Corona-News

The RWTH rectorate has decided to extend the “free attempt regulation” to apply to the 2020/21 winter semester as well. According to the regulation, exams taken in winter semester which are graded as “failed” or “insufficient” are considered ‘not taken’. However, this regulation does not apply to exams that have been graded as failed due to non-attendance without providing a good reason, due to a cheating attempt, or due to a breach of regulations.

Please also note that in the 2020/21 winter semester, it is no longer possible or to withdraw from an exam until five minutes before the start of the exam. According to the new regulation, in the winter semester, you can withdraw from an exam via RWTHonline up until 24 hours before the exam.

The virtual exercise offerings for students and employees of RWTH and FH Aachen, initially launched Tuesday, November 10, was expanded on November 30. “The current virtual offerings have been very well received and are very popular, as feedback has shown,” says Peter Lynen, Head of the University Sports Center (HSZ). “That’s why, in addition to the existing program, we have decided to offer some 25-minute sessions in the morning to get participants’ bodies and minds going.” The sessions are offered at 30-minute intervals between 8 am and 9:30 am. Every day there is a different focus – either endurance, coordination, or relaxation. This free offer for early birds will also be broadcast via Zoom and can be booked on the HSZ website.

At the same time, all the workouts created since the first lockdown this year are still available on the RWTH YouTube channel and the HSZ website. More information on the offers can be found on the HSZ website.

RWTH would like to remind members to please take note of the requirements for holding courses via video conferencing systems.

Students are not required to display their real name: Students are in no way obligated to provide their personal details in text form (e.g. real name, email address) in video conferences. In addition, students do not have to be logged in to the respective video conferencing system in order to attend any type of course.

Basic information about using webcams: Following feedback from both students and teachers as well as experience from the previous semester, the University urges all instructors and students to activate their webcam during virtual sessions. This is particularly helpful when participants have to interact with one another.

Activating webcams for mandatory in-person courses: Furthermore, instructors can insist that students leave their webcam on during the entire session or for part of it for online courses with compulsory attendance. This does not violate the students’ right to privacy of the home, as they may use a virtual background. Instructors may not prevent this option from being used with technical settings. Students who deactivate their webcam for no technical reason can be excluded from participating in the session. If technical reasons prevent a student from switching on their camera, the instructor should seek a solution for the individual case in agreement with the student concerned.

Identity checks are allowed: For online courses with compulsory attendance, instructors are entitled to determine the identity of the students participating in a video conference. The instructors themselves determine how to perform the identity check, which could, for example, entail the students saying their name out loud or showing their ID card (only photo and name visible).

Distortion of one’s webcam image: Other than during the identity check, students have the right to be displayed in an appropriately disguised manner, e.g. by wearing a mouth-and-nose covering. The filter functions provided by the video conferencing software may also be activated for this purpose.

Recording: If the session is to be recorded, instructors cannot insist that students activate their webcam or actively participate in class discussions. Further information is provided in the declaration of consent for recordings for students: https://video.cls.rwth-aachen.de/gebrauchsanweisungen.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Deutsches Studentenwerk (German National Association for Student Affairs – DSW) have announced that students in need can once again receive financial aid. Students may now apply for the month of November. By offering financial aid for students again, the BMBF would like to once again help students who can show they are in an emergency situation and need immediate help in winter semester 2020/2021, from November 2020 to the end of March 2021. Students enrolled at state and state-recognized universities in Germany can appl. Depending on their need, between 100 euros and 500 euros can be paid out as a non-repayable grant. Students can only apply via the portal at www.ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende.de.

The local Studentenwerk (Student Services) will be in charge of processing applications again. In the first phase from June to September 2020, a total of around 1,055,700 euros was paid out in Aachen. For the second phase, the BMBF and DSW have slightly adjusted the application and examination conditions in view of the duration of the pandemic situation. A detailed FAQ list is available on the DSW homepage and at www.studierendenwerk-aachen.de.

Students with basic questions on financial aid can contact the BMBF hotline at 0800 26 23 003 during their office hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8am to 4pm and Fridays from 8am to 12 noon. Alternatively, you can email any questions regarding applications to ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende@stw.rwth-aachen.de.

The fundraising campaign #RWTHhilft is still running, so many more applicants can also be helped out quickly and simply. Students can apply for bridging scholarships via AStA’s website. Further information about the campaign and the donation account can be found here.

In March 2020, RWTH launched the #RWTHhilft fundraising campaign together with AStA and the Rectorate since it was clear that some RWTH students would be facing financial difficulties in the summer semester due to the pandemic. The situation has not improved since then and the number of requests for a bridging scholarship at AStA is constantly increasing. Against this background, the fundraising campaign is being continued so that many applicants can continue to receive aid quickly with little bureaucracy.

Students can apply for bridging scholarships via the AStA website.

Further information about the fundraising campaign and the donation account can be found here.

