Non-semester Vs. Optional Semester

A non-semester is a period of the study year which is organized in such a manner that permits lectures to be taken online via various study platforms such as Udemy, Google Classroom, and other. However, the attendance of said lectures is not mandatory. Students can attend as many of the lectures as they can afford without being reprimanded for opting out of a lecture due to reasons such as grocery shopping for loved ones or ones who cannot go out due to being elderly, or with health complications which compromise their immune systems. Additionally, the non-semester does not count towards the total number of periods needed by a student to complete a study course at university. This results in them not exhausting part of their scholarship, loans or temporary contract since the period is not formally counted. If, for instance, a student has a temporary contract which will keep them employed for five semesters and they have three remaining until said contract expires, after a non-semester they will continue to have three remaining semesters of their contract. Similar is the situation in regards to research projects.

This approach has been proposed by many professors and lecturers in the form of open letters sent to leading figures within the governments such as the Ministers of Science and Education. It was first established as a term by the Vice-President of HRK Prof. Dr. Ulrich Radtke, who mentions it during an interview with the Deutschlandfunk radio. The German Rectors’ Conference (Hochschulrektorenkonferenz, HRK) and the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, DAAD) are among the organizations proposing and supporting the suggestion. This approach can have several advantages and disadvantages including:

Funding Remains but Semester Is Non-countable

A non-semester, as has been previously mentioned, involves students having the option whether to participate in the online courses provided during the period or complete the subjects they have remaining from the winter semester without the period counting towards the amount of study periods necessary to complete the course. Simultaneously, students will not lose their financing or harm their temporary employment or deadlines. Such an approach can aid students in being able to concentrate on important matters such as finding employment, finishing their previous courses or subjects, caring for family members that are elderly people or children without the unnecessary stress of having to worry about the summer semester. Additionally, a non-semester can also provide students with an option to tend to their health and recuperate at home without the risk of infecting others. In addition, since the non-semester is not added to the number needed for the student to complete the course, this permits them to not worry about exhausting one semester of their financing in the form of loans or scholarships. This particularly applies to Bafög funds (a form of government grant for students given out as per Federal Training Assistance Act – Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz).

On a similar note, there is no risk of their temporary fixed-term contract having one semester exhausted without one gaining valuable experience or payment, which is particularly beneficial to both doctorates as well as dual study students. Similarly, a non-semester also can prevent from missing deadlines by extending them by one semester, allowing students time to complete their assignments. It should be noted that students who opt for the non-semester can receive additional credits in the optional areas depending on the arrangements made by the university they are studying at. Additionally, a non-semester also prevents students and staff from having to undergo lengthy and exhaustive bureaucratic processes such as submitting justifications for the missing of lectures or exams or applications for new deadlines, exam dates and others.

Non-semester’s Possible Drawbacks: “Zero semester” Might Not Be Enough

While a non-semester does have certain benefits as an approach for the summer period of 2020’s university year, there are also certain drawbacks which should be considered and which have been the cause for many to oppose the implementation of said method despite the advantages it can provide to both students and university staff. An example of the members of the opposition includes Baden-Württemberg’s Science Minister, Theresia Bauer.

To begin with, a non-semester, as has been already mentioned, is not added to the total number of periods needed by students to complete the course. This results in students having to possibly study a bit longer than anticipated as a non-semester is essentially a “zero semester”, which in turn could cause potential issues in terms of resident permits. For instance, if the institution of higher education one is studying at has opted to make the summer 2020 semester a non-semester, this will extend the amount of time needed for the student to complete their course. This can be challenging depending on the situation such as whether they can afford to apply for an extension for their residence permit and whether they will receive said extension. Receiving an extension may not be possible due to such reasons as closed offices, too many requests, or others. This, in turn, can cause stress to the student as they may not be able to complete their studies and have to withdraw from the program prematurely and against their wishes. In addition, it may not be possible to have the credits earned during the optional lectures to be added to the amount needed by students to qualify for important exams. In addition, should all other semesters following the non-semester be standard yet the student has to continue caring for sick, elderly people or young children, this can cause issues such as lack of focus, high levels of stress as well as others. Furthermore, a single non-semester might not be able to help in terms of reducing the confusion and frustration caused by online courses, due to connection problems or difficulties related to malfunctions of the hardware or software used by the student or university. This, in turn, can result in lost time and opportunity in regards to gaining knowledge and valuable information.

