Open Courses

Do you teach at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and would like to open a regular course to students from other faculties and degree programmes? On this page you will find all information on "Open courses" in the "Interdisciplinary course programme".

Anmeldung »Geöffnete Lehrveranstaltungen« für das Wintersemester 2024/25

Die Anmeldung von »Geöffneten Lehrveranstaltungen« für das Wintersemester 2024/25 ist nicht mehr möglich. Für das Sommersemester 2025 können »Akademische Bauhaus.Module« zwischen dem 6. Januar und 14. Februar 2025 angemeldet werden. 

How is the interdisciplinary programme at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar structured?

The "Interdisciplinary courses" at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar are aimed at students from various faculties and degree programmes. It is made up of regular compulsory courses that are open to all faculties and degree programmes, as well as additional interdisciplinary courses.

The "Interdisciplinary courses" are divided into three categories. We distinguish between

  • "Open courses",
  • "Academic Bauhaus.modules" and
  • "Student Bauhaus.modules".


Detailed information on the distinction between "Open courses", "Academic Bauhaus.modules" and "Student Bauhaus.modules" can be found here

1. What are "open courses"?

"Open courses" are a regular part of the curriculum of the respective degree programme for which the lecturer offering the course is originally employed. They are also open to students from other faculties and degree programmes.

What does this mean?

The diverse range of courses offers many points of contact across faculty and degree programme boundaries. For example, the basics of ‘Mechanics’ are not only of interest to students of civil and environmental engineering, but can also support the realisation of work in art and design. Similarly, ‘sociology’ is an indispensable foundation not only for students of cultural and media studies, but also for architecture and urban studies.

"Open courses" are therefore generally disciplinary programmes that are aimed at two target groups:

  • Students on the relevant degree programme take part in the course as part of their compulsory curriculum. This means that the recognition of study and examination achievements within their degree programme can take place without any problems.
  • Students from other faculties and degree programmes take part in the course outside their compulsory curriculum. This means that they must clarify the recognition of study and examination achievements in their degree programme with the relevant academic advisor at the start of the course.

"Open courses" are therefore thematically, methodically and didactically tailored to specific degree programmes and assigned to a specific faculty.This distinguishes them from the "Bauhaus.modules": these are not regular courses, but additional courses designed across degree programmes and faculties.

2. Is my course suitable as an "open course"?

Academic teaching staff, i.e. professors and academic or artistic staff, can decide whether and how they would like to participate in the "Interdisciplinary Course Programme" at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. They can open up their compulsory courses to students from other faculties and degree programmes, i.e. participate with an "open course". However, they can also offer additional cross-faculty and cross-programme courses, i.e. "Academic Bauhaus.modules". But what are the advantages and disadvantages of deciding in favour of one format or the other?

QUICK INFO

  • If you want the students of the degree programmes for which you are originally working to be able to attend the course without any problems and have their achievements recognised, then you should opt for an "open course".
  • If you want all participants to have the same conditions of participation because your course deals with a decidedly interdisciplinary topic, then you should opt for an "Academic Bauhaus.module".
DETAIL INFORMATION
»open courses«»Academic Bauhaus.modules«
Open courses’ are a regular part of the curriculum of the respective degree programme for which you are the original lecturer. They are also open to students from other faculties and degree programmes.‘Academic Bauhaus.modules’ are designed as additional cross-faculty and cross-degree programme courses and are therefore not a regular part of the compulsory curriculum.

‘Open courses’ are a regular component in the compulsory, compulsory elective or elective area for students of the respective degree programme for which the teacher is originally employed.

‘Open courses’ are booked for students of other faculties and degree programmes in the additional area and can be recognised in the elective area. Recognition in the compulsory or compulsory elective area can be checked by the responsible academic advisor. It is recommended that a prior agreement is made regarding subsequent recognition and, if necessary, recorded in a learning agreement.

