
use of short-course instructors.
A very positive fact is that lecturers are evaluated by their students every semester at the Faculty of
Economics.. It was strange to discover that this initiative came from the student's organization first.
The evaluation organized by the administration of the Faculty will take place in the near future.
No evaluation of staff was found at the Institute of International Affairs. Students looked surprised
when they were even asked about that. And although the lecturers' resource pool at the Institute
(including visiting lecturers ) seems well qualified, the absence of lecturers' evaluation by their
students every semester does not help them to improve their performance over time.
Faculty members have a number of professional contacts at several Western universities as a
result of their participation hi a number of international programs. They strongly engage hi
research and analysis of the economy of Latvia. Many of them are involved in the translation of
recently published international economic textbooks into Latvian.
One of the problems that should be mentioned here is the lack of adequate computer resources.
Most departments have only a few computers, one for the department chair and one or two to be
shared among the other instructors. That could be a reason for faculty members not publishing
enough articles hi internationally recognized journals. It seems that serious efforts hi this area are
being taken by the administration of the Institute of International Affairs, which has a strategy to
equip lecturers and students with high quality PC's and other educational technical equipment.
Learning resources
There are enough classroom facilities for lectures and seminars. The classroom facilities are good
enough and supportive of the learning process. All classes are equipped with overhead projectors.
Again, there is a problem with a shortage of personal computers. All of the existing computers
should be connected to the INTERNET.
The learning resources of the Institute of International Affairs are located hi another building.
There is modem audio-visual equipment installed hi it for the teaching staff to use. The library
(together with EuroFaculty library ) has a wide selection of international books, journals, and
magazines hi the fields of economics and business. However, students informed us that the library
needs to have longer working hours.
The Institute of International Affairs as access to UNDP resources, which are available hi its
library.
Connections with the business community
A meeting with representatives from the local business community very clearly showed a strong
and fruitful cooperation between them and Faculty of Economics. The business representatives
strongly appreciated the role of the Faculty, and they had a very positive attidute towards the
institution. They also were very satisfied with the level of knowledge and skills demonstrated by the
graduates of the Faculty of Economics and think that quality of education in the study
programs is improving every year. Some employers suggested that more attention be given to
working with case studies, because they believe that case studies are a good way for students to
improve their practical skills in order to work in business.
Another positive observation is that many former graduates hold high positions in the
Governmental and State institutions of Latvia while at the same time lecturing at the Faculty on a
part-time basis.
We did not have an opportunity to meet with any employers of graduates from the Institute of
International Affairs and get their opinion about the study programs. A good indication of the
quality of the programs, however, is seen in the large number of applicants competing for the
limited number of places at the Institute ( 8 candidates to 1 place, according to the information
provided by the administration ), especially taking into consideration that only some of the places in
the study programes are financed by the State with the remainder being paid for by the
students.
Final conclusions
Based on my personal observations from my visit to the Faculty of Economics and
Institute of International Affairs, University of Latvia, discussions with students, graduates,
employers, faculty and administration of the Faculty and Institute, and my having read the
Self-Assessment Reports of both institutions, I feel qualified to make the following
conclusions:
Recommend the Bachelor study program in Economics with a specialization in
bookkeeping, control and analysis of economic activity and the Master study program of
Economics with a specialization in bookkeeping, control and analysis of economic activity be
moved to the study program of Business Administration.
The Bachelors and Masters study programs in Economics and professional study programs
Professional Economist (bank economist ), Professional Economist ( accountancy, analysis,
and auditing ), Professional Economist ( accountant), Professional Economist (tax),
Professional Economist ( financial management ) at the Faculty of Economics, University of
Latvia, as well as the Masters study program in Economics from the subprogram International
Relations and the Professional Program in International Economic Relations at the Institute of
International Affairs, University of Latvia, substantially meet the requirements for an
academic and professional programs of higher education and recommend that they be fully
accredited after taking into consideration the above -mentioned observations and suggestions.
Dr. Virginijus Kundrotas
December 22, 1997