letter cubes form the word 'initiative'

Student Initiatives and Student Initiatives PLUS

letter cubes form the word 'initiative'
Image: Akademie für Lehrentwicklung

Student Initiatives

funding decision in 2024

  • 'DaZbetrifft: ...: ALLE.' Why (prospective) teachers need to develop intercultural (communication) skills and how they can do it successfully.

    project leader: Katja Köhler and Celina Bausewein

    Image: Katja Köhler/ Celina Bausewein

    This project is based on the overarching question of why teachers of all subjects and school types need to develop intercultural skills. A workshop day will explore in depth the questions of what internationalisation means at school and classroom level and what role the German as a foreign language (GFL) extension programme plays in the development and expansion of intercultural skills and the internationalisation of prospective teachers. The focus will be on the student perspective: We would like to give students of the third subject GFL the opportunity - at an equal level from students for students - to present the third subject GFL to prospective teachers and to report on their experiences and perspectives. In addition to that there will be academic guest lectures and workshops by people from the field. The aim is to enable prospective teachers of all subjects and school types at the FSU Jena to gain an in-depth understanding of intercultural skills and internationalisation during their university education.

  • Photonics Toolkit (Python, Matlab, Mathematica, COMSOL)

    project leader: : Aathira Nandakumar Mooleparambil and Akshay Sunil Bhadage

    Image: Fraunhofer IOF

    Many M.Sc. students of photonics at FSU Jena struggle with important technologies such as Python, Matlab, Mathematica and COMSOL as they have different academic backgrounds. This lack of familiarity affects their performance in internships, research labs and master theses. To address this problem, our project offers an effective solution: comprehensive ‘video lectures’ hosted on the University of Jena's Moodle platform, in which these tools are presented together with important photonics techniques (e.g. mode analysis, beam propagation). This initiative will improve student readiness and efficiency and reduce the burden on teaching staff. Leveraging our experience as educators and video editors with our website (advancedphysics.academy), Udemy courses with over 300 students, and a YouTube channel, we aim to bridge this critical gap and support the academic success of our students.

  • Online exam manager 2.0

    project leader: Jonas Neubert

    Image: Jonas Neubert

    In the next phase of the "Online Exam Manager 2.0" project, the student initiative at the Faculty of Law at Friedrich Schiller University Jena will continue to drive forward the development and implementation of the online exam manager. This will be designed as a simple but effective chatbot that acts as a personal assistant for students.
    The chatbot will be able to manage and organise appointments, which will help students to plan their exam preparation efficiently. In addition, it will be able to respond to individual requests and provide recommendations based on the specific needs of each student.
    It will be designed as an extension of the existing online exam manager and will complement and enhance the existing features. The focus is on user-friendliness and simplicity to enable students to use it easily and efficiently.
    The integration of focus areas and existing university learning programmes will be continued and expanded. This will help to make the Online Exam Manager a comprehensive and versatile resource for exam preparation. 

    We are excited to embark on this next phase of the project and further enhance the digital learning experience for students at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Our goal is to provide students with an effective and user-friendly platform that will help them optimise their exam preparation and achieve their academic goals.

funding decision in 2023

  • The Enea theatre play

    project leader Lena Kirsch

    Image: Lena Kirsch

    The Enea play is a student production of Heinrich von Veldeke's Enea novel in collaboration with the Institute of German Literature, which will be performed at Leuchtenburg Castle near Kahla on 15 and 16 June 2024, with free admission for FSU students. The initiative originated in an ÄDL-I seminar in the summer semester of 2023 and transfers the study of medieval literature to the non-university learning space of the 13th century castle. The project will begin with the rehearsal period from March 2024 and will include at least one weekend of rehearsals in addition to weekly rehearsals. During the process, we will address the question of how the ancient story of the Trojan Aeneas, which was adapted in the Middle Ages, can be brought to the stage today in a contemporary way. Props, costumes and appropriate performance techniques are just as much a topic as the communication to a contemporary audience. The project focuses on inter-semester and interdisciplinary, self-organised and collaborative work, which is not the case in normal university life.