Coursework completed in an ‘Academic Bauhaus.module’ is recorded in the additional area and can be recognised in the elective area. Recognition in the compulsory or compulsory elective area can be checked by the responsible academic advisor. To this end, students are advised to make a prior agreement on subsequent recognition and, if necessary, to record this in a learning agreement.

‘Open courses’ are organised like regular courses of the degree programme or degree programmes for which you are originally working: 

  • As usual, the Bison entries are created by your professorship, department or faculty. 
  • The course is given a faculty-specific course and examination number. 
  • The faculty-specific course and examination registration procedures apply. 

The following also applies: 

  • Your course must be registered with the Coordination of Interdisciplinary Courses (UE). 
  • Your course must be listed in the ‘Bison’ course catalogue in the ‘Interdisciplinary courses’ section as ‘Open courses’ and advertised on the ‘Bauhaus.Module’ website.
  • In the Bison entry, the item ‘All degree programmes’ is added in addition to the degree programmes for which you are originally active. 
  • In the Bison entry, a paragraph is added under ‘Target group’ that lists all study levels (Bachelor, Master and/or doctorate) and faculties (Architecture and Urbanism, Building and Environment, Art and Design and/or Media) for which you wish to open your course. This entry is based on the information you provided in the enrolment form (see above). 
  • In addition, the currently valid Learning Agreement is linked, which enables students from other faculties and degree programmes to consult their respective subject advisors and make arrangements for the recognition of credit points. 

‘Academic Bauhaus Module’ are subject to uniform organisational rules and are supervised by the Coordination of Interdisciplinary Courses (University Development). 

  • Your course must be registered with the Coordination of the Interdisciplinary Teaching Programme (UE). 
  • Based on this information, we will create a Bison entry for you.
  • The course will be given an overarching course and examination number. 
  • Standardised deadlines apply for course and examination registration.
  • You will receive all information on registration and admissions for your course from us. 

Additionally applies: 

  • No specific degree programmes are assigned, only the position ‘all degree programmes’. 
  • In the Bison entry, a paragraph is added under ‘Target group’ that lists all study levels (Bachelor, Master and/or Doctorate) and faculties (Architecture and Urbanism, Building and Environment, Art and Design and/or Media) for which you wish to open your course. This entry is based on the information you provided in the enrolment form (see above). 
  • In addition, the currently valid Learning Agreement is linked, which enables students to consult their respective subject advisors and make arrangements for the recognition of credits. 
The teaching load of the responsible teacher is credited in accordance with the faculty's internal regulations.Crediting to the teaching load of the responsible lecturer takes place in accordance with the faculty's internal regulations. Please clarify with your programme director and/or faculty management whether you can count additional interdisciplinary courses towards your teaching load.
3. How do I register for "open courses"?

To open your regular course to students from other faculties and degree programmes, you must register it as an "open course". To do this, fill out an online form so that the Coordination of Interdisciplinary Teaching Programmes (University Development) receives all the necessary information to assign your course accordingly. 

This includes:

  • Title and module coordinator: What is the title and who offers this module? 
  • Information on the target group: For which study levels (Bachelor, Master, PhD) and for which faculties (AU, BU, KG, M) should the course be opened? 
  • Short texts: What short text should be used to advertise the course on the "Bauhaus.Module" website as "Open courses"? 


This information allows the coordination of the "Interdisciplinary courses",

  • find the corresponding entry in the course catalogue bison
  • assign this entry in the structure tree to the heading "Open courses" within the ‘Interdisciplinary courses’,
  • add the entry "all degree programmes" under degree programmes 
  • formulate the information on the target group
  • link the Learning Agreement and 
  • advertise the entry on the "Bauhaus.module" website as "Open courses".
4. What needs to be considered when preparing for the event?

As soon as you have registered your course via the online form, it will be listed in the structure tree of the bison course catalogue under the heading "Interdisciplinary courses" as "Open courses" and advertised on the "Bauhaus.module" website. You have already submitted the necessary information on the target group and suitable short texts in the online form. 

What should I look out for in the bison entry? 

The information in the bison course catalogue forms the central basis for interested students to decide whether or not to register for an "open course". In addition, the respective academic counselling services also decide on the recognition of credits based on this information. 

