Frequently asked questions

Do I have to attend all the exercise courses and lectures?

In general, almost all courses do not require attendance. Nevertheless, one should regularly attend the lectures and above all the exercises and study continuously in order to pass the exam at the end of the semester. In contrast to the lectures, the exercises usually deal with the same subject at several appointments per week (unless they are different types of exercises such as plenary exercise, tutoring practices, etc.). That means, it is sufficient to attend one of the exercises and (depending on the course) in addition, for example a plenary exercise. If you are in doubt, just ask your lecturers.

Do I have to do the exercise sheets?

Usually, you do not have to. But you should. Only if you continuously study and work on exercises, you have a realistic chance of passing the exam and also to achieve a good score at it. The exercise sheets always deal with the current topic of the lecture and thus are already a very good preparation for the exam. In addition, sometimes the tasks of the exam are based on the exercise sheets.

In some cases, it is obligatory to hand in solutions to exercise sheets: With the Corona pandemic and online teaching, some lecturers have made their exams into portfolio exams. This means that you have to deliver (parts of) the exam performance — e.g. obligatory exercise sheets — during the lecture period. Sometimes, you have to hand in solutions to a given number of exercises in order to be admitted to the exam. If you are in a course with compulsory exercise sheets, the lecturer or tutor will call attention to this matter in the beginning of the semester.

Will the exercise sheets be solved together?

As a rule, an exercise sheet will be issued once a week and per course. You should then work on it until the next exercise and - depending on the chair - also hand it in for correction. In the exercise lecture, the solutions are then presented or worked on together and your corrected exercise sheet is being returned to you. Caution: Each chair has its own mode here. In case of ambiguity, simply ask your exercise instructor.

For most courses, it is worthwhile to work on exercise sheets together with a small group of other students. This will lead you to a better understanding of the subject and train your ability to understandibly communicate your reasoning to others. In addition, working on the exercises together is simply more enjoyable than doing it alone. Many lecturers explicitly suggest solving and handing in the exercise sheets in small groups. For submissions that are part of a portfolio exam, you have to solve the exercises on your own.

Do I have to take notes in a lecture?

To make it short: no. Only if you think it is neccessary. For most courses documents will be made available on Stud.IP. Inform yourself about this already at the beginning of the semester.

How do I create my timetable?

In contrast to school you do not get a finished timetable at the university. First, think about which courses you would like to attend this semester and then enroll on Stud.IP for this course. Then you can find your individual weekly schedule under "Planner". Decide on exercises for one appointment per week in such a way that you have no overlaps with other events. For a better overview, you can also hide events or mark them with special colors. If you need help creating your timetable, just visit us. (Note: this section discusses the timetable, i.e. which events you attend each week, whereas the study plan describes which courses you take in each semester of your studies.)

Do I have to take courses in a specific order?

Basically, you can arrange the course in your study plan as you like, e.g. you could also take "Programmierung II" before "Programmierung I". How sensible that is, you have to decide for yourself. For some courses there are also mandatory requirements, e.g. for the SEP (Software Engineering Practical for bachelor students). Details can be found in the module catalogue of your degree programme as well as in the example study plans.

How does the registration for an exam work?

The registration for an exam is compulsory if you want to take it. You can register for exams and cancel registrations independently of Stud.IP in the HISQIS system. This is only possible during specific periods of time which can vary from faculty to faculty. You will be notified about the beginning and end of the registration period by the university via Stud.IP, by us, as well as some lecturers. At our faculty we are in the happy position to have two different time slots per semester when we can apply for exams independently.

What and where is the "Modulkatalog"?

In the module catalogue ("Modulkatalog") you will find all relevant lectures and associated important information like compulsory requirements, ECTS credits and lecture contents. Module catalogues for FIM master's programmes can be found here. For FIM bachelor's programmes, visit the respective German language page. Module catalogues (in German) for teacher training programmes can be found here.

The module catalogue contains a proposal for your study plan, which might differ from the one in our QuiX-Guide, but of course you don't have to stick to it. If you have any questions or uncertainties regarding the module catalogue or your study plans, please do not hesitate to contact us!

What and where is the "Prüfungsordnung"?

The examination regulations ("Prüfungsordnung") is the legally binding basis for your studies and regulates the basic rules for exams and your studies in general. You will find it on the web page of the faculty.

Is it possible to be kicked out of my degree programme?

Yes! If you don't reach the necessary minimum of credit points (minimum of 30 ECTS credits after three semesters or a minimum of 40 credits after four semesters for bachelor degree programmes) or you exceed the maximum study duration, you can be exmatriculated. This is also possible if you fail an exam for a compulsory course more than two times. By the way: Even if you miss to pay the semester fee on time to stay enrolled, you will be exmatriculated.

What does "s.t." and "c.t." mean?

The suffix "c.t." after a time statement stands for "cum tempore" and means that this event will start 15 minutes later than stated (this is the normal case for lectures). Other than that, the suffix "s.t." stands for "sine tempore" wich means that the lecture will start exactly at the given time.