  • Education and equal opportunities in the university context

    project leader: Lukas Tran

    Image: Lukas Tran

    The Educational Inequalities lecture series offered all members of the university the opportunity to take an in-depth look at the topic of educational disadvantage and equal opportunities. In five events spread over the summer semester 2023 and the winter semester 2023/2024, various aspects of the topic of educational inequalities were examined. Experts and young academics gave talks on topics such as ‘Elite and excellence in the higher education system’, ‘Equity in educational contexts’ and the international approach to inequalities at universities. The aim was, on the one hand, to offer in-depth opportunities for critical debate within the student body and, on the other hand, to sensitise students who do not deal with the topic as part of their curriculum to the issue.The according flyer for the event series can be found here.This link requires a loginde

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Day seminars on experiential and nature education and BNW (Education for Sustainable Development)

    project leader Elisa Topa

    Image: Elisa Topa

    As part of the project, students of educational science and teacher training were given the opportunity to learn the basics of nature and experiential education as well as ESD in theory and practice during an intensive seminar weekend. The seminar venue, the Naturerlebnishaus Leutratal, offered a learning environment close to nature. The content was taught by an education officer from Naturschutzjugend Thüringen. With their own previous educational experience, the students contributed to the organisation of the seminar in a variety of ways. They were also able to take away various suggestions for their own practice from the final project think tank.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Online exam manager

    project leader: Jonas Neubert

    Image: Jonas Neubert

    The student initiative at the Faculty of Law at Friedrich Schiller University Jena has developed a project that was originally planned as a web app. Instead, a chatbot was created to help and support students with questions about exam preparation. The chatbot provides personalised information on events, digital tools and learning opportunities.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

funding decision in 2022

  • 'Paper-Club', a literary club to promote interdisciplinary thinking

    project leader Madeleine Kündgen

    Image: Madeleine Kündgen

    Interdisciplinary exchange is becoming more important, but there are barely any opportunities to learn or promote interdisciplinary thinking. For this reason, the Paper Club was founded.
    The concept is that the meetings are led by constantly changing moderators who announce a paper in advance. The meeting itself does not serve to practise presentation skills, but is intended to facilitate interdisciplinary discussions. For this purpose, the moderator briefly summarises the paper and leads into a discussion with cleverly posed questions.
    Interdisciplinary exchange is promoted through the participation of students from a wide range of universities and disciplines. The participants are also supported by a gender representative to ensure that science communication is as inclusive as possible.

    If you are interested, please send me an email: paper-club@mail.de

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • 'ASA' - Academic writing with App

    team of the project with project leaders: Friederike Andrees and Björn Karg (right)

    Image: Pia Steinbrücker

    The ASA project, funded by the Ale, aimed to advance the development of an app for academic writing. The app is intended to support students in planning and implementing seminar papers and theses. It offers various tools for this purpose, such as timetables, work journals and instructions for writing exercises. In addition, it refers to internal university contact offices such as the University Writing Centre and promotes already existing self-help materials.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Health care for marginalised patient groups

    logo of the university group IPPNW/KritMed

    Image: IPPNW/KritMed

    During medical school, there is often limited time to deal with the challenges of caring for marginalised patient groups. However, these people are often encountered by future doctors in everyday clinical practice.
    We (the university group IPPNW/KritMedsJena) wanted to eliminate this gap with our central goal of critically questioning the core curriculum of human medicine studies with the event series "Health care for marginalised patient groups". For this purpose, topics on dealing with patients were discussed in the six seminars in the winter semester 2022/2023. The groups were addressed to BIPOC, people with disabilities, people with substance abuse disorders, people with unclear social security status, people with trans identities and communicating with people with low educational competence.
    The aim of this series of events was to find conversation strategies for dealing with the above-mentioned patient groups, to reflect on one's own prejudices and privileges in relation to their health care, and to gain an awareness of the problem of medical underuse.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

funding decision in 2021

  • Online conference 'Diversity-sensitive sexual education in biology teaching and didactics' 02.09.-04.09.2021

    Project leaders: Anne-Kathrin Ballhaus and Louise Fahrenkamp

    Image: Anne-Kathrin Ballhaus und Louise Fahrenkamp

    In the three-day online conference on the topic of "Diversity-sensitive sexual education in biology teaching and didactics", current perspectives are discussed and basics are conveyed. Sexual education in biology lessons is both content ("sex education") and a permanent cross-subject and cross-institutional task in the work with young people. Diversity sensitivity, i.e. the recognition and appreciation of diversity (including gender, sexual orientation, language), is a central competence for biology teachers in order to support the educational and identity development processes of adolescents in the best possible way and to do justice to the inclusive educational claim.

    Anchored in biology didactics, the conference was explicitly inter- and transdisciplinary. There were workshops on content and spaces were opened up to network and develop ideas together. In order to bring theory and practice together, students and trainees, their trainers of all phases and professionals of all disciplines of child and youth work and education were cordially invited.

    Here [PDF, 13 MB] DEThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Course Digitalisation

    Project leader: Hannah Bayer

    Image: Hannah Bayer

    The aim of the project was the competence-relevant learning of digitisation on a photographic level, taking into account cultural studies and museological guidelines.
    The collections of the FSU Jena made spectacular objects available to the participants for digitisation. The main focus of the seminar was on learning standardised digitisation procedures. In a subsequent online seminar, the general handling of Adobe programmes was explained.

    As planned from the beginning, the interdisciplinary character of the event was in the foreground. The project was to be a mixture of practical work and lectures by two external speakers, who addressed the history, theoretical and practical foundations, as well as possible perspectives of object digitisation in their talks.
    One of the highlights was the collaboration with the Collections Officer for the "Object of the Month" format in the Collections Portal (sammlungen.uni-jena.deExternal link). We were very pleased to be able to submit digitised objects for the month of November 2021 and January 2022.

    Here [PDF, 391 MB] DEThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Stand Up & Present – an interdisciplinary journal club

    Project leaders: Ahmad Shana'ah and Micha Banz

    Image: Ahmad Shana'ah und Micha Banz

    Students of human medicine as well as students of the Molecular Medicine have come together in this student initiative to form an interdisciplinary journal club.
    Articles from scientific journals as well as data from their own research projects were presented in the course of one semester, on several dates. The events were dynamically adapted to the pandemic situation and were held partly digitally and partly in person in a seminar room at the university. The student initiative was framed by a kick-off event for which we were able to win junior professor Adrian Press as a lecturer and a last seminar, in which a professional voice and speech coach gave us the final impulse for self-optimization in terms of expressiveness and articulation.
    Because of a self-designed, digital feedback sheet, we were able to quantify the development of technical and practical presentation skills of all participants and to evaluate them at the end.

    Here [PDF, 293 KB] DEThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Error culture – Success through culture of error

    Project leaders: Christina Sygulla and Alexandra Peupelmann

    Image: Christina Sygulla und Alexandra Peupelmann

    Mistakes are part of lifelong learning. However, how these mistakes are dealt with
    influences the learning experience and future approach. The goal of the "Error Culture" project was to establish a working group of student volunteers. The
    Recruitment was to take place through virtual information sessions, combined with a accompanying onboarding on the topic. After successful onboarding, the working group is to offer interdisciplinary workshops on the topic of "Error Culture - Dealing with Errors" to interested students in the coming semesters. The workshops have
    aim: to reflect on the individual handling of mistakes and to offer a platform for the exchange of these experiences in order to show the learning experiences made to the students and to "disempower" this taboo topic of making mistakes and failing. For more information on the student initiative: https://www.fehlerkultur.uni-jena.de DE de.

    Here [PDF, 4 MB] DEThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

funding decision in 2020

  • Internship Website for German as a Foreign Language – German as a Second Language Students

    Project leaders: Zichun Huang, Leonie Rotsche, Sahibe Muslumzade and Jana Dix

    Image: Zichun Huang

    The project "Internship website for DaF/DaZ students" will help Bachelor and Master students of German Studies Abroad (DaF/DaZ) for easier search for internship opportunities. We have decided to create a Moodle room for possible worldwide internship institutes in order to avoid hours of research in the vastness of the
    of the internet. Students will find a overview of different types and locations of internships in this room, divided into continents and countries. Once you have decided on an institution, click on it and you will receive concrete information (e.g. general conditions of the internship, location, website) about the internship as well as information about the contact person as quickly and directly as possible.
    Furthermore one finds general information about funding opportunities and a FAQ section, which answers all your questions about an internship.

    Here [PDF, 794 KB] DEThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • 'Divided in Unity—30 Years after Reunification.' A Series of Events

    Project leaders: Lisa Gersdorf and her team

    Image: Max Gräßner

    Thirty years after the German-German reunification, we feel it within society in general, but also at the University in particular: we are not yet ‘unified Germans’. Many still feel like Ossi or Wessi and condemn the other as Jammerossi or Besserwessi. This feeling of ‘us’ and the ‘others’ is still an East-West German problem today, which the next generation also feels exposed to. Through our series of events, we aimed to raise awareness of the mental division. Within these events, people from different generations who study, teach or work at the university, from the old and new federal states, were able to come together and exchange their own experience, values and wishes. Through listening to and discussing with one another, trust and understanding are to grow, allowing for sympathy for the ‘other’.

    Here [pdf, 3 mb] deThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Learning Foreign Languages with Methods from Drama and Narrative Pedagogy

    Project leaders: Alexandra Treder and Sora Meyberg

    Image: José Adolfo Carril Paniagua

    By using methods from drama and narrative pedagogy in foreign language teaching, communicative ability to act, intercultural competence as well as holistic and creative learning processes can be promoted. In the study programme German as a Foreign and Second Language, the didactic-methodical concepts of drama and narrative pedagogy have so far only been dealt with theoretically. On two dates in the summer semester of 2021, students were given the opportunity to practically apply games and methods from drama and narrative pedagogy and to reflect on their possible applications in the teaching context. The workshop was led by professional drama and storytelling pedagogue Maria Carmela Marinelli, who also placed a focus on teaching methods of multilingual storytelling. With this impulse to promote multilingualism, the workshop offered further points of contact with a broad spectrum of central topics in the DaF/Z degree programme.

