News Overview

COVID-19: Current information about teaching and exams

Since 3 November, teaching and examination activities are only allowed to a limited extent in presence at TU Graz:

• Courses: Only those parts, for which students have to use local infrastructure (e.g. laboratory materials), are allowed to take place on-site.
• On-site examinations are only permitted if there is no digital alternative. In addition, special safety and hygiene regulations for decentrally organised on-site examinations must be followed.
• Drawing studios, learning centres, libraries: Special opening hours and occupancy rates apply.

Teaching regulations from 3 November in detail: www.tugraz.at/go/teaching-3November2020

General safety and hygiene measures according to TU Graz traffic light: www.tugraz.at/go/coronavirus

As usual, you will receive further updates by e-mail!

Key Competencies Certificate: New offer for students

Since the current winter semester, students at TU Graz can acquire a certificate for key competencies. This gives students the opportunity to combine the wide range of elective subjects in the field of languages and key competencies. A total of four tracks of basic and advanced modules with 16 ECTS points per module can be completed:

• Entrepreneurial acting and thinking
• Science, Technology and Society
• Gender and Diversity Management
• Languages

At the end you can get a certificate that can be used for your CV. All details can be found in the intranet TU4U.

Review: “Project fund for teaching” 2020

In summer 2020, the "Project Fund for Teaching" was announced for the first time. With the introduction of the fund at TU Graz, an incentive was created to set new accents in one' s own teaching with purpose-bound investments. In addition, it became apparent in spring 2020 that the COVID-related changeover to virtual teaching units would require a much higher resource requirement. The aim was to provide financial support for selected course concepts.

Details on the previous call for proposals and in particular on the 13 winners of the first call for proposals can be found in the intranet TU4U.

Stay up to date: The next call for proposals is scheduled for spring 2021!

Current: The TELucation website

Are you already familiar with the new TELucation website of TU Graz? "TEL" stands for Technology Enhanced Learning, i.e. all teaching and learning formats that are supported and expanded in a technologically meaningful way.

The TELucation website is the digital version of the TELucation folder, which is available at selected events at TU Graz. The collected knowledge about technology-supported teaching is stored there. The articles contain practical tips and tricks on Big Blue Button, testing with the TeachCenter and much more.

This way to the website: https://telucation.tugraz.at/

Information about the winter semester 2020/21 for teaching staff

Right on time for the start of the new semester the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Stefan Vorbach, informs you about relevant news out of the field of teaching:

• Excellent teaching
• Service information
• Study law and organization
• Events
• Follow-up: 2nd “Long Night against Procrastination”

You can find the “Teaching and Learning News” in the intranet TU4U as well as all valid information about teaching and exam operations in winter semester.

Information about the winter semester 2020/21 for students

With the start of the winter semester, Stefan Vorbach, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, simultaneously informs about a wide range of news and offers for students in the field of teaching:

• Excellent teaching & Key Competences
• Study law and organization
• Service information
• Events
• Follow-up: 2nd “Long Night against Procrastination”

Among other things, you will receive information about the new certificate for key competencies, the extension of the graduation scholarship, the new offer of psychosocial counselling at TU Graz or also about graduation advice. The "Teaching and Learning News" can be found in TU4U and in your e-mail inbox. Further information on teaching and examinations in the current winter semester is also available in TU4U.

REMUS scholarships for female students of Mechanical Engineering

Together with TU Graz, REMUS again awards five stipends to talented and motivated female students in the field of Mechanical Engineering (two Bachelor’s Stipends, three Master’s Stipends). The stipends are granted for a timespan up to two years.

Benefits:

• 4000 € per year for Bachelor students
• 8000 € per year for Master students
• Paid internship at REMUS

Deadline for submission: 31 October 2020. For conditions of participation and requirements see http://www.tugraz.at/go/stipends-remus.

