UPDATE: Information regarding the coronavirus disease

Therefore, the following measures apply: 

1. Teaching 

1.1 Teaching shall continue in the form of digital teaching. 

1.2 Indispensable courses, final and project work that require special laboratory and work spaces at the university can be carried out in strict compliance with the applicable protection and hygiene regulations after prior approval by the faculty heads and ensuring tracking (registration). 

2. Examination mode

2.1 Subject to further regulations of the Bavarian State Government, examinations will be carried out as planned during the scheduled period. Please refer to the examination schedule of your degree program for more information.

2.2 Examinations will be held as face-to-face examinations, digitally or by other suitable meansin accordance with the examination schedule for your degree program. 

2.3 The strictest hygiene and safety measures apply during presence examinations.

• Entry to the campus is prohibited for persons under quarantine as well as for persons with symptoms of disease or with previous knowing contact with Corona infected persons (contact person 1) or with a suspected Corona infection.
• Masks are mandatory on campus and during exams. FFP2 masks are recommended. Please carry the masks with you. 
• Depending on the number of examination participants, the groups will be distributed among several lecture halls during face-to-face examinations.
• In addition to the lecture rooms at the Amberg Campus, the gym (Turnhalle) and at the Weiden Campus the canteen as well as rooms of the FOS/BOS Weiden will be used for the examinations. 
• The required distances between seats will be maintained. 
• The ventilation of the examination rooms is guaranteed. 
• Staying on the campus is only permitted directly for the time of the examination. Checks will be made for your safety. 
• Please arrive on campus in good time before the start of the examination.

2.4 Examinations which are not successfully taken in the winter semester 2020/2021 shall be deemed not to have been taken. In case of short-term illness, a medical certificate is not required. Deadlines for taking exams are extended until the summer semester 2021. 

Finally, two requests:
Adhere to the required guidelines on campus and off in the coming weeks with the pandemic in mind. We will do everything possible at the university to ensure that you can successfully complete the semester with your exams. 
And please feel free to contact us at any time if you have any questions. Regarding the exam process, your first point of contact is the exam committee chair of your department. Exam committee chairs are:

• Prof. Christopher Dietmaier, FK WIG
• Prof. Alfred Höß, FK EMI
• Prof. Robert Queitsch, FK MBUT
• Prof. Werner Prell, FK MBUT
• Prof. Ralf Krämer, FK BW / WEBIS

Update 27/11/2020 Lecture operation and further regulations from 28.11.2020

In view of the continuing high number of infections, the university management decided at its meeting on November 25, 2020 to continue the measures already taken. For the time being, all regulations will apply until Friday, January 22, 2021, and will apply across all locations, i.e. at the Amberg and Weiden Campus and at our Innovative Learning Centers.

1. Lectures

   Lectures will be continued in the form of digital teaching.
   Essential courses, final theses and project work that requires special infrastructure at the university, e.g. the use of laboratories or PC pools / computer rooms, can still be carried out after prior approval by the faculty management and ensuring tracking (registration).
   The Task Force Digital Teaching supports teachers and students.

2. Opening hours of Buildings
   Up to and including 23.12.2020 the previous closing times of the university will continue to apply. From 24.12.2020 up to and including 03.01.2021 the university buildings will be closed.

3. Libraries
   The library on the Amberg and Weiden campus will continue to be open for you until 22.12.2020 under the current regulations. From 23.12.2020 to 03.01.2021 the Library on the Amberg campus is closed and reopens on 04.01.2021. The Library on the Weiden campus is closed from 23.12.2020 to 06.01.2021 and reopens on 07.01.2021. Please refer to the corresponding notices and information on social media.

4. Exams
   The focus of our further planning is on the examinations at the end of the semester. You have already received information about the regulations, which we would like to use to avoid impairments and disadvantages caused by the corona situation for you, such as the stipulation that a module examination or module part examination that is not passed in the winter semester 2020 / 2021 is considered not to have been taken. We are planning to conduct most of the exams again in presence form in compliance with the necessary hygiene regulations. You will receive more detailed information on this.

Please feel free to contact my colleagues and myself directly if you have any questions. Also your representatives in the Student Convention and in the student councils will gladly receive your feedback and pass it on. Our common goal is to ensure that you can all complete a successful semester at our university, even under these special challenges.

I would like to thank you all on behalf of the entire university management with respect to our cooperation. I hope that we get through this challenging time well - as a university and also privately in the circle of our families and friends.

Best wishes, a nice Advent season and all the best for you and your loved ones

Prof. Dr. Andrea Klug
President OTH Amberg-Weiden

Update 29/10/2020 Lecture operation and further regulations from 02.11.2020

In view of the worrying development of the corona pandemic in our university region, but also throughout Bavaria and Germany, the university management has decided to take further measures. These measures are intended to protect all of us and we are thus making an important contribution as a university family to the necessary reduction in contacts.

All regulations apply from Monday, 02.11.2020 until Friday, 27.11.2020.
The regulations apply across all locations, i.e. on the Amberg and Weiden campuses and at our Innovative Learning Centers. 

