Group work
For participating Students outside ilmenau
Are you interested in improving the life for students, especially international students, at your university? Then this conference will give you opportunities to learn how to do this and exchange ideas with students from other universities across Germany.
During the conference group, you will work on those exact topics. Depending on the topic of the group, you will be able to exchange ideas and perspectives, develop projects, learn from experts, and brainstorm solutions, all facilitated by students from our university who are interested in the topic. Each group will spotlight a certain field that influences student life and includes many challenges for students. The group work will be offered on Friday and Saturday of the conference, split into two 3-hour slots each day. As the group has a dedicated topic for each slot, you can decide for every slot which topic you are interested in and which group you would like to join. At the end of each slot, you will get to know about the results of each group in a gathered sum-up session. On Sunday, we will offer a 5th final slot for each group to present their final outcome with a poster or presentation.
Interested which groups and topics are available? We have you covered. Here is an overview of all groups offered and the topics to be discussed in each slot.
During this weekend, you can engage in several group discussions with your fellow students about local challenges and problems concerning the university, the campus society and the city itself. The goal is to exchange and create new ideas as well as build new groups and initiatives. We want to empower you and provide a platform for you to work on the issues you think are most present in the local communities.
For participation it is mandatory to register, so we know how many people would like to participate and thereby need food during the groupwork. Even though you have to choose preferences of group topics in your registration, the choice of the group and topic is totally flexible. The groupwork is divided in different sessions and for each of those sessions you are free to choose the topic that is most interesting to you. Therefore the topics and key challenges to be discussed in a session will be announced in a plenum before each session.
You’ll also get the chance to exchange ideas with students from other Thuringian Universities and build new initiatives beyond our own university. You’ll get-to-know them and develop new ideas through your different background.
All Available Topics
Student’s mental health
Mental health is an important factor to study successfully, and especially studying abroad in a new environment adds additional challenges for international students. In this group, we want to identify with your challenges, discuss solutions to help international students cope with them and exchange about support structures.
A more detailed overview about the topics discussed in the group, you may find below.
Details
Slot 1: Mental health at universities and specific challenges of International students
- Overview of mental health challenges at universities (e.g., exam fears, personal crises, ADHD) with special focus on international students
- Systematic barriers to access: German health system (e.g., waiting times for doctors, coverage by insurance)
- Cultural barriers to access: e.g. language, stigma, taboos
- Psychological challenges of living and studying abroad (e.g., new country, culture, language, being homesick)
Slot 2: Support structures in the university environment
- Overview about support structures (e.g. university health management, Studierendenwerk, student associations and organisations)
- What do they offer and how do they work?
- What are the challenges, and which best practices exist?
Slot 3: Support structures outside the university environment
- Overview about support structures (e.g., hospitals, health insurance, doctors, Sozialpsychiatrischer Dienst, emergency help, self-help groups and civic society) with focus on internationals
- What do they offer and how do they work?
- What are the challenges, and which best practices exist?
Slot 4: Interactions between both spheres
- How to enable getting fast help? – Challenges and best-practices
- How can university programs look to be better for mental health?
- How to implement mental health support in all universities?
Slot 5: Summary with poster / presentation / lessons learned
Student at work
Jobbing plays a big role for international students during their studies and beyond. On the one hand, for many international students, it is necessary to sustain their stay in Germany, on the other hand, universities should prepare them for their future career. That is why in this group we want to give you the opportunity to discuss the benefits and pitfalls of working next to studies, limitations by law and your rights at work, as well as the preparation for the German job market. A more detailed overview about the topics discussed in the group, you may find below.
Details
Slot 1: Working next to studies
- Reasons why students need/want to work?
- Strategies to find a job?
- Odd jobs vs. career-relevant work
- Pros and cons of working in or outside the university
Slot 2: Your rights at work
- Input on your rights with special focus on foreign law
- Support structures (e.g., unions, student associations)
- Limitations to work and freelance as an international student
Slot 3+4: German labour market and role of universities in it + stay in Germany
- Role of universities in preparing students for their careers
- How to overcome skill gaps? (language, practical abilities, etc.)
- Supporting structures (Studierendenwerk, Agentur für Arbeit, ThaFF)
- Working and welcome culture in German companies
- Changing the track → stop studying, go working (opportunity card)
Slot 5: Summary with poster / presentation / lessons learned
student mobility
When living and studying in a city, an important need is mobility and connection towards the campus. For international students, this is guaranteed in most cases through public transport systems. At the same time, students have the chance to be mobile themselves and go abroad through different programs like Erasmus, also as international students. In this group, you’ll discuss what student needs must be met in a local mobility context, what rights students have as customers, and how student mobility abroad can also shape the studies of international students. A more detailed overview about the topics discussed in the group, you may find below.
Details
Slot 1: Student mobility in Germany – local transportation
- How did the Semesterticket (Deutschlandticket) change the accessibility for students? (Differences between universities)
- Bike infrastructure – learning to bike and specific rules/laws for bike riders
- Discussion about the connection of the university to the local transportation network
- How to build a barrier-free campus to improve inclusivity?
- What is an ideal student-friendly city?
- Innovative transportation concept on campuses
Slot 2: Student mobility in Germany – rights and obligations
- Recognition and rules for driver’s licences from abroad
- Consumer’s rights for customers of public transport
- Biking as famous student transportation, but it also has its rules
Slot 3: Student mobility abroad
- Overview of different ways to go abroad with Erasmus and other programs
- How to stay connected to your home or Erasmus University to foster international relationships?
- Tips and tricks for moving to your university abroad
- Incentives for studying abroad for international students
- Volunteering abroad with different programs
- How to organise a semester abroad as a free mover
Slot 4: Recognition of ECTS abroad
- Challenges of transferring within Germany and recognition of the ECTS
- Challenges of acceptance of ECTS from Erasmus and study times abroad
- What is the Bologna process, and how do you benefit from it as a student?
- Possibilities of double degree programs
- How to find the right time to go abroad?
Slot 5: Summary with poster / presentation / lessons learned
International community building
The international communities in and outside university play an important role for the arrival and stay during the studies. They transfer and accumulate knowledge, give orientation and help. But there are also downsides, when it comes to conflicts, social norms, taboos and getting in contact with the host society. That is why, we want to discuss with you the importance of communities, how to build open and vivid communities and avoid gating. A more detailed overview about the topics discussed in the group, you may find below.
Details
Slot 1: Importance of communities for (new) international students
- How to support before and after arrival and during studies?
- How to overcome the first cultural shock?
- Overview of the psychological phases that students abroad go through (3 waves of arrival)
- Discussion on how to get students into communities?
- Discussion on how to create diverse communities?
Slot 2: Disadvantages of closed communities
- Negative effects of closed communities of international groups
- Discussion about the reason for students joining those closed communities (e.g. defence mechanism)
- Do international–local student interactions often stay superficial? Why is that?
- How to handle stereotypes towards other groups (religious, ethnic, sexual orientation etc.)
- How to deal with soft-power and political influence (embassies, political parties from other countries)?
Slot 3: Communities to build integration
- Importance of formal representation (founding associations, companies)
- Role of student initiatives vs. institutional responsibility from the university
- Role of festivities and traditions in shaping these communities
Slot 4: Communities beyond studying
- Finding belonging through communities after studies and differences to student communities
- Relationship between student communities and other migrant communities
- Discussion how to stay in contact with home
Slot 5: Summary with poster / presentation / lessons learned
Studying in the 21st century
International students face various challenges in all phases of studying at a German university. From the admission and visa process through the actual study period to the transition to the job market, there are many barriers. During this group work, you will discuss each phase in detail, identify issues and challenges, and try to create solutions to better organise studies in Germany, bringing them towards the 21st century. A more detailed overview about the topics discussed in the group, you may find below.
Details
Slot 1: How to get to a German university?