The alternative to the non-semester is the optional or “can-do” semester (Kann-Semester). This is a type of semester during which lectures can be attended depending on the willingness of the students attending the course provided by the institution of higher education with the intention of creating free space and better preparing students for attending online courses and lectures. Requests for the employment of the “Kann-semester” or optional semester approach have been made via means such as the creation of an online petition which has currently been signed by 45,000 students as well as the appeal of organizations such as the General Student Committee (AStA) of the University of Rostock. This is due to an optional semester being able to provide students with several options regarding exams which can be helpful in the current circumstances. However, as with the previously mentioned non-semester, there are also several drawbacks that can inflict significant damage and further increase both study stress as well as frustration. The respective benefits and drawbacks of such an approach include:

Voluntary Attendance & Failed Exam Attempts Do Not Count

An optional semester includes by its nature a period during which lectures are provided as best as possible with as much information as possible, allowing students to continue gaining knowledge in the subjects chosen by them. Additionally, students are permitted to attend voluntarily based on available time, which can be beneficial in times such as when doing volunteer work, helping tend to a family member who is sick, or is a child/elderly. One of the primary advantages of the optional semester is the option of redoing an exam should one fail during one’s attempt without the said attempt being added to the total number of tries a student has before being considered to have not passed and needing to withdraw from the program. This allows students to, for instance, continue their studies and retry an exam without any risk, particularly when they have other responsibilities such as shopping for people who cannot go out due to age or illness or helping through volunteering such as tending to the sick, vulnerable or in the situations of the medical students – aiding with the creation of medicine which can help in reducing the effect of the coronavirus and prevent new pandemics in the future such as vaccines or medications.

Additionally, depending on the schedule created by the institution of higher education and the options available, exams can be postponed for the next semester or until the next available date. This can further aid in ensuring that a student succeeds when taking an exam by providing them with more time to prepare and study and hone their skills. Apart from the previously-mentioned advantages, an optional semester can also provide students and institutions of higher education an opportunity to further hone the option to study online and provide materials via online platforms as a means to better prepare for future exceptional situations such as students who may not be able to leave home due to health complications. It, additionally, can also aid in motivating students to maintain a form of routine which in turn can help them in maintaining a sense of ordinariness as well as discipline during times of staying at home. It is due to such advantages that many student organizations such as General Student Committees (Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss - AStA) at the University of Rostock, and at Greifswald University are supporting this approach. Similarly, the General Student Committees at Hochschule Wismar University of Applied Sciences, Technology, Business, and Design, Stralsund University of Applied Sciences, University of Applied Sciences in Neubrandenburg, as well as the Student Council of the Rostock University of Music and Theatre have also shown their support including by gathering student signatures for petitions, with the current number of gathered signatures being around 45,000.

Potential Downsides Of The Optional Semester: Too Many Exams Can Be Overwhelming

Among the potential downsides of the optional semester approach is that it can cause the a feeling of being overwhelmed in students during later semesters. This is due to one too many delayed or retaken exam causing the risk of students needing to study too many subjects on a short notice which as a result can cause high levels of study stress resulting into unwelcome health complications such as the onset of diabetes, weight gain, depression, and others. Additionally, delaying too many of the exams also increases the risk of failing one or more of them, thus causing serious issues such as having to withdraw from the course, needing to file requests for extensions or new attempts, and others.

In addition, an optional semester may not exert proper influence in terms of fixed contracts, scholarships and others as unlike the non-semester which can be conducted but is not formally added to the amount of study periods set by course programs, fixed contracts terms and others, an optional semester is highly likely to be counted. Similarly, there can be challenges in regards to deadlines and the submission of homework or projects which in turn lead to excess stress, especially when students need to balance between caring for loved ones, tending to themselves, working, and studying. There is also the chance that students who may lack proper discipline or motivation due to the previously mentioned aspects to balance may not perform at the recommended or optimal level required by the study program. This can result in a possible reduction of their grades and overall performance, which in turn could affect matters such as scholarships. Additionally, students may encounter issues in terms of not being able to attend the courses due to Internet connection problems or hardware issues. On a similar note, it can be challenging for students in terms of requesting the exams they would like to postpone or have a failed exam retaken without the failed attempt being counted as they need to contact the academic advisor or member of staff who is responsible for the course program the student is enrolled in. It is due to such concerns and potential setbacks that quite a few organizations and scholars are against the implementation of the optional semester approach. Examples of the ones opposing the proposal include the free association of the student body in Germany (FZS - Freier Zusammenschluss von StudentInnenschaften), as well as respectable scholars and lecturers such as Dr. Marcus Kleiner, a Professor of Communication and Media Science, who teaches at the SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences.

Both the non-semester and optional semester approach has its advantages and disadvantages in regards to aiding students and institutions of higher education in being able to continue learning and provide information, respectively, during the Coronavirus crisis. For instance, a non-semester can aid in avoiding mental and physical exhaustion in students caused by having too many responsibilities without said avoidance harming students’ scholarships, research projects, and other important university matters due to it being not formally counted to the total number students must have. Yet said approach can also cause issues pertaining to matters such as student resident permits. Similarly, an optional semester can allow students to retake an exam without a failed attempt being counted to the total amount of attempts allowed, yet it can also cause high levels of stress should many exams be delayed or retaken. Each of the approaches has both their supporters as well as their opposition based on whether the members of said groups believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages or if the potential drawbacks are too precarious in comparison to the benefits provided. Which approach in regards to the summer semester is the more effective and prudent variant is yet to be seen.