1. Lectures
   Lectures will be converted to digital teaching. 
   Essential courses, final and project work with use of laboratories or PC pools / computer rooms etc. can be carried out after approval by the faculty management and ensuring follow-up (registration).
    
2. Libraries
   The two libraries in Amberg and Weiden will remain open for you until further notice. The regulations on the extended mask obligation continue to apply.
    
3. Examinations
   The focus of our further planning is on the regulation and organization of the examinations at the end of the semester. We already set the course for this yesterday in the university senate. The senate decided that the form and duration of the exams can again be adjusted and that a module exam or module part exam that is not passed in the winter semester 2020/2021 will be considered not to have been taken. These measures are intended to rule out impairments and disadvantages caused by the corona situation. You will receive more detailed information on this. 

Update 16/10/2020 Application of an extended hygiene concept

All regulations are uniform throughout the university.

Introduction of a traffic light system on the basis and in continuation of our hygiene concept as follows:

• Yellow: 7-day incidence with values from 35 to under 50: Valid hygiene concept of the OTH Amberg-Weiden
• Red: 7-day incidence with a value of 50 and above: Extension of the hygiene concept of the OTH Amberg Willows.

The assessment of the incidence of infection takes into account the local authorities in our immediate catchment area, i.e. the towns of Amberg and Weiden as well as the districts of Tirschenreuth, Neustadt an der Waldnaab and Amberg-Sulzbach and is based on the highest value of the 7-day incidence in each case.

For the current situation, this results in the application of an extended hygiene concept with the regulations already adopted last Friday, 09.10.2020. These are:

• mouth-nose-covering must be worn by all persons on the campus/campsites and in the buildings of the OTH Amberg-Weiden, including in attendance courses (both lecturers and students),
  • Exception: If one person is alone in a room, there is no obligation to wear a mask.
• Office rooms are always to be occupied by a maximum of one person. In rooms occupied by more than one person, or which in the case of workshops and laboratories must be occupied by two persons under occupational health and safety law, the rotation principle is applied in conjunction with the existing regulations on home offices, or masks must be worn by all persons present in the room.
• Meetings on site in the presence of several people in a room are only possible for indispensable reasons and are to be limited to the bare essentials.
• The regulations laid down in the hygiene and cleaning concept of the OTH Amberg-Weiden of 28.09.2020, for example for the use of teaching rooms (lecture halls, seminar rooms, laboratories, PC pools) are still valid.

Update 09/10/2020 Temporary mouth-nose-covering obligation

Due to the current development of coronavirus infection rates within our university region, the university orders a general mouth-nose-covering obligation. Both Tirschenreuth and Amberg have exceeded the so-called early warning value. The Amberg schools were instructed by general decree of the city of Amberg to introduce the compulsory wearing of masks during lessons. The university management agreed to this - without being in the discipline of the school hierarchy - and decided to take appropriate countermeasures in view of the current situation. The order is only to be understood as temporary, as long as the increased risk of infection persists

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Update 30/09/2020 Hygiene and cleaning concept

With the start of the 2020/2021 winter semester, the university's updated hygiene and cleaning concept will come into force on October 1.

The protection of all members of the university has top priority for us. Therefore, the specifications of our hygiene and cleaning concept must be observed.

Update 06/08/2020 Lecture-free period and start of lecture operation in winter semester 2020/2021:

Dear applicants and students,

Together as a university family, we have successfully mastered the challenges of the summer semester 2020, which is under the spell of the corona pandemic.

The university is currently working on the implementation of the general conditions for the coming winter semester 2020/2021, in which the health of our students and employees as well as a regulated course of studies is given the highest priority. On the basis of our hygiene concept, we will offer as much face-to-face teaching as possible under "corona conditions" in the winter semester, especially for our first semester students in 2020, in order to give you all a good start to the new phase of your studies.

We will start the winter semester 2020/2021 on 1 October as usual. In connection with this, we are planning to welcome our new students at the start of their studies on 1 and 2 October. On these two days there will be no classes for all students. We will provide you with more information on the organizational sequence of the welcome events on the campus in Amberg and Weiden in the coming weeks.

Lectures for students of all semesters will start on Monday, October 5th, 2020. Please note which courses will take place in attendance or online according to your individual timetable.

The Bachelor's programme "Physician Assistance - Arztassistenz" (Physician Assistant), which is subject to admission restrictions, will start with lectures - due to the admission procedure - on Monday, 19 October 2020 with an official welcome at the Campus in Weiden.

I wish you all a relaxing lecture-free period and, together with the entire university family, look forward to welcoming you to our university in the winter semester 2020/2021.

With best wishes for the summertime,

Prof. Dr. Andrea Klug
President OTH Amberg-Weiden

06.08.2020

Update 06/05/2020: Key points for attendance operation

The following regulations apply against the background of the enactment of a Second Bavarian Infection Prevention Measures Ordinance by the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care, in ongoing coordination with the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art and the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care, and with special consideration of the regional particularities of our university‘s location in a region particularly affected by the corona virus.

