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Universities in the corona jumble: what's next for students?
Photo:
Sebastian Gollnow / picture alliance / dpa
Restaurants cooked for guests again, travelers crowded the vacation plane and schoolchildren: inside had long since taken place in the classrooms - but many students were not allowed to return to the lecture halls for a year and a half.
Only since this winter semester have there been more face-to-face teaching at universities in Germany.
The University Rectors' Conference warns that this must be maintained as far as possible - despite the increasing number of infections.
It is important to take greater account of the needs of students, to enable flexible rules and not to simply close the universities again across the board.
Because so far their pandemic management has been successful.
But what exactly does this management look like?
Were students even able to return to campus?
Under what conditions do face-to-face classes take place?
If you ask students, it becomes clear that every university is dealing with the pandemic differently.
And as far as the next few weeks are concerned, there is uncertainty in many places.
"I feel like a freshman"
Lara Zugck, 22, is studying sports science with a focus on media and communication at the University of Tübingen.
»I am now studying in the third semester and for the first time really face-to-face.
Occasionally we had sports courses in the first two semesters.
When playing basketball, however, we should wear masks and avoid touching each other if possible.
That was absurd.
Now we have been training normally again for a while, since this week the mask requirement has been back.
I only moved from my hometown Heidelberg to Tübingen this semester, it would not have been worth it before.
In general, I feel like a freshman: I am only just getting to know my fellow students.
From Tuesday to Thursday I have classes with 3G rule.
The large lectures will continue to take place digitally, the smaller seminars will take place in person.
I am currently on site for around 80 percent of my courses, the remaining 20 percent are online.
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At first it was said that the unvaccinated would have to test themselves every time, but that this was only checked randomly twice per semester.
That shocked me because I wouldn't have felt safe that way.
Now it is the case that the teachers really do regular checks before the seminars - and also make sure that everyone disinfects their hands and the table.
It's great to finally be able to lead a halfway normal study life.
But I also like to back off again.
Such a pandemic is an enormous challenge, everyone's health is paramount.
So I think it's okay that lectures continue to take place digitally.
And I would also have no problem studying online again.
I can motivate myself well at home.
For students who are much younger and not yet as independent, face-to-face teaching is much more important than for us students. "
"I still rarely go to lectures on campus"
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Fabian Risse: »I notice that everyone is thirsting for presence«
Photo: Fabian Risse
Fabian Risse, 23, is in the seventh semester of studying industrial engineering at the Technical University of Dortmund.
»Our university added a feature to its app: In a major campaign at the beginning of the semester, our vaccination status was checked by employees and stored in the app.
If you want to go into the building on the campus, you have to show the gatekeeper the green tick.
If you can only be tested, you can also get the hook, but it is then available for a limited time.
Because I'm doing an internship at an automobile manufacturer at the same time, I'm only taking two modules this semester.
One is in English and digitally because there are many international students participating.
The other is a hybrid event, you can be there, but it is also streamed and recorded for review.
I also give a tutorial for freshmen, also still digital.
Because of my internship, there is no other way.
But I have to admit: I think it's terrible to teach in front of the webcam.
Most of the time, the students have their cameras off and I can't tell whether they understand everything or are bored.
I recently took on a classroom tutorial from a colleague and the room was full.
I notice that everyone is longing for presence - including me.
Even if I am still rarely on campus for lectures, I come back regularly to eat in the cafeteria or to work in the library.
The exchange is so good for us: Finally we are no longer alone with not checking something in the lecture or annoying the lecturers.
On the exchange platform StudyDrive, however, many fellow students write again that they are afraid of a new lockdown.
In view of the increasing numbers, there will definitely be more restrictions again, but I hope not so drastic.
The isolation last winter bothered me a lot.
And I would also like to get to know the colleagues personally during the internship. "
"We often go home because we hardly have to be there."
Frieda Leonard *, 19, is studying medicine in her first semester at a university in North Rhine-Westphalia.
»I don't feel anything at all from the announced switch back to face-to-face teaching.
All of my lectures are online, plus most practical courses such as physics or chemistry.
These so-called internships are only occasionally organized in hybrid fashion, in which case part of the course is allowed to attend them alternately and under 3G regulations on site, while the others follow the stream at home.
I sit in front of the laptop for up to ten hours a day, also to study after the lectures - all materials are only made available online.
In the last semester there were still free attempts for the students, that is, their exams were not counted if they had not passed - out of consideration for online teaching.
Now that no longer exists, and the situation has basically remained the same.
I don't know most of my fellow students.
During the introductory week I had the most contact with them.
There are hardly any student parties, and if they do, I don't go because of the increasing numbers.
I live in a flat share of seven, which I moved to especially from Hamburg, but we all often go home because we hardly have to be there.
It's all very frustrating.
At the carnival, people go out to party, at my university there is college sports, at other universities there are face-to-face events.
But in my medical degree everyone has to sit in front of their computers at home - despite the high vaccination rate.
How can that be?
Of course, I am happy for all students who have face-to-face teaching and I do not hope that they will have to go back to pure online teaching.
But I waited an extra year to study because I thought everything would be better now.
The opposite is the case.
It sucks.
I think we students deserve a perspective.
Of course, a pandemic situation cannot be planned, but how about a nationwide incidence plan at universities, according to which the measures are based? «
"My stomach says: No, please don't"
Lukas Kerzendörfer, 20, is in his third semester studying transport economics at the Technical University of Dresden.
“I went to university for the first time in October.
It's actually funny - I used to think: ›I don't feel like school.‹ Today I'm happy: ›How cool, it's finally a lecture!‹
The semester started about halfway through online and in person.
My statistics lecture, for example, consisted of videos that were recorded last year and are now being played back from the start.
Most of the exercises were held face-to-face; two other larger lectures were hybrid.
Maybe 500 or 600 people are registered for macroeconomics, 250 were allowed into the lecture hall per week.
I already felt safe there, we had to let go of a row in front of and behind us.
However, the discipline quickly subsided: Checking in via the Corona app soon no longer interested anyone, some wore their masks under their noses.
The macroeconomics lecture was the first to be canceled on Monday.
In fact, surprisingly late, I think - for the fact that the virus is so raging here.
I had asked myself beforehand: Should this go on for the whole semester?
Then, over the course of the week, other exercises were moved to the Internet one by one.
Always by email a day or two in advance, without any plan.
Everything is changing every hour.
As of now, I have ten of twelve events online again.
Even before the last face-to-face exercises that we still have, we students joke how long we will see each other personally.
There are all opinions.
Some are for presence.
The others answer: You're crazy, it has to take place online!
I'm torn.
My head says clearly: This is no longer justifiable, we need online teaching.
But my stomach says: No, please don't.
I know what to expect.
In lockdown, I just sat at home alone and didn't know what to do with myself.
Total emptiness.
I'm thinking about that now, and I just hope it doesn't come back like that. "
"I have a bad feeling again"
Louis Ritter *, 29, is in his third master's semester at a technical university in Brandenburg.
»In my course of study we only have face-to-face lectures under 3G conditions. For me this means that I have to commute to and from university for an hour every day - my university is around 35 kilometers away from where I live. My partner and I have just had a son, so I'm a bit ambivalent: On the one hand, it was nice to get more from him in the home office; on the other hand, I can concentrate better at university. I also use the trip to read or learn.
In the past semesters, I was bothered by the fact that some lecturers did not address the special circumstances in the home office at all and the workload has actually increased. That’s why some grades are not as good as my fellow students and I would have liked. Communication is simply more difficult online and participation in the conversation in larger groups is often lower. I am glad that we can now exchange ideas personally again. This makes it easier for me to keep track of things.
At the moment, university life almost feels like it did before the pandemic.
But I have a bad feeling again and I assume that stricter corona measures will soon be introduced again and that I will have to study from home.
That would be a shame.
I think we have to deal with the situation less emotionally.
We can really protect ourselves in the rooms and at a distance.
Then there are the immunizations.
I don't feel uncomfortable at university - and I just want so much that there are no more restrictions. "
* The names of the protagonists have been changed. Your real names are known to the editors.