Coronavirus

The most effective measures for personal protection and to protect other people from infection are good cough and sneeze etiquette and keeping suspect persons away, supplemented by good hand hygiene. 

All people should observe the following individual precautions:

1. Wash your hands frequently with soap. Take the spaces between your fingers, thumb and fingertips into account. In particular, wash your hands if possible after coughing or sneezing or after cleaning your nose.
2. Avoid shaking hands.
3. Keep your distance from other people (about two meters), especially if they clearly have a cold.
4. Turn away from other people when you cough or sneeze. Cough or sneeze in the elbow, not in the hands.
5. Dispose of disposable handkerchiefs after single use.
6. Be careful not to touch your nose and face.

These hygiene rules are recommended by the Robert Koch Institute and the health authorities. Thorough hand washing (at least 20-30 seconds / sing Happy-Birthday twice) is strongly recommended by microbiologists. Please take this time. Since disinfectants are scarce on the market and are needed more urgently in clinics and medical practices, we have not set up disinfectant dispensers everywhere in our facilities.

In the interest of all members of the university, we request that all persons (students, guests, employees) who have been in the currently affected risk areas in the past two weeks do not enter the locations of Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld, Minden and Gütersloh for at least 14 days after their departure. In doing so, we follow current recommendations from the health authorities that recommend domestic isolation up to 14 days after leaving a risk area.

We also refer to the statement of the Federal Minister Jens Spahn: "If you have been in Italy, Switzerland or Austria within the last 14 days: Avoid unnecessary contacts and stay at home for two weeks! This applies regardless of whether you have symptoms or not. In this way you will help to protect yourself and those around you from the corona virus." (Source: https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/coronavirus/chronik-coronavirus.html)

Absenteeism should not jeopardize academic success. All participants will find common constructive solutions so that there are no individual disadvantages. Please contact your teacher by e-mail so that a solution can be found in individual cases.

(Updated on March, 16th)

If you have had contact with a confirmed infected person, please contact the responsible health authority immediately. The Robert Koch Institute offers an online-tool in which local and regional contact points throughout Germany can be accessed via the postcode. Please inform your supervisor or manager. Stay at home and follow the instructions of the public health department. Do not go to a doctor's surgery yourself in order to minimize the risk of infection.

Since this regulation can change daily, please always check with the Robert-Koch-Institut.

We kindly ask our students to contact us via gesundheitsschutz@fh-bielefeld.de so that we can get an overview of the number of people affected.

Students and guests are requested not to enter the HSBI locations in Bielefeld, Minden and Gütersloh until the diagnosis has been clarified.

Resulting absences will not be at the expense of the success of the studies. All those involved will find constructive solutions together so that no individual disadvantages arise. Please contact the respective lecturers by e-mail so that a solution can be found in individual cases.

Employees of Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences are instructed to first contact their supervisor and inform the Human Resources Department. Individual arrangements (home office, leave of absence, transfer of other tasks) will be found in consultation with the respective supervisor.

The German Federal Ministry for Health lists three criteria that you should check if you suspect you have the symptoms. If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection (e.g. coughing) AND have been in a risk area designated by the Robert Koch-Institut in the last 14 days OR if contact with a person in whom the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been detected in the laboratory is less than 14 days ago, THEN contact with a doctor is recommended. Do not go to a doctor's surgery yourself to avoid infecting other people in an emergency. If you suspect that you may have been infected, please contact your family doctor or the medical on-call service by phone at 116117.

If you have been in a region where COVID-19 cases occur, but which is not a risk area, and if you develop a fever, cough or shortness of breath within 14 days of your return home, you should contact your family doctor or the medical on-call service on 116117 after making a telephone appointment with reference to the trip. Do not go to a doctor's surgery yourself to avoid infecting other people in an emergency.

Further information on how to proceed in case of suspected cases can be found on the RKI website, see FAQ: https://www.rki.de/SharedDocs/FAQ/NCOV2019/FAQ_Liste.html

Since this regulation can change daily, please always check with the Robert Koch Institut. 