General information

The absolute priority in the corona pandemic at the OTH Amberg-Weiden is the protection of students and employees as part of its duty of care. The stay on the university campus in Amberg and Weiden is to be limited to the absolutely necessary extent in the sense of the contact restriction and the distance requirements for the primacy of infection protection. In this context, students shall not enter the university campus and buildings until immediately before the respective event (e.g. borrowing from the library) and then leave again immediately.

Since 27 April 2020, all persons on the university campus and in the buildings have been obliged to

. Students bring their own community masks. It is only possible to deviate from the obligation to wear masks if a minimum distance of 1.5 metres is ensured between individual persons in rooms or outdoors. Group formations are to be avoided.

1. Lectures and seminars in presence form

In the summer semester 2020 there will be no lectures or seminars in attendance until the end of the lecture period. Teaching will be provided via digital courses. This applies to all types of courses, e.g. also in the area of further education.

2. Attendance events in the laboratories

Classroom training for practical training in the laboratories and other facilities of the university is possible in a gradual increase and only in exceptional cases, if this is absolutely necessary to achieve the qualification goals. The possibility of alternative solutions such as postponement and the priority of alternative forms of events to be examined must always be verified. Priority is given to the protection of students and staff.

If attendance with students in laboratories and other facilities is absolutely necessary (especially laboratory internships), the following regulations must be observed:

From Tuesday, June 2, 2020 - subject to the further development of the pandemic - absolutely necessary work can be carried out in laboratories for bachelor or master theses. From Monday, June 15, 2020, further mandatory attendance events for practical training can take place inside or outside of the university - also according to the development.

In laboratories, a calculated usable area of at least 9 square metres per person is to be planned, so that there is a protective area of 1.5 metres in all directions to the next person. This results in the maximum number of persons who may be in a lecture or laboratory room at the same time. The distance regulations must be observed during laboratory practicals and when entering and leaving rooms.

All persons without exception are obliged to wear a mouth-nose cover when using the laboratory. Deviations from the obligation to wear a mouth-nose-cover can only be made if a minimum distance of 1.5 metres is ensured between individual persons in the room and outside (e.g. corridor) in all directions.

In laboratories, disposable towels must be kept available in addition to cleaning materials. Objects (work equipment, tools, etc.) are to be used in a personalised manner wherever possible. If this is not possible, cleaning must be carried out before each use by another person. Rooms and jointly used equipment (tools, experimental equipment, computer keyboards, door handles, etc.) must be cleaned regularly. To reduce the risk of smear infection, handle contacts must be minimized.

Regular ventilation must be ensured for all premises. The seats in lecture rooms and laboratories that are available for use must be marked in accordance with the distance regulation. In addition, the following applies:

• Frontal seating arrangements with a minimum distance of 1.5 metres to the neighbour, in all directions. This corresponds to a calculated usable area of 9 square metres per person.
• If necessary, division into several groups up to the implementation in a combination of attendance and digital operation.

The stay in the building or in the laboratory must be limited to the absolutely necessary extent. Students shall enter the university grounds and building only immediately before the respective event and leave it immediately afterwards.

The compliance with the mentioned hygiene regulations is the responsibility of the respective laboratory and event management.

3. Library

For the time being, as before, only the lending and advice of students is possible at the counter. A minimum distance of 1.5 m must also be maintained when accessing and staying in the library. This means that a calculated floor space of at least 9 square metres per person must be planned for the use of the lending desk. If the minimum distance of 1.5 m cannot be safely maintained during visits, everyone must wear a mouth and nose protector. The library is equipped with hand infection dispensers at the entrance.

In a next step, access to the reference collection and to the computers in the library for the purpose of writing a bachelor or master thesis under observation of the hygiene regulations is planned as stage 2. In the case of the implementation of stage 2, separate information will be provided.

4. Examinations

The aim of the university is to enable students to make successful progress in their studies, taking into account the measures currently required. All students are recommended to take the offered examinations in order to avoid a delay in their study progress.

4.1 Examination formats

For examinations, digital examination offers and alternative examination forms (e.g. term papers, web colloquia) are to be given priority. The Senate has made special regulations which create the necessary flexibility for the summer semester 2020 to adequately structure the examination situation.

4.2 Time limits and examination regulations

For the summer semester 2020, the examination boards can adapt the type and scope of examinations to the current situation. Examinations can also be taken in digital form.

Admission requirements can be adapted to the current situation or admissions can be made subject to the reservation of a later catch-up. For the summer semester 2020, the examination board may make deviations from the advance conditions of the study and examination regulations, which allow for further admission.

Deadlines for the obligatory repetition of an examination or for the first time taking an examination are extended ex officio until the end of the winter semester 2020/2021. In addition, the State Ministry of Science and the Arts intends to make a regulation regarding examination-related regular dates and deadlines, according to which regular dates and deadlines linked to the semester or standard period of study will be automatically postponed or extended.