    Here [pdf, 24 mb]This link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • 'Countering Discrimination—Shaping Diversity', Series of Events by and for Students and Interested Parties

    Project leaders: Alexandra Treder and her team

    Image: Privat

    The online conference was aimed at students and lecturers in educational study programmes as well as interested parties. We understand discrimination as something that affects everyone. Prospective German as a Foreign Language / German as a Second Language teachers do not only teach German, but also talk about social, political and historical issues with the participants, e.g. in the context of integration courses. Therefore, we are looking for answers to the question of how to talk to each other about controversial issues—both privately and in professional, i.e. in our case teaching-learning contexts—while remaining appreciative and culturally sensitive and at the same time representing one's position. In workshops, lectures and discussion rounds with speakers from academia and practice, possibilities for answering this question were presented and strategies developed together with the participants on how to deal with discrimination and diversity in order to enable peaceful coexistence in a diverse society.

    Here [PDF, 4 MB] DEThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

funding decision in 2019

  • Automation of programming exercise

    Project leader: Roman Wanusch

    Programming exercises are submitted and corrected manually at FSU Jena to a large extent. An automation of the correction would be desirable in order to increase the feedback frequency and to enable more differentiated teaching. There are uncertainties regarding their fit, flexibility, and long-term controllability with available technologies. This project considered suitable systems, one was selected and implemented and tested as an example for the course "Structured Programming".
    In selecting the platforms, care was taken to ensure that it was as open as possible, which was achieved through the use of open source software, an own server and own exercise contents. As a result, it was demonstrated that a self-controlled technical solution integrated into our Moodle environment is possible. Recommendations for further development of automation of programming training are given.

    Here [PDF, 439 KB] DEThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Support in the Introductory Phase of Studies

    Project leaders: Tjorben Matthes, Katharina Wölfl and Georg Schwartz

    Image: Tjorben Matthes

    Finding one’s way around studies and everyday life at university is one of the first major challenges of starting one’s studies. In many cases, this succeeds, but the faculty usually loses a noticeable proportion of students, especially female and male students in teacher training programmes.
    In order to reduce dropout rates and retain students in the long term, a large-scale support programme for new students is presented here.
    Beginning with the introductory days, the first-year students are supervised in small groups by student and professor mentors, who are available as contact persons both for subject-related questions and as private reference persons.
    In addition, as was the case last year, an exam preparation weekend for first-semester students will be offered at the end of the next winter semester (24 to 26 January 2020).

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Lecture series 'Footnotes in Psychology’

    Project leaders: Lea Stegmann and her team

    Image: Lea Stegmann

    In the winter semester 2019/2020, peripheral areas of psychology will come into focus on six different dates, for example environmental psychology or culture- and migration-sensitive psychotherapy. Despite the topicality and socio-political relevance of these topics, they are rarely mentioned in the course of psychology studies. In the lecture series ‘Footnotes in Psychology’, these topics will be examined and intensively discussed. The aim is to impart knowledge, arouse curiosity and stimulate a critical examination of the topics through informative and interactive evenings. Academics and professionals from the field organize the events and offer an insight into research and practice with a lecture, a workshop or a panel discussion. Emphasizing the interdisciplinary character of the topics, the events are aimed at students of all disciplines.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Refugee Law Clinic Jena – clinical legal education

    Logo of Refugee Law Clinic Jena

    Graphic: Refugee Law Clinic Jena

    Students of the University of Jena founded the Refugee Law Clinic JLC Jena in 2016. We offer an open consultation hour for refugees several times a week. In addition, we organize an annual training programme in asylum and residence law. Fellow students who have successfully participated in this can then join us as counsellors after a period of observation. In accordance with the idea of clinical-legal education, we want to give our students the opportunity to complement their theoretical studies with practical work. At the same time, we want to contribute to effective access to (human) rights and support people in an often particularly precarious situation through a low-threshold offer. We are in close contact with fully qualified lawyers who specialize in migration law and provide us with expert advice.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

funding decision in 2018

  • Implementation of in-class on-line quizzes

    Project leaders: Aleksandr Kazakov und Anna Zherdeva (M.Sc. Economics students)

    The project referred to scientifically proven study strategies improving learning processes such as spaced retrieval, interleaved practice, generative learning and self-assessment.

    The project tended to the implementation of these strategies into the in-class learning process: In selected courses, students involvement is to be enhanced by performing a short quiz at the beginning of each lecture. The questions target on recapitulating the content of previous lectures as well as building bridges towards subsequent subjects and areas of application. The quizzes will be implemented by using online quiz services such as Moodle. The results will provide regular feedback on the learning progress.