Students and guests are requested not to enter the HSBI locations in Bielefeld, Minden and Gütersloh until the diagnosis has been clarified.

Resulting absences will not be at the expense of the success of the studies. All those involved will find constructive solutions together so that no individual disadvantages arise. Please contact the respective lecturers by e-mail so that a solution can be found in individual cases.

Employees of Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences are instructed to first contact their supervisor and inform the Human Resources Department. Individual arrangements (home office, leave of absence, transfer of other tasks) will be found in consultation with the respective supervisor.

What has always been true: stay at home in case of illness and cure yourself.

In the interest of all members of the university, we ask all persons (students, guests, employees) who show signs of a flu-like infection to stay away from Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences.

Flu-like infections, the flu and Covid-19 are different diseases. As a layperson, the first time we sneeze or cough, we already think of a flu. Only those who have ever had a real flu know that the symptoms of a real flu and the course of the disease are different and more serious and that the feeling of illness is more pronounced.

In the case of Covid-19 diseases, we only know what has been researched in recent months. So there are mild and also severe courses of the disease. Since experts believe that the disease will continue to spread and that up to 60% or 70% of all people may be infected, it is important to gain as much time as possible and to extend the period in which the infection spreads. This helps everyone in our society, especially those people who work in the health sector. The more time we all gain, the better we can care for the sick people. Since we can expect the number of people infected with Covid-19 to increase, we should all be concerned to act as prudently and circumspectly as possible.

So we should not think of Covid-19 the first time we sneeze or cough. At present it makes sense to stay at home if you feel ill. Remember, that doctors have much more work to do than usual. A Covid-19 test is only carried out if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection (e.g. cough) AND have been in a risk area designated by the Robert Koch Institute in the last 14 days OR have had contact with a person in whom the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been detected in the laboratory within the last 14 days.

Since this regulation can change daily, please always check with the Robert-Koch-Institut and your family doctor.

So, if you have a flu-like infection, stay at home and contact your family doctor by phone if your health condition worsens, so that you have to worry about having a real flu or a Covid-19 infection

The extent to which home offices can be made possible at short notice as a special measure is currently being examined. Please contact your superiors to make arrangements in coordination with the Human Resources department.
If there are clear signs of a flu-like infection, we instruct all employees to stay at home. All superiors are requested to intensively fulfil their duty of care towards their employees.

Due to the current developments regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2), the following regulations were made at the HSBI with regard to the upcoming examination period. The following regulations are initially valid until April 30th, 2020.

All examinations that were planned for the period between 16 March and 4 April 2020 will be postponed! The organisational issues related to this postponement are currently being discussed. It is expected that on Thursday there will be an update of the FAQ on this subject.

1. an important preventive measure is preventive health protection. Please stay at home if you are ill.

2. the normal withdrawal period of eight days has been reduced to one day, so that you can now withdraw from the exam without giving reasons up to one day before the exam. In addition, the rule applies that you can also remain absent from the examination on the day of the examination itself without having to cancel and without presenting an individual certificate of incapacity for the examination.

3. the following request applies to the group of persons who will be taking an oral examination: Should you decide to withdraw from the examination on the day of the examination, please inform your examiner* by mail.

4. absence from the examination has no influence on the number of available examination attempts. All candidates will be placed as if they had not registered for the exam. Please note: first of all, all exams for which candidates could not cancel their registration and did not appear will be graded with a grade of 5.0. This mark will be cancelled at the end of the examination phase. Please assume a period of up to approx. eight weeks after the examination date. It is therefore not necessary to contact the student service if you discover the (unjustified) grade 5.0 in the LSF.

5. term papers and theses are not affected by this exception. They have to be submitted. There will be a digital possibility to submit these theses. Further details will be published at the latest on Thursday. The submission deadlines will generally be extended by one week!

