Everything on Track? [07.02.25]
The secret of a successful course of study? Stay on it, keep an eye on important milestones and take countermeasures early if problems arise. From now on, a new dashboard on HohCampus, which is available to all students, will help you to do this. In addition, a pilot project is starting in the Bachelor's program in Business Administration and Economics: automated service e-mails point out possible difficulties at an early stage and help you to stay on the road to success.
This article was translated using DeepL
Students who have logged into the HohCampus portal in the last few days may have already noticed that the home page has changed.
“Previously, HohCampus only displayed a long list of all the coursework completed. This is somewhat confusing and does not make it easy for students to see where they stand in their studies,” explains Ulrich Krieger from the Student Counselling Center.
"In counseling sessions, we often find that many students in their early semesters do not realize when they are falling behind," adds his colleague Corinna Hucke. "If you take things too lightly at the beginning, you’ll have even more stress later on. This can be avoided by keeping track of important deadlines and academic progress."
This is exactly where the new personal dashboard on the HohCampus homepage comes in:
Blue progress bars show at a glance how many of the required ECTS credits have already been achieved, including the average grade and the status of compulsory modules. It also shows how many semesters are left until the standard period of study expires and when the course must be completed at the latest. A checklist also provides information about completed and upcoming milestones in the course of study.
| A smooth path through the preliminary examination One of the first major milestones is often a challenge for students: the so-called “preliminary examination”. This is not an additional individual examination, but rather proof that certain compulsory requirements have been successfully met by the end of the third semester. The respective examination regulations for the degree program determine exactly which requirements these are. “Under normal circumstances, the preliminary examination should not be too much of a hurdle,” says Ulrich Krieger. ” However, it is crucial to stay on track. There are no second chances: students who cannot prove the required performance after the third semester cannot continue their studies and will be exmatriculated.” “Our experience shows that students who pass three or more exams in their first semester are on are on a good path,” emphasizes Corinna Hucke. ”If they don't succeed, they should definitely step it up in their second semester – and don't be afraid to take advantage of the support offered by the Student Counselling Center, for example on topics such as learning techniques, exam preparation or curricula.” |
Pilot project: service email in the Bachelor's program in Business Administration and Economics
In addition to the new dashboard, students will also in future receive a service email from the Examinations Office as soon as there are signs of difficulties in the orientation test.
A pilot project for this will start in the spring in the Bachelor's program in Business Administration and Economics.
“Students who have earned 18 ECTS credits or fewer after the first semester will receive an email starting on May 15 indicating a possible need for action and offering support,” explains Daniela Renner from the Examinations Office. ”The emails are intended to serve as a kind of early warning system. The message is: Don’t panic, but use your time wisely to avoid unnecessary stress in the third semester.”
Prof. Dr. Benjamin Jung, Dean of Studies for the WiSo faculty, and the student representatives for the department WISO (Fachschaft) were also involved in the preparations for the pilot project.
“We received very valuable feedback and positive responses from students in advance. That’s why I am convinced that this form of digital support will provide real benefits for them. Above all, with this pilot project, we want to send the message: We care and want to help prevent small problems from turning into bigger ones,” says Prof. Dr. Jung.
If the system proves successful, the pilot project could be extended to all Hohenheim bachelor's degree programs in the future.
Text: Leonhardmair
