Universities in the corona pandemic: How things will (or could) continue in the winter semester

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Is normality coming back?

Working on the microscope in the University of Leipzig before Corona (symbol picture)

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Waltraud Grubitzsch / picture-alliance / dpa

While some are still at home in front of their computers, others are slowly allowed to return to lecture halls and libraries: Germany’s almost three million students are learning more or less online in the current summer semester, largely depending on where they live.

How your studies will continue for you in the coming winter semester also depends heavily on the respective federal state.

Some state governments have already dared to make far-reaching promises, but the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) is deliberately holding back.

The universities wanted to use the resulting options for face-to-face events "quickly and to the greatest possible extent," said HRK President Peter-André Alt on Thursday.

At the same time, however, they would have to live up to their responsibility and include the uncertainty about the further course of the pandemic in their planning.

In this situation, a "pure announcement policy" is of no use to anyone, according to a press release from the Senate.

Clear legal requirements are necessary

"A comprehensive return to face-to-face operations can only be seriously announced if realistic, responsible planning is possible," emphasized Alt. However, the most important factors for this planning are not within the decision-making area of ​​the universities.

Clear legal regulations are needed as to the conditions under which students can take part in courses and exams.

Rules about the maximum group size, tests, distance requirements and any exceptions would have to be made.

The distance requirements alone result in an upper limit for the number of events that can be carried out due to the space available.

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HRK demands vaccination offers for students and teachers

The Senate emphatically underlined the demand for special support for students and teachers in the vaccination campaign.

A timely immunization of the largest possible proportion of these groups of people is of decisive importance for face-to-face offers in the coming winter semester.

Anyone who wants to be fully vaccinated by the winter semester must, depending on the vaccine, receive an initial vaccination offer by mid-July at the latest.

"If the framework conditions remain the same as they are now, the universities will be able to open at least partial openings with fixed upper limits in the coming winter semester, as was already the case in some cases at the end of the current summer semester," said Alt to return to their study locations so that they can actually take advantage of face-to-face offers.

As far as the normalization of study operations is concerned, the federal states have made quite different announcements so far.

• Example Bavaria:

  Science Minister Bernd Sibler (CSU) awakens hope after three digital semesters. "For the winter semester, I expect that we will be able to return to the presence," he told the "Augsburger Allgemeine" this week. In the current semester one can also "open up more opportunities for teaching in presence". As a voluntary offer, he could imagine a lot, such as small block seminars or tutorials in large lecture halls. Summer also offers the opportunity to teach outdoors. However, many students have recently not taken up residence at the university locations. "We have to plan it so intelligently that those who cannot come to face-to-face teaching can still take part," emphasized the minister. With a few exceptions, for example for laboratory activities, Bavaria's universitiesAlmost all lectures and seminars since the beginning of the corona pandemic in the summer semester 2020 have been moved to the Internet. Only exams were partly held in person.

• In

  Brandenburg

  , more than half of the courses will take place in person in the coming winter semester, as announced by the Ministry of Science. Universities, student representatives and student unions have agreed with the ministry on the opening steps in the coming weeks and months. "In the future, face-to-face teaching should be the norm again," says the joint declaration. Cafeterias should also open again. Since the need for psychosocial counseling has increased, the student services want to further expand their offer. Above all, international and disabled students as well as freshmen are to be considered in a flexible step-by-step plan. The universities want to examine how they can support vaccinations for students.

• Despite the now low corona numbers, they remain

  Students in

  Hamburg

  during the entire summer semester in distance teaching. They should not return to their universities until the winter semester in October after three online semesters. "It is our clear goal to have the winter semester at the Hamburg universities in attendance again," said Senator for Science Katharina Fegebank (Greens). The Corona Containment Ordinance currently only allows attendance formats, for example for exams, research and teaching activities in laboratories and workshops. The academic libraries have also been open again for face-to-face operations since mid-May. They want to offer digital event formats in the future, said Fegebank with a view to the new semester. The pure transfer of knowledge in large lectures can continue to be a digital or hybrid component.

• North Rhine-Westphalia's universities

  however, are already gradually returning to face-to-face operation. The Ministry of Science in Düsseldorf announced this week that examinations and courses on site are again permitted for participation provided that the corona tests are negative. In order to maintain the minimum distance of 1.50 meters, the universities can set maximum numbers of people for events. University sports and practical sports exercises outdoors are generally allowed again. Whether the offers are possible depends on the Corona Protection Ordinance and the respective incidence levels. Access to university libraries and archives is again permitted. Science Minister Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen (independent) was confident that face-to-face operations could become the norm again by the beginning of the winter semester at the latest.The aim is also to offer all students and university employees in North Rhine-Westphalia a vaccination offer by the start of the winter semester.

• In

  Lower Saxony

  Many students still complain about strong corona restrictions. Above all, the sometimes still restricted access to workplaces in the libraries is troubling them. "There are currently very often not enough jobs available and that makes studying life difficult, especially when you're working on theses," said Lone Grotheer from the Lower Saxony State Asten Conference (LAK). Many students reported Internet crashes in their home office - especially in the examination phase, this made many students unsure. In addition, there is the psychological stress that students are still exposed to in the third Corona semester. "We notice that the psychological counseling centers are partially overloaded," says Grotheer. The students lacked exchange, and financial worries also weighed on many.

Last week, the state government of Lower Saxony decided not to include the summer semester 2021 in the standard period of study due to the difficult study conditions in the corona pandemic.

The extension makes it possible, among other things, that Bafög payments will flow longer and long-term study fees will be due later.

Fok / dpa