Twice a year, everything at RWTH Aachen University is about the start of studies. This year, the summer semester has also got off to a successful start, although the conditions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic required a completely different approach than we are normally used to. The winter semester 2020/2021 will also be characterized primarily by digital courses. For this reason, the International Office’s traditional introductory week has also been converted to a digital format.
Welcome Weeks Online 2020 – Maddy Ruppé online with the participants of the Welcome Weeks Online 2020/21
Source: Claudia Pankanin
Since the actual event of this semester could not take place on site, the Welcome Week has become an “Online Welcome Weeks Program” for our international students. We were also able to participate again with a digital information stand at the Freshers’ Fair and an interactive lecture on the IT Services of the IT Center, which are especially important for the start of the digital semester.
Freshers’ Fair
In order to help students from all over the world and to be available for questions in personal conversation, the International Office organizes the Freshers’ Fair as part of the Welcome Week. Normally, an information fair is organized in the foyer of the Audimax, where the various organizations of RWTH and the city region are available with their information stands. In order to enable direct but digital contact even under the given circumstances, the International Office has organized a digital Freshers’ Fair.
Nicole Filla and Arne Windheim from the IT Center were also on hand on 09.16.2020 from 10:00am to 1:00pm to answer students’ questions about IT Services.
The students could be supported here in group chat as well as in 1:1 chats and thus received information about the ConnectMe coupon code, high-performance computing, RWTH e-mail addresses and many other IT-related topics.
“Making Use of the IT-Services” – a digital hands-on presentation
In order to present the IT Services, which are especially important for the start of the semester, in more detail and what they are all about, there was also a digital presentation by Nicole Filla on 09.29.2020. Students were able to register in advance for the zoom meeting organized by the International Office. This was coordinated by Maddy Ruppé, who was also a wonderful support during the zoom session. The presentation contained information about activation and login modalities as well as a hands-on sequence in which access data was jointly created via the eduroam device manager.
All students, who had already activated their access to the IT accounts with the ConnectMe coupon code were able to create the conditions for using eduroam on their mobile devices with the generated login data.
Even if this year’s events were digital and direct, personal contact with the students was not possible, the format of the online presentation with a practical part proved to be particularly useful when it comes to the IT Services.
We are pleased that we were able to be part of the Welcome Week thissemester again and would like to thank the International Office for the successful organization and cooperation.
Nicole Filla and Maddy Ruppé are responsible for the content of this article.
