Dear students,
With the following statement, we would like to review the survey results and summarize some solutions for you. First of all, we would like to thank you for your active participation and we would like to assure you that we will continue to do our best to stand up for you and your interests. However, if you have any problems with teaching, you should always contact your lecturers directly. If this does not help, the next level is the Head of Studies, then the Dean and finally the Vice President Education. You can always put us in the cc so that we know what problems there are at the moment and we can help you.
Opinion
Health
Although about half of the students are doing well to very well, we would like to draw your attention once again to various psychosocial support services. We encourage you to use them if you have any problems or needs:
Telephone counselling: 0800/111 0 111 or 0800/111 0 222
App: "KrisenKompass" from the telephone counselling service
Nummer gegen Kummer (children's and youth helpline): 116 111
Deutsche Depressionshilfe: 0 800 33 44 5 33
Psychosocial counseling of the Studentenwerk Dresden: 0351 4697-920 (8:00 - 15:30) or psb@studentenwerk-dresden.de
Help hotline for domestic violence: 0800 11 60 16
QuarantineHelden https://www.quarantaenehelden....
We are also trying to expand the range of psychosocial counseling services offered by the Studentenwerk Dresden and are currently exchanging information.
The exit restrictions reduce social life to an unbearable minimum for many. The freedom of each individual remains restricted until April 20, i.e. much longer than previously decided. We therefore also recommend everyone to pay attention to their physical health as well as their mental health. Exercise in the fresh air and sport indoors can help you stay productive and balanced. For this purpose, we recommend the online sports courses offered by all German colleges and universities, which can be found at www.adh.de/service/hsp-onlinek....
Funding
The state government is working on solutions for students who can no longer find work, have lost their job or are in financial difficulties due to other consequences of the current situation. The Rector will provide information on this in the coming week.
We ask affected students to apply for BAföG and to contact the Studentenwerk Dresden. In addition, affected students are asked to inform themselves about the possibilities of BAföG:
https://www.bafög.de/index.php... parents' income decreases (e.g. short-time work):
https://www.bafög.de/elternein...
If financial support is required between application and notification, you can also contact the Studentenwerk directly, as there are also hardship regulations:
https://www.studentenwerk-dres...
Practical semester + KIA
The situation for students in their practical semester is precarious. A regular process is at risk. The aim of the university remains to enable a largely regular course of study.
In the eyes of the StuRa, however, this is not foreseeable without renouncing central goals,
which are formulated in the examination regulations for the practical semester. For us, the individual case remains the rule and the basis for every negotiation! No one should be at a disadvantage! One solution could be to spread the practical phase over the semester break. However, it is neither guaranteed at company level nor is it reasonable to expect students to make up the entire period. Therefore, the number of mandatory days
must be minimized without accepting a high loss of practical training. If you have to cancel your internship completely, please contact your internship supervisor immediately to work out an individual solution.
The situation for KIA students, on the other hand, is good. No employment relationship is at risk.
Online teaching
Around a fifth of the students surveyed considered online teaching to be very good or good at the time of the survey. The current status of the form of teaching used is predominantly represented by the provision of lecture notes, possibly with exercises, or the provision of teaching materials and the independent preparation of notes and exercises. This form of teaching presents the student body with a major challenge. Video recordings of lectures or online lectures, as well as Q&A sessions with lecturers, can provide valuable support and help to bring face-to-face teaching closer.
The technology used by students and lecturers is also a problem. This is due to a lack of devices for secure internet access, occasional server overloads, a lack of internet access and a lack of cameras/microphones and other technical aids. We therefore ask you to ensure free access to teaching for all, to consider individual cases and to use all available resources to guarantee a safe semester.
We appeal to the teaching staff to obtain regular feedback in order to develop suitable teaching for the various modules. In addition to direct surveys, we would also like to point out the possibility of conducting anonymous surveys in order to obtain an unbiased opinion.
At the present time, it is not possible to standardize the programs for teaching, as the modules have very different requirements for the type of online teaching. The university recommends using the BigBlueButton program. The Student Council supports this in order to come closer to simplification and to relieve the burden on students. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that video recordings of lectures are also an adequate solution that should continue to be pursued.
In order to ensure access to specialist literature, it is always possible to submit literature requests to the University Library via the lecturers, which can be purchased online and then made available to you in the virtual University Library. We also ask lecturers to check literature lists for online availability and adapt them if necessary.
Print access cannot be provided by the university. We recommend asking fellow students or using online print shops if necessary. There are also print shops in Zittau and Görlitz that offer a delivery service due to their location.
We ask everyone, lecturers, students, university management, the University Data Centre and all other university staff, to work together and to be available for a regular, transparent exchange in order to bring the quality of online teaching closer to that of face-to-face teaching.
