German University Legalese

Germans pride themselves on their legalese. They believe that they can exactly write down how to deal with all situations that could arise, so everyone can breathe easier and just follow the rules.

The posting today is in German, I apologize for that. But it is a puzzle - can any of my readers understand what they are supposed to do here as teachers? It is part of the bachelor examination rules (which consist of 246 pages).

BA-Prüfungsordnung der Universität Freiburg 
§ 10 Schriftliche Prüfungen im Antwortwahlverfahren (Multiple-Choice-Aufgaben)

(1) Schriftliche Prüfungen in Form von Klausuren können ganz oder teilweise auch in der Weise abgenommen werden, dass der Prüfling anzugeben hat, welche der mit den Prüfungsfragen vorgelegten Antworten er für zutreffend hält (Aufgaben nach dem Antwortwahlverfahren). Die Prüfungsaufgaben müssen sich auf den Lehrstoff des jeweiligen Moduls beziehen und zuverlässige Prüfungsergebnisse ermöglichen. Es sind jeweils allen Prüflingen dieselben Prüfungsaufgaben zu stellen. Bei der Erstellung der Prüfungsfragen durch mindestens zwei Prüfer/Prüferinnen gemäß § 25 ist festzulegen, welche Antworten als richtig anerkannt werden; dabei ist darauf zu achten, dass keine fehlerhaften Prüfungsaufgaben ausgegeben werden. Die Prüfungsaufgaben sind von den Prüfern/Prüferinnen vor der Feststellung des Prüfungsergebnisses nochmals darauf zu überprüfen, ob sie gemessen an den Anforderungen des Satzes 2 offensichtlich fehlerhaft sind. Ergibt diese Überprüfung, dass einzelne Prüfungsaufgaben offensichtlich fehlerhaft sind, dürfen diese bei der Feststellung des Prüfungsergebnisses nicht berücksichtigt werden. Die Anzahl der Prüfungsaufgaben verringert sich entsprechend. Bei der Bewertung der Klausur gemäß Satz 1 ist von der verringerten Anzahl der Prüfungsaufgaben auszugehen. Die Verringerung der Anzahl der Prüfungsaufgaben darf sich nicht zum Nachteil eines Prüflings auswirken. Eine Prüfungsaufgabe ist insbesondere dann offensichtlich fehlerhaft, wenn sie bereits ihrem Wortlaut nach unverständlich, widersprüchlich oder mehrdeutig ist oder wenn die nach dem Lösungsvorschlag als zutreffend anzukreuzende Antwort in Wahrheit falsch ist.
(2) Klausuren gemäß Absatz 1 Satz 1, die aus Einfachauswahlaufgaben (genau einer von insgesamt n Antwortvorschlägen ist zutreffend) bestehen, sind bestanden, wenn der Prüfling insgesamt mindestens 60 Prozent der gestellten Prüfungsfragen zutreffend beantwortet hat oder wenn der Anteil der vom Prüfling zutreffend beantworteten Fragen nicht mehr als 20 Prozent unter den durchschnittlichen Prüfungsleistungen der Prüflinge der jeweiligen Modulprüfung liegt. Hat der Prüfling die für das Bestehen der Klausur - 727 - gemäß Satz 1 erforderliche Mindestzahl zutreffend beantworteter Prüfungsfragen erreicht, so lautet die Note „sehr gut“, wenn er mindestens 75 Prozent, „gut“, wenn er mindestens 50 Prozent, jedoch weniger als 75 Prozent, „befriedigend“, wenn er mindestens 25 Prozent, jedoch weniger als 50 Prozent, „ausreichend“, wenn er keine oder weniger als 25 Prozent der darüber hinaus gestellten Prüfungsfragen zutreffend beantwortet hat.