- Overview of possibilities to inform oneself (e.g. comparing portals, rankings)
- Overview of different types of universities (e.g. FHS, University, Duale Hochschule)
- Issues and challenges in the admission and visa process
- Role of agencies in scams in the process
- Expectation and needs for a successful study start (e.g. ErstiWoche)
Slot 2: Study regulations and grading
- How effective are maximum study times and other restrictions?
- Why is there a final examination in Germany?
- How to measure study achievements?
- How to make fair exams?
- How to get to know about the study regulations?
Slot 3: Ways of teaching
- online-courses vs. offline-teaching
- Interrelations between students and professors in Germany
- Should AI be included more in studies, and how to do it fairly?
- How to make study achievements comparable?
- How to change between universities / changing courses within a university?
- Are semester-wise studies still the best way to conduct studies?
- Is it needed to get more practical?
- Sustainability in study courses
Slot 4: How to prepare for the time after studies?
- How to inform about different career routes?
- What support can universities give for students’ career paths?
- Should the teaching be more adapted to career-oriented studying?
- What is a German PhD?
Slot 5: Summary with poster / presentation / lessons learned
Internationals in University Democratic Structures
One way to change things at your university is through the various democratic structures that exist. But how much do you or other students actually know about those structures? In this group, you will discuss how to spread knowledge about how these representations work and how to overcome potential interested individuals’ fears. A more detailed overview about the topics discussed in the group, you may find below.
Details
Slot 1: History and formal structure of university democracy
- Overview of different student representative structures (StuBra, StuRa, StuKo, Asta, StuPa, Fachschaftsräte and more)
- Overview of different university representative structures (Fakultätsrat, Senat and more)
- What other committees exist where students can be represented? (e.g. representation in Studierendenwerk)
- How much power do professors and other members of the university have?
- Discussion on how the situation is right now with internationals in a formal university democracy
Slot 2: Informal university democracy
- Role of other entities outside of the student representative structure, like associations, interest groups and political party organisations
- What interests do they have, and how can they be represented in the different structures?
- How is the situation right now with internationals participating in those groups?
Slot 3+4: Ways to participate as a student and best practices
- Why should internationals participate in those structures? What could be their benefits?
- What can be done to get the students informed and motivated?
- How to spread knowledge about these opportunities to the people?
- How to overcome biases of interested people (e.g. fear of being neglected or having a bad outcome, like bad grading)?
- Discussion on the role of socialisation and university culture in other parts of the world (speaking with professors)
- Are the existing structures permeable enough, and if not, what are the ways of low-barrier participation that exist?
- Overview and brainstorming about best practices/ideas from other countries/universities
Slot 5: Summary with poster / presentation / lessons learned
Food and beverages
When it comes to food, there are many different expectations that each student with a different background has. It’s a challenge for university cafeterias and other food offerings on campuses to meet all of these expectations and remain open to many communities. During these sessions, you will explore how diverse students’ needs really are and what cafeterias can improve in their offerings. Furthermore, you will discuss how these offers affect campus social life and what alternative concepts exist worldwide.
A more detailed overview about the topics discussed in the group, you may find below.
Details
Slot 1: Expectations and needs of students
- Discussion on food culture at universities in other countries
- Why is Mensa not that attractive to many international students?
- How to open Mensa up for international students to fulfil more of their needs?
- What are their alternatives to Mensa?
Slot 2: Social impact of food
- Discussion on Mensa and student cafés as a social sphere
- What should a Mensa include to be community-driven? (e.g. café culture, external restaurants)
- How do different festivities with food shape the social life on a campus? (e.g. Eid, Nowruz, Maslenitsa, etc.)
Slot 3: Alternative of concepts of cafeterias
- What can Mensa not offer?
- Discussion on different alternative concepts compared to the usual Mensa (e.g. restaurants or cafés in the Mensa)
- How can student-led alternatives shape life on campus and support community building? (e.g. student-cafés)
Slot 4: Inclusive food
- Overview of food preferences and restrictions (e.g. religious, allergies, vegetarian, vegan)
- What is already done and what can be improved to make food more inclusive in the Mensa and Cafeteria?
- Are there existing language barriers in Mensa?
