Advice and supportWhen your studies go wrong.

Work environment

The head of department is responsible for the work environment at the department, for both students and staff. Take concerns about the physical, social or organisational work environment to the head of department, the student safety representative or the faculty's safety representative. Offensive treatment or harassment can be reported through the union's student ombudspersons.

Course evaluation

Help improve the course by completing the course evaluation. It is summarised and commented on by the course coordinator, and the teacher must present the results and any changes to the next group of students. Older course evaluations can be ordered from arkiv@lnu.se.

Don't cheat

Go for the resit instead of cheating – a suspension creates big problems. How to stay on the right side:

• Read the union's page on cheating and plagiarism.
• Learn the rules for the examination and follow them.
• Start in good time and hand in assignments on time.
• Don't look at others' work and don't let others look at yours.
• Formulate your own answers and clearly cite all sources.
• Be careful about what you bring to the exam.

ChatGPT and AI

AI can be a good complement to your own learning, course literature and lecture material – to summarise, create practice questions or get feedback on what you have written. Don't use it during examinations or as a replacement for your own critical thinking and writing skills.

If you use AI tools: be clear about how and in which parts of the work. You are responsible for the content, reliability and academic rigour. Discussing or sharing solutions during an examination counts as cheating and can lead to suspension.

Illness

CSN takes illness into account but requires a certificate – report sick to the Social Insurance Agency from the first day. The university offers no individual adjustments for having been ill, so missed examinations can affect your studies. If needed, contact the programme director and study counsellor to draw up an individual study plan.

Group work

Group work is common and it's important to learn to collaborate effectively – the library can suggest digital tools. Everyone in the group is collectively responsible for the work, so the whole group can be punished if someone cheats. Since it's hard to check for plagiarism yourself, we recommend:

• Ask the examiner to clarify how individual contributions are to be distinguished, so that assessment is individual.
• Work with people you trust and clarify your expectations of each other.
• Discuss sources and any suspicions of plagiarism before submission.
• Keep notes on who did what, and keep copies and version history until the grade is in Ladok.

Programme syllabus

A programme consists of courses intended to be taken in a certain order. Sometimes you must have passed a certain course or earned a certain number of credits to start the next one. Read the programme syllabus and course syllabi to see which prerequisites apply.

Course syllabus

The course syllabus describes the objectives, content and forms of examination. It is legally binding and must be followed – read it in advance.

Course literature

The reading list is at the end of the course syllabus. Double-check with the course coordinator that it still applies if you plan to buy the books well in advance.

Schedule

The schedule must be available at least one month before the course starts. Regular examination dates must be included, but resits are not always listed – ask your teacher if unsure. Late schedules, different versions in Moodle and TimeEdit, or repeated schedule changes should not be accepted.

Compulsory elements

Compulsory elements must be used sparingly and appear in both the syllabus and the schedule. They are not examinations and give no credits, but must be completed for a final grade and are recorded as a “result note” in Ladok. The university is not obliged to offer a new opportunity to make up missed compulsory elements.

Placements and costs

The rules for allocating placement (VFU) or internship positions must be clear and predictable so you can plan for increased costs during the placement. In Sweden education is free – you pay nothing for the course or examination – but accommodation, travel, course literature, equipment (computer, software) and consumables (paint, brushes, textiles) are your own responsibility. The university may charge reasonable fees for compendia and consumables.

CSN sometimes offers extra support for additional costs – supplementary grants and loans for specific expenses. If a course involves extra costs, such as field trips or materials, they must be stated in the syllabus.