Archive for May, 2020
Coronavirus Risk Assessment for RWTH – Summarizing Version Available
The Occupational and Radiation Protection Staff Unit has prepared a condensed version of its comprehensive COVID-19 general workplace safety risk assessment documentation. The condensed German-language version is available on the RWTH intranet at: Information on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
By publishing the condensed version, the University seeks to reduce the effort of University insitutions in appropriately dealing with the current crisis.
RWTH Podcast Episode 3 – Professor Krieg on Teaching and Learning in Times of the Coronavirus Crisis
The summer semester is held as a digital semester, postponed exams are currently being held under observance of physical distance and hygiene regulations, and planning for the next exams is underway. And all these activities have to be managed under the constantly changing requirements mandated by the State in the course of the Coronavirus pandemic. In the latest episode of the RWTH podcast “Coronavirus – Our Answers to the Pandemic,” Professor Aloys Krieg, RWTH’s Vice Rector for Teaching, explains how the University has faced – and continues to face – this challenge and what impact the past weeks may have on the future of teaching.
Professor Roger Häußling and his team from the RWTH Chair of Technology and Organization are currently conducting interviews with a broad range of university representatives, including innovators in teaching & learning, virologists and physicians from the Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, the RWTH Rectorate, the ASta Students’ Committee, political scientists, as well as experts in ethics, business & economics (including innovation research), computer science, and mechanical engineering.
Information on Online Exam Script Viewing
Guidelines for holding online exam reviews are now available on the website of the IT Center:
Datenschutzkonforme elektronische Einsichtnahme in Klausuren über RWTHmoodle-Lernräume (in German)
The IT center is currently testing support measures to make it easier to upload the exams to RWTH’s virtual learning platform. Students will then be able to take a look at their exams via their virtual course room. It is not possible to view the exams of other students.
Information on the Upcoming Winter Semester
The NRW Ministry of Education and Research has announced that courses for first-semester students will begin on November 2, 2020, while those for students in higher semesters will begin on October 26, 2020. Correspondingly, for all students, the lecture period will end on February 12, 2020, a week later than originally planned. Under the Corona Epidemic University Ordinance, it is permissible for courses or individual course sessions to be held during the lecture-free period. Further information on course dates will be provided via the virtual learning platform.
“We expect that large-group lectures and courses will be offered digitally for the duration of the entire winter semester. The decision as to whether smaller courses can again take place in person is not likely to be made before the fall,” said Professor Aloys Krieg, Vice-Rector for Teaching, in an email to instructors and students.
Winter Semester 2020/21: Information on Application and Admissions
According to a press release from the German Rectors’ Conference, the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung will continue to manage the application and admissions processes in winter semester 2020/2021, despite the current coronavirus pandemic.
The following dates and deadlines apply:
The application portals of the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung will open on July 1, 2020. The application period for 2020 high school graduates participating in the Main Application Process ends on August 20, 2020 (for admission to winter semester 2020/2021).
This deadline also applies to other degree programs coordinated by the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung.
Despite the postponement of final Abitur examinations due to the coronavirus pandemic, this gives all 2020 high school graduates the opportunity to apply for admission in the winter semester. Lectures for first-year students in these courses of study are scheduled to begin on November 2, 2020.
University Sports: Rules of Conduct for Sports Activities
The extended interim program of the University Sports Center is made up a variety of no contact sports that do not require the shared use of equipment. It is essential that the rules of conduct currently in place are being observed at all times. Participants with a valid booking reference are allowed to enter the sports premises 15 minutes before the beginning of their sessions, and they are required to leave the premises 15 minutes after completion of the session at the latest.
Those who want to participate in any of the activities on offer, please carefully the rules of conduct published by the University Sports Center .
Support for #RWTHhilft: We All Can Contribute
The coronavirus pandemic puts many students under financial strain. For this reason, the RWTHextern Citizens‘ Forum, the AStA Students Committee, and the proRWTH association have launched the #RWTHhelps initiative. Professor Elisabeth Beusker from the Department of Real Estate Development has played a key role in developing the initiative. „We all can contribute to enabling all students and staff of the University to learn, research and work effectively. We kindly ask you to support our #RWTHhilft initiative, so that everyone at RWTH has the opportunity to continue to work, study, and digitally stay in touch with fellow students, instructors, and the scientific community.
Further information on how to help:
RWTH AStA (information in English)
proRWTH (information in German and English)
In-Person Advising Will Continue to Be Limited
For the protection of all university members and visitors, personal advising sessions can only be held in person to a limited extent at RWTH until at least July 31. Due to the large number of individual advising services on offer, it is not possible to provide an exhaustive list at this point. Please get in touch with or visit to the web pages of the University institution providing the service.
No In-Person Events Outside of Teaching at Least Until June 22
As a further measure to contain the corona pandemic and to protect university staff, in-person events outside of teaching and learning are not permitted take place until at least June 22. However, it is expressly desired that events be offered in digital format.
University Sports Center Extends Non-Contact Interim Program
The University Sports Center (HSZ) will be offering an extended interim program from June 2, 2020. This will include indoor activities and the reopening of the RWTH GYM, as the HSZ announced yesterday. Although the government of North Rhine-Westphalia will allow contact sports again from May 30, the HSZ has decided against offering them. “We hope you can understand that the HSZ will not be offering contact sports,” explains Peter Lynen, head of the HSZ.
The university management has decided to start the program with caution. This will initially be non-contact in order to prevent the corona virus from spreading. “In this context, we hope that you understand that the sports activities made possible by the state of NRW cannot always be resumed immediately from the time of the announcement. The reason for this is, on the one hand, the very short notice of the regulation changes and, on the other hand, the time and staff required to responsibly implement the new regulations. This also serves to minimize possible risks for all athletes,” Lynen continued.
https://hochschulsport.rwth-aachen.de/cms/HSZ/Sport/~hpoua/Sportangebot/lidx/1