(3) Für Klausuren gemäß Absatz 1 Satz 1, die aus Mehrfachauswahlaufgaben (eine unbekannte Anzahl x, die zwischen null und n liegt, von insgesamt n Antwortvorschlägen ist zutreffend) bestehen, gelten die Regelungen des Absatzes 2 mit der Maßgabe, dass statt des Verhältnisses der zutreffend beantworteten Prüfungsfragen zur Gesamtzahl der Prüfungsfragen das Verhältnis der vom Prüfling erreichten Summe der Rohpunkte zur erreichbaren Höchstleistung maßgeblich ist. Je Mehrfachauswahlaufgabe wird dabei eine Bewertungszahl festgelegt, die der Anzahl der Antwortvorschläge (n) entspricht und die mit einem Gewichtungsfaktor für die einzelne Mehrfachauswahlaufgabe multipliziert werden kann. Der Prüfling erhält für eine Mehrfachauswahlaufgabe eine Grundwertung, die bei vollständiger Übereinstimmung der vom Prüfling ausgewählten Antwortvorschläge mit den als zutreffend anerkannten Antworten der Bewertungszahl entspricht. Für jede Übereinstimmung zwischen einem vom Prüfling ausgewählten beziehungsweise nicht ausgewählten Antwortvorschlag und einer als zutreffend beziehungsweise als nicht zutreffend anerkannten Antwort wird ein Punkt für die Grundwertung vergeben. Wird ein als zutreffend anerkannter Antwortvorschlag vom Prüfling nicht ausgewählt oder wird ein nicht als zutreffend anerkannter Antwortvorschlag vom Prüfling ausgewählt, wird jeweils ein Minuspunkt für die Grundwertung vergeben; die Grundwertung einer Frage kann null Punkte jedoch nicht unterschreiten. Die Rohpunkte errechnen sich aus der Grundwertung multipliziert mit dem jeweiligen Gewichtungsfaktor der Mehrfachauswahlaufgabe. Die insgesamt erreichbare Höchstleistung errechnet sich aus der Summe der Produkte aller Bewertungszahlen mit dem jeweiligen Gewichtungsfaktor aller Mehrfachauswahlaufgaben.
[...]

Extra credit: How many lawyers wrote how many days on this? Answers in the comments section, please.

Back to being "just" professor

Last Monday I stepped down as dean. The details are messy, and I will only communicate them to people orally. Let's just say that the top administration at this school finds it more important to follow perceived protocols than to keep the place running. I was treated in such a disrespectful manner about a supposed fault on my part (I am, and have since been independently determined to be, innocent) that I could not continue as dean.

So I've moved my stuff back up to my office. Sorted my toys. Pitched a lot of stuff on top of already teetering piles. Dusted a few year's worth of dust off the surfaces. Hooked up my laptop and started to work.

Do real work. I spent the afternoon researching for the lecture I'm giving next week. Not the one for tomorrow, next week. I could afford to experiment with something, throw something out, get down into the topic, get a good feel for now understanding it.

This feels very, very good.

Fire Alarm

It was just before the fifth block Thursday afternoon, I was in the dean's office speaking with a colleague when a horn sounded. Now, they've been putting in new alarms all the time and there are alarms sounding off every now and then. But it was coming out of a thingy on the wall that I had heard spoken of as the fire alarm.

I checked the door, opened it, and the alarm was louder outside and still on. So I quickly called to my secretary: fire alarm! and made the colleague leave with me. Teachers were standing outside their doors scratching their heads, I called out that everyone was to leave, fire alarm.

I did go back for my coat on account of it snowing, and shooed people out to the stairwell, down and out. Students spilled outside - and we wondered where to go? The inner quad or next to the fence? I marched off to the guard's room, to ask what was up. A colleague was there, pushing buttons on the fire alarm central thingy. I asked the guard if it was a false alarm, she said she didn't know, she couldn't reach the head janitor and she didn't know what to do with all the buttons.

The colleague said: all okay, you can go back in now. I asked if there was going to be an all clear signal. He said no, you can just go back in now. I walked back, meeting the head janitor on the way, he, too said: you can go back in.

The teachers were standing outside with their groups of students (most of whom seemed to be smoking). What if I told them to go back in and there really was a fire? We always had an all-clear signal in the US!

I did tell everyone to go back in, and then I wrote a letter to the chancellor requesting that we have some more guidance on what to do in case of fire, more training of the guards, and an all-clear signal.

The response, in my inbox this morning: We have a fire regulation and you are responsible for making everyone in your area aware of it. Typical German. We have a regulation for that. Find it.

So I googled it (our search system on our web page sucks) and found one from 2006 with the old name of the school. It defines the fire alarm to be 30 seconds of alarm followed by 30 seconds off followed by 30 seconds on. 30 seconds? That's forever! And that's not the continuous signal we heard! That is defined to be the stolen-beamer-sound. And indeed there is no all-clear signal. It also demands of us to gather at the posted gathering areas. No idea where that is.

I've suggested that we update the fire regulation to include the new name of the school, fix the alarms, make students and teachers aware of it EVERY SEMESTER and have fire drills once a year. That is, let's take fire safety seriously and not just cover our backsides by having a policy 99% of the people at school are unaware that we have.

What a novel idea....

From the Department of Advanced Sillyness

We have new rules at school. Everything that cost more than 50 € has to have an inventory sticker put on it. A big sticker, printed with ink that rubs off quickly. The one on my laptop has long since worn off.

I got three today. Two are for camera pens I bought. There's not enough surface area on the pens to stick the suckers, and that would rather hamper using the little buttons to turn them on and off.

The third is the kicker. It is for the E-Learning-Unit-license that we purchased. We've learned to order a CD for all software so that we have someplace for the sticker. But an E-Learning unit is just bits.