A module examination not passed in the summer semester 2020 is considered not to have been taken (free examination attempt). Passed examinations can be repeated once during the regular examination period of the winter semester 2020/2021 in order to improve the grade, whereby the better examination result counts (this does not apply to final papers).

4.3 Implementation of attendance-based exams

For attendance-based exams, a distance regulation of 1.5 m or 9 sqm per person must be observed. Large rooms with the possibility of air exchange (e.g. gyms, halls) are preferred. Seats that are released for use must be marked. Even in the case of an examination, the stay on the university premises is to be limited to the absolutely necessary extent. For examinations, students shall enter the university grounds and buildings only immediately before the respective examination and leave them immediately afterwards. The formation of groups is to be avoided.

5. Practical study semester

The internship semester can be recognised in the summer semester 2020 upon application by the student even if up to 6 weeks are missing, provided that the educational goal is not impaired. Furthermore, in individual cases it can be approved that the practical study semester be replaced by an application-related project work in the social or scientific field.

Students who are unable to provide proof of admission to a higher semester in the summer semester 2020 (conditions of advancement) may be admitted to the higher semester upon application until proof of the practical semester is provided. In particular, the registration for the final thesis can be approved with reservation until proof of the practical semester, in deviation from the regulations in the respective study and examination regulations is provided.

Corresponding applications must be submitted to the study office, stating the reasons for the application. The decision is made by the respective examination board.

6. Computer use in PC pools

Computer use in the PC pools without supervision is not permitted until further notice. Students shall be granted online access to the computers as far as possible.

7. Other events

Events at the OTH Amberg-Weiden such as conferences, farewells for graduates or the presentation of the German scholarships (examples only) are not possible in attendance until further notice.

8. Canteen

The refectories and cafeterias in Amberg and Weiden will remain closed until further notice.

9. Other areas of movement

The stay on other movement areas of the university, e.g. inner courtyards or parking spaces, shall also be limited to the absolutely necessary extent. Students shall enter other movement areas only immediately before an event and leave them again immediately afterwards. The regulations concerning the obligation to wear masks also apply accordingly.

10. Home office and work time models

The regulations regarding home office and on confidence-based working hours will remain in place until revoked and will be adapted to the gradual opening of the university. If there are concerns in the context of the gradual opening of the university, e.g. in connection with events in laboratories, the order may be revoked at any time.

11. Hygiene regulations for compulsory attendence

Work is currently being carried out in parallel to the preparation and implementation of the hygiene, ventilation and room concept for the OTH Amberg-Weiden. Until then, the following must be observed:

• Distance of at least 1.5 m from other persons in all directions, corresponding to 9 sqm per person
• Wearing Community Masks
• Protection of particularly vulnerable persons
• Frequent hand washing and disinfection

University Management

06.05.2020

Update 24/04/2020: Library opening from 27.04.2020

Ladies and gentlemen, dear students,

As of 24 April 2020, the following regulations apply to our university library, to presence operation and to hygiene measures:

1. Regulations for the university library on the Amberg and Weiden campus

As of next Monday, 27 April 2020, we will, in a first step, make it possible for university members (not for external persons!) to borrow books in our university libraries in Amberg and Weiden while observing the hygiene regulations.

A minimum distance of 1.5 metres must be maintained between the library and the lending area. You will find appropriate markings in the waiting area as well as the possibility of disinfection at the entrance to the library. Ordered books are taken out of the reading room by the staff and lent to the users. The library must be informed in advance of the date and time of pick-up, the books will then be ready for collection. The counter area may only be entered by one user at a time upon request and with a mask. 
 

2. Regulations for presence operation at OTH Amberg-Weiden

Against the background of the applicable regulations and a step-by-step plan that is currently being coordinated, we regulate attendance at our university, which is located in a nationwide "Corona Hot Spot", as follows

• No classroom operation fort he time being until 11 May 2020, including courses, examinations and the use of laboratories or PC pools.
• In the summer semester 2020, digital courses will clearly continue to be given preference over face-to-face teaching. Classroom-based courses including attendance examinations should only be made possible from 11 May 2020if absolutely necessary, and this in stages. Further and more detailed regulations will follow.

3. Hygiene regulations

Hygiene regulations must be observed, in particular

• 1,5 m minimum distance
• Without exception, all persons on the university premises are obliged to wear a mouth-and-nose cover. Deviations from the obligation to wear a mouth-and-nose cover are only possible if a minimum distance of 1.5 metres between individual persons in rooms or outdoors is ensured
• Avoidance of group formations

From 27 April 2020, all persons entering the university must wear a protective mask.

The regulations apply in adherance to the decree of a Second Bavarian Infection Prevention Measures Ordinance by the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care on 16 April 2020, ongoing coordination with the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art, and with special consideration of the regional characteristics of our university location in a region particularly affected by the corona virus.

My thanks goes already to everybody for the good cooperation with regard to this challenging time and all your efforts in coping with it.

