Team UX at the IT Center
Source: Own Illustration
In this series, the IT Center’s UX team reports on its work. When developing interactive systems such as websites and apps, not only HTML, CSS and JavaScript play a decisive role, but also usability and user experience. Put simply, this refers to the question of whether a system supports its users in achieving their goals effectively, efficiently and satisfactorily and what perceptions and reactions result from using a system.
At the IT Center, we also focus on the usability and user experience of our systems. User tests such as the annual satisfaction survey on the RWTHapp are a key tool that we use for this. You can find this year’s results here.
DNS at RWTH Aachen Part 2: Security in the DNS – Protection Against Misuse
Source: Own Illustration
In the first part of this blog series on the Domain Name System (DNS), we explained various technical details. The very fact that DNS servers are consulted to convert computer names into IP addresses means that the system plays a very central role in the functioning of the Internet.
New Root Certificate for eduroam & RWTH-Institutes
Source: Own Illustration
On September 9, 2025, the root certificate for the RADIUS server of eduroam and RWTH-institutes will be changed to the new DFN Community Root CA 2022 as part of a regular security measure. From this point on, only the new certificate will work – it will no longer be possible to use the old one. To ensure that you remain connected securely and without problems after September 9, you should update your WLAN configuration in good time.
KI:connect.nrw – Generative AI for All Universities in North Rhine-Westphalia
Source: Own Illustration
We have already told you about RWTHgpt in our previous posts. Due to the success of RWTHgpt, RWTH Aachen University decided in the summer of 2024 to make the infrastructure used at RWTHgpt available to other universities throughout the state in the future. This led to the creation of the KI:connect.nrw project, funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science.
Datastorage.nrw: How to Submit Storage Space Requests Using Coscine-JARDS
Source: Own Illustration
DataStorage.nrw offers you secure storage space for your research data – for all DH.NRW universities. Access is via the FDM platform Coscine, which provides different types of resources. You can use these either with or without deposited storage space. In this blog post, we explain how you can easily apply for storage space via Coscine-JARDS.
Ask Better, Answer Better: Prompt Engineering with RWTHgpt
Source: Own Illustration
Since the introduction of RWTHgpt at RWTH Aachen University, many people have been asking themselves: How can I use RWTHgpt – and how do I ask the right questions? Because if you want good answers, you have to ask good questions. This is exactly where prompt engineering comes in: the targeted formulation of inputs (prompts) in order to obtain the most helpful, relevant and high-quality results possible from the AI model.
Sciebo Successfully Migrated to Nextcloud
Source: sciebo
The migration of RWTH Aachen University’s sciebo instance from ownCloud to Nextcloud has been successfully completed. We are pleased to announce how the Nextcloud client can be used and what new features are associated with this migration.
RWTHmoodle – Course templates for a structured and interactive start to the 2025/26 winter semester
Source: Own illustration
Following the successful piloting in the summer semester of 2025, the development of our RWTHmoodle course templates will continue. In the winter semester of 2025/26, we will provide you with improved and expanded templates and would like to invite you to try them out in your courses.
The goal of the course templates is clear: they are designed to help you structure your learning spaces in a clear and didactically meaningful way. Everyone benefits from the design: uniformly designed learning spaces make it easier to find your way around and provide a better overview of learning objectives, tasks, and individual progress.
How quickly can my password be cracked?
Source: Own Illustration
How long can your password currently withstand a hacker?
In times when cyberattacks are commonplace and current supercomputers can test billions of combinations per second (future quantum computers may be able to test many more), password security is becoming a matter of digital survival. In this article, you will find out what methods attackers use to crack passwords – and what simple measures can make the difference between data theft and digital security.
AI Explained Simply: Overview of the Most Important Terms
Source: Own illustration
Artificial intelligence (AI) has long been part of our everyday lives. It assists with translating, helps with online searches or answers questions in the form of chatbots.
You can find more information about AI in this blog under the tag KI.
But what exactly is AI and how does it work? To better understand this, we asked RWTHgpt, our AI-supported chatbot. Who, if not him, could better explain how AI works? In the following graphic, RWTHgpt describes itself:
