Entry into Studies
Studying made easy
Have you just enrolled in an Informatics, Information Systems, or Informatics Teacher Education program at KIT? Then you are at the right place! Welcome to the entry page of the Faculty of Computer Science. Our goal is to prepare you for the organizational ups and downs of your studies and to make you fit for the galaxy of computer science studies. To this end, we present a few tips and courses that should make your start a little easier. Sounds good? Then grab your notepad and let's go!
For many students, when they start their studies, a completely new chapter in their lives begins. With the start of your studies you will enter a completely new world that differs in many aspects from school and previous experiences.
In order to prepare you for a smooth start to your studies, we have listed some tips and offers here. Below you will find important information about the first semester and offers before the actual start of the lecture, such as the orientation phase and the preparatory courses.
Further assistance for the study location Karlsruhe.
The first semesters of the course are generally firmly pre-structured, so it happens that at the beginning you hear the same lectures with almost all fellow students.
In the first semesters, the foundations for further studies are laid. That means you are introduced to computer science or higher mathematics. This leads to a very theoretic start, which as a new student can come as a surprise.
The programming module is also offered as a counterpart to the theoretical modules. This teaches the basic knowledge of the Java programming language.
The lectures include attending tutorials and working on exercise sheets, which experience has shown to be very time-consuming in the first semester.
In summary, in the first semesters you learn to fundamentally display a different way of working and thinking than, for example, a high school student, with whom you can successfully tackle complicated problems.
In the preparatory courses, knowledge from school is refreshed and, in some cases, an insight into the subjects of the course is given.
There are math preparatory courses (also an online course), programming preparatory courses, math supporting courses (during the semester) and a math bridging course.
The courses are well structured and are recommended by us to every new student before and during the semester.
"The math courses at the MINT-Kolleg helped me a lot because, in contrast to the lectures, you get applicable arithmetic methods and understandable explanations." (Mir haben die Mathekurse vom MINT-Kolleg sehr geholfen, weil man, im Gegensatz zu den Vorlesungen, anwendbare Rechenwege und verständliche Erklärungen kriegt.) – Informatics student at the KIT
Further information: MINT-Kolleg
What is the O-Phase?
- The orientation phase, or simply O-phase, is intended as an introduction to your studies. Here you will find all the important information about your studies and will be shown the campus by students from higher semesters.
- The participants can choose one of several O-phase groups in which they want to participate. The O-phase groups differ in their activities, so that there is a suitable group for everyone!
- The upcoming O-phase for the start of the winter semester 20/21 will primarily take place online and contain smaller offline events.
Why should I participate?
- The O-phase is the best place to get to know your new fellow students. The students you get to know here will usually accompany you through your entire study.
- There is always positive feedback, which describes the O-phase as essential as an introduction to the course and to find the future learning group.
- Presence is mandatory! (Just kidding, but it's worth being there!)
- There is a suitable group for everyone, so the fun is inevitable!
Do I have to register myself?
- For Informatics and Teacher Education (Informatik/Lehramt): No, you don't have to register. Just come to the announced lecture hall on the monday of the O-phase. You can read more information on the website of the Fachschaft and you will also receive a corresponding letter.
- For Information Systems (Wirtschaftsinformatik): The forum asks you to register in advance (https://erstsemester.forum-wi.de/).
Further information:
- For Informatics and Teacher Education (Informatik/Lehramt): https://o-phase.com/de/ws2021/
- For Information Systems (Wirtschaftsinformatik): https://erstsemester.forum-wi.de
Fachschaft Mathematik/Informatik (FSMI):
- The Fachschaft represents all students studying at the department of Informatics. It can be found in the basement of the Informatics building (Geb. 50.34, Raum -124).
- Website: https://www.fsmi.uni-karlsruhe.de/Fachschaft/
Forum Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI):
- The Forum WI is practically the personal Fachschaft for Information Systems at the KIT and is located in the collegiate building on the Kronenplatz (Geb. 05.20, Raum 3C-01).
- Website: https://www.forum-wi.de/
Offers of the Fachschaft:
The Fachschaft organizes the well-known O-phase and events, such as the owl-festival. It also offers online consultation hours, where you can get specific advice regarding your study or you can ask general questions about the Informatics / Information Systems course. An important part of the Fachschaft is also the sale of old exams and transcripts. Furthermore, the Fachschaft rents out the lockers in the Informatics building.