- How do opening times in the Mensa barrier inclusion?
Slot 5: Summary with poster / presentation / lessons learned
Housing on campus
When you go abroad to study, you want to find a place that makes you feel at home, which is why student housing is an essential topic for the integration of international students. They can be a space to create community, but can also be a place to retreat. That’s why it is challenging for students to find the perfect home that fulfils all their needs. In this group, we will focus on what student housing needs to fulfil students’ needs, what challenges exist when searching for a home or already living in one, and what rights you have as a tenant.
A more detailed overview about the topics discussed in the group, you may find below.
Details
Slot 1: Expectations of students
- Discussion about differences in housing in other countries
- What different types of housing exist?
- What are the needs of students that have to be met?
- Challenges of finding housing in Germany with best practices
Slot 2: Rights as a tenant
- What rights do you have as a tenant in different forms of housing?
- How well are they known, and how can we make more students aware of this?
- Including input from an expert in tenant rights
Slot 3: How to include student needs?
- Discussion on what needs exist and their importance
- How to build housing that supports forming a student community?
- How to make it integrative and liveable?
- Discussion on the inclusion of students in the planning of student housing to better include their needs
Slot 4: How to live together?
- Differences in how students live together in different countries
- Awareness about cultural differences and how to handle intercultural conflicts?
- How can different programs in student housing help to live better together, e.g. tutor programs?
- Overview of important rules and norms in Germany, e.g. cleaning, waste separation, toilet, and smoking
Slot 5: Summary with poster / presentation / lessons learned
Language barriers
Is it der, die or das Nutella? One of the biggest challenges for students from abroad is learning the German language and getting comfortable using it in studies and the social environment. In this group, you will go through the different phases of university and discuss and develop ways to improve language learning.
A more detailed overview about the topics discussed in the group, you may find below.
Details
Slot 1: Formal education before studies
- Discuss the need for preconditions to come to German universities, and its soft power
- Discussion on the differences in recognition of many certificates and general differences in preconditions
- How to prepare for university abroad, especially the language?
- What scams exist, and how can international students be protected against them?
- Preparation for the university vs. real society
Slot 2: Formal education during studies
- How to integrate language learning better into studies?
- Language offers inside and outside of the university
- Differences in the way of studying in Germany
Slot 3: Informal education on the campus
- Role of social activities in informal learning and how to open them up?
- Different ways for informal language learning (e.g. language meetings, native speakers, etc.)
- Building a safe environment for informal learning
Slot 4: Language as integration factor
- Can you survive in Germany just with English?
- How to get in contact with Germans?
- Cultural impact of language and cultural codes
- Language and cultural barriers in jobs and finding a job
Slot 5: Summary with poster / presentation / lessons learned
Volunteering
Student volunteering is an important part of student culture and helps especially with adjusting to a new environment when studying abroad. It can help with getting experience in new fields and a way to find a community. During the group work, you will discuss how volunteering helps students, what challenges exist and how international students can be integrated into volunteering groups.
A more detailed overview about the topics discussed in the group, you may find below.
Details
Slot 1: The ways of volunteering
- Overview about how the concept of volunteering works in Germany (e.g. expectations)
- What are the expectations of volunteering for international students?
- How does volunteering differ here in Germany?
Slot 2: Improving motivation for volunteering
- What motivates students to volunteer?
- How to reach out and include international students?
- What can be done to motivate more students to volunteer (e.g. ECTS, extra semesters, professional support, allowances)
- Discussion on motivational factors in professional vs. volunteer structures
Slot 3: Challenges and limits in volunteering
- Overview and discussion on different challenges (e.g. burnout, bureaucracy, languages)
- Can professional structures support facing these challenges?
- Where does volunteering end and exploitation begin?
- How to create volunteering structures that attract students?
Slot 4: Opportunities for student volunteers
- Overview and discussion on incentives for student volunteers (e.g. innovation, personal development, contribution to society, socialising)
- Develop best practices to attract more volunteers
Slot 5: Summary with poster / presentation / lessons learned