6) If you have any questions about how students should behave in case of illness, e.g. if the exam you are aiming for is offered for the last time on the current exam date or if postponing the exam to the next exam period would lead to problems in funding due to BAföG regulations, please refer to question no. 21) of the FAQs.

7. colloquia should no longer take place in a personal 1:1 situation, but should be held by telephone. If documents are to be discussed, they can be exchanged before the meeting.

8. if you are currently unable to complete your pre-study internship, you will not be threatened with de-registration! In this case we will find an individual solution.

(Uptated on March 15th, 2020)

Due to the current threat situation, the start of lectures for the 2020 summer semester of universities, universities of applied sciences and art colleges in NRW has been postponed to 20 April 2020. The end of the lecture period of the summer semester 2020 has been set at 17 July 2020.

As it is currently advised to limit social contacts as much as possible, all courses (including preliminary courses, preparatory courses of the learning centre, workshops and other additional offers etc.) are to be stopped or cancelled immediately.

All examis planned for the period between March 16th and April 4th 2020 will be postponed!
The regulations set out in the FAQ must be observed. Further instructions on how to conduct the exams have been sent to the teachers.

In order to reduce the risk of infection for employees and users, the public areas of the university library will be closed from Wednesday, 18 March, until 19 April 2020.

PC pools, project rooms, seminar rooms and the learning centre will be closed with immediate effect. The IT-ServiceDesk will also be closed to the public, and IT colleagues can still be contacted by e-mail or telephone. The distribution of the newly applied FHCards will be suspended for the time being. The university management requests that, until further notice, personal visits to all service units be avoided and that e-mail and telephone be used for questions and concerns.

All employees are also requested to check in individual cases whether personal meetings are necessary and, if possible, to find alternative communication channels for coordination.

For committee meetings and discussions, the regulations set out in the FAQs must be observed. In addition, we ask that a list of participants be kept for each meeting and deposited in the respective secretariats.

For further questions please contact gesundheitsschutz@fh-bielefeld.de

(Last updated on March 14th) 

The Town Council of Bielefeld prohibits all public and commercial events by general decree until April 30th, 2020. This applies both to events indoors and outdoors. The ban on events is intended to slow down the rapid spread of the virus.

At Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences all public events - such as information events for prospective students or lectures - must be cancelled by the organisers by the end of April. Furthermore, no new events may be planned for the period until the end of April. This regulation also applies to the Gütersloh and Minden locations.

Please inform the university communications department via the e-mail address veranstaltung@fh-bielefeld.de about the events you have cancelled.

For events starting in May, the previous regulation will continue to apply for the time being:

1. In order to have a transparent overview of events taking place, all events (with the exception of courses) must be registered via the online registration form as before.

2. The task force does not at present declare a general ban on all events. 
   However, we would like to point out that each event should be checked in advance to see if it is necessary and if it is not urgently required, it should be cancelled or postponed. A preliminary decision as to whether an event is necessary is made by the organizer in consultation with the management of the respective institution or department, or the Dean of the department.

3. If possible, alternative formats for holding events or meetings should be considered, e.g. telephone or video conference, Skype etc. 

4. If events such as congresses, symposia, meetings are planned at one of the locations of Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, a risk assessment based on the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institut must be carried out by the organise. If the risk is too high and participants and other persons are endangered, the organiser is requested to postpone the event or cancel it.
   The risk assessment can change daily. We therefore ask the organizer to plan carefully in order to allow for early and short-term cancellations. 

5. The organisers are requested to send the results of their risk assessment and their (preliminary) decision to the University Communication Department by e-mail to veranstaltung@fh-bielefeld.de.

6. The final decision on whether or not an event can take place is made by the task force.

1. All organizers must point out in advance that persons who have stayed in risk areas cannot participate in the event.
2. At the beginning of the event, all organisers must inform the participants of the hygiene regulations in accordance with the recommendations of the RKI.
3. All participants are asked to contribute to the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases by their behaviour and sufficient (hand) hygiene.
4. All participants are asked to keep a generous distance if possible.
5. The organisers must ensure that crowds of people are avoided when entering and leaving the rooms.
6. At meetings, events or sessions with more than 10 persons, lists of participants (name, first name, institution, e-mail contact, telephone number) must be kept. This ensures that potential contact persons can be quickly identified afterwards.

 The situation is very dynamic. The Federal Foreign Office is tightening its travel regulations, e.g. for Italy, on a daily basis. On March 7th, 2020, the German Health Minister also pointed out that he would also waive unnecessary travel to and in North Rhine-Westphalia. From the perspective of other countries, Germany is now considered a risk area, so that business trips to Germany are no longer permitted. As a result, we receive daily cancellations from abroad. For this reason, there is also the possibility that travellers from Germany may have to go into quarantine for 14 days upon arrival at their destinations. In addition, it must be assumed that the risk of infection is higher with travel activity than with no travel activity. Even if you are personally young and healthy and not afraid of an infection and think that it is possibly only accompanied by a feeling of discomfort, please think of the people around you who are more at risk due to previous illnesses. Please also consider the risks that exist for teaching and research if we do not behave attentively.

The following regulations are valid up to and including April 30th, 2020

1. Business trips and excursions to the risk areas specified at the RKI are not ordered and not approved or orders and approvals are revoked. This also applies to business trips and excursions to areas for which the Federal Foreign Office has issued travel warnings. For China, France and South Korea this will be extended to the whole country. In addition, business trips to countries that provide for quarantine for travellers from Germany are prohibited. For more information on this, please consult the pages of the Federal Foreign Office and the representation of the destination country. Since the classification of risk areas can change daily, we ask for careful planning.

2. If you are planning business trips to Germany and abroad (further education or training, congress visits, etc.) in the coming weeks, at least until 30 April 2020, we would ask you to check whether you can postpone or waive your participation until a later date. If you are visiting universities abroad, please note that they may issue their own quarantine regulations or severely restricted campus access, even at short notice, which may be independent of national regulations. We urgently appeal to you to avoid travelling unless it is absolutely necessary. In doing so, we are also following the statements of the Federal Foreign Office:
   "We currently advise against unnecessary travel abroad, as further drastic restrictions on international air and travel, quarantine measures and the restriction of public life can be expected in many countries. The risk that you will not be able to make your return journey due to the increasing restrictions is currently high in many destinations."
   Currently, the university is setting up a fund for any cancellation costs that are not covered by third parties. To clarify your cancellation costs, please contact the task force via the e-mail address gesundheitsschutz@fh-bielefeld.de.

3. Excursions which are planned up to and including April 30th, 2020 will be cancelled. The university will cover any cancellation costs incurred. The university is currently setting up a fund for cancellation costs that are not covered by third parties. To clarify your cancellation costs, please contact the task force via the e-mail address gesundheitsschutz@fh-bielefeld.de.
4. For excursions planned for the period after April 30th, 2020, we provide for an individual case study. Please inform us about your plans via the e-mail address gesundheitsschutz@fh-bielefeld.de so that we can start the discussion.

If you have planned business trips to Germany and abroad (further education or training, congress visits, etc.) in the coming weeks, at least until April 30th, 2020, we ask you to check whether you can postpone or waive your participation until a later date. We recommend that you avoid travelling unless it is absolutely necessary. The university is currently setting up a fund for cancellation costs that are not covered by third parties. To clarify your cancellation costs, please contact the task force via the e-mail address gesundheitsschutz@fh-bielefeld.de.

We request that visits (individual guests or foreign delegations) from risk areas be cancelled and that visits by guests or foreign delegations from non-risk areas be pre-checked to see if they are necessary and, if possible, cancelled until further notice.