On the basis of the updated legal specifications and out of concern for all University members, University Management, in consultation with the Crisis Management Team of RWTH Aachen University, has agreed upon the following regulations regarding travel:  As soon as anyone exhibits COVID-19 symptoms, they are expressly prohibited from entering the RWTH premises. In addition, the following regulations apply to travel to risk areas:

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On November 2, the University Sports Center HSZ had to suspend operations again due to the authorities’ latest regulations in the Corona Protection Ordinance. From Tuesday, November 10 onward, however, the HSZ will be offering an online exercise program for the students and employees of RWTH and FH Aachen again. “In the spring, we created a digital offer that was very well-received among students and university staff,” explains Peter Lynen, Head of the HSZ. “This time, the upcoming courses will be conducted via Zoom so that we can make the workouts more interactive and the instructors can respond to the participants.” The aim is to hold a session every day, Monday to Friday. The Online Workouts will run from 6 to 7 pm, Monday through Thursday, and from 5 to 6 pm on Fridays. The workouts will reflect the diversity of the sports offered by the HSZ. On Tuesday, November 10, the program will kick off with some university sports classics: yoga, hip-hop, and Thai Bo. Also, all the online workouts that instructors created in response to the first lockdown in spring will still be available on the RWTH YouTube channel and the HSZ website.

Registration is required to participate in the zoom courses. The online workouts will remain free of charge. Please visit the HSZ website to register.

The running tracks at Königshügel are currently in heavy use. The HSZ urges all athletes to comply with the existing rules of the Corona Protection Ordinance to prevent a complete lockdown.

For further details and registration information, please refer to the HSZ website.

This year, the 2020 Talk Lehre conference is taking place amid unique circumstances. Initially planned for June 17, 2020, the event has now been rescheduled to take place virtually on November 12, 2020, from 1 to 5pm.

The main focus will be on the digitalization of teaching and learning in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The event aims to show what has worked well in e-teaching so far, where the pitfalls lie, what is being discussed controversially, and which ideas and concepts can be built on in the future.

The main event and supporting program will take place in the blue breakout room. At the same time, teachers and students will present projects, concepts, and best practice examples from their faculties and departments in various lectures and live demonstrations in the green, orange, and violett breakout rooms, showing how quality teaching is already delivered in the digital age. With the “DigiFellowship 2020” and “DigiFellow student award,” RWTH is happy to present two innovative concepts that are specifically promoted within the framework of university-wide competitions. As in the years past, the RWTH Lecturer title will be awarded to select junior lecturers who have distinguished themselves through their outstanding teaching activities and simultaneous commitment to excellent research.

Finally, after a short introductory keynote lecture, Talk Lehre will venture a look at what is ahead for teaching and learning in 2021 in an open discussion round. For example, we will be talking about how we might want to teach and learn in the future, how the work of university educators can be structured, or where we as a university community are headed.

There will be ample opportunity to ask questions in all sessions, join in the discussion, and exchange ideas. The event agenda can be viewed here: https://download.cms.rwth-aachen.de/zhv/5.2/Talk_Lehre_Agenda_2020.pdf

Please register by November 10, so we can plan ahead.:

https://ecampus.rwth-aachen.de/vo/registration

For more information, please refer to the Talk Lehre homepage (https://www.rwth-aachen.de/cms/root/Die-RWTH/Profil/Lehre/Exzellente-Lehre/~crqy/Talk-Lehre/).

Due to the new Corona-Schutzverordnung (Coronavirus Protection Ordinance) of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the dining halls will only be open to students and university employees from Monday, November 2. According to the Protection Ordinance dated October 30, company canteens and dining halls in educational institutions may continue to operate in order to provide meals for employees or users of said institutions. Studierendenwerk will therefore check customers’ ID at the entrance. Students and university employees must therefore make sure they bring along their work or student ID to prove their university affiliation. If necessary, you can apply for a work ID at Department 5.1. The application form can be found here: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/orga/hochschulausweis.

The seating area in the dining halls are still open for now.

Due to the recent surge in incidences of COVID-19 in Aachen and the region and the new regulations put in place by the respective authorities, further measures are being implemented to contain the spread of coronavirus and to ease the burden on the health care system. All sports operations, including subscription operations, sports facility rental and leasing will be discontinued as of Monday, November 2, 2020. All offers of the University Sports Center (HSZ) are affected without exception, regardless of whether they take place in university, municipal or external partner facilities.

The running tracks on Königshügel, including the Finnbahn track,  will remain open for the time being. Please note that according to the Coronavirus Protection Ordinance, only a maximum of two people may train together.

“We very much regret that we have to suspend all sports activities at RWTH and close our sports facilities. We very much hope that we will be able to resume our sports programs in December,” said Peter Lynen, head of Aachen University Sports. All sports halls, the cage football facilities, the all-weather pitch, the natural grass pitch, the outdoor fitness facilities, the RWTH gym, the sauna, as well as the changing rooms and sanitary facilities will be closed.

The date for resuming operations and the start of registration for the 2020/21 winter semester will depend on future developments and will be communicated on the HSZ website at short notice. In November, the service point can only be reached by telephone, e-mail or by arrangement.

These measures are based on the ordinances of the Federal Ministry of Health, the regulations of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and those put in place by the crisis management teams of RWTH Aachen University and the Städteregion Aachen.