Group work

For participating Students outside ilmenau

4th - 7th June
Campus TU 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.

Full Program

All Available Topics

Mental Health of Students

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.

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 of 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 (with speaker Inge Missmahl from IPSO Care)

  • 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

Students 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.

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: German labour market and role of universities in it

  • Role of universities in preparing students for their careers

  • Supporting structures (Studierendenwerk, Agentur für Arbeit, ThaFF)

  • How to overcome skill gaps? (language, practical abilities, etc.)

Slot 3: Stay in Germany & work integration (with speaker Sabine Vana-Ströhla)

  • Input lecture about working culture and integration in German companies

  • Working and welcome culture in German companies

  • Changing the track → stop studying, go working (opportunity card)

Slot 4: Your rights at work (with speaker Eden Hagos from Fair Integration)

  • Input lecture about working rights of international students in Germany.

  • 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 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.

Slot 1: Student mobility abroad (with speaker Sarah Krauter from the International Office of TU Ilmenau )

  • 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 2: Recognition of ECTS abroad 

  • Input lecture about the possibilities of Student Mobility.

  • 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 3: 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 4: 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 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.

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.

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 (with speakers Elia, Lilian and Frederik from the Faculty of Sociology at the University of Bielefeld)

  • Input lecture about the Bielefeld Model and its evaluation as a best practice for study regulations in Germany.

  • 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.

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 (with speaker Kathrina Rummenhöller (FZS))

  • Input lecture about the overview and history of the university democratic structures in Germany.

  • 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

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.

Slot 1: Informal education on the campus (with speaker Sophie Schwarz from Kindersprachbrücke)
  • Input lecture about KSB’s role and fields of action, best practices and practical ideas on informal language learning.
  • 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 2: Formal education during studies (with speaker Dietmar Unterkofler from the University of Bozen)
  • Input lecture about the 3 Language Model at Uni Bozen as a best practice.
  • 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: 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 the 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 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.

Slot 1: The ways of volunteering (with speaker Anne from the Student Council of TU Ilmenau)

  • Input lecture about the history of volunteering in Germany.

  • Overview of 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 (with speaker Ulrik from Studentersamfundet Trondheim)

  • Input Lecture about the Student House in Trondheim as a Best Practice for Student 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