Aims

A university degree programme is not limited to specialist academic training. In the sense of "thinking outside the box", a degree programme should also stimulate and support personal development, employability and social commitment. Students can acquire such key competencies through extracurricular or non-university activities or through voluntary work.

As part of the key skills programme, the Department of Mathematics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science promotes the acquisition of key skills through the opportunity to earn credits.

One possibility is civic engagement in a mathematical environment, hereinafter referred to as "project" for short.

Procedure

• Before the project: In order to check whether the planned project is generally suitable and whether the conditions from the module description can be fulfilled, we require the following documents/information in advance.
  • Content: Synopsis;
  • Scope: Relevant are project duration (start date and end date) and the (estimated) time required for the project.
• Exam registration: This should take place on the next examination date after the end of the internship. Examinations are offered every semester, typically approx. 3 weeks after the start of the teaching period.
• After the end of the project the following documents are to be uploaded via FlexNow (pdf format):
  • Project report as the basis for earning credits;
  • Proof of project implementation (as attachment to the project report).
• Shortly after the submission deadline has passed, there might be a brief discussion regarding the project report (e.g. to clarify any outstanding issues).

Report requirements

The report must be created in PDF format. Experience has shown that it comprises 5-10 pages (continuous text). The following key questions should be addressed in the report.

• Brief presentation of the voluntary work, in particular:
• What were your tasks?
• Amount of time (please separate into time on site ("attendance time") on the one hand and "office work" (e.g. internet research for preparation and documentation for follow-up) on the other).
• Workflow (e.g. were there regular sessions or regular meetings, e.g. for preparation and follow-up?)
• Was there an onboarding? Was it just an organisational meeting, or a more detailed briefing? Perhaps even a training session?
• Was there a different type of guidance/support - or was "learning by doing" required?
• Were there any feedback meetings?
• To what extent were your own activities embedded within a wider context (e.g. an organisational team or committee)?
• ...
• Presentation of the skills acquired in project planning.
• To what extent was theoretical knowledge about planning, organisation and presentation combined with practical experience?
• Presentation of the knowledge acquired in the areas of self-presentation (incl. rhetoric and free speech) and moderation techniques (incl. conducting conversations as well as decision-making and conflict resolution skills in groups).
• Self-reflection on one's own actions and role.
  • What was good, what wasn't that good?
  • Did the project match your expectations?
  • What did you learn? To what extend did you benefit?
  • To what extent has studying maths helped you with the project?
  • Did you learn something useful for your math studies?
  • What did you miss?
  • What are the dos and don'ts for civic engagement?
  • To what extent were communication skills, social skills and intercultural skills acquired or strengthened?
  • To what extent was the ability to take responsibility for others and develop civic attitudes acquired or strengthened?

Contact