    The project corresponds with the aims of the Facultys working group Neue Medien in der Lehre and was carried out in close consultation.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Exam preparation weekend

    Project leaders: Tjorben Matthes, Katharina Wölfl and Georg Schwartz

    Image: Anna Katharina Wölfl

    At the end of the winter semester (25 to 27 January 2019), the student council of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy organizes an exam preparation weekend for first-year students. For this purpose, about 50 students and 10 tutors travel to Bad Sulza for three days to study for the upcoming exams. This project serves to accompany and support the first semester students.

    The students from the first semester who participate are offered an optimal learning environment: group rooms to work in, a large pool of exam questions, fellow students studying for the same subjects, and finally tutors from higher semesters who are available to answer questions and give tutorials. In addition, short oral mid-term exams take place in between, through which students receive individual feedback on their learning progress. On the last day, students can write mock exams in the individual subjects to simulate the real exam situation.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

Student Initiatives PLUS

funding decision in 2024

  • Refugee Law Clinic Jena - Organisation of training for voluntary legal advice

    Logo of Refugee Law Clinic Jena

    Graphic: Refugee Law Clinic Jena

    The Refugee Law Clinic Jena e.V. is a non-profit association organised by students that is committed to providing legal support for refugees. As the only organisation of its kind in Thuringia, the Refugee Law Clinic plays a central role in advising migrants and asylum seekers. Its work focuses on asylum and migration law, with the organisation not only offering a free three-hour consultation every week, but also providing legal assistance by email and telephone.

    The Refugee Law Clinic Jena attaches particular importance to the training and continuous qualification of its volunteer counsellors. In addition to a well-founded training programme in the field of asylum and residence law, practical insights are provided through counselling simulations, work shadowing and legal and psychological supervision. This concept not only ensures the continuity of the association's work, but also promotes the transfer of knowledge to other organisations and networks.
    The close cooperation with experienced fully qualified lawyers ensures the high quality of the counselling services and training content. The support provided by the ALe is of particular importance here, as it makes it possible to efficiently manage the considerable organisational effort of the training structure through additional personnel resources. The Refugee Law Clinic Jena thus makes a significant contribution to supporting refugees in the region and fills an important gap in the Thuringian counselling landscape.

  • Exam preparation Weekend PAF 2025

    project team: Lara Henkel, Julio Virrueta, Ole Fröhlich, Adrian Minnich, Katharina Wölfl

    Image: Julio Virrueta

    The Exam Preparation Weekend (KlaVoWo) of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy (PAF), organised by the Faculty Student Council (FSR), has been a central support for students in their first semester of physics, teaching and materials science for seven years. The aim of the weekend is to make it easier for students to start their studies and to reduce the high drop-out rate in the first semester, which is around 30-40%. Many students find it difficult to gain a foothold at university, as learning and requirements are very different to those at school. One of the main problems is the high degree of personal responsibility and the increased complexity and quantity of the subject matter.

    The KlaVoWo is to take place in the Bad Sulza youth hostel, whose isolated location creates optimal conditions for a concentrated learning atmosphere. There, the students work on challenging tasks in individual and group work and receive support from expert tutors. These tutors not only provide technical assistance, but also offer motivation and guidance. Participation helps students to deal intensively with the subject matter of the first semester and to familiarise themselves with the learning methods required for university examinations.

    A key element of the weekend is the mock exam that students take at the end. This exam simulates a real exam situation and allows participants to test their knowledge under realistic conditions. This gives them valuable insights into the exam process and helps to reduce exam anxiety.

  • Refugee Law Clinic Jena - Service Learning in Asylum and Residence Law

    Logo of Refugee Law Clinic Jena

    Graphic: Refugee Law Clinic Jena

    The non-profit Refugee Law Clinic Jena e.V. is a student-organised association that provides legal advice for refugees. Our focus is on asylum and migration law. We support migrants and - in particular asylum seekers and refugees - in legal matters via email and telephone counselling, but also in a weekly three-hour free consultation. At the same time, the association offers a training programme to impart knowledge on asylum and residence law for volunteer advisors. This theoretical training programme is supplemented by practical counselling simulations, work shadowing, psychological and legal supervision. This ensures the continued existence of the association's work by continuously increasing the number of counsellors. At the same time, knowledge is passed on to people who can apply it in other organisations. The training programme and consultations take place in close cooperation with fully qualified lawyers. Thanks to the support of the ALe, the organisational effort involved in the training can be supported by personnel.