Kind regards and all the best

Prof. Dr. Andrea Klug
President
OTH Amberg-Weiden

Update 22/04/2020: Library opening from 27.04.2020

The libraries of the OTH Amberg-Weiden will reopening on Monday, 27.04.2020 from 10 - 14 o'clock for members of the university.

Only the lending area, which may only be entered by one person at a time, is accessible in compliance with the rules on distance.
As the reading room remains closed, please let us know your book requests in advance by email to the library that has the books in stock. Books in Amberg can be ordered in advance by mail to bibam@oth-aw.de, books in Weiden to bibwen@oth-aw.de.

You will be notified when the books are ready for collection.

Orders from other branches and interlibrary loan orders are not possible at the moment.

We are pleased to be able to offer you a loan service again.

Update 17/04/2020: Digital lectures and seminars

Dear students,

I would like to take the chance to welcome you all – first semester students and students in advanced semesters in our study programs – to the official start of the (online) lectures in the current summer term on April 20th 2020, with the prolongation for the present of digital teaching at our technical university because of the corona crisis.

Digital lectures and seminars

Since 16 March 2020, we have been supporting you in getting started with your studies and in your study progress via online teaching. In view of the current contact restrictions and restrictions in public life, we will continue to rely on digital services - until, hopefully, attendance in lectures will be possible again soon.

My request to you is that – as before – you take advantage of these offers.

Semester, lecture and examination times

I would like to inform you that in the meantime, in agreement with the university committees and the Student Convention of our university, the implementation of the framework conditions for the semester, lecture and examination times specified in the letter from Minister of State Bernd Sibler on 3 April 2020 has taken place. We have decided to end the lecture period on 11 July 2020 and to continue the examination period from 13 – 31 July 2020. The announcement of grades is scheduled for 7 August 2020. Further details are published here and at our homepage.

Examinations and deadlines

With regard to the handling of examination-related regulation dates and deadlines as well as the standard period of study, we expect a regulation by our ministry in the near future and we are currently preparing additional regulations for decision making in our committees, which are all aimed at supporting you in your study success during these challenging times. I will inform you promptly about the decisions made.

News

To ensure that you are always up to date, my request is that you keep up to date with our homepage www.oth-aw.de/informieren-und-entdecken/aktuelles/neuigkeiten/news/202004036116-informationen-zum-coronavirus/ and with news on your OTH mail address.

I wish you all the best for your studies! Let us continue to shape this semester, which is exceptional for all of us, with our dedicated joint efforts.

Thank you all sincerely!

Best regards,

Andrea Klug
President
OTH Amberg-Weiden

Update 03/04/2020: Summer semester 2020: Start of the lecture period on 20 April 2020

In a letter dated April 3, 2020, the Bavarian State Minister for Science and Art, Bernd Sibler, Member of the Bavarian State Parliament, sent further information to the Bavarian state universities on teaching activities in the current summer semester against the background of the corona crisis, which includes the following key statements:

1. Semester and lecture times

The semester times in the summer semester 2020 remain unchanged at all types of universities.

The lecture period in the summer semester 2020 starts on 20 April 2020 at all types of higher education institutions (note: according to the already existing regulations for the HAWs/THs). It is still possible to shorten the end of the lecture period, which has been postponed from 12 March 2020 to 7 August 2020 on the basis of the "Ordinance on the Lecture Period at Universities of Applied Sciences and on the Teaching Period at Universities of the Arts in the Summer Semester 2020".

2. Teaching

The universities should offer the courses scheduled for the summer semester as comprehensively as possible. This is primarily achieved by developing and implementing digital courses. All students are strongly recommended by the Ministry to take advantage of these offers. The planning for the summer semester 2020 should also take the following semester into consideration.

With regard to the obligation of the teaching staff to cooperate in digital offerings, reference is made to the StMWK (Bavarian State Ministry for Science and Art) letter of 31 March 2020, which states that every person obliged to teach has the obligation to cooperate in the fulfilment of the task incumbent on his or her university for the academic education of students.

With regard to the practical semesters, the StMWK points out that reasons for not being able to undertake ones practical semester caused by the corona pandemic may constitute "unjustifiable reasons". This should help to solve bottlenecks in the summer semester 2020.

3. Examinations

Examinations taken in the summer semester 2020 count. The universities are asked to clarify whether these examinations can be designed as free (additional) examination attempts or whether they can be repeated.

Nevertheless, all students are strongly recommended to take the offered examinations in order to avoid a delay in the progress of their studies.

It is suggested not to focus solely on digital examinations, but to clarify whether presence-based examinations can also be replaced by other forms of examination appropriate to the situation.

According to the StMWK, the implementation of digital examinations is permissible under higher education law, but this form of examination must be regulated in the examination regulations of the university. It is considered justifiable to specify a digital examination as an alternative examination form in a general examination regulation.

4.BAföG

As far as universities maintain their teaching activities by means of online offers, the following applies according to the current BAföG-legal decree: Students who receive BAföG benefits are obliged to use online offers to the same extent as normal teaching activities and to make use of them according to their possibilities and to continue their education in this way.