Looking to the future
At the end of April, the State Rectors' Conference will decide how to proceed with
the semester and also how it will be treated (including whether it will count towards the standard period of study). The possibility of counting all examinations in this semester (not repeat examinations) as a free attempt is being examined.
It is currently not possible to say exactly how the semester will continue, but the university already has plans for various possible dates for the resumption of face-to-face teaching. These will be published at
as soon as it is clear when the university can resume normal operations and will also take into account that internships or similar will have to be made up for in some degree programs.
Finally, it should be noted that we, as student representatives, will be informed about current decisions in future through regular telephone conferences with the Rectorate and can therefore address current problems more easily. We would therefore also like to recommend that you contact us if you have any problems. Remember that this exceptional situation is difficult and new for everyone and that everyone is doing their best. Be open and honest with your lecturers if you need help or are unhappy with the teaching. Only with transparent communication can we all improve the situation together.
Publication of the results
We also regret that we are only now able to share these results with you, almost two weeks after the survey was completed. As we wrote in our last email, a lecturer accused us of violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is why the publication of the data planned for April 3, 2020 was canceled in cooperation with the university. After an examination of the situation by the HSZG's Data Protection Officer (DPO) and an external lawyer, both came to the conclusion that the survey did not violate the GDPR.
We also received understandable criticism for wanting to evaluate online teaching at a very early stage (after the first week), with many lecturers also having difficulties and problems with the new situation. Our motivation was solely to collect and address the students' problems, to solve them and to achieve good quality online teaching as quickly as possible. We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize if anyone has felt personally offended by this - this was never our intention.
For the reasons mentioned above and because some of the results are now out of date, we will only publish parts of the survey as part of this statement. In the constructive work with lecturers, deans and the Rectorate that followed the survey, we were already able to achieve a great deal and find solutions to problems. This can no longer be reflected in the survey at this point in time. We are therefore planning to conduct a new survey on May 4, 2020 (currently scheduled start date of face-to-face teaching), which will look at a representative period of time in order to ask about the overall implementation of online teaching.
Stay at home and stay healthy!
Best regards from the home office
Your StuRa
Further information:
FAQ
of the Saxon state government (answers to frequently asked questions on dealing with the Saxon Corona Protection Ordinance (as of 01.04.2020)).
HSZG https://www.hszg.de/news/aktue... https://blog.hszg.de/stura/
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English
Statement of StuRa on the survey "Your studies during the Covid-19 pandemic"
Dear students,
in the following statement we would like to review the survey results and summarize some solutions for you. Firstly, we would like to thank you for your great participation. We would then also like to assure you that we will continue to do our best to advocate you and your interests. Please keep in mind, to contact your lecturers first, should you have any problems regarding the teachings. If that does not help, the next step would be contacting the head of the degree program, then the dean and finally the Vice Rector for Education. You can always put us in the cc, so that we also know what problems are currently occurring and how we can assist you.
Statement
HealthAlthough
about half of the students are doing well or even very well, we would still like to point out various psychosocial support services. We do suggest using them, should the need occur or should you have to deal with any problems or issues:
Samaritan telephone services: 0800/111 0 111 or 0800/111 0 222
App: "KrisenKompass" by the Samaritan
telephone servicesNummer gegen Kummer (telephone counselling for children/ teenagers): 116 111
Deutsche Depressionshilfe (aid for depression): 0 800 33 44 5 33
Psychosoziale Beratung des Studentenwerks Dresden (psychosocial counseling of the Student Union Dresden: 0351 4697-920 (8:00 - 15:30) or psb@studentenwerk-dresden.de
Helpline for domestic abuse: 0800 11 60 16
QuarantäneHelden (quarantine helpline) https://www.quarantineheroes....
We are also trying to extend the services of psychosocial counseling offered by the Dresden Student Union timewise and are thus in close dialogue with them.
The lockdown restrictions reduce social life to an unbearable minimum for many. The freedom of each individual remains limited until 20thApril, significantly longer than previously decided. Therefore, we recommend everyone to not only pay attention to their mental but also to their physical health. Outdoor exercise and training at home can help you to stay productive and balanced.
For this we recommend the online sports courses offered by all German colleges and universities, which can be found at www.adh.de/service/hsp-onlineo...
Financial
German government is working towards solutions for students who are unable to find a job, who have lost their job, or who are experiencing financial difficulties due to the current situation. The Rector will provide information on this matter in the coming week. We thus ask affected students to apply for BAföG and to contact the Student Union in Dresden.
