Studying and teaching

Positive test result

We would ask students who have tested positive for the coronavirus after taking part in an examination or face-to-face class to inform the person in charge of the examination or teaching session.

A red warning does not automatically mean that you have contracted Covid-19. It means that you have met someone who has registered a positive test in the app at some time in the last 14 days. Please get yourself tested as soon as possible. You are entitled to a test free of charge if you have received a warning that you have an increased risk of infection. At present, an antigen test is sufficient, also for those who have been fully vaccinated. You are allowed to attend classes and examinations once you have taken a test (in spite of the red warning).

Once you have taken a test in a test center, please deactivate the Corona Warn App, as otherwise you risk getting another warning in a few days’ time. You can deactivate the app by interrupting the Bluetooth connection.

The following shall apply to teaching in summer semester 2022, on the basis of the sixteenth Bavarian Regulation on Infection Prevention and Control Measures (16. BayIfSMV) of April 1, 2022 and the resolution passed by the Executive Board on 2 February 2022:

Face-to-face teaching will be the general rule for summer semester 2022. Accordingly, the 2G and 3G rules that have applied to date shall cease to apply with immediate effect. Despite the relaxation of certain measures, it remains clear that the pandemic is not over and it is important that our staff and students continue to feel safe in their places of work and study. FAU therefore urges you to act responsibly in your own interest and to be considerate of others at this time.

The following now applies to teaching (in addition to the general coronavirus hygiene guidance):

• Face-to-face teaching wherever possible.
• It must be ensured that students can continue to study their degree programs at all times (although not all classes may be available) despite individual or pandemic-related circumstances (such as quarantine, at-risk groups, travel restrictions)
• Although online courses that meet the highest educational quality standards may continue to be offered to complement face-to-face teaching, there is no entitlement to digital teaching.
• In all forms of teaching, supervising students and offering the opportunity for answering questions, interaction, support and general availability are essential and this applies in particular to online teaching.
• Transitioning to entirely video-based classes throughout the semester without additional on-campus interaction and support (for example blended learning) should be avoided. Face-to-face teaching should always be preferred to online teaching.

In the case of individual or general restrictions (quarantine, risk groups, travel restrictions etc.), content from obligatory classes without other options must be made available online to allow students to progress adequately through their degree program. Otherwise, the format that was announced for the class will apply (face-to-face, hybrid, additionally also online if the lecturer has arranged it).

If in certain specific instances it is not possible for adequate teaching to be provided online for a particular degree program, students must still be offered other options for continuing their studies (for example by making alterations to the degree program structure pursuant to the Coronavirus Regulations). If individual students have valid reasons preventing them from attending classes on campus for which there is not an adequate online alternative, they must still be offered other options for continuing their studies (for example by making alterations to their individual study plan).

The latest information concerning examinations is available from the Examinations Office website.

No exceptions are made to the obligation of regular attendance in teaching units for which attendance is compulsory in the event that a student has been ordered by the local health authorities to remain in quarantine (contact person) or isolation (infection).

It is irrelevant whether the student is to blame for the absence or not, and there are no exceptions for absences caused directly or indirectly by Covid. Whether or not the student is to blame for the absence, the fact remains that the learning outcome of the specific course for which attendance in person is necessary cannot be met without actually attending the classes. Accordingly, absences are only permitted to the extent stipulated in the relevant examination regulations (no matter the reason for them). If a student has too many absences, the lecturer may be able to offer substitute achievements up to a certain extent. If this is not possible, the student must repeat the teaching unit. There are no differences to the rules that applied to studying before the coronavirus pandemic in this respect.

All courses that are held in rooms operated by Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, including in the Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology and the pre-clinical laboratory at the department are subject to mandatory vaccination which applies to all health institutions (Section 20a IfSG). The 2G rule (vaccinated, recovered) applies regardless of whether the students are at the pre-clinical or clinical stage of their program.

All participants must meet the vaccination or recovery status stipulated in the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in Humans (Section 22a IfSG).

The following (minimum) requirements must be met in order to ensure the quality of digital education: high-quality online teaching which supports students in their learning and does not simply provide facts. It is important that online teaching includes structural elements which encourage interactive exchange and offer an opportunity to clarify questions. Students should be able to raise questions, either in regular drop-in consultation sessions (online or face-to-face) or in writing. Teaching staff must be available to students. Interactive exchange should be encouraged wherever possible. In a nutshell: teaching must always cater to students’ needs.

The general rule is that we have to find an appropriate balance between face-to-face and digital teaching. FAU still is a university which is geared to having students on campus, where digital media and digital teaching would normally be offered as an additional extra to discursive, interactive and co-constructive settings. As it is to be expected that students, in particular new students, will have even more heterogeneous learning needs as a result of the pandemic and the changes they experienced to learning at school and university, we should aim to offer them additional support and assistance in the guise of the digital learning options we have developed to date.

Since the legal amendment to the Bavarian Higher Education Act (BayHSchG) came into effect on August 1, 2020, followed by the amendment on December 23, 2021, the following has applied retrospectively to the standard duration of study and study deadlines, with effect from April 20, 2020:

Summer semester 2020, winter semester 2020/21, summer semester 2021 and winter semester 2021/22 shall not be considered study semesters (Fachsemester) in the context of the standard dates and deadlines stipulated in the examination regulations for the degree programs (Section 99 (1) BayHSchG). This means that the semester in question will not be considered when calculating the expiry of standard dates and deadlines and students will automatically be granted an extension. Students enrolled in summer semester 2020, winter semester 2020/2021, in summer semester 2021 or in winter semester 2021/2022 will have their standard duration of studies extended by one semester, provided they have not already had a deadline extended on the basis of this rule (Section 99 (2) of the Bavarian Higher Education Act (BayHSchG)).