Students who are unable to provide all or any of the services planned due to the crisis should not suffer any disadvantages.

The university boards will deal with the individual framework conditions and their arrangement in a timely manner and you will receive further information.

In his letter, the Minister of State Sibler explicitly thanks everyone for the intensive preparations already underway and the short-term development of comprehensive alternative teaching concepts, with special emphasis on online teaching.

Your University Management

Update 30/03/2020: Taskforce Digital Teaching

Dear students,
Dear colleagues,

The containment of the corona pandemic continues to present us with challenges in maintaining university operations. We continue to pursue the strategy that our teaching staff use the time available to provide the best possible support for our students with the help of digital teaching methods.

In this context, a "Taskforce Digital Teaching" has taken up work at our university. The goals of the project team of about twenty members are in particular

• Supporting the transition from classroom teaching to online supported teaching
• Securing the teaching operation
• Selection and provision of suitable tools
• Design and creation of necessary system environments (hardware and software)
• Advice and training in digital teaching

The following initiatives have already been launched:

1. Control and guidance of communication

Functional e-mail addresses have been set up to communicate requirements and suggestions to the project team, e.g. questions about tools for preparing online content (anforderung@oth-aw.de) or as a contact point for suggestions, tips and best practices (vorschlag@oth-aw.de).

2. Preparation of an information channel

We will provide a central information medium through which you will find help with questions, e.g. tool recommendations or screen casts for handling.

3. Setting up web conference rooms

Within the framework of the university infrastructure, conference rooms are being prepared in which meetings in the university, e.g. committee meetings, can be held. Web conference rooms are also being set up for lecturers to interact with students.

4. Moodle consultation

A web conference room will be set up to provide support in using the Moodle learning management system. This is also where lecturers can find quick help in using Moodle.

The Taskforce Digital Teaching is committed to ensuring that our teaching is digitally supported. We are also working together with the faculties, the examination board, the study office and other institutions of the university to ensure that the summer semester 2020 is not disadvantageous for anyone. Further information will follow shortly.

Your university management

Update 19/03/2020: Regulation regarding the lecture-free period in the summer semester 2020

The Bavarian State Ministry for Science and Art has issued and published the "Regulation of the Lecture Period at Universities of Applied Sciences and on the Teaching Period at Universities of the Arts in the Summer Semester 2020" in the Bavarian Ministerialblatt of 13 March 2020 (BayMBl. 2020 No. 113, 2210-5-1-WK). The regulation became effective on 15 March 2020.

The Ministry of State subsequently provided information to the universities on 18 March 2020, and the concretisations are legally binding:

According to § 1 (Lecture period at the universities of applied sciences) the lecture period in the summer semester 2020 at the universities of applied sciences starts on 20 April 2020.

On the basis of the above-mentioned regulation, and in particular on the basis of the concretization of 18 March 2020 by the StMWK, the period up to 20 April is a "lecture-free time". Since this defined lecture-free period (as in "regular" academic years) does not represent a "semester break", (compulsory) courses can be held here in accordance with the study and examination regulations - but not with attendance. For this purpose, the OTH Amberg-Weiden offers digital courses at least until April 19, 2020. These will enable students to prepare individually during this time.

For reasons of equal opportunities, students must not and should not suffer any disadvantage overall. We want to and will ensure that courses relevant to the exams will still be available from 20.04.2020 or, if necessary, will be offered again.

With a view to studyability and, above all, for reasons of equal opportunities, we will set the examination dates in such a way that even those students who will only be able to access the courses in question after the regular start of lectures on 20 April 2020 will have an appropriate amount of time to prepare for the examinations in the summer semester 2020. The examination period will be coordinated within the University Management, the Extended University Management and with the Examination Committee.

All lecturers are once again requested to provide online offers as far as possible in order to conduct courses of the summer semester 2020 in digital form until 20.04.2020 and possibly beyond this date.

In any case, the OTH Amberg-Weiden strives to ensure an orderly course of studies for the students (including the dual students) in the summer semester 2020.

Office of student affairs closed

Dear students,
due to the current situation we would like to inform you that the office of student affairs at both locations will not be open until further notice.
For urgent matters, please contact us via telephone and email.
If you study in Weiden, please send your dissertations via mail or drop them in the mailbox in front of the library,
in Amberg, please continue to clarify the submission with the faculty.

We wish you all the best, stay healthy.
Your office of student affairs in Amberg and Weiden.

Update 18/03/2020: Temporary closure of the canteens and cafeterias of the Studentenwerk Oberfranken from March 18, 2020

The Studentenwerk Oberfranken has announced that the canteens and cafeterias on the Amberg and Weiden campuses will be closed from March 18, 2020 until further notice.

University management
18/03/2020

Update 17/03/2020: Temporary closure of the university's computer labs from 17 March 2020

In order to prevent students from infecting each other in the computer labs (PC pools) at the university, the computer labs at OTH Amberg-Weiden will remain closed until further notice.