  • Exam preparation weekend (KlaVoWo) in mathematics

    project leader Niklas Menge

    Image: Niklas Menge

    In order to support first-semester students in the Department of Mathematics in mastering the transition from school mathematics to university mathematics, the FSR Mathematics has been organising the 
    exam preparation weekend (KlaVoWo for short), during which tutors from higher semesters support first-semester students with exam preparation. Using cards developed over the last few years for the subject of mathematics are used to practise and consolidate important learning strategies and subject-specific skills. This is done in groups if possible. 
    Materials are also introduced over the weekend to support the organisation of their own learning. 
    In addition, students are offered a learning development discussion during the weekend in which they are supported in reflecting on their own learning status. At the end of the weekend, students can also write a mock exam under the most realistic conditions possible, on which the students receive feedback from the tutors.

funding decision in 2023

  • Exam preparation Weekend PAF 2024

    project team (l. to r.): Adrian Minnich, Katharina Wölfl, Willi Kröning and Julia Fischer

    Image: Ben Marske

    The PAF Exam Preparation Weekend (KlaVoWo) took place for the seventh time at the Bad Sulza Youth Hostel on the weekend of 26 - 28 January 2024. It was organised by PAF students and doctoral candidates and sponsored by the ALe, the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, the PAF Alumni Association, the Helmholtz Institute Jena and the student council of the PAF.
    Students in their first semester were able to prepare for the upcoming exams in a shielded environment with the help of tutors and the tasks created for the KlaVoWos. They were able to work together in small groups on simple to very advanced tasks, do maths and discuss together. If no solution was found in the 'peer group' with fellow students, the tutors helped by answering questions and providing food for thought. In order to close even larger gaps in knowledge and understanding, students could take part in tutorials on specific desired topics. In order to be able to assess their level of preparation at the end of the weekend, participants had the opportunity to take part in mock exams and their subsequent discussion.
    The KlaVoWo, with its now tried-and-tested concept, is a highly valued and much-used support programme for students in the introductory phase of their studies.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Refugee Law Clinic Jena

    Logo of Refugee Law Clinic Jena

    Graphic: Refugee Law Clinic Jena

    The Refugee Law Clinic Jena e.V. (RLC Jena e.V.) is a small, mainly student-organised, non-profit association that organises translation-based legal advice on asylum and residence law on a voluntary basis. In addition to mail and telephone counselling, a free three-hour consultation is offered every week. In addition to counselling, the transfer of knowledge on asylum and residence law is an important pillar of the association. To this end, it organises a comprehensive theoretical training programme every year, supplemented by practical counselling simulations and work shadowing. On the one hand, this serves to promote young talent and thus secure the association's activities in the long term, and on the other hand, the association passes on its knowledge to multipliers who can pass it on to other organisations. Training and counselling take place in close, fully legal cooperation. By supporting the ALe, the large organisational effort of the training can be supported in terms of personnel.

  • Exam preparation weekend (KlaVoWo) in mathematics

    Project leader: Niklas Menge

    Image: privat

    In order to support first-semester students in the Department of Mathematics in mastering the transition from school to university mathematics, the FSR Mathematics has been organising the exam preparation weekend (KlaVoWo for short) since 2016, where tutors from higher semesters support first-semester students in preparing for their exams. This involves practising and consolidating important learning strategies and subject-specific skills using cards developed in recent years for the subject of mathematics. Where possible, this is done in groups. In addition, students are offered a learning development discussion during the weekend in which they are supported in reflecting on their own learning status. Materials to support the organisation of their own learning are also introduced and used throughout the weekend. At the end of the weekend, students can also write a mock exam under the most realistic conditions possible and receive feedback from the tutors.
    As there was also a great deal of interest among students of other subjects, who also have to take similar modules to maths students, students of IT and physics also took part.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Status and Judicial Problems of the East Asian Economic Integration Process and the Preconditions for Regional Community-Building: A Masterclass of Comparative Legal Studies between the European Union and East Asia

    project leader: UnHye Joe

    Image: UnHye Joe

    I have planned three sub-projects for the upcoming 2024 summer semester. A masterclass will take place in August/September 2024 in English at Friedrich Schiller University Jena on site, including five sessions regarding being lectured and holding a discussion with four PhD experts and myself. Additionally, a professional academic editor will organize the last masterclass session to guide the participating students, who are willing to enter into academia in the future, on how to prepare a proposal abstract for international conferences and submit a paper to a journal. In academic collaboration with Seoul National University of Science and Technology in South Korea, approximately 10–13 law or international relations students from the University of Jena will present their assignments during the six sessions.

