Announcing courses

Current legislation and the Statutes of the University of Vienna require instructors to announce their course in the electronic course directory U:FIND of the University. The deadlines for providing course information in U:FIND is January 15 (for summer semesters) and July 1 (for winter semesters). Please provide this information (or update the existing info) by sending it to Renate FAULAND.

This video (in German only) introduces you to how this can be done using U:SPACE for teachers portal. The following information about the course should be provided:

• Language
  Courses could be offered in German or English only. If the course language is only English, this must be announced in the course directory before the start of the registration period. It is possible to conduct courses announced as German-only in English provided that ALL students agree; if a single student is openly against, the course must be held in German. Language(s) of the exam must correspond to those of the course and must be announced in the course directory (VVZ) before start of the registration period
• Course goals, methods of instruction and assessment
  Describe the major topics and/or the intended learning outcomes as course goals. Identify and describe precisely examination topics - this information is essential when the students are getting ready for the exams! Describe how the typical classes look like (lectures, seminars, paper presentations, practical exercises, excursions, etc) and explain which activities (assignments, exercises, presentations, etc) will be relevant for the final grade.
  In case of courses with continuous assessment (prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltungen, pi-LV), you also need to describe partial achievements (Teilleistungen). There should be at least two partial achievements (attendance is NOT counted as an achievement); homework, active participation, practical exercises, lab reports or assignments all count as partial achievements. The type and contribution of such partial achievements to the final grade, assessment criteria and code of conduct are determined exclusively by you, the course instructor, but they should all be clearly defined and communicated to the students in the course directory before the start of the course registration period.
• Assessment criteria and grading scale
  It is the responsibility of the course instructor to establish, document and assess students' performance according to the specific assessment criteria. These include the examination topics, form of the assessment (test, exam, presentation, lab report, project portfolio, etc), which partial achievements must be fulfilled and to what extent, how partial achievements contribute to the final grade and so on. You should indicate the minimal requirements for the positive grade and define the grading scale (Notenskala, or Notenschlüssel) and/or the assessment rubric. (NB: achievements below 50% cannot get a positive grade and MUST be graded as "not sufficient" ("nicht genügend"). Contact your SPL in case of doubts).
  Assessment criteria and grading scale can be regularly revised, but must not be changed during the semester or for the student cohort registered for a particular semester (all exams, including those delivered in the following semester, must have the same assessment criteria and grading scale).
• Attendance rules
  For courses without continuous assessment (nicht-prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltungen, npi-LV), the attendance is not compulsory; students cannot be penalized for no-show.
  For courses with continuous assessment (prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltungen, pi-LV), rules of attendance should be clearly defined in the course directory before start of the registration period. Typically, attendance of the first unit (orientation meeting, Vorbesprechung) is compulsory. Excusable absences and the maximal days of absence must be clarified in the course directory; explain what happens if this number is exceeded. Absences for medical reasons (such as accidents, long disease, quarantine, etc) are typically excusable and lead to de-registration from the course (even after the de-registration deadline) with no negative consequences for the student.
  NB: please notice that attendance itself cannot be a partial achievement - it is only a pre-requisite for achieving the learning objectives of the course!
• Code of conduct
  Your course- and exam-specific rules and code of conduct as well as the (legal and reasonable) consequences of their breaking must be clearly communicated to the students in the course directory prior to the course start date. These rule could include wearing personal protective equipment, following laboratory safety procedures, etc. Rules for joint work (e.g., working in groups) should also be explained. Allowed and non-allowed aids and rules for the exams must be announced well in advance. This includes rules for "open-book" and digital exams, ghostwriting, collusion, accepting aid from third parties, usage of internet resources, etc. Consider repeating these rules in the Moodle and on the exam cover page!
  Notice, that plagiarism (also during the exams) is defined in the University Law (§§ 19 and 51) as well as in the Statutes of the University of Vienna and is expressly forbidden at all times!
• Examination topics
  Describe here the list of topics and knowledge you will test in the exam. Stating here "materials covered in the course" is neither specific nor very helpful. Remember that this information is essential when the students are getting ready for the exams!

Keep the U:FIND information about your course as well as your current email, phone and office hours. You may do so by logging into the electronic course directory U:FIND or the U:SPACE for teachers portal. You can (and should) regularly update information in the course directory, but avoid changing the rules during the semester. During the semester, do NOT delete existing information, but indicate necessary corrections using "UPDATE (date): ... " format.