Services that are only offered in the university network of the OTH Amberg-Weiden can still be used via VPN.

Instructions for use and, if necessary, setup can be found on the info page of the computer center (“Rechenzentrum“): www.oth-aw.de/informieren-und-entdecken/einrichtungen/rechenzentrum/vpn-zugang-zur-oth/

In justified exceptional cases, students can apply for access authorisations from the respective faculty administrations.

University Management,

17/03/2020

New opening hours study office (Studienbüro) Amberg and Weiden

Dear students,

on this occasion we would like to inform you that the study office at both locations will only be open from 10 to 11 a.m. daily until further notice. For urgent matters, please use the telephone and e-mail. Please send your dissertations at the Weiden location by mail or drop them in the mailbox outside of the library, in Amberg, please continue to clarify the submission with the faculty/dean’s office (Dekanat).

We wish you all the best, stay healthy,

Your study office in Amberg and Weiden

Update 13/03/2020: Closure of the library reading rooms to the public

In a letter dated 13 March 2020, the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art instructed that from 14 March 2020, all library reading rooms at Bavarian state universities will be closed to the public for the time being until 19 April 2020. The rest of the service will be maintained.

This instruction concerns the reading rooms of our libraries on campus in Amberg and Weiden.

Information on online access, electronic media, etc., which will remain available and can be used, as well as further information on using the library during this period, will be provided soon.

Prof. Dr. Andrea Klug
President
OTH Amberg-Weiden

Update 12/03/2020

As already communicated on 10 March 2020, the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art has postponed the start of the attendance-based events of the summer semester 2020 at the Technical Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences from 16 March 2020 to 20 April 2020 with the aim of containing or slowing down the spread of the coronavirus. On 10 March 2020, we were instructed by the Ministry to discontinue classroom teaching with immediate effect. Other functions such as administration, research or libraries are to be maintained in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Science.

On 10 March 2020, we also received further information from the Ministry on the handling and immediate adaptation of the corresponding regulations for the lecture period by the State Ministry.

It is a top priority for the university management to inform you as early as possible how things will proceed. Our goal is to ensure that students can continue their studies despite the changed conditions.

1. Enrollment

Students are enrolled as of 16 March 2020 according to the certificate of enrolment. The StMWK (The Bavarian State Ministry for Science and Art) is currently working on solutions for related challenges, such as BAföG.

2. Lectures

The postponement of the start of the lecture period by the Ministry of Science to 20 April 2020 means that classroom teaching and practical courses accompanying lectures may only be held from 20 April 2020 onwards. In the period from 16 March 2020 to 19 April 2020, however, teaching formats that do not require attendance, such as online lectures, can be carried out in order to distribute the workload as well as possible over the semester despite the current situation. Therefore the period 16 March 2020 to 19 April 2020 is not a lecture-free period. According to the current situation, the lecture period ends on 10 July 2020.

There are various possibilities for online offers, which are communicated to the lecturers in a later email. Further information on the procedure and format of the respective courses until 19 April 2020 or for the entire summer semester will be communicated to the students by the respective lecturers as soon as possible.

We are required by the ministry to complete the total teaching time planned for the summer semester 2020. Courses that cannot be held online must therefore be made up for. Additional dates after 20 April 2020 are reserved for a further e-mail.

3. Exams, project and final papers

As things stand at present, the examination period of the summer semester will remain as planned. The examination schedules will be drawn up in good time by the chairpersons of the examination commission.

Examination access to the examinations of the winter semester 2019/2020, which is granted by colleagues at the beginning of the summer semester, is in principle also possible before 20 April 2020. For this purpose, students and their respective lecturers agree on an individual appointment. Group appointments are not possible. However, it is recommended that the examination inspection be postponed until after 20 April 2020.

The topics for seminar and project work should be assigned by the respective lecturers, e.g. via e-mail. For the presentation of topics, online events are a good option. The otherwise usual kick-off event for projects may also only take place online until 20 April 2020.

Bachelor's and Master's theses including the assignment of new topics will continue as planned. The submission deadlines remain unaltered. The final theses will of course continue to be supervised - usually online, e.g. by e-mail or by telephone. The registration of new Bachelor and Master theses is also still possible. Final presentations of bachelor and master theses are possible, but no other students may attend these presentations in addition to the lecturer before 20 April 2020.

4. University internal meetings, committee meetings

University internal meetings may take place until further notice.

5. Events

Events for which students acquire credit points may not be held until 20 April 2020.

Courses outside of teaching with external participants and a small number of participants can also be held before 20 April 2020 in individual cases. These individual case decisions are reserved for the university management. The same applies to continuing education events with external participants.

The Girls' Day on 28 March 2020 is cancelled and no further major events are planned.

The library remains open until further notice.

In this currently very dynamic situation, the university management will continuously announce changes. We ask for your understanding and for your help in coping with the current situation as well as the circumstances.

Please follow the instructions and thus make an important contribution!

You are also welcome to contact my colleagues in the university management, the deans and myself personally.

