How can exams with over 150 exam candidates be held without putting the health of students and teachers at risk? This was the challenge the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar faced in the 2020 summer semester. It soon became clear that the university's rooms could not provide the required minimum distance of 1.50 metres. However, a suitable alternative was quickly found in agreement with the City of Weimar: »The Weimarhalle has sufficient space, is close to public transportation, and has a modern ventilation system, allowing in-person exams to be carried out without any health risks«, explains Prof. Uwe Plank-Wiedenbeck, Dean of Civil Engineering. 

Due to the specific format of classical engineering science courses, digital examinations could not be carried out in a legally secure way, unlike other courses this semester at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar which were able to rely on digital exams. To solve this issue, Prof. Plank-Wiedenbeck made the resourceful decision to rent the Weimarhalle from the end of July to the beginning of August for the upcoming exam phase. »This solution allows our students to complete this extraordinary semester without being put at a disadvantage and it allows students to continue their studies within the standard study period«, adds Prof. Plank-Wiedenbeck. In addition to the Faculty of Civil Engineering, the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Studies also used the spacious rooms of the Weimarhalle – especially for the exams in the core subjects of architectural studies, as well as the Faculty of Media, the departments of Computer Science of Media, Media Management and Media Studies.

Digital and classroom teaching go hand in hand

On a smaller scale, in-person exams, especially those that involve defending final projects, were also done on-site at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Thanks to the good weather, some of these were even done outside. This ensured sufficient ventilation, made it easier to adhere to social distancing requirements, and also made it possible to perform presentations in front of a few spectators. 

»Individual solutions are being found for those who can't take part in in-person exams«, assures Prof. Plank-Wiedenbeck. Taking the pandemic into consideration, the university is, overall, being as flexible as possible. And it will stay this way during the 2020 winter semester: »Together we've discovered the strengths and drawbacks of digital teaching. The task for the upcoming winter semester is to find the right balance of digital and traditional teaching formats as far as possible. On the one hand, this means using successfully proven digital formats, such as lectures in virtual spaces with up to 100 students, and on the other hand, maintaining important personal contact between lecturers and students, for instance with in-person exercises and small group tutorials. In this way, we are going to make successful studies possible«, explains Prof. Dr Christian Koch, Vice-President of Student and Academic Affairs.