Students are admitted to the above-mentioned courses after passing an online Admission Test in English, which also includes the Foundation Knowledge Assessment Test, a compulsory test for all students enrolled in the first year of a degree programme or an integrated five-year/six-year degree programme, aimed at ascertaining the basic knowledge required to attend their chosen degree programme with success
For this degree programme, the verification of initial preparation consists of a series of online multiple-choice questions, lasting a total of 40 minutes, in the following subject area:
- Reading comprehension (and logic) (30 questions).
Successful verification of initial preparation is achieved with 50% +1 of correct answers.
In the event of a negative outcome of the verification of initial preparation, an Additional Educational Obligation (OFA) is assigned to make up for the deficiencies found.
Students with disabilities or Specific learning disorders (SLD) are invited to contact Services for inclusion.
For this degree course, the Faculty has determined the following Additional Educational Obligation:
- "Reading comprehension (and logic)": a 15hour online course in English, with a final examination.
The student is required to attend the OFA according to the scheduled timetable (please consult your Faculty's Freshman Kit). A student who has attended at least 70% of the scheduled hours is admitted to the final examination of the OFA course.
Successful completion of the final examination means that the OFA has been fulfilled and the student may continue on the university programme without any further Additional Educational Obligations. Up to three attempts at passing the final examination are allowed in the first year, without the need to retake the OFA course.
In the event of failure to pass the final OFA examination, the group Tutor in charge will contact the student in order to support him/her in the process of following through with the above-mentioned examination.
At the end of the early summer session and/or the summer session of the profit examinations, the supervising professor of the degree programme, having assessed the results of the VPI and the final examinations of the aforementioned course, and taking into account any 1st-year profit examinations passed by the student, may deem the OFA to have been discharged.
Otherwise, the student is required to renew enrolment in the first year as a repeater.
Students coming from other Università Cattolica programmes are exempt from VPI support for 1st year enrolment provided that they have sustained an identical VPI in terms of subject areas, number of questions and duration of the test in their previous university career.
All students from other universities and students from other programmes of Università Cattolica who do not meet the above requirements are required to take the VPI.
A. Looking at our smartphone to check messages and socials while we are at the supermarket is not a good thing, it could make us spend more than expected. A test conducted by the University of Bath (UK) found that checking the smartphone several times leads to spending 41% more, because it distracts us from our usual paths between the shelves and our attention can more easily be captured by products which would probably have been ignored.
On what requirement is this argument based?
- When looking at the smartphone, notifications of products on offer arrive continuously, intriguing the consumer and leading him/her to a purchase
- Most people, generally, tend to always buy the same products and move on autopilot towards the shelves on which these are located, disregarding the remaining products
- The use of the smartphone affects the concentration and the shopping path only in certain supermarket departments
B. It seems incredible, but bees, bumblebees and other pollinators seem to prefer cities to the countryside. A team of researchers from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany studied how urban growth impacts insect populations and what differences there are, in terms of quantity and biodiversity, with rural areas. Scientists have found that pollinators visit flowers in the city more often than those that grow in the countryside; specifically, bumblebees and bees represent 75% and 9% of regular visitors respectively. This does not mean that urban areas are absolutely richer in life than rural ones, the biodiversity in the countryside remains higher than in the city, the difference is due to the presence of pollinators, who prefer the city to fields.
Which of the following statements could explain why?
- Although it may seem paradoxical, the urban environment is more favourable to these insects as there is more food variety and there are more potential shelters and places where they can nest
- Bees and bumblebees are more attracted by the colours and smells of flowers which grow in urban areas than by a cultivated field that often contains only one plant species
- Cities are varied and constantly changing environments, and these characteristics mainly attract the pollinators who are happy to find their bearings in unknown places
ANSWERS
A - Most people, generally, tend to always buy the same products and move on autopilot towards the shelves on which these are located, disregarding the remaining products
B - Although it may seem paradoxical, the urban environment is more favourable to these insects as there is more food variety and there are more potential shelters and places where they can nest