6. University Facilities

In this currently very dynamic situation, the university management will continuously announce changes. We ask for your understanding and for your help in coping with the current situation as well as the circumstances.

Please follow the instructions and thus make an important contribution!

You are also welcome to contact my colleagues in the university management, the deans and myself personally.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alfred Höß
Vice President
OTH Amberg-Weiden

Recommendations of the OTH Amberg-Weiden for handling the coronavirus

The risk posed by COVID-19 to the health of the population in Germany is currently assessed as moderate by the responsible institutes and authorities (see www.rki.de). This assessment may change at short-notice in case of new findings. The university management is continuously monitoring the development and will update the catalogue of measures to be taken in the event of new findings.

We recommend that all members of the OTH Amberg-Weiden (i.e. all professors, lecturers, staff and especially students) who are abroad during the semester break or at present, visit the websites of the Robert Koch Institute, the WHO, the Federal Foreign Office  and the Federal Ministry of Health for up-to-date information. The Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety has also set up a telephone hotline (Tel. 0 91 31/ 68 08 51 01).

If the current situation in our region changes, we will inform you immediately via this page.

University Management, 10/3/2020

In connection with the current developments, the Crisis Committee of the Bavarian State Government adopted the following measures and findings (bullet points 1 - 3) for all Bavarian universities at its meeting on 1 March 2020:

1)Travel returnees from risk areas without symptoms

Adults who have been in a risk area (according to the Robert Koch Institute, risk areas are areas in which continued human-to-human transmission can be suspected) within the last 14 days and who do not show any symptoms of illness are not required to be excluded from work or service. However, in order to inform about the whereabouts, employees of the Free State of Bavaria are obliged to send an e-mail to gesundheit @ oth-aw . de immediately after their return; please put superiors in "CC".

If symptoms of the disease occur, those affected should stay at home and contact their family doctor or the SHI-accredited medical on-call service (telephone number 116 117). These employees should also immediately pass on the information by e-mail to gesundheit@oth-aw.de and put superiors in “CC”.

The university management of OTH AW specifies:

• Persons without disease symptoms
  Professors and staff members who do not suffer from symptoms of illness are asked to work from home during the 14-day incubation period, if possible in consultation with their supervisor.
  For lecturers, the regulations regarding the performance of teaching and presence at the university apply accordingly.
  Students are also requested to inform the university by email to gesundheit@oth-aw.de.
• Persons with disease symptoms
  Professors, lecturers, employees and students who already suffer from symptoms of illness (such as fever, muscle pain, diarrhoea, coughing, colds) and have had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient are asked to stay at home, contact their family doctor or the SHI-accredited on-call service (telephone number 116 117) immediately and, if necessary, inform their superior by telephone. Persons who have had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient within the last 14 days, even if they do not show any of the above symptoms, must contact their health office (telephone number 0921 / 728-228) immediately.
  
  If a COVID 19 infection is reported, supervisors should forward this information to gesundheit@oth-aw.de

2) Missions / Delegation visits

Business trips by employees of the Free State of Bavaria to risk areas will only be approved in accordance with the letter from the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art (status 2.3.2020) if there are compelling reasons for doing so.

The university management of OTH AW specifies:

• Please limit business air travel to the absolute minimum. Business trips in general - as far as possible - please switch to online meetings.
• If business trips to non-risk areas are not taken out of personal concern, any cancellation costs incurred cannot be refunded according to travel cost law principles. Please take this into account when booking.
• Please also consider the necessity of delegation visits to the campus: Delegation visits from risk areas defined by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI)are not permitted unless there are compelling reasons for them.

3) Events

The crisis management team recommends that all event organisers and local authorities should, with immediate effect, base their decisions on the risk assessment criteria of the Robert Koch Institute when deciding whether to hold major events. This may mean, for example, that a major event must also be cancelled or postponed.

The university management of OTH AW specifies:
Major events with more than 1,000 expected participants are not currently planned at OTH AW. Until further notice, the decision to cancel or postpone events is made by the employee who organizes the event and is responsible for it.

4) Students

Students who wish to begin or continue their studies at OTH Amberg-Weiden in the summer semester 2020 and who have been in a risk area for the last 14 days are asked by the university management of OTH Amberg-Weiden not to visit the university during the incubation period of 14 days. The affected students please send an email to gesundheit @ oth-aw . de

Course of studies
For students who have not been in a risk area during the 14-day incubation period, there are currently no restrictions on teaching activities. Professors and lecturers are required to provide all teaching material on Moodle.

Worst case scenario would be a confirmed Covid 19 case at our university. In this case the lectures should be changed to online meetings and practical courses should be made up for at a later date.

5) General hygiene recommendations

In order to keep infections as low as possible - also in view of the current wave of influenza – we ask that the following measures be observed:

• Pay attention to hand hygiene: Always wash your hands thoroughly.
• Please use disposable tissues only once and also for coughing and sneezing, alternatively: sneeze or cough into the crook of your arm.
• Please also note the more detailed hygiene tips from the Federal Centre for Health Education.