COVID-19: Current information about teaching and exams

The page in TU4U with all information about teaching and examinations in the current winter semester has been updated. Teachers can now find, among other things, introductory slides for courses with the most important information for students as well as a compact overview of the effects of the individual traffic light colors on teaching.

Also relevant:

• Traffic light status of TU Graz
• Information: Central Reporting Office and Contact Tracing (TU4U, in German)
• Employees: Reporting COVID-19 suspected cases or cases of illness (PDF)
• Students: Reporting COVID-19 suspected cases or cases of illness (PDF)

COVID-19: Information about academic affairs in winter semester 20/21

Common hygiene and distance regulations remain in place in the coming semester. In teaching, this has a particular effect on the available room capacities. In on-site courses with many participants, usually only a small number of students can be present. Support has been prepared for this:

• Planning attendances in winter semester (in German)

In addition, TU Graz reacts to changing traffic light colours of the nationwide Corona traffic lights. Some regulations, such as the maximum occupancy rate of lecture halls, seminar rooms and laboratories, must be observed at all times for green, yellow and orange. Details of the different operating modes can be found in TU4U (in German), the traffic light status for TU Graz, which is updated weekly, can be found at www.tugraz.at/go/coronavirus.

“LEHR-Stammtisch” and Workshop: Institutional support for teaching excellence

In cooperation with OeAd and uniko workshops on learning and teaching at Austrian universities will be held at three universities in 2020. At TU Graz, the focus will lie on institutional support and incentive systems for teaching excellence on 23 September.

Highlights of the day include a lecture by Lewis Purser of the Irish University Association and breakout sessions on the topics:

• Feedback instruments (University of Graz)
• From emergency remote teaching to creative and accessible education (Advance HE, UK)
• Incentives in teaching (TU Graz)

Following that, the teachers’ discussion group (LEHR-Stammtisch) takes place.

Programme of 23 September:
Workshop: 10 am – 2 pm
Teachers’ discussion group: 2 pm – 4 pm

Details and registration: Registration website

Reading rooms are reopened again

All reading rooms, the foyer and group rooms are open again since August 31: Working and learning areas on all floors of the main library open from 9 am to 3 pm, the foyer from 8 am to 8 pm.

You can use the group rooms of the main and the subject library Inffeld by prior reservation. Up to four people are allowed per room at the same time. Go to the circulation desk or contact the respective library branch by phone or email for your reservation.

To ensure that all working and learning areas of the library remain open, please continue to follow distance and hygiene regulations. Disinfectants are available in every reading room, so you are able to disinfect your work space on your own. In addition to that, you have to fill the attendance list on-site with your arrival and departure time.

Call: Submission for Eramus+ KA2 Strategic Partnerships

You can submit applications for Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships to the EU until 10-29. Funding is available for projects that help equip education systems to meet the challenges posed by the shift to online and distance learning.

Topic: "Digital education" (as a reaction to the COVID-19 situation) and how this can be implemented pedagogically at university

Maximum grant amount: € 300.000 for projects with a duration of 24 months

Project duration: 12 - 24 months

Deadline for submission: 29 October 2020, 12.00

For narrower information please contact Mag. Kordula Fabiani of International Office – Welcome Center (+43 316 873 6415, kordula.fabianinoSpam@tugraz.at). Details about the call can be found on the Website of OeAD (in German).

COVID-19: Information  about teaching operations

Summer semester 2020

Teaching and examination operations remain primarily digital. Further easing of the restrictions:

• From 31 August: Oral on-site courses up to approx. 30 participants are possible again after approval; all buildings are open again (incl. drawing studios, learning and reading areas); excursions (also within the framework of courses) are possible again
• From 31 August: Higher capacities in lecture halls, see TU Graz cloud or TUGRAZonline
• Details in the intranet TU4U

Winter semester 2020/21

• Digital first at courses and exams: limited spatial resources remain upright
• Hygiene rules and safety distances remain upright
• Details in the intranet TU4U

Information and advice: www.tugraz.at/go/coronavirus