I complained on Twitter, a friend had just the solution: A QR-code. So I typed the text into the window, generated an image, and put that on the page that links to the E-Learning-Unit (for which we promised to make no copies for ourself).

I now look forward to someone wanting to see the code. I've been here 10 years and have never had to show anything on an inventory list to anyone.

The Dead Tree Collection

I was visiting someone at the university I used to work for 20 years ago today. After our lunch date I had about an hour to kill before I had to get to my next appointment. As I passed the library I decided to pop in. I had always liked sitting there, reading the current magazines and chancing on fascinating books.

The lockers seem to be the same ones ... the sofas seem to be the same ones ... the books seem to be the same. I head back to the department having books in my field. Oh yes, I remember when this was new, and this one, and this one. 1991. 1992. 1995.

I look for the collection of books on the topic I will be teaching this semester, Cryptography. Oh yes, a few books here. Let's see: "Datensicherung durch Chiffrierung". 1979. Okaaaay. "Contemporary Cryptography": One version from 1992, one from 2005 by different authors. Ah, here's a gem: "Cryptology and the Personal Computer with Programming in Basic". 1986. Pages and pages of BASIC code to implement a Caesar code.

The oldest book was from 1961. There were 3 books from 2008, the next oldest were from 2005.

I sometimes try and tell my students that there are things called "books" that are bits of dead tree with ink on them that keep information around for years. But today I realized that even though it is nice to have this stuff around for reference, a library is no good if it is not kept current. *My* collection of cryptography books is more recent than this.

I assume that this is because the government slashed funding for universities, or because someone thought everything is on the Internet anyhow anymore.

But it's sad - this dead tree collection, with an empty rack where the new acquisitions used to be displayed, is not a place where a person would want to spend time. It is just too depressing.

A room full of girls!

We have a new program that is starting this fall, a women's program in computing and business. We managed to get it set up (with the official permission to open the program coming the day before we started, published on official document 42/09, how fitting!) and had 130 women apply! There are 40 positions and 40 women matriculated - women from 18 to over 40.

We are doing an orientation week with them - luckily in a room with a working beamer and since Friday with a working Internet connection. They were really scared Thursday, but Friday I saw little groups chattering away, new friendships in the making.

Coming to the room Friday afternoon to set up the beamer for the business teacher, two painters were walking towards me. "Did you see that?" the one asked of the other. "There was a room full of girls back there!"

Indeed, a room full of girls is not the norm at an engineering college. I hope to be able to report a successful graduation of all 40 in three years time!

The new campus

The past two days have been the grand opening of our new campus, right on the water in Oberschöneweide. The weather has been horrible - heavy rains and quite windy.

The papers write of a "modern place to study" (all news to be found here), and indeed, there are some highlights here. The Spreehalle includes a lunch hall with large windows out to the Spree, a coffee bar, a new library with many places to work, and some engineering labs. I took a tour of some of the labs - some have new equipment, others have just moved their older equipment down here. For example, they have a cleanroom for doing work in micro- and nano-sized areas. There is a terrace stuffed will all sorts of solar panels. And there are many rooms full of oscilloscopes and such.

There are two "modern" lecture theaters in the complex - two beamers installed! But the seating is your normal, cramped rows with fold-down tables, and no electrical outlets. What are they thinking?

Speaking of electricity - our labs still can't be opened, because we don't have the wiring or the electricity. I still have the specifications we submitted in 2003 - we noted that we needed 42 additional outlets for electricity and 21 for Ethernet, on account of having 21 computers on 21 tables in the rooms. I even drew diagrams showing how the tables were to be arranged. But no, there is only electricity along one wall, and just a few outlets. We have been screaming about this for months, but there is just so much else to do, it seems. At least I spotted an electrician yesterday - putting in Ethernet. Maybe they'll work all weekend...

The dirt is indescribable. They did a "final cleaning" in August - but have been working through September. Desks and chairs are covered with plaster dust, the floors are occasionally mopped, but that just smears the plaster around.

There are modern visualizers and beamers in every lecture hall - but they don't work. I was giving tours to colleagues, and only one out of three halls had functioning connections. This will be interesting.

There is a chalkboard in the rooms for mathematics instruction - but no water for wiping them. We threw out all of the chalk prior to moving, because we though we didn't have any of these, so we have to get some sorted out pronto.

There are no chairs in the hallways, no bulletin boards, no nice pictures on the walls, no garbage cans in the lecture halls or labs - these things can hopefully be fixed!

Instruction begins Monday - I think we will need oral lectures and paper-and-pencil labs for the first few weeks.....

School's out!

Well, I still have a pile of exercises to grade and final grades to calculate and enter into the system and my desk to pack. But it's over!