All departments expecting international guests for the period until April 30th, 2020 are asked to report these to the International Office and, in addition, to inform the guests of the current situation in Germany, NRW and in Bielefeld. The International Office can provide support in this regard.

The International Office regularly informs the partner universities about developments at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences.

We kindly ask you to check whether the aim of the visit can (at least partly) be achieved by using digital instruments.

 The DAAD generally advises against travelling to risk areas designated by the RKI. It recommends that you find out whether in individual cases stays can be postponed or, if necessary, replaced by virtual formats. (Source: https://www.daad.de/de/coronavirus/ last call 02.03.2020)

Students who carry out a stay abroad (Erasmus+, PROMOS, mobility grant) funded by the International Office of Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences in the affected regions and who break off their stay, will receive their grant for the days spent abroad in the event of an early return, even if the minimum duration is not reached. Affected regions are areas declared as such by the respective national authority.

Students who are funded by other organizations should first contact the respective funding institution.

Students who are abroad, but who are not staying in the risk areas and still wish to end their stay prematurely, please contact the International Office as well as the responsible coordinator from the faculty.

Students who do not wish to go abroad due to the situation, please contact the IO as soon as possible.

Individual solutions will be found for recognition.

For exchange students from risk areas, the regulations that apply to all travellers from risk areas apply.

Since the Studentenwerk may apply regulations that go beyond these regulations and since accommodation in student dorms requires special sensitivity, the International Office will contact students from risk areas and - if necessary - ask them not to move into the dorm for the time being and, if necessary, to take a COVID 19 test.

If students who receive a scholarship from HSBI (Erasmus+) and do not want to start or stop their stay at HSBI, they are requested to contact the International Office immediately.

Our incoming students are kept up to date on the current situation by the IO.

International guests currently staying at HSBI can contact the International Office.

If you have any further questions, please write to the following e-mail address: gesundheitsschutz@fh-bielefeld.de

All members of the task force of HSBI have access to this functional email address. Two staff members will ensure that your messages will be answered as quickly as possible.

Bielefeld, city administration

The city administration has set up a telephone information hotline for all questions concerning the coronavirus: +49.521.51.2000

From Monday to Friday from 8 to 16 o'clock, municipal employees give general information and advice on prevention by telephone. Outside service hours, the service point of the „Kassenärztliche Vereinigung“ is available at 116 117 (also at night) 

(Source: https://www.bielefeld.de/de/gs/covi/)

Citizens´telephone North Rhine-Westphalia

The North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Health has a citizens' telephone number for the coronavirus: 0211 / 8554774, Monday to Friday from 8 to 18 o'clock.

(Source: https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/aktuelle-meldungen/gesundheit-pflege/coronavirus-wie-sie-sich-schuetzen-und-wer-sich-testen-lassen-sollte-45054)

Under the following links you will find the assessments of important authorities and organisations on coronavirus

Federal Foreign Office (german)
Coronavirus: Internationale Gesundheitspolitik

Federal Ministry of Health (german)
Aktuelle Informationen zum Coronavirus

Federal Centre for Health Education (german)
Häufig gestellte Fragen
Infektionsschutz und allgemeine Hygienemaßnahmen
Antworten auf häufige Fragen zum Coronavirus

German Academic Exchange Service (german)
DAAD - Informationen zum Coronavirus (deutsch)
DAAD - information regarding coronavirus (english)

EU (english)
European Union - Information regarding coronavirus

Land NRW
Corona-Virus in Nordrhein-Westfalen

Robert-Koch-Institut (german)
Häufig gestellte Fragen
Aktuelle Risikogebiete
Informationsposter zum Coronavirus
Detaillierte Informationen zum Coronavirus
Informationen und Hilfestellungen für Personen mit einem höheren Risiko für einen schweren COVID-19-Krankheitsverlauf

Bielefeld, city administration (german)
Informationen zum Coronavirus und aktuelle Entwicklung in Bielefeld

Consumer advice centre (german)
FAQ der Verbraucherzentrale

WHO (english)
WHO - information and guidance regarding the coronavirus
Mythbuster – WHO addresses fakes and rumors about the coronavirus

Other important links

Where is the nearest public health department? This is shown by the RKI quick search.