When formulating the bison entry, make sure that both interested students and academic counsellors can find all the information they need. In the regular courses offered at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, very specific conventions have developed in the various faculties and degree programmes that may not be familiar to members of other faculties and degree programmes.

The following information is particularly important:

  • How do you register for the course? Does the entry clearly state by when interested students must register with whom and using which procedure in order to take part in the course?
  • Is the information on skills acquisition and learning objectives complete? Do the respective student counselling services have all the information they need to decide whether to recognise elective, compulsory or compulsory courses? 
  • Is the information on the transcript of records complete? Can interested students find out which examination is required (written exam, essay, artwork, learning portfolio, etc.) and the expected length (90 minutes, 7,500 words, etc.)? 
5. What is a "Learning Agreement"?

Ideally, the participants in your ‘open course’ should be made up of two groups: Students from the respective degree programmes for which you are the original lecturer, and students from other faculties and degree programmes. While the booking and recognition of credits for the first group is usually possible without any problems, students in the second group must clarify the recognition of examination credits in their curriculum with the relevant academic advisor at the start of the course. In this context, the respective student counselling service can request the conclusion of a "Learning Agreement"

The "Learning Agreement" is a written preliminary agreement between the responsible academic counselling service, the students and the module coordinators. As a rule, the students concerned will approach you if they need your support in concluding a learning agreement. In most cases, all they need is a signature; the document remains in the student's possession. 

You can support students with the recognition of credits across degree programmes and faculties by 

  • inform students from other faculties and degree programmes in your course at the beginning of the semester that they must consult their academic advisors to check the recognition of credits in their curriculum and, if necessary, conclude a "Learning Agreement’" and 
  • sign the "Learning Agreements" if the students concerned ask you to do so. 
6. What needs to be considered during the transfer of benefits?

For regular courses, the "grade lists" with all details of the credits earned and the grade or testa are sent by the lecturers to the secretariats or the authorised persons of the respective faculty so that they can be recorded in the POS examination management system and recognised in the compulsory curriculum. 

There is a special feature of "open courses", as the participants (can) be made up of two different groups: 

  • Students of the respective degree programme take part in the course as part of their compulsory curriculum. For these students, the booking and recognition of credits is carried out as usual by your secretariat or the authorised persons in your faculty. This assumes that the students have duly registered for the examination. 
  • Students from other faculties and degree programmes take part in the course outside their compulsory curriculum. As a rule, these students cannot register for the examination in a course that is not assigned to their degree programme. Accordingly, it is not possible for your secretary's office or the authorised persons in your faculty to enter the grades. However, the Examinations Office, which is regularly responsible for you as a teacher, has the necessary rights. 

It is therefore advisable to set up the grade list in two parts: 

  • The students of the respective degree programme for which you are regularly working are regularly listed (with surname, first name, matriculation number, credits, grade or certificate). This enables your secretary's office or the authorised persons in your faculty to see immediately which credits they can record and recognise.
  • Students from other faculties and degree programmes are highlighted. In addition to surname, first name, matriculation number, credits and grade or certificate, it is helpful to specify the degree programme and the relevant examination regulations. The latter can be found in the registration list in bison. In this way, the examination office responsible for you can immediately recognise which credits can be booked separately. (Recognition is then carried out in a separate step by the examination office responsible for the respective student).
Zeitachse für das Sommersemester 2025

06.01.–14.02.2025
Online-Anmeldung von »Geöffneten Lehrveranstaltungen« für das Sommersemester 2025

01.03.2025
Freischaltung des Veranstaltungsverzeichnisses bison

03.03.2025
Veröffentlichung der Veranstaltungen auf der Website »Bauhaus.Module«

01.04.2025
Beginn des Sommersemesters 2025

Contact Persons

Ronny Schüler
Coordination "Bauhaus.Module"
Tel.: +49 (0) 36 43/58 12 63
E-Mail: bauhaus.module@uni-weimar.de