In addition, students should please seek information about the possibilities of BAföG on the following website:
https://www.bafög.de/index.php If the parents' income is reduced (e.g. short-time work):
https://www.bafög.de/eltern income-sinkt-wegen-corona-758.phpIf
financial support is required between application and notification, you can also contact the Student Union directly, as there are also hardship regulations:
https://www.studentenwerk-dres...
practical semester
Situation for students in the practical semester is precarious since a regular process is endangered. The aim of the university is to enable the students to have a largely regular course of study.in the opinion of the StuRa, however, this cannot be foreseen without foregoing central goals formulated in the examination regulations for the internship semester. For us, the individual case remains the rule and hence the base of every negotiation! There should be no disadvantages for anyone! One solution could be to extend the practical phase over the summer break. However, a complete catch-up is neither ensured at operational level nor adequate. Therefore, the number of mandatory days must be minimized without taking a large loss of practical teaching. In the event of a complete cancellation of your internship, please report immediately to your practice supervisor in order to work out an individual solution.
The situation for KIA students, on the other hand, is good. No employment contract is at risk.
Online Teaching
Around a fifth of the interviewed students considered online teaching to be very good or good at the time of the survey. At the moment, the chosen form of teaching is either uploaded lecture scripts (sometimes with exercises), or other uploaded teaching materials, or working on lecture transcripts and exercises. This can be a major challenge for students. Recorded or online lectures, as well as consultation-hours with the lecturers can offer valuable support and can help to close the gap to classroom teaching.
Another problem is the technology available to students and lecturers: There is a lack of a secure internet access (or any internet access) or of cameras / microphones and other technical aids. Furthermore, the servers a often temporarily overloaded. We therefore ask for free access to teaching for everyone, to consider individual cases. All possible resources should be used, to ensure the semester/term. We call on the teaching staff to get feedback from their students on a regular basis in order to develop a suitable way of teaching for the different modules.
We would like to point out that in addition to direct surveys, there is the possibility of carrying out anonymous surveys in order to obtain genuine opinions.At the present moment, a unification of teaching programs is impossible because modules place very different demands on the type of online teaching. The university recommends using the BigBlueButton program.
The Student Council supports this in order to come closer to a simplification and to make things easier for the students. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that video recordings of the lectures are also an adequate solution that should be pursued.To ensure access to research literature, it is at any time possible to submit literature requests via the lecturers to the university library. Literature will then be available to you in the virtual university library. We also ask the lecturers to check literature lists for online availability and to adjust them if necessary.
The university cannot, however, provide printing facilities. We recommend asking fellow students or, if necessary, online print stores. There are also printers in Zittau and Görlitz that offer a delivery service.we ask all lecturers, students, the university management, the university computing center and all other employees of the university to work together and be available for a regular, transparent exchange. The goal is to bring the quality of online teaching closer to that of classroom teaching.
Future prospects
At the end of April, the Saxon university rectors' conference will decide on how the semester will continue and how it should be regarded (e.g. whether it will count towards the standard period of study etc.). The possibility of counting all exams (except re-examinations) in this semester as a free trial is being looked into.At the moment, nothing can be said about the progress of the semester, but the university has already made plans for various possible dates to resume classroom teaching. These dates will be published as soon as it is certain when the university can resume normal operations.
It is noted that in some degree programs internships or similar have to be caught up on.In conclusion, it should be noted that in future we, as student body representatives, will be informed of the current decisions through regular conference calls with the rectorate. This will make it easier for us to address current or arising problems. Therefore, we would like to recommend that you contact us if you have any problems. Remember that this exceptional situation is difficult and new for everyone and that everyone is doing their best. Be open and honest with your lecturers if you need help or are dissatisfied with the teaching. Only with transparent communication can we all improve the situation together.
Publication of the survey results
We regret that we can only now, almost two weeks after the survey ended, share these results with you. As we have already told you in our last email, a lecturer accused us of a violation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This is why the publication of the data planned for 03.04.20 was canceled in cooperation with the university. After an inspection, the data protection officer of the HSZG and an external lawyer both came to the conclusion that the survey did not violate the GDPR.
We also received understandable criticism that we evaluated the online teaching at a very early stage (after the first week), with many lecturers also having difficulties and problems with the new situation. Our motivation was solely to collect and address the problems of the students so that good quality online teaching could be achieved as quickly as possible. At this point, we would like to sincerely apologize if anyone has felt personally attacked by the survey - this was never our intention.
For the reasons mentioned above and since some results are already out of date, we will only publish parts of the survey as part of this statement. In the constructive collaboration with lecturers, deans and the rectorate following the survey, we have already been able to achieve a great deal and to search for and find solutions to problems. The survey can no longer reflect this at the present time. Therefore we plan to conduct a new survey on 4th May, 2020 (the current start date for classroom teaching), which should cover a representative period in order to ask for the entire implementation of online teaching.
Stay at home and stay healthy!
Kind regards
Your student council team