funding decision in 2022

  • Exam preparation Weekend PAF 2023

    project leader: Tjorben Matthes, Willi Kröning and Katharina Wölfl

    Image: Ben Marske

    For six years now, the PAF student council has been organising an exam preparation weekend (KlaVoWo) for students in their first semester, which is supported by the ALe and the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy as well as the Helmholtz Institute. During this time, a comprehensive pool of exercises, associated solutions and materials for tutorials was built up. According to previous participants, this preparatory weekend was a great help when starting their studies.
    During the coronavirus pandemic, the KlaVoWo was offered completely online in 2021 and as two separate events in 2022, partly online and for a smaller group in person. This year, we have returned to a purely face-to-face format. The weekend took place from 27 to 29 January 2023 at the Bad Sulza Youth Hostel. During these three days, the students learned in an optimal setting: together with their fellow students, they were able to work on difficult tasks and support each other. If necessary, tutors helped them and worked out solutions together. At the end of the weekend, they were able to test their acquired knowledge in mock exams and visualise the exam situation.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Refugee Law Clinic Jena -organization of a lecture series

    schedule of the training program of the RLC

    Image: Refugee Law Clinic Jena e.V.

    In line with the Clinical Legal Education approach, the Refugee Law Clinic Jena e.V. offers interested (law) students the opportunity to practically expand their theoretical studies by volunteering as a legal advisor in asylum and residence law. In addition to weekly counselling, the central element of the association is an annual training series in which knowledge of migration law is imparted and its application is practised. The training series is the basis for later counselling activities.  An assistant was needed for the organisation since the organisational effort exceeds the capacities of the volunteer counsellors due to the intensity of the training programme. This person was responsible for acquiring funding, submitting applications, planning and supervising events, communicating with speakers and participants, maintaining materials, organising rooms, organising an intensive weekend and accounting for the project.

    Thanks to the funding from the Academy for Teaching Development, a position of 25 hours/month could be financed for these tasks.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Exam preparation weekend (KlaVoWo) in mathematics

    Project leader: Niklas Menge

    Image: privat

    In order to support first-semester students in the Department of Mathematics in mastering the transition from school to university mathematics, the FSR Mathematics has been organising the exam preparation weekend (KlaVoWo for short) since 2016. Tutors from higher semesters support first-semester students in preparing for exams. Important learning strategies and subject-specific skills are practised and consolidated using maps developed in recent years for the subject of mathematics. In addition, the students are offered a learning development discussion during the weekend, in which they are supported in reflecting on their own learning status. At the end of the weekend, a mock exam can also be written under the most realistic conditions possible, for which the students receive feedback from the tutors.
    Because there was also a great deal of interest among students of other subjects, who have to take similar modules to students of maths students, students of computer science and physics also took part.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • 'CampusCouch' workshops and implementation of the application-oriented workshops

    project leader: Dorothea Schmitt and team

    Image: CampusCouch

    We offered thematic workshops in addition to our listening offer for students to expand our student initiative, the CampusCouch. These will expand the courses offered to all students of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences with practical and application-oriented programmes. In terms of content, the workshops focussed on therapeutic approaches that are not at the forefront of students' studies. A psychodynamic dialogue session, a course on mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and a systemic workshop were offered. We invited experts from the field to provide professional guidance.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

funding decision in 2021

  • Exam preparation weekend PAF 2022

    Project leaders: Katharina Wölfl, Tjorben Matthes und Adrian Minnich

    Image: Michael Dimler

    For five years now, the Student Council of the PAF (Faculty of Physics and Astronomy) has been organised an exam preparation weekend (KlaVoWo) for students in their first semester, sponsored by the ALe and the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy. During this time, a comprehensive pool of exercises and their solutions was collocated, as well as materials for tutorials. According to previous participants, this exam preparation weekend is a great help in getting started with their studies.
    The KlaVoWo was conducted online for the first time in 2021 but with mixed feedback. A compromise solution was tried out for the KlaVoWo this year, so one was held in presence and one online. The funding of the ALe was used to conduct the face-to-face part, this will be dealt with primarily in the following.
    The weekend took place from 28.01.-30.01.2022 in the Bad Sulza youth hostel under appropriated hygiene conditions. During these three days, the students learned in an optimal environment: together with their fellow students. They were encouraged to solve difficult tasks and support each other. If necessary, tutors helped them and worked out solutions together. At the end of the weekend, they were able to test their acquired knowledge in mock exams and get to know the exam situation.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Exam preparation weekend mathematics 2022

    Project leader: Niklas Menge

    Image: privat

    In order to support first-semester students in the Department of Mathematics in mastering the transition from school to university mathematics, the FSR Mathematics has been organising the exam preparation weekend (KlaVoWo for short) since 2016, during which tutors from higher semesters support first-semester students in preparing for exams. Using maps developed in recent years for the subject of mathematics, important learning strategies and subject-specific competences. If possible, this is done in groups. In addition, one of the tutors offered a lecture in which he explained how effective and long-term learning works. In addition, the students are offered a learning development discussion during the weekend, in which they are supported in reflecting on their own learning status. At the end of the weekend, students can also write a mock exam under the most realistic conditions possible, for which they receive feedback from the tutors. Because interest was also very high among students of other subjects who also have to take mathematics, we allowed other students to participate this year for the first time.
    Due to the pandemic situation at the beginning of 2022, it was necessary to conduct the KlaVoWo online. The basic procedure of the weekend remained the same, the participants worked together online in groups.

    HereThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • 'Footnotes of psychology'

    Project leaders: Pia Weinschenk and her team

    Image: Pia Weinschenk

    The lecture series "Footnotes of Psychology" was founded in the winter semester 2019/20 by students of psychology at the Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena and will be implemented in the summer semester 2021, in order to give alternative forms of therapy and topics that are generally less represented in the curriculum. One focus was interdisciplinary perspectives and smaller sub-areas of psychology that are not included in the curriculum or cannot be discussed in detail due to resource constraints. The high number of participants reflected the great interest of the students. Inspired by the initiative and the exchange that took place, a student group was formed to continue the project. Again, the project was to take place fortnightly 7 dates from October 2021 to February 2022, topics should be presented and intensively discussed which topics that stimulate a critical, interdisciplinary examination of psychological and societal social topics. The target groups were the psychological students and students from other departments in order to promote interdisciplinary exchange.

    Here [PDF, 2 MB] DE This link requires a logindeyou can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • 'Understanding and recognising discrimination – theory & reflexive practice' a complementary event offer

    Project leaders: Johanna Poggemann and her team

    Image: Johanna Poggemann

    We learn in our studies that people should not be limited to their nationality, that
    culture is constructed and that changing perspectives is central to intercultural competence. What we would like to see is a space for self-reflection to understand what discrimination has to do with each individual. It also raises the question of how we should concretely discuss around controversial topics, especially when we teachers, create lessons and language courses with students. It takes professional competence to answer the question: Where does tolerance begin, where does it end?
    We want to approach this question through lectures, discussions and above all a workshop. For this purpose, we have invited speakers from science and practice, who will deal with the following questions: How does discrimination work? What does it have to do with me? Where am I affected, where am I caught up in discriminatory structures? How can I take a stand when human rights are violated? On what do we argue in such conflicts? And how can I, as a German teacher for foreign and second language, or as a future teacher at schools, address certain values such as equality and diversity in society in a linguistically sensitive way and in doing so balance between cultural sensitivity and the defense of human rights or the Basic Law?
    The series of events was organized by the Student Council DaF/DaZ and IWK with the support of the Institute for German as a Foreign and Second Language and Intercultural Studies. The majority of the seminar sessions were open to students and teachers of all faculties as well as to interested external parties. In this way, we facilitated a valuable exchange of different teaching/learning experiences as well as ways of dealing with discrimination and diversity.

    Here [PDF, 2 MB] DEThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

funding decision in 2020

  • Refugee Law Clinic Jena e.V. — legal and psychological supervision

    Logo of Refugee Law Clinic Jena

    Graphic: Refugee Law Clinic Jena

    The Refugee Law Clinic Jena e.V. offers students especially from the Faculty of Law but also from other faculties, the opportunity to expand their theoretical (law) studies through voluntary legal counseling in asylum and residence law according to the clinical legal education approach.
    In order to ensure high quality legal counseling, regular legal and
    psychological supervisions were implemented on a monthly basis. So the counseling activities of the Refugee Law Clinic Jena e.V. could be professionalized. Through legal
    supervisions, basic legal knowledge in the subject area, current case law and
    cases of counseling were instructed, deepened and reflected. The counselors were trained to deal adequately with the psychologically stressful situation of those seeking advice and their role as volunteer counselors in an psychological supervision. A total of 6 supervisions - 4 legal and 2 psychological - were carried out.

    Here  [PDF, 2 MB] DEThis link requires a logindeyou can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).

  • Exam preparation weekend 2021

    Project leaders: Georg Schwarz and his team

    Image: Georg Schwartz

    For the past three years, an exam preparation weekend has been held in cooperation with the student representative committee of the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy. It was financed with funds from the ALe and the faculty, as well as donations from professors and non-university institutes. During this period, a large pool of exam questions and solutions was created. Since previous participants called the exam preparation weekend a great help, this format of supervised learning is to continue.

    For this purpose, a presence exam preparation weekend was planned from 28 January to 30 January 2021. During these three days, the participating first-semester students were offered an optimal learning environment: in digital group workrooms, they could puzzle over difficult tasks together with their fellow students and, if necessary, call in tutors to work out approaches with them. In mock exams, they were abled to test their knowledge and prepare for the exam situation.

    The ALe sponsorship enables us to charge only a very small contribution towards expenses, so that participation does not depend on the financial means of the students.

    Here [PDF, 10 MB] DEThis link requires a loginde you can find the final project report (URZ login credentials required).