Because of the corona pandemic, the summer semester at universities and universities in Würzburg and Schweinfurt starts completely differently than usual. Not everyone is enthusiastic about this.
Full lecture halls, there is no more space in the cafeteria, and the library is also teeming with students – what has been the norm at the Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg and the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt in recent years has been since the beginning of the current summer semester passé.
Instead of well attended lectures, there is a yawning emptiness. Due to the corona pandemic, face-to-face classes for around 26,500 students are falling flat. The lecturers now have to teach their students differently – for example in “Zoom” meetings. Lecturers and students can exchange teaching content, project progress or open questions via video conference.
One who is currently participating in such digital meetings more frequently is Jonas Riedmann, a student from Würzburg. In addition to the conferences, the 21-year-old is currently receiving his lectures as a PowerPoint presentation in video form from his lecturers. “Of course it is a bit annoying because you have to change completely again,” reports the student with reference to the digital lectures. Nevertheless, he thinks it’s good that “everything is digital now, everything else would simply be too risky.”
Photo: Jonas Riedmann
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The switch to digital teaching formats would have caused fewer problems in computer science than in other departments, reports Jonathan Krebs, research assistant at the chair for computer science at the University of Würzburg. The computer scientist explains that even after the corona crisis, there are still advantages to be had: “It would often be easier for many students to hold a short video conference instead of having to go to the university for a 20-minute meeting.”
Ralf Brinktrine, lecturer in law at the University of Würzburg, is convinced that the start of the new semester went well. He also teaches his students via the “Zoom” online platform. Nevertheless, he admits: “This semester is a real challenge. There are many new things to be mastered and extraordinary circumstances to be mastered.” Because an atmosphere like in the lecture hall cannot be achieved with a live lecture.
Photo: Thomas Obermeier
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Andreas Göbel, who works at the Institute for Political Science and Sociology, disagrees. He found the start of the new semester “absurd, chaotic and completely foreign”. In contrast to Brinktrine, Göbel is not a fan of online teaching. “After the first bad experiences with conversations under videophonic conditions, I forego all forms of video conferences and chats.” Instead, he opted for self-study and intensive email contact. He is worried about the younger semesters. He suspects that there is “great uncertainty” because of the lack of contact with fellow students.
Master’s thesis in danger
While other students are satisfied with home office and digital lectures, Kendra Tiltmann is running out of time. The student is currently writing her master’s thesis in the biosciences course, but she is doing research with tissue cells. However, because of the corona crisis, research progress is stagnating – and with it the master’s thesis. For six weeks, the student has been in the home office instead of in the laboratory because of the corona virus. Time that Tiltmann actually needs for her cell experiments, because: The experiment, on which the 25-year-old does research for her thesis, takes exactly six weeks. “I try to write as much as possible, in the end I have to submit a paper. But without results it is difficult to discuss the results,” she says.
“We are aware that the dynamic development of the corona virus means an enormous effort for the entire university,” said the President of the University of Würzburg, Alfred Forchel, in a press release. That is why the motto for the current semester is “as digital and flexible as possible.” Existing online offers are to be expanded and alternative teaching concepts to be further developed. “The main objective must be that there are no disadvantages for students and staff this semester. In addition, the focus is on health care and the needs of all members and groups of our university,” said the President.
Photo: Johannes Kiefer
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Human closeness is missing
A point on which both students and lecturers agree: there is no human proximity. “In the beginning I thought it was great that I can now do everything from my hammock at home,” says Jonathan Ziegler, who studies communication design at the university of applied sciences. “But then I still lack direct communication with the lecturers and fellow students.” Lecturer Ralf Brinktrine hopes that it will soon be possible to meet in person again in the lecture hall. “Nothing beats the personal exchange and the active encounter between students and teachers.” His colleague Andreas Göbel agrees: “We are all just noticing the naturalness of human-physical encounters.”
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