Where should you not drive to at the moment? The travel warnings of the Federal Foreign Office provide information on this.

For NRW: The North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Health has set up a citizens' hotline for the corona virus: 0211 / 8554774, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm.

(Source: https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/aktuelle-meldungen/gesundheit-pflege/coronavirus-wie-sie-sich-schuetzen-und-wer-sich-testen-lassen-sollte-45054)

The Robert Koch Institute has compiled information and assistance for people with a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease, to which we refer:
https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogruppen.html

We ask the employees concerned to contact their superiors in order to reach agreements in coordination with the human resources department regarding home office.

Questions arise as to how students should behave in the event of illness, for example if the desired examination is offered for the last time on the current examination date or if postponing the examination to the next examination period would lead to problems in funding due to BAföG regulations. There will probably be further questions of this kind which we are unable to assess at this point in time.

First of all, we expressly ask you to stay away from the university in case of illness in order to prevent a possible spread of pathogens.

Should you be affected by one of these cases, we ask you to contact us via the e-mail address gesundheitsschutz@fh-bielefeld.de with the following information: Description of the case, matriculation number, name, telephone number, e-mail address, examination, examiner. In principle, we will contact you and try to find a solution for each individual case.

All exams planned for the period between March 16th and April 4th 2020 will be postponed!
As further changes may occur at very short notice, we kindly ask you to follow the e-mails and these FAQs of HSBI carefully. In particular with regard to upcoming exams and lectures as well as possible changes in teaching methods, you should inform yourself at least daily. As long as examinations are not explicitly cancelled, they will take place as planned. (updated on March 14th 2020)

For all meetings and internal appointments (such as committee appointments), lists of participants (name, first name, institution, e-mail contact, telephone number) should be kept. This ensures that potential contact persons can be identified quickly afterwards. The lists are to be deposited with the corresponding secretariats.

In order to reduce the risk of infection for employees and users, the public areas of the university library will be closed from Wednesday, 18 March until 19 April 2020. Printed media can no longer be borrowed from then on, and the learning rooms, workstations, PCs and printing/copying facilities in the university library are no longer available.

Lending/returning media

• For returning media you can use the return machine in the outer facade of the University of Applied Sciences building at the library location Campus Bielefeld.
• It is not absolutely necessary to return media during the closing time of the library locations, as all loan periods have been extended to 30.04.2020.

Advisory service

• Personal advice on scientific information is suspended. Please use our video tutorials and digital offers.

• If you need advice, please contact bib.info@fh-bielefeld.de.
• From Monday to Friday from 10.30 to 14.30 hours, our WhatsApp service is also available to you.

• University members can also find a compilation of our digital support services [KI2] on the ILIAS learning platform.
• Training courses, guided tours through the library and other information events are not offered for the time being.

Digital offers

• In addition to digital academic information resources (databases, eBooks, e-journals), numerous tutorials are available in the University Library channel in the Media Portal, including tutorials on Word and Citavi.
• We would be happy to procure any additional electronic media (eBooks) you may require. You can find our purchase form here.
• University members can also find a compilation of our digital support services on ILIAS.

Payment of library fees

• It is not absolutely necessary to return media during the closing time of the library locations, as all loan periods have been extended to 30.04.2020.

Contact

If you have any further questions, please contact bib.info@fh-bielefeld.de

(updated on March 19th 2020)

To reduce the risk of infection for employees and students, the IT-ServiceDesk will be closed to the public from Monday, 16 March 2020 until 19 April. Some of the services will continue to be offered – possibly in a modified form.

