Dear students,
Following instructions issued by the Presidential Board on 13 March 2020, the start of the lecture period has been postponed until 20 April 2020; all examinations have been suspended until further notice.
This raises many questions about the further course of action regarding coursework and examinations in winter semester 2019/2020. I would like to take this opportunity to provide further information on these issues.
The following points include key actions of the Presidential Board and the Student and Academic Matters department, which have been provided in detail to faculties, institutes and teaching staff. In collaboration with central and departmental facilities, these actions will be used as a guideline for handling coursework and examinations in winter semester 2019/2020.
In light of the current situation, we aim to provide options for completing selected coursework and examinations to ensure that students experience as little disadvantage as possible.
However, we may need to revise these approaches according to new provisions provided by the federal or state governments regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
We are aware that some of these points need to be clarified urgently. We therefore strive to provide information on new developments as soon as possible taking into account your queries and concerns. Nevertheless, implementing these actions within the institutes and on a central level will take some time. Thank you for your understanding. Should you have any further questions following consultation with teaching staff or the institutes, please do not hesitate to contact us at vpl@uni-hannover.de. Alternatively, students are welcome to approach the respective clerk in the Examination Office.
Please rest assured that we will do everything possible to enable students to continue or complete their studies without losing any time. Thank you for your cooperation, flexibility and solidarity in this matter!
Prof. Dr. Volker Epping
President
Information on coursework and examinations in winter semester 2019/2020
Certificate to be submitted to administrative bodies and foundations
We are aware that students need to meet submission deadlines regarding course certificates for administrative bodies (such as BAföG) or foundations. In order to address this issue, we are currently in the process of developing a certificate confirming suspension of all examinations as well as the lecture period. The certificate will be available by next week (at the latest) via the university’s information portal on the coronavirus.
Coursework and examinations
Suspended examinations include written and oral examinations. It is still possible to complete written coursework such as term papers, essays or reports. We are currently in the process of discussing further details with regard to rescheduling written and oral examinations. However, this ultimately depends on the development of the pandemic. We will provide information on alternative examination dates as soon as possible.
In the case that oral examinations cannot be rescheduled, an individual course of action will be determined by the respective member of teaching staff.
Deadlines for written coursework will be extended. If students are unable to complete coursework or examinations due to the current disruptions, such as laboratory work, this will not count as an unsuccessful attempt.
For further information on time frames or administrative matters, please contact your institute or the respective member of teaching staff.
Bachelor’s and master’s theses
Deadlines for bachelor’s and master’s theses currently in process may be extended following consultation with the Examination Board.
As usual, students must submit their thesis to the examiners via email, as well as submitting a printed version via post or, if possible, by using the post boxes in the institutes. Submission will be confirmed by the receiving member of staff via internal mail to the Examination Office or by using the electronic form.
This also applies to theses that have already been scheduled to commence.
We are aware that many theses rely on experiments, laboratory work and other means of data collection, which cannot be conducted as planned due to the current situation. Please do not hesitate to contact your examiners with any queries such as adapting the topic of your thesis.
Field trips, internships and school placements
In light of the current situation, it is no longer possible to complete field trips, internships or school placements. For information on equivalent options or if you need to reschedule your course of study, please contact your institute or the respective member of teaching staff.
Students who are in the process of planning a school placement or need to cancel such a placement should contact the Leibniz School of Education.
Coursework
The same provisions shall apply for coursework.
Contacting members of teaching staff / accessing institutes
Minimising social contact outside of your home (social distancing) is crucial to slow and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We therefore urge students to use alternative means of communication, such as contacting members of teaching staff via telephone, email or Skype.
If you are unable to access your institute, please communicate via post or electronic means of contact.
Deadlines for correcting coursework
In light of the current situation, deadlines for correcting coursework may be extended. Thank you for your understanding. Students relying on a specific deadline should contact the respective member of teaching staff to determine an individual course of action. All members of teaching staff at the university will do their best to maintain operations to the extent illustrated above taking into account current developments.
Teaching activities in summer semester 2020
Due to the dynamic nature of the epidemic, we are currently unable to predict the impact on the summer semester. We strive to provide further information on this as soon as possible. We are currently working vigorously on developing online teaching formats.
