Forms of instruction and learning

Seminars

In seminars students independently are confronted with topics specific to their academic fields. The experiences and methodical skills as well as the working techniques that are acquired during the seminar are to be applied to self-dependent scientific research. Therefore, the participants independently work on contributions of varying lenghts (presentations, seminar papers), present their findings in the seminar and offer them up for discussion. The seminars are also designed to handle complex questions. Emerging problems are discussed and evaluated by alternating between lecture and discussion by means of scientific methods. Research seminars enable advanced students to participate in special research projects.

Private Study

The private study serves to prepare students for exams and reinforce previous course work. It also serves to develop research skills and acquire basic and contextual knowledge.

Mentored Private Study

Optionally, the contents of certain modules (module S6 and one from K1-K5) can be compiled completely by means of private studying with a supervising mentor or E-Learning (see below). Private study is supervised by a mentor, and the results are reviewed by the mentor in a colloquium.

Excercises

Exercises serve to introduce certain topics. An instructor, who is in charge of the course, assigns tasks, controls the student's work and leads the discussion. Students practice skills and methods that are related to a specific field, answer execises, independently work on presentations and present those during the course.

E-Learning

Courses that are based on electronically provided working material (usually via the internet) use multimedia presentations. Students read material that is provided for them, they process footage, compile solutions to questions and send answers (during exams as well) to their examiners. The communication between students and teachers takes place via e-mail. Quod vide: General information on ILIAS learning platform ILIAS login Online Media Marburg University Learning units for private stud.

Seminar papers

Seminar papers are written accounts of confined topics that are independently chosen and compiled (after consultation with an instructor and through the use of scientific working technologies) by the student. In a limited period of time the students have to deal with a topic scientifically, and present it in written form with the aid of independently researched sources and secondary technical literature.

Colloquia

A colloquium serves to discuss scientific findings and to debate current research problems. Colloquia are forums for students and teachers to discuss the work associated with completing Master’s degrees and other research papers.

Internships

In this research orientated degree programme internships serve to sample acquired theoretical knowledge in research practices. Here, skills relevant for practical research are acquired. An internship includes the selection of the internship, the discovery-led activity and the composure of an internship report, which is regulated by the internship directives.