FHCard service point

• The issue of the FHCard is suspended from the above-mentioned date. Students and employees who are new to the university in the summer semester and do not yet have an FHCard can use alternatives for the following services:
• University library:
  • As the university library will be closed from March 18th (information here), there is currently no need to use a library card.
• Payment in the refectories and cafeterias of the Studierendenwerk:
  • You can temporarily purchase a service card of the Studierendenwerk in the refectories and cafeterias in order to be able to pay in the catering establishments. Information of the Studierendenwerk can be found here.
• Electronic locking system of the university:
  • Employees in the departments and central units can obtain a locking card, please contact the management of your department or unit.
• Use of the multifunctional devices by means of an FHCard (for students):
  • The devices can - if accessible at all - also be used with a ServiceCard of the Studierendenwerk (see above for purchase). For information see here.
• Use of the multifunctional devices with an FHCard (for employees):
  • Employees without an FHcard can use the multifunctional devices by logging on to the pull-out keyboard below the display on the device using the combination of FHLogin/FH password. You can find more information here.
• semester ticket:
  • The semester ticket is an online ticket and must be applied for online at the DB. It is only valid in conjunction with an official photo ID of the ticket holder. The FHCard is not necessary for authorisation. You can find more information here.

Inquiries about IT services

• Inquiries regarding the university's IT services will continue to be received and processed by the IT-ServiceDesk by e-mail (it-servicedesk@fh-bielefeld.de) or telephone (+49.521.106-70000).
  • Please contact the IT-ServiceDesk by e-mail in the first step. You will receive a confirmation of receipt from the ticket system. Please only call us if there is an urgent problem that is hindering you in your work. The IT-ServcieDesk staff will get back to you as soon as possible.
• Remote maintenance options
  • Due to the now missing possibility to be advised directly with/at your device in the IT-ServiceDesk, we have established extensive possibilities for remote maintenance:
  • For employees at their workplace at the university:
    • Here, remote maintenance of the DVZ desktop management system allows you to access your PC at the university workstation during a telephone call. The installation of additional software is not necessary. Access is only possible if you agree to it beforehand. The IT-ServiceDesk staff will contact you directly.
  • For employees in the home office and for students:
    • Here the software Teamviewer is used for remote maintenance. This allows you to access your PC during a telephone call. Download the software at get.teamviewer.com/fhbielefeld and start it when prompted. An installation is not necessary. The employees will ask you for the ID and password for the remote maintenance session. Without your ID and password, access to your PC is not possible.

Borrowing media technology and IT equipment and accessories

• Borrowing of accessories for the learning centre is suspended as the centre is also closed. The lending of IT and media technology equipment by employees, which is necessary for the creation of digital teaching materials, will continue to be possible. Please contact the IT-ServiceDesk (it-servicedesk@fh-bielefeld.de) by e-mail and an individual appointment will be arranged.

The university canteens and cafeterias of the Studierendenwerk Bielefeld will be temporarily closed from Thursday, 19 March 2020 until Friday, 17 April 2020.

You can find all detailed information here: http://www.studierendenwerk-bielefeld.de/corona/

These regulations are valid temporarily for the period 16th March until 17th July 2020 at the Faculty of Social Sciences. For the other faculties of Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, information on the individual regulations for examinations etc. will also be published in the following days.

1. examinations (supplement to the regulation applicable throughout the university)

The dates set by the Audit Committee for the period 23.03. - 02.04.2020 are cancelled. Examination registrations remain valid. Registered students will be given the opportunity to take the exams during the semester. Further information will be published as soon as possible. Failure to take the registered examination at a later date will have no consequences.

Students will be admitted to the final thesis (or other module examinations) under reserve, for which the failed examinations would have been a prerequisite. The reservation will be lifted after successful completion of the examination performance(s) that would have been required.

2. bachelor or master theses

The President has ordered that until further notice personal visits to all service units are to be refrained from. This also applies to obtaining signatures during office hours. Therefore, the registration procedure for final theses will be changed for the summer semester 2020. Obtaining the consent of the first supervisor will take place by e-mail. Signatures of students and the written consent of other persons (P2 lecturers, second readers) will be waived.