I had the final class with my Master's seminar. I have taught these students for 5 years, I was the one who greeted them on the first day, I taught them programming and software engineering (in English!), some did E-Learning with me and other odd courses. Last semester we did Talk Presentation together (in English!) and this semester, in parallel with them writing their theses, we did a seminar.

We had an all-day writing workshop today, the final day of class. They have a few more weeks to hand in, but this is the end of classes. I was so proud to be reading the texts that they had written on such varied topics and to see what a great job they are doing.

We roped a younger semester into taking a picture of them and me after the last class, and then we went for coffee and cake down at the cafe on the river. We spoke a bit about their studies. Was it worth it? YES! V. noted that they had learned to deal with complicated material, get it sorted out and solved. Indeed, this was exactly what they were to learn. They laughed at all the hard work (writing complete sentences!) I made them do during the years. And yes, I was right, it was very important for them.

It will be fun seeing how they go on now in life - what kind of jobs will they get, will they be different than the ones from their Bachelor program who went into industry?

We just have to

Our program moved into temporary quarters at the new campus this semester and we have been watching the construction site closely. They ripped out the lovely Japanese garden and are putting in a stone terrace...

Anyway, the only way out of our building is through the courtyard. There is another door, but it is in one of the labs. This means everyone coming in and out of the building would have to tramp through the lab. Not to speak of the dirt they truck in, but I imagine this would be like teaching at the main train stations. At least there would not be PA announcements every few minutes.

The building department had asked us if they could do this in September. We said flat out "NO!" and suggested that they organize something so that we can enter the building during the semester. Like postpone this work until February.

Yesterday I wanted to get to the building, on account of having class there. But there was a fence in my way. I just grabbed and pushed it - and got yelled at by some workman. I should go around. Sure. I went around, but could not get to the building.

So I got on the phone and started to complain. How are we to teach in the middle of the semester when we can't set foot in the building? Was anyone informed of this? Why can't we be given notice so we can plan for alternatives?

This morning the guy in charge of overseeing the construction was there. He normally works in another location. I don't comprehend how you can oversee a construction site by telepathy. He needs to be on location, every day, and talk with everyone. And think ahead, with a goal of keeping the university running.

He walked around with me and said: we have to open this emergency door. I tried to explain why it would not work, and he answered in his normal, insolent manner, just shrugging it off. There are lots of lecture rooms available.

I blew my stack. You cannot conduct a LAB that needs MACHINES in a lecture hall! And the lecture halls are booked out for certain time slots, so we have to have lectures in our tiny seminar room. He needs to help figure out how we can keep teaching during the construction. "Oh," he says. "There are lots of electrical cables here." YES. We don't have wireless electricity yet. I stormed out and went to call our administrative assistant and have him sort something out.

I collected up my students, found a warm corner with some electricity, and we worked on our laptops. Got an email from the VP secretary for me to call. I went to my office and called, thinking that he was going to help us. Noooo, he wanted to tell me to not scream at the guy responsible for construction. I managed not to scream at the VP, but told him in no uncertain terms that he needed to get something done and to tell this guy to not be so damn insolent.

We agreed to have the construction stop in front of the door, have the fence put back, and close up Friday and Monday, giving us some time to organize something. But as we worked I watched the digger dig its way towards the building. Just before noon - when folks were storming from the lectures to the labs, they dug out the last way to enter the building, cutting the cable for the security system in the process.

One colleague moved his 4 hour class to a lab that is open for the next 2 hours. One colleague did move to a lecture hall because half his students had laptops. But in 2 hours the next group would show up, and all hell would ensue.

I called the VP again, incensed. He agreed to come down and have a look. He did, and just shrugged - there is nothing we can do now, we'll have to open up the emergency exit in the lab and have everyone truck through.

So they managed to get what they wanted, thoroughly disrupting our last two weeks of intensive instruction before Christmas. And we get to make do again. How on earth will the massive move next year go, if so much chaos ensues for such a small thing. I asked the VP that, and he answered: Oh, the construction will be done by then.

He really does not understand that we have to PLAN so that things work right, not just let things happen and then react.

Fume.

No longer a minority

One of our departments has moved into the 21st century and hired two women as professors, an engineer and a businesswoman. They both gave a talk on their research this evening, and invited the faculty to a glass of champagne afterwards.

Our faculty is not the most famous for showing up at things like this - there have been presentations at which the audience consisted of the dean only. But tonight there were two women from other faculties present, and a good number of members of their department. As I counted through I realized that we were 5 women in the room and 6 men - and I didn't feel like I was a member of a minority.

We had a great discussion after each talk, and some nice small talk around the champagne. This is how I think it should be at university - we don't just bicker about money or rooms or chairs with each other, but we also talk about what we are doing research on.

And my students today were on their best behavior after my eruption last week. They were prepared, quiet, and asked tons of questions. I would love to have days like this at least once a week - if that is not too much to ask.