Involvement of Students in University Activities

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Involvement of Students in University Activities

• Ulrich Klauck
• Department of Computer Science

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Introduction

• Study of Medical Computer Science
• Graduated at Heidelberg University (1986)
• Doctoral Degree of Heidelberg University (1991)
• Software Development with Bruker Analytical
  Instruments
• Since 1994 Professor for Computer Visualistics
  (Image Processing, Pattern Recognition, Computer
  Graphics)
• 1996 2000 Vice Rector
• Since 2000 Head of Computer Science
• Since 2000 Running a STC for image processing

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Topics

• Why student involvement?
• Different forms of students involvement
• Formal boards
• Involvement in student associations
• Involvement in teaching
• Feedback from students
• Free time activities
• Summary and Conclusion

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Topics

• Why student involvement?
• Different forms of students involvement
• Formal boards
• Involvement in student associations
• Involvement in teaching
• Feedback from students
• Free time activities
• Summary and Conclusion

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Why student involvement ?

• Clearly because it is required by law.
• ? Is that really the only reason ?
• Learn from the students
• They have a lot of ideas and suggestions
• Learn about the students
• Understanding the generation
• What is their motivation, their expectations,
  their background
• ? A German example if our students vaguely
  remember the fall of the Berlin Wall, they are
  probably not sure why it was up in the first
  place.
• ? Thesis Good teaching requires an understanding
  of the students

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Why student involvement ?

• Once students are enrolled, their belonging to
  the university community is segmented into
  faculties and departments
• How to develop a sense of university belonging ?
• How to commit students and graduates to the
  university ?
• Observation The time students spend on the
  premises of the faculty or department is
  insufficient
• Could be improved by greater student involvement
  and participation in university life
• Astins theory of students evolvement.

Astin, AW (1984). Student involvement A
developmental theory for higher education.
Journal of College Student Personnel. Barefoot,
BO (Ed.) (1993)
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Different forms of involvement

• Formal Boards
• Hochschulrat supervisory board
• Senat/ASTA
• Student associations
• USTA eV (a charity)
• Different companies, societies, clubs
• Evaluations and surveys
• Involvement in defined and timely limited
  projects
• Free time activities

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Topics

• Why student involvement?
• Different forms of students involvement
• Formal boards
• Involvement in student associations
• Involvement in teaching
• Feedback from students
• Free time activities
• Summary and Conclusion

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Involvement in formal boards

• Supervisory board
• Elected by the senate
• 6 external and 5 internal members
• 1 student
• Competences acc. to the university law
• e.g. principles of financing, election of
  president, approval of professorships,

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Involvement in formal boards

• Senate
• Election (groupwise) not exceeding 20 elected
  members
• Executive board (President, vice presidents,
  chancellor)
• Deans of all faculties
• Elected professors
• Elected employees
• Elected students constitute the ASTA

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Involvement in formal boards

• Faculty board
• Election (groupwise)
• Dean, vice dean, 1 dean of studyOption enlarged
  board with all professors of the faculty and up
  to 3 vice deans
• Students 30 of all other members but not
  less than 6
• Other members of the faculty

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Involvement in formal boards

• Professors appointment commission
• Appointed by the executive board in agreement
  with the faculty
• Professors external members 1 student 1
  female expert

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Involvement in formal boards

• Semester speaker
• Voluntary but good idea.
• Acts as a contact person.
• Can develop the communication between students
  and professors.
• Helps to maintain anonymity if students dont
  have the heart to express problems.

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Motivation for the involvement in formal boards

• Mostly intrinsic !
• It is hard to motivate students if they are not
  motivated by themselves
• Benefits
• CV
• Opportunity to influence the shape of
  university, faculty,
• Opportunity to eliminate problems
• Learning engagement, self government and sense of
  responsibility

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Topics

• Why student involvement?
• Different forms of students involvement
• Formal boards
• Involvement in student associations
• Involvement in teaching
• Feedback from students
• Free time activities
• Summary and Conclusion

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Involvement in student associations

• USTA e.V.
• organized as a charity
• a self governed organisation
• an independent representative of students
• helping students in daily live and certain study
  matters
• USTA is e.g. runnig a stationery shop (USTA
  Shop)
• Consultance in BaföG (governmental funds for
  students)
• Art Culture Social Life
• Welcome parties, sports, cinema,

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Involvement in projects

• Involvement in the sense of units contributing to
  the smooth running of the university
• Book shops
• Copy shops
• Contact fairs (IKOM in Aalen)
• . . .

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Topics

• Why student involvement?
• Different forms of students involvement
• Formal boards
• Involvement in student associations
• Involvement in teaching
• Feedback from students
• Free time activities
• Summary and Conclusion

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Involvement in teaching

• Students learn from each other
• ? Learning groups
• Employ students as tutors
• Tutors benefit in their experience in teaching,
  in broadening their skills, in key competences,
• Give them a feeling how difficult teaching can
  be
• Ask for students feedback

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Topics

• Why student involvement?
• Different forms of students involvement
• Formal boards
• Involvement in student associations
• Involvement in teaching
• Feedback from students
• Free time activities
• Summary and Conclusion

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Feedback

• The different forms of feedback
• Externally organized as rankings of the
  universities
• Required by university law as self evaluation of
  the departments (Questionnaires)
• Voluntarily organised by professors
• Organised by students (ASTA/USTA)
• Feedback from graduates after several years in
  profession (Alumni)

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Topics

• Why student involvement?
• Different forms of students involvement
• Formal boards
• Involvement in student associations
• Involvement in teaching
• Feedback from students
• Free time activities
• Summary and Conclusion

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Free time activities

• Thesis
• Active student involvment results from academic
  and non-academic activities.
• Examples
• Sports
• Cultural activities (Music, theater, )
• Students can run a drinking hole (a pub).
• Intention (from the point of view of a
  professor)
• commit students to the university with the side
  effect of making them spend more time at the
  university (also with learning) and forming a
  positive climate.

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Topics

• Why student involvement?
• Different forms of students involvement
• Formal boards
• Involvement in student associations
• Involvement in teaching
• Feedback from students
• Free time activities
• Summary and Conclusion

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Summary Conclusion

• Different forms of student involvement exist
• more formal ones, primarily motivated by
  university law
• more informal ones, motivated by seeing the
  advantages
• One problem surely is the motivation of students
• Student involvement is a shared responsibility.
  We must find a way between students independance
  in finding their own way and effective
  institutional programs.

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Summary Conclusion

• The transition from high school into university
  life continues passivity. It is our
  responsibility to work against this process.
• Teaching beyond the narrowly-defined academic
  knowledge requires student involvement.
• We have a chance to improve by hearing to
  students ideas and suggestions.
• Altogether good student involvement results in a
  good climate