Students are asked to register for the final thesis with an abbreviated data sheet (see Word document attached) via email. For this purpose, students should contact the first supervisor by email. The first supervisors will check the proposed topic and adapt it if necessary.

Afterwards, the first supervisor sends an email to the students expressing his or her agreement and coordinating internally with the second person. Finally, the first supervisors send the short application by e-mail to: nadejda.burow@fh-bielefeld.de. From there, the registration is sent to the examination office.

Admission is subject to reservation if not all admission requirements have been met. Until the colloquium has been accepted, the missing examination papers can be made up for. Admission to the final theses will take place according to plan, but the processing time

for BA work until 23.06.2020 and

for MA work until 20.07.2020

extended, as the library is expected to be closed until 20.04.2020. Should the closing time of the library be further extended, the time required to complete the thesis will be extended by the period of closure.

The new date for the BA Colloquium is 17.07.2020.

3. term papers in all study programmes

Admission to the term papers in the 1st examination period of the summer semester 2020 (planned admission: 29.04.2020) can be granted according to schedule if the library is open on 20.04.2020. If the closing time of the library is further extended, the processing time will be extended by the period of closing. The then valid processing period will be determined at that time.

4. practical colloquia

All persons who have applied for admission to the Professional Practical Colloquium before 15.03.2020, who meet all other requirements for the granting of state recognition and who have submitted a report that is considered appropriate by the person in charge of the colloquium, will not be required to attend the colloquium.

The supervising person must confirm to the Practice Group by e-mail that the report is adequate and that there are no reservations about granting state recognition.

For applications submitted after 16.03.2020 a decision will be made on a case-by-case basis.

5. office hours until the beginning of the semester

The President has ordered that until further notice personal visits to all service units are to be refrained from. This also applies to office hours. Instead, all members of the service unit will answer questions and concerns by e-mail and/or telephone. Full-time faculty members will be available for telephone contact during their office hours. Please coordinate details with the teachers by email. Students are asked to always provide a callback number for email contacts.

6. work placements (module P1 or P2) and year of work experience

Internships accompanying studies should be regularly completed by the planned start of examinations and courses in the summer semester 2020. This was originally 23.03.2020. For this reason, students will be recognised as having completed periods of employment in modules P1 and P2 which could not be completed as planned between 16.03. - 22.03.2020. These periods of employment must be documented by the internship office (with proof of completion of the entire internship). Periods of employment outside this period can be made up at a later date.

Periods of employment within the year of practical work experience which cannot be completed as planned after 16.03.2020 should be certified separately by the place of employment. Within the framework of an individual case decision, a favourable assessment will be made as to whether this would result in periods of interruption exceeding the four-week limit set by the regulations. Interruption periods of less than four weeks in total within the twelve-month recognition year do not constitute a problem under § 3.5 BJ-O anyway.

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All the above mentioned regulations are of course subject to the proviso that the semester starts again on April 20. Should this not be the case, the regulations will be adapted to the new situation.

The Student Advising and Counselling (ZSB) does not currently offer personal counselling hours (psychosocial counselling, course guidance, financial advice).

Please contact the Student Advising and Counselling by phone (+49.521.106-7758) or by e-mail ( zsb@fh-bielefeld.de).

At the moment it is only possible to contact the Student Advising and Counselling (ZSB)e by e-mail. Due to the high number of incoming mails, the processing of your request may unfortunately take a little longer than usual. We ask for your understanding.

Mail: zsb@fh-bielefeld.de

In acute psychosocial crises you can contact marita.ripke@fh-bielefeld.de 

All available information regarding the coronavirus can be found here in the FAQ.

Further information on the Central Student Advisory Service, Financial Advice and Psychosocial Counselling can be found at www.fh-bielefeld.de/zsb.

(Updated 19 March 2020)