by Kseniia Vislova

The winter semester 20/21 was definitely quite strange for all of us. Despite all the challenges, together we managed to organize the learning process effectively and "persevere". What did we succeed or fail at? How do the Business and Languages students rate the past semester?

The students were largely satisfied with how the semester went. Of course, many of us missed the normal routine with the full canteen, the many people on campus and the mouse parties. Nevertheless, the learning process was carried out effectively and efficiently. OPAL and BBB helped us the most. Some of us really appreciated the opportunity to work from home. In addition, everyone thought the idea of recording lectures or seminars was really good. This way of working could also be very useful under normal circumstances. On the whole, we learned that we should value what we have. But we should also be open to new things.

In the previous article, I talked about the Erasmus students. They are absolutely delighted with their stay in Görlitz despite the current circumstances.

Last semester was very special. For me, it was the first experience of the Erasmus stay and the hybrid form of teaching, which I think worked out well. I had already anticipated that the semester and therefore my Erasmus stay would simply be different. That I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy my stay as much as I would have liked, with everything that goes with it. But although the options were limited, I'm glad that I was able to go abroad and get to know Germany a bit even in this situation. I'll definitely have to come back sometime! :)

The winter semester at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences was great for me. I had a great experience and enjoyed it. I gained new knowledge and made new friends. I would definitely recommend the Erasmus program. It gave me a lot of great impressions. We came at a difficult time - the time of a pandemic. A lot of things were closed, but in September there was still a chance to travel - we went to Wroclaw, Dresden and Leipzig. I really enjoyed studying here. All the modules were very interesting. I had an unforgettable experience. In any case, I am incredibly glad that I spent these five months in Görlitz!

Our interview partner today is Prof. Dr. phil. Małgorzata Maćkowiak, the specialist Contact Person for the Business and Languages degree program. She talks about her experiences with students from the Culture and Management and Business and Languages degree programs.

1. the first-year students from the culture and management degree program (WKb20) were given the opportunity to take part in classroom teaching at the beginning. We used this phase intensively to get to know each other through interactive lectures and presentations. This certainly bore fruit later, during online teaching.

The students treated each other with respect and understanding. Always supporting each other, full of motivation, commitment and energy, they helped to shape the online teaching in an imaginative way. Despite difficult circumstances, they prepared creative and professional presentations in teams and took part in the discussions. The willingness to solve problems was always evident. My office hours were always fully booked and were very intensive, sometimes until late in the evening. The willingness to learn, openness and diligence of this class cheered me up and motivated me enormously. I am delighted that we were able to attract such students.

2) My students from the Business and Language degree program are already experienced and have often worked individually and independently. When problems arose, they got in touch, but their motivation to work was much weaker and fatigue was more noticeable. The working atmosphere was certainly also affected by the fact that students from Poland had to stay at home after all and were unable to communicate directly with their fellow students.

CONCLUSION: The biggest hurdle for the lecturers: "Unmuting" students. The biggest gain: the crisis has united us.

I would like to end this article on such a positive note. I wish our readers a wonderful lecture-free period and every success in the coming semester!