What is eezi?
The course eezi - an introduction to Informatics studies at the KIT (pronounced "easy") is aimed at newcomers to the Informatics department. This means that students specializing in Informatics, Information Systems and Informatics Teacher Education can take part in eezi.
eezi is a module that presents methodical approaches to the challenges of the course and gives the students tips for the first semester. These challenges include many common problems related to Informatics studies and within student life. On the one hand, organizational challenges are addressed, such as planning the course, on the other hand we want to discuss personal problems, e.g. stress during studies, and develop suitable solutions for these areas.
The aim is to have as much dialogue as possible with the freshmen in order to deal precisely with the personal problems, interests or questions of the new students.
The participants of eezi can expect interesting lectures on topics that can be helpful not only in Informatics but also in the general course of studies. Different topics, from time management to coping with stress, are covered. It is important to us that we respond precisely to the needs of the students so that questions are encouraged.
In the tutorials, we try to create a casual and relaxed atmosphere. It is therefore important to us not to be frontal teaching, but to interact with the students and to have frequent conversations and discussions. The main thing is that it doesn't get boring!
In addition, the tutor should be a contact person for personal problems that can be addressed outside or after the tutorial in a one-on-one conversation.
A tutor is a student from a higher semester who leads the tutorial and teaches the students the content of the module. In contrast to a teacher or professor, the tutor is closer to the student's experience, which promotes easier communication. In addition, the tutor serves as a mentor and contact person, who is the first point of contact for questions about the course or more personal problems, in order to support students individually. The tutor accompanies the students of the tutorial over the entire semester.
The eezi curriculum is divided into three lectures that are voluntary and five tutorials that take place every two to three weeks. The lectures are given by various KIT employees (including professors). The tutorials are led by students from higher semesters and are based on the material from the lecture, but supplement them with a lot of additional information. Hence, most of the material is taught in the tutorials.
In order to pass eezi and thus get the 1 ECTS point in the area of key qualifications, at least three of the five tutorials must be attended. In addition to the tutorials, there are five exercise sheets, all of which are to be handed in and assessed by the tutor (you can only pass/fail, the number of sheets is not particularly large). Furthermore, at the end of the semester, a consultation at the ISS must be attended, which is carried out individually and serves to answer questions about the course and to assess your study situation.
Registration for the module takes place via the campus portal. For the tutorials, a separate registration will be activated on the WiWi portal in the first week of the lecture. Here you can choose your eezi tutorial and other freshman tutorials by specifying your priorities. Exercise sheets are managed via the Ilias portal (see materials).
All materials used in the lectures, exercises and tutorials are made available via the Ilias system. This is also where the exercise sheets are distributed and collected. Each tutorial has its own Ilias course. The link to this course and the associated password will be published in the first tutorial.
Best Practices for the module "Programmieren"
This information event is offered every semester with the aim of giving all students at the Faculty of Informatics the best chances of success for the module Programmieren. This event is not only aimed at the first semester students of the faculty, but also at students who intend to successfully complete the module Programmieren in higher semesters.
For this purpose, a member of the tutorial team of the programming module will present so-called best practices for the course. These contain useful tricks for a goal-oriented way of working in this module and approaches to the technical as well as organizational tasks of the module. After these general suggestions, students have the opportunity to ask questions in a Q&A section to get answers and advice from the people present.
This will be followed by the Lernpartnerbörse, where students can be matched to learning groups and thus work together to overcome the challenges of the Programmieren module.
For the date of Programmieren Best Practices in the current semester, please see the calender for information events of the ISS.
Study partners as the key to study success
Study partners or even entire study groups contribute a great deal to personal success in studies. You can work on exercise sheets together, help each other with comprehension problems and motivate each other when the growing challenges threaten to overwhelm you. Therefore, it is essential to look for one or more study partners early in your studies and, in the best case, to keep them for further semesters. If you have difficulties finding such valuable learning partners, you can take a look at the ISS Lernpartnerbörse or the Mentoring support area.
The Lernpartnerbörse always takes place after the Programmieren Best Practices event and is open to any student of the Faculty of Informatics.
The team on Mentoring offers different services to promote social integration and to get help in finding study partners.
A detailed study plan is essential to start each semester well prepared.
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Detailed resources on counseling services and numerous points of contact.
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