Examinations

Examinations with Dr. Ralf Vollbrecht

As examiners, we meet students from different study programmes who may be subject to different and, in some cases, older examination regulations (depending on the start of their studies). For this reason, please inform yourself first in the examination regulations that apply to you. This will already answer many questions.

Module examinations

For formal questions (not regarding content) about exams or grades, please refer to the Office.

Oral interim or final examinations

Registration

Many examiners are overloaded with work. The registration period stipulated in the examination regulations does not guarantee that you will be able to get an examination date for an oral examination directly after the (usually) two weeks. Therefore, please plan long-term for your oral examination.

As a rule, I do not take exams during the lecture-free periods. During the lecture period, examination dates are offered every month. You will be sure to get a date at the latest in the final week of lectures.

Please come to the office hours well in advance to arrange a date, for April and October dates, preferably during the lecture period of the previous semester (i.e. in January or July). Bring along the registration form (Examination Office) for signature. If you have collected a signature, it can no longer be forgotten (and, for example, become a deadline trap during the holiday period). An initial consultation can only be effective during office hours. Focusing on a topic can then also be done via Email.

Selecting a topic

Think about which topics you would like to choose beforehand. If you would like to be examined by me, one of the topics must be related to media education. It doesn't matter if your proposed topics are still very imprecise. We will discuss this during the office hours and I will make suggestions to e.g. narrow or expand the topics. Choose topics that are easy to define. For an examination interview, a 'small' topic or subject area that you are thoroughly familiar with is more suitable than a large one with too little structure. The critical inclusion of empirical studies is recommended as well.

Examination procedure

The exams take place in my office (WEB 242c). Unless otherwise agreed, I will organise the assessor. You may bring me a keyword list for the examination (not before) (max. half a page per topic plus literature list). You may also formulate theses (this is more time-consuming). The keywords can concern any aspects of the topic in no particular order: important terms, theses, theories, an empirical study, etc. The purpose of the keyword list is for me to identify during the examination how we have discussed the topic and what you have prepared yourself for. After all, the purpose of the exam is not to demonstrate what you do not know (which would always be an easy exercise for examiners, no matter how good you are), but to enable you to show your skills in an area you have chosen and prepared. However, do not expect me to work through your keyword list perhaps eventually following the order given.

In the exam you can briefly introduce the respective topic. Do not prepare a presentation. This is mainly to help you overcome the normal initial nervousness of an exam situation (if you have it at all) and get started talking. You can imagine the interview as if you were invited to a panel discussion as a pedagogical expert. In the role of moderator and audience, I will ask wise, naïve, and provocative questions, which will at best lead to a stimulating discussion. 15 minutes per topic may seem like a long time to you beforehand - in this situation you will wonder how quickly this time passes.

Written academic papers (interim or final papers such as State Examination theses or Bachelor's and Master's theses)

There are no comparable scheduling problems here, as these papers are submitted to the Examination Office (STEX: Office). To discuss a topic, you may simply come to the office hours. Bring along the registration form (from the Examination Office) for signature. We will then discuss the topic and the structure of the work and formulate the title for the registration form. If you would like to change the title later, you will need a signed declaration of consent from me for the Examination Office.

If you have problems with content, do not hesitate to come to the office. Any revised structure should also be discussed with me. Smaller questions (which can essentially be answered with yes or no) can also be sent via e-mail - this does not make sense for complex questions.

I am happy to help you find a topic. However, here too you should be able to specify an idea or at least a preference for a special subject area. I generally accept media education topics, but I reserve the right to do so for topics from other pedagogical sub-disciplines.

Assessment periods

Please note that at certain times - in particular due to the application deadlines for the Referendariat - the workload for reviewers is particularly high because many papers are submitted at about the same time. In individual cases this can lead to delays in the assessment - likewise during the usual holiday periods (and if both are cumulated in August). Therefore, please take into account these imponderables and register and submit your paper well in advance.

Please refrain from making enquiries during the assessment period.