Dear students,

An eventful and labor-intensive two weeks lie behind us.

We would like to thank you for your active participation in the survey with 640 participants; we have been evaluating the results over the last few days. On Monday, we presented a working version to the Rectorate and discussed the challenges and problems faced by students.

We are also pleased about the many signatures for the petition "Solidarsemester 2020" at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, which received 820 signatures within a week. We will present it to the Senate to show that many students and their families support our Senate resolution.

We welcome the transparent communication of the university management regarding its planned approach to students and the StuRa, which has been taking place since May 7. We also support the amendment to the "FlexO" introduced by the Rectorate, as it takes up many of our points from the Senate's draft resolution.

On May 25, the special Senate meeting requested by the student senators will take place, in which our amendment to the regulations for admission regarding the non-crediting of the SoSe 2020 to the standard period of study will be discussed. Many of the other points in our Senate resolution proposal are already covered by the amendment to the "FlexO".

The last few weeks in particular have shown that we can move and achieve a lot together as students.

#staystrong #stayhealthy

Your StuRa

Info on the evaluation:

Pending processing:

• Faculty-specific answers

Will not be part of the publication:

• Opinions on lecturers and which modules are canceled - this information will be passed on to the relevant faculty heads. Furthermore, we will communicate with the lecturers about this

Brief summary:

• Mental health has deteriorated -> please use the offers

• Funding critical for some -> please use the offers
• Practical semester still problematic, but now back to a regular process for significantly more -> Rectorate is working on a solution
• KIA still no significant problems
• Online teaching must be further improved -> ray of hope: Strong expansion of online lectures visible
• Communication of the re-examination/retake examination period was poor + many problems with the re-examinations/retake examinations
• Many students see problems in their studies due to Corona
• Communication from university management must be more transparent + Inclusion of student opinions
• The support of the "Solidarsemester 2020" by the StuRa is supported by many students
• StuRa communication could be improved, but is good

Health

Do you have any suggestions on how to improve communication/offers in this regard?

• Provide more information (emails, notices, videos, online, Telegram...)
• State that help should also be sought for minor problems (overcome inhibitions to call)
• Current teaching reinforces problems
• Talk about it more openly/regularly/actively

Funding

Studying with a child

Classification of students

Semester abroad

Too few answers to be meaningful.

Practical semester

How would you like problems to be dealt with during the practical phase?

• Fewer compulsory days, more self-study
• Stronger theoretical reference in the practical semester
• Possibility to split up the internship and catch up during the semester break
• Adjustment of the timetable in the winter semester so that experiments/internships can be made up at the beginning
• Catch-up internships at the faculties
• Adherence to the internship plan "take a more relaxed view"

Further comments on the practical phase:

• Erasmus extension for internships abroad
• More information from the Examination Office - "Updatemail"
• What in case of termination? Student wants to drop out after extension
• Supervisors do not reply
• Help with the search for new companies
• Extension of deadline
• Extended standard period of study/no recognition to make up for planned internship abroad
• Feel well supported
• Substitute internship during vacations does not make sense
• Possibility to write BA without a credited internship, as long as sufficient data is available

KIA (sandwich-style) degree course

Online teaching

What are your positive experiences with online teaching?

• Quick response to emails (from some lecturers) - Good interaction
• Sufficient/accurate teaching material online
• Fast organization of many lecturers, many very motivated
• The material taught is better prepared than in the normal lectures

What are your negative experiences with online teaching?

• Too little material
• No online lectures
• Fear of exams as very uncertain
• Lower productivity due to all circumstances
• Different platforms/software
• Pdf instead of teaching/communication
• Time problems
• Motivation difficulties
• Lack of interaction

Which approaches to online teaching should be retained in the future when face-to-face teaching is possible again?

• Question and answer sessions
• More online material for revision and good exam preparation
• Videos of the lecture for complex topics

Re-examinations/repeat examinations

Further comments:

• No hygiene rules communicated (mask?)
• No two-week deadline - too short notice
• Some dates not yet online
• Exams too short notice to be able to come to Zittau (traffic-wise)
• Receipt cannot be written without program, it cannot be downloaded (NX12)
• Hardly any information on how to proceed
• No time to prepare for exams in addition to online teaching, as it is much more time-consuming than usual
• No access to exams possible
• Re-examinations too stressful in the current situation
• "Published far too late and you get the feeling that you have been let down by the HSZG. At the moment, I'm afraid of the re-exams and I can't concentrate 100% on the re-exams due to all the preliminary work etc.. That's why I'll probably go into the re-exams with the attitude that the main thing is to pass somehow. As I don't have the time/opportunity to study to possibly get a better grade."
• One way to get to Germany - a re-examination
• No transcript of records for BAföG
• Information page on deregistration/registration etc. (where, when, how)
• Lecturers do not know whether you are an examiner (Gräßel)
• No grades yet - not clear whether you have to take a re-examination
• Many have not heard about the changes (re-examinations from now on...) - no mail that it will be changed, that teaching will start again etc.

Future outlook

Further comments

• Exams without recognition for repeat exams
• Possibility of not counting towards the standard period of study
• No possibility to attend lectures again during the semester of leave
• More communication with HS management so that students' needs are taken into account
• "I am disappointed with the guidelines' decision on classroom teaching. The relevance between face-to-face and online teaching is missing."
• Possibility to catch up on semesters
• Adjustments also for practical semester in winter semester, as no position is found
• Planning security for the examination period
• Urgently communicate that the extended examination period is only for classes with internships!!!
• No disenrolment (from university) due to too many exams/announcement at too short notice
• "ALL professors should offer online lectures!!!! I don't have any problems in the modules where I have online lectures, but I do in all the others!
• I really don't understand how a lecturer can think that it's enough to upload a script and assignments online and then expect students to work on them independently..."
• "Finding a good balance between imparting knowledge and protecting students."
• Tips for loss of motivation, getting rid of distractions...
• What will the winter semester look like? Library open? Online? Etc
• Students dropping out because they can't cope with the current "teaching"
• Closed borders -> what about students from Poland/Czech Republic?

University management - participation and communication

Further comments

• Solo semester
• Communication not sufficient / insufficient
• (Daily) email updates
• More cooperation with StuRa/inclusion of student interests in committees by students
• Information via social media is gladly accepted, question about the possibility of an HSZG app
• HS management is active
• "There should be no disadvantage for us students. For me, however, this is the only disadvantage. After all, I didn't enrol for a distance learning course."
• "Very little information is provided and the time intervals are too long."
• "I think that much more attention should be paid to the concerns of students due to their individual circumstances (e.g. students with children, with disabilities, who have no or only poor access to online teaching, etc.). So far, I see the focus of the university management as being primarily on the concerns of students who have comparatively privileged access to online teaching.
• There should at least be the option of not having this semester recognized as a semester of study. In addition, more measures should urgently be put in place to ensure that all students have appropriate and equivalence access to teaching."
• "It is pretended that online teaching has gone great and that it is realistic to guarantee a normal "creditable" semester."
• "Lecturers usually don't stick to the regular timetable"
• "It's great that there is also communication with students via social media channels. I could also imagine something like an HSZG app solution where all data is available, if such a thing is possible. (timetable/exam schedule, current information, netstorage, emails...)"
• "I have the feeling that we students are being left in the lurch. All the time they say we're all in this together, but I feel like we have to carry the whole burden of the situation alone. After all, it's our degree that matters and decisions should be made for us as students accordingly. However, I don't have the feeling that we are really being taken into account in all the decisions made by the university management, but that the curriculum is just being bluntly pushed through."
• Practice office is difficult to reach for students with work/practical semester

Student Council - participation and communication

Further comments

• Good work
• Continue to convey that it is an exceptional situation for everyone
• Better email communication desired
• More information by email
• More motivation to express opinions to lecturers
• For survey more on distance learning students
• Students who cannot finish their studies before 25 due to Corona (child benefit)

Did we miss something important in the survey?

• Survey 1 was too early, survey 2 too late, loss of trust due to the incomplete publication of the first survey
• Focus more on mental health with impact on studies
• No idea" and "I don't care" as possible answers
• Problem that re-examinations are too close to the regular examination period
• Use a different tool - not via Google
• Questions about exams / end of semester
• More about foreign students outside of the Studienkolleg
• Question whether you have children at all is missing
• Nothing asked about risk groups (who belongs to them)
• Help with exchange among students
• Practice office difficult to reach