This happens automatically and will be indicated accordingly on the certificate of enrollment and transcript of records. All that is included on your final academic record and your degree certificate is the date you sat your final examination (achieved the degree of XYZ on xx.yy.zzzz). It does not state the number of semesters you studied or whether or not you exceeded the standard duration of study.

More details on how this rule works and examples are given on the Examinations Office website.

The following shall apply in summer semester 2022 for international students from countries who are not allowed to enter or leave the country due to the pandemic, we must take care to ensure that all Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs in English can still be studied remotely. We are keen to ensure that international students who are not in Germany or the Nuremberg region can still study at FAU. For international students in other degree programs, the general regulations for summer semester 2022 will apply.

If you have any individual problems, please either contact your lecturer directly or the Student Advice and Career Service ibz@fau.de. Our colleagues will be happy to help you.

The coronavirus pandemic makes it hard to say in advance exactly what the entry regulations will be. We at FAU do not actively collect the latest information in this respect ourselves, we rely on the daily updates from the Federal government. Rules can always change at short notice, affecting individual countries or regions. We would recommend checking the German government’s websites listed below regularly to keep up to date with reliable information on which entry requirements currently apply.

Federal Foreign Office: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/coronavirus/2317268

Ministry of Health (also on topics such as coronavirus tests before entry etc.): https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/en/coronavirus/current-information-for-travellers.html

Federal Ministry of the Interior: https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/faqs/EN/topics/civil-protection/coronavirus/travel-restrictions-border-control/travel-restriction-border-control-list.html

Munich airport’s website offers a handy and up to date summary of everything to do with the rules and regulations for entering Bavaria: https://www.munich-airport.com/travelling-in-times-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-8395611

Visa applications: In a change to the rules valid over summer 2020, since September 11, 2020, international students no longer require proof for the German embassies that it is absolutely necessary for them to enter Germany. All they need is a letter of admission from the university. A letter of admission from a university is accepted by the German embassies as sufficient proof that the student has to attend classes in person, and they will process the visa application. This was confirmed by the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) after consultation with the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) in a letter to universities in Germany on April 26, 2021.

Due to the fact that there have been problems at certain embassies despite this official information, all students admitted to FAU can download a confirmation of obligation to attend the University in person in summer semester 2022 using their letter of admission and enrolled students can do so using their certificate of enrollment.

It continues to be important that students who are pregnant or breast feeding do not suffer any disadvantages as a result of the pandemic. We have to carefully weigh up the requirements of the degree program against legal requirements to protect the mother and her unborn child.

The Bavarian authorities (Gewerbeaufsichtsamt) responsible for ensuring maternity protection laws are adhered to at Bavarian universities have currently issued the following guidelines: the general prohibition of entry into university buildings has been lifted for pregnant students.

However, when in university buildings, pregnant students are obliged to wear a surgical mask or FFP2 mask.

They are allowed to use university services such as the libraries, computer rooms or study rooms without restriction. All restrictions regarding taking part in practical courses imposed in light of Covid-19 have now also been lifted. However, the restrictions on dealing with biological substances or hazardous substances stipulated in the Maternity Protection Act shall explicitly continue to apply. Any such activities must be included in the prescribed risk assessment.

If an examination cannot be taken in a digital format, pregnant students can still participate provided a separate room can be made available. Provided the minimum distance can be kept, several pregnant students may be seated in one room. Although masks must be worn when in buildings, they can be removed once seated. In all other instances, Section 4(4) Coronavirus Regulations shall apply, according to which the examiner can set an alternative examination date or arrange a change of examination format if so requested by the affected student and in consultation with the relevant Examinations Committee and the Dean of Studies.

It is still too risky for pregnant students to attend lectures in a lecture hall. Care should be taken to avoid large gatherings of people at all times. However, pregnant students should not incur any disadvantages as a result. Pregnant students are therefore asked to contact their lecturers in good time in order to discuss individual solutions for lectures and seminars. Teaching staff are required to offer these students alternative solutions that allow them to continue studying their degree programs.

Pregnant students are strongly encouraged to arrange a consultation with either Stefanie Rösch (Student Advice and Career Service) or the Family Service at FAU. Every consultation is treated in the strictest confidence. Stefanie Rösch (Student Advice and Career Service) is responsible for reporting the pregnancy to the supervisory authority for occupational safety.

Finally, we would like to stress that all students who are either pregnant or breast feeding are responsible for taking all other hygiene-related precautions to protect themselves and their child.

There are several legal issues concerning personal rights and data protection that you ought to take into account when offering hybrid teaching. The following handout lists the most important questions and answers on this topic.

Further information and helpful advice on the topic of hybrid teaching is also available on the Innovation in Learning Institute website.

The same regulations apply for attendance of online teaching as for attendance of regular face-to-face classes. Attendance cannot be made compulsory if the face-to-